African violets from seed . . . you need patience If you’re already sold on African violets, the idea of growingthem from seed might be intriguing. The payoff is slow–nearly a yearuntil the first blooms appear–but the challenge can be its own rewardfor fans of these popular indoor plants.
Choose a small shallow container with bottom drain holes and fillwith a water-retentive medium such as fine-textured peat moss. You canuse the compressed peat pellets available at nurseries by soaking them,then removing the netting. Or use a packaged African violet mix. Moisten the medium, then smooth the surface. With a small pointedstick, such as a plant label, make shallow (about 1/8-inch-deep) furrowsspaced 1 inch apart. Gently tap out the tiny seeds as shown above.This demands care, but is worth the effort, since seedlings will becrowded otherwise. Do not cover seeds.
Mist lightly, then enclose container in a plastic bag with a fewholes poked in it. Put container in a warm spot (about 75|). Theplanting medium should remain moist; if you notice signs of drying, mistagain with tepid water. When the first tiny greenery emerges, three to four weeks aftersowing, set container in a bright spot (3 inches below a fluorescentlight left on 12 to 14 hours per day is ideal). Poke more holes in theplastic bag to increase air circulation. About a month later, removethe bag. After plants have sprouted, apply a very dilute solution offertilizer and tepid water about once a month.
Three to four months after sowing, plants should be growing welland ready for transplanting to roomier quarters. Gently move them intosmall containers (2-inch pots are fine). You’ll see the firstbloom about six months later.
Buying seed. Mail-order nurseries and some seed racks offer awider choice of varieties now, including bicolor and trailing types. Fora particularly broad selection, write for a free catalog from Geo. W.Park Seed Co.
, Box 31, Greenwood, S.C. 29646. Photo: Magnifying glass aids sowing of tiny African violet seeds.She’s tapping the seed packet gently to space seeds about 1 inchapart in shallow furrows Photo: Four months after sowing, young plants are ready to go into2-inch pots
