I just got an AV this weekend. I put a wick in the bottom and watered it that way. The leaves are curling inward. Did I give it too much water or not enough?
Help needed
Step one is to take the av out of the pot and sit it, dirt-ball and all. on some newspapers or papertowels. This way you can see if it is too wet or too dry.
What is the soil mix it is growing in. Is it peat? Most violets are sold in this peat - this is because they stay damp long enough for someone to buy them. But when it is wet, it holds too much water and the roots rot quickly. When it dries out, it is hard to get it rewetted and the roots die. It is better to remove all this from the roots of the plant and repot in a mixture of houseplant or african violet potting soil in which you have added extra perlite. The African violet soil mix really doesn't have enough perlite, you need to buy a bag of perlite and mix it in. ((I don't measure, I just go with what I like how mine looks and feels, but its about 2/3 potting mix and 1/3 or slightly more perlite...then I also toss in some vermiculite, and a few other stuff, but you don't need that extra.)) If you just start with the potting mix and perlite mixed together, it will be better than the peat. This is the mix you need for wicking. African violets like to be DAMP, not wet.
Repotting...what I do. See how many roots you have to decide if you need to keep the same size pot or go smaller. AV's bloom best rootbound. I take the pot and pull a piece of damp acrylic baby yarn up thru the pot (I like this size and it works best for me). Then I put a small piece of papertowel in the bottom of the pot to cover the holes. I put in 1/2" of perlite. You are holding the end of the yarn at the top of the pot all this time. I now add some (damp) potting mix. Now let go of the yarn and coil it around on this potting mix. Set the plant into the pot and fill in the space with more potting mix. I now top water, but you can set it in a saucer for a bit to soak up some water. Now set it on your wicking resouvour with the yarn in the water. If you notice your plant is taking too much water and the soil mix is too wet, repot with more perlite in the mix this time.
See if that will work better for you. Everyone does theirs a little different. this is what works for me. I guess the reason I use the perlite in the bottom is often I will put my plants in a tray on a wicking medium instead of acutally putting the yarn into water, this way my plants will not get too wet if there is extra water in my tray.
See, you can't really just push a piece of yarn up into a pot, that doesn't work for most people. And if your plant has been too wet and has started to rot, well that is a whole nother' story and we can help you with that too....just post back and let us know. And Post back and let us know how its going with your violet!
tish
I bought some periltie and didn't notice until later that it has fertilizer in it. I think it was Miracle Grow. Will that be ok or should I look for some without the fertilizer. You mentioned African Violet Mix. Would regular potting soil not work?
Any potting soil mix will be okay if you add more perlite to it...the extra perlite is the key. Without fertilizer is better, but its getting harder to find it without that added. I think its the "in" thing, fertilizer and moisture control is in lots of things now. If it is what you have, don't worry, just use it. You just won't need to add fertilizer to your water ...just water with plain water.
How did your plants roots and plant stem look? Healthy? If you have limp leaves that don't want to perk up, you can cut them off.
tish
The stem and leaves are healthy.
Angela
Leaves curling downward can also be a sign of too much light.I am not sure what your conditions are.
Lynn
Leaves were curling upward.