Dying Afican Violet

It's either dying or I'm killing it! I've had this plant for 2 years - never a problem for the first year - it bloomed & looked gorgeous. Last summer I tried to 'help' it by getting a larger self watering pot. It showed it's (un)happiness by refusing to flower. So I finally moved it back to it's 'original' pot a few months ago. The leaves were still looking good & I figured it would start blooming eventually. Then my leaves started dying. If you take a close look, the leaf stem turns brown near the base, the leaf starts shriveling & then dies. I've always used AV plant food in the water, just not as much during the winter period. I'm not doing anything different. What's happening?? Thanks.

Looks to me like it is still a water problem, the the heart, tuber that the leaves/flowers come from look like they have had the stems sitting in wet/damp soil, maybe you have the soil too high up the pot and the leaves are sitting in the wet soil as you water it, these plants dont like water close to or on the foliage as they have tiny hairs on the foliage and this sits on the stems when you water, causing damp off on the foliage, the best way to water them is bottom watering, sit the pot in a saucer of water/food and let the dry compost soak up water, once the soil had changed to a darker colour, then you know that's enough water, remove the plant from the saucer and let it drain, as for feeding, a very weak liquid feed probably half doze would be more than enough, for now, let the soil dry out completely before you water it again, give it good light without it frying at a window with sun magnifying through the glass, your plant may also be in shock from all the transplanting and needs a chance to settle down, hope this helps you out, WeeNel.

If you can save it you may want to put it back in the self watering pot, although not necessarily one that's larger than the pot you have now unless it's outgrowing its current home. Most likely it didn't bloom in the larger pot because it was spending time making its roots grow to fill out more of the pot it was in, and then it would have gotten back to flowering eventually if you'd left it there. As WeeNel said, bottom watering is really best for these and that's what the self-watering planter does for you (plus keeps the moisture level in the soil consistent rather than alternating too wet & too dry) I wouldn't recommend repotting it while it's under stress though, let it recover first.

I don't know what the current problem is with your violet, but if it is water, maybe this trick will help. My aunt always told me to "feel" the plant to see if it needed water. She meant to lift it and see how heavy it felt. This will take a couple of times to understand, but try it. Lift your plant after giving it a full watering and "feel" how heavy it is. Then, continue to lift it every few days to see how it compares. When it feels much lighter, it is time for water. This is especially helpful with violets who's leaves tend to stretch out and cover the soil. Don't know if it will solve this issue, but maybe it will work in the future.

I just posted over on the African Violet forum to see if some of the pro's will come over and take a look at your photo. Hopefully someone will come along with some good advice for you.

I only grow a few AV's but to me it looks like a possible crown rot, maybe from the plant holding too much water. The way the leaves are wilting and dying, I'm thinking the soil is too heavy with moisture. I have heard of some people removing all leaves and re-rooting the crown of an AV but I am just a novice with these plants so hopefully someone with much more experience will come along with some good advice for you.

Dear WeeNel, ecrane3, jsknutson, & plantladylin,

Thanks for everyone's advice. When I put it back in it's 'original container', it was a self watering container. I've now taken it out of the second container, so it's not being watered at this point. I've also removed some of the dirt from around the plant. Hopefully it will dry itself out & all will be well. :)

plantladylin - yes, I'm always open for advice from the specialists! Thanks for posting in that forum for me!

Is your African Violet still alive? I'm sure, there were fungi which killed the plant.

If there are some healthy leaves, break them off with a little bit of the stem on it and put them in sandy soil. Then do spray only the soil with very little of water, but not the leaves.... Perhaps with luck they will root and you can safe a new plant. A plastic back may help to avoid that the leaves dry out. Good luck!