The day I figured out I was overwatering my African violets after 14 years

My neighbor Janice pointed out the drooping leaves and said 'you know those are supposed to be slightly dry between waterings, right?' and I realized I had been drowning them every Tuesday for over a decade.

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_knight720d ago

Respectfully, I'm gonna push back a little here. Those violets can be tough but forgiving plants, and sticking to a rigid schedule like every Tuesday is probably more of a problem than the amount of water itself. Drooping leaves can mean overwatering but also under watering or even just bad drainage in the pot. Maybe try feeling the soil with your finger before you water instead of watching the calendar. After 14 years those plants probably just got used to your routine and started adapting to it somehow.

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the_viola19d ago

Another thing nobody's brought up is the type of potting mix. I've been growing violets for about 8 years and switched to a mix with more perlite and peat moss after my first batch kept getting droopy. The standard stuff from the big box stores holds too much water and rots the roots even if you're barely watering. A 50/50 blend of regular potting soil and perlite changed everything for me. Also check if the pot has a drainage hole, no hole means water sits at the bottom and drowns the roots slowly.