So, as a result of my in vitro culturing course, i manage to get myself two african violets. One stayed with me and the other one i left it at my abandoned grandparents (already deceased) house.
While the first one has been given the best conditions and 24/7 care, the other one was exposed to the elements and forgotten (only watered it once a month or less)
Why is mine so weird and weak looking while the other one growing so strong?
Note: they have been growing for 2 years now
by Plant_seeker
2 Comments
It looks like it’s planted too deep in poor substrate in a pot that is too large. Light can also be a factor.
Yours is in way too large a pot and is buried too deep, likely causing root rot issues. Too big and too deep means water is retained into the soil too long and the crown is exposed to moisture encouraging rotting.
First rule of violet growing, pot should be 1/3rd the diameter of the widest part of the plant. So if your plant is 3 inches across, it should be in a 1 inch pot.
Second rule of violet growing, make sure the soil is well draining, usually by adding things like perlite. My recipe is 2 parts sphagnum peat moss to 1 part vermiculite and 1 part perlite. If you’re using a self-watering pot it’s 50% perlite, 30% peat moss, 20% vermiculite.
Lastly, unbury the crown. Violets would rather be necky (they grow necky in nature) than have their crowns buried.
You might want to consider propping a leaf in case this plant has crown or root rot.