Sunlight - Not Enough

Description

For African Violets to thrive, they need a lot of indirect sunlight. While a lack of proper sunlight is fatal only in the most extreme cases, it can nevertheless result in poor performance, including diminished flowering, yellow leaves and rangy plant growth.

If you are using grow lights, it may be that your African Violets have been placed too close to the lights. If so, the symptoms will be similar to those of Violets getting too much sunlight.

Distinguishing Symptoms

• Not flowering.
• Plant growth is rangy. Leaves and stems have become elongated.

If your African Violet exhibits these symptoms, but appears otherwise healthy, it is probably not getting enough sunlight.

Other Symptoms

• Leaves pale. They appear yellow in color.

Treatment

Increase the amount of sunlight that your African Violet is receiving. Violets perform best when they receive plenty of indirect sunlight. You can achieve this by putting your Violet in a window where it gets light most of the day. Adjust your blinds or use sheer curtains to filter out some of the light. If you have access to a light meter, luminosity should be 10,000 to 12,000 lux or about 900 to 1100 foot candles. As an alternative, you can get a reasonable approximation of the light value by simply holding your hand over your Violet during the time when it is receiving the brightest light. If you can barely see the shade of your hand over the Violet, then it is getting the correct amount of light.

Prevention

Always give your African Violets plenty of indirect sunlight. Be aware that the duration and intensity of light may vary with the seasons. For light requirements and ways to measure it, see Treatment.

For more about African Violets and the light they need, see "Caring for African Violets."

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