Three Ways to Propagate African Violets

Jeanne Grunert
by Jeanne Grunert
African violets are easy-care, low maintenance house plants that rewards their owners with bountiful blooms. Using these three propagation methods, you can grow new plants from your existing African violets quickly and easily.
Start with healthy plants. Healthy African violets have dark green, blemish-free leaves and a robust, symmetrical appearance.
The easiest method of propagating African violets is to immerse a leaf cutting in water. Select a healthy leaf with a long stem. With a sharp pair of scissors, snip the leaf at an angle. Take a clean glass, fill it with water, and place a piece of aluminum foil over the top. Cut a small slit and insert the leaf into the water. The glass enables you to see the roots developing. Roots look like small, translucent threads. When the cutting has several roots, you can transplant it into a pot with soil.
The second method of propagating African violets also uses a leaf cutting, but it is inserted into soil rather than water. Fill a small, clean pot with sterile potting soil. Snip the leaf cutting. Roll the edge of the cut stem in rooting hormone, a powder that encourages the cutting to root. Insert the powdered end into the soil. Water it well. Insert the pot into a clear plastic bag and place it on a windowsill. Water as needed. In a few weeks, little leaves will develop as shown in my photo above. This tells you that your cutting has rooted properly.
Some African violets, especially bicolored flower colors, do not produce the same flower color from leaf cuttings. To propagate new plants with the same flower color as on the bicolored parent plant, you will need to wait until a second crown, also called a daughter plant, had developed. This looks like a second side plant growing in the pot. Remove the entire plant from the pot and gently separate the daughter plant from the parent. Replant both in fresh sterile potting soil and clean pots; water well.
African violets can also be grown from seeds, but in order to propagate them from seeds, you will need a lot of patience. It can take up to a month for African violet seeds to germinate!
Jeanne Grunert
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  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Mar 03, 2015
    Great advice.
  • Caroline Caroline on Mar 03, 2015
    I love African Violets but I can never get them to re-bloom! Do you have any tips?
    • Jeanne Grunert Jeanne Grunert on Mar 03, 2015
      @Caroline There are several reasons why African violets don't bloom again. Check the light first; they need bright, indirect light (East or West). Longer daylight hours triggers the blooming cycle. You can use fluorescent lights to give them more light. Another possible reason is that they need repotting. Lastly, too wet/too dry and they sulk. In my experience, it's usually light...they need more :)
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