Being a South African and an avid gardener, one of my favourite indoor plants and a very common sight in any South African home, is the African Violet. My mother-in-law has a magnificent spread in her living room. There is, however, an art to growing these gentle violets and this article serves to help you to do that.

The African violet (Saintpaulia) first headed the pot-plant popularity polls, about twelve years ago and has held the top spot ever since, with each year bringing an increasing number of friends.

Varieties of this gesneriad are numbered in the thousands and it is one of the few florists’ plants, which blooms throughout the year.

Natural light will vary with the season, increasing in spring, decreasing in fall. As light increases, you may have to increase the shading on your greenhouse and vice versa. I have shading on the outside of the greenhouse and two thicknesses of tobacco cloth inside.

The thickness of this cloth is not varied with the seasons, but I add, or decrease shade on the outside of the house. Low light intensity reduces the number of flowers and makes for weak growth.

Even though you do not need to devote your entire greenhouse to African violets, you will find it profitable, to reserve at least one corner, for a few dozen plants. These need not be pinched, to single-crown specimens. Let them grow several crowns and become covered with blooms. Such plants make wonderful gifts.

Soil Mixtures

I doubt if there has ever been a pot plant, for which so many soil formulas have been devised. Members of the African Violet Society never tire of coming up with new ones. For greenhouse cultures, I like this formula: equal parts of loam, peatmoss, leaf mold, and sand, with a sprinkling of charcoal.

I realize, however, that not everyone has access to the leaf-mold and rotted manure commonly mentioned in soil recipes. So, with a little extra care in fertilizing, you can grow your Saintpaulias to perfection, in this easy-to-make “synthetic” potting mixture: equal parts of shredded sphagnum, peatmoss, and sand. Plants grown in this must receive applications of liquid fertilizer, every week.

A monthly application of a teaspoonful of dried, processed, sheep manure worked into the mixture, for plants in 4-inch pots, will enhance their development. Use less manure for smaller pots, more for larger ones. Some growers like to mix loam, peatmoss, and sand and, to a bushel of this mixture, add one 4-inch potful of superphosphate and one 6-inch potful of dried sheep manure.

Soil, or synthetic mixtures should be sterilized. If you are planting in the type without loam, it is unnecessary to place drainage material in the pot; with a soil mixture containing loam, drainage is a necessity. About 1/2 inch of pot chips, to a 4-inch pot, is ample.

Watering and Fertilizing

Always water the plants with tepid water. Leaves will be spotted, when the water is colder than the surrounding air. These whitish spots give the plants a diseased look. If you are certain that the plants growing in solid mixtures, have a good root system, it is advisable to start fertilizing them about a month after potting up. If you like organic fertilizers, try one of the fish emulsions. Rapidgro, Hyponex, Plant Marvel, Blossom Booster, and others also give good results.

Potting

The size of the pot you use for your plants, will depend on how you want to sell them. If you plan to sell small plants, probably not yet in bloom, pot directly from the flat, into 2-inchers. Let them grow in the pots for 10 days to 2 weeks; they will be established nicely. Plants being grown for bloom, will need to be shifted from the 2-inch pots, to 3- and 4-inchers.

Shading

If your greenhouse is devoted exclusively to Saintpaulias, you will have to shade it: Saintpaulias do not thrive in bright sunshine. But if, like me, you grow both shade- and sun-loving plants, the placement of your African violets will require some thought.

In my greenhouse, they grow mostly in flats, under the top deck. Since I do not sell specimen plants, but do sell leaves and seeds, I keep most of my “stock plants” growing and blooming in the flats, thus saving space, watering time, pots, and the labour of potting. In these flats of porous soil, watering is needed only once a week, during the winter and twice a week in summer.

Winter temperature in my greenhouse is 72 to 75 degrees during the day, with the usual 10-degree drop at night. (Some authorities recommend a minimum of 60 at night and 70 degrees or more during the day.)

If you can’t get enough shading on your house, to keep violet foliage pleasingly green, you can tack up a few layers of cheesecloth, or tobacco cloth, to exclude the bright sun rays. Simply string a wire across the inside of the house and another at the top of the sidewalls; then drape the material over the wires.

Light

The late Dr. Kenneth Post, an authority on florist crop production, recommended “a maximum of 1500 foot-candles of light, a minimum of 1,000″ for greenhouse-grown Saintpaulias. If you are not familiar with foot-candles as a measure of light, have a friend with a photometer measure the light for you. Aim for 1200 to 1300 foot-candles, during the brightest part of the day, and you’ll find your plants budding and blooming without ceasing.

For growth under fluorescent lights in the greenhouse, keep a distance of about 11 inches between light tubes and the larger plants’ pot rim; 4 to 6 inches for seedlings and small plants.

Thus, whatever the time of year, or the occasion, if you grow African violets, you will always have flowering plants to offer your customers. To you, the greenhouse owner, this constant bloom means extra money in the cash register.

About the Author. This article was written by Gerald Mason and sourced from Free PLR Articles at : http://www.bestplrarticles.com

There are various other plants that can also be grown in a greenhouse. These include vegetables, flowers, cacti, orchids and ferns to name but a few. If you practice any type of gardening, or have a hobby, why not take it to the next level and earn money from producing crops in a greenhouse? If you would like more information on this topic, take a look at this e-book, “Make Money From Your Greenhouse.”  The most thrilling pursuit in amateur horticulture today, is certainly greenhouse gardening. This book will show you how to turn your hobby into profit! http://www.dersalsites.com/greenhouseprofits/

Sally Robson is married to Derek, an up and coming South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. They have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening. For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally’s website at http://www.dersalsites.com/gardening/  and her blog at http://dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips

To remain informed their internet marketing progress, by newsletter and mail, to get recommended tools and lessons and to start your journey to wealth, sign up here. You will also get some free software. It’s free. Click this link : http://dersalsites.com/newsletter/

For more on internet marketing, South African business, list building, law of attraction and rugby, visit Derek’s blog at: http://dersalsites.com/southafricanbusiness/

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