Does African Violet need direct sunlight? African violet needs a moderate amount of light for blooming.
As a rule, African violet plants need to experience a moderate amount of sunlight every day.
Should you choose to place your plant in direct sunlight, it may get sunburned.
If this happens, its leaves will be mottled and spotted with dark brown patches.
Worse yet, if the African violet is left out in the sun for too long, the entire plant could become irreparably damaged over time.
You should look for a window that faces East or West, so that your African violet gets plenty of light without being placed directly under the sun for extended periods throughout the day.
A south-facing window would require you to filter its light through sheer curtains in order to keep your plant comfortable.
Even better than an East or West window would be a North faces one—in this case, you can supplement with a plant light on top of your African violet
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Table of Contents
Does African Violet Need Direct Sunlight?
- African violet, like most houseplants, likes plenty of light. African violets typically do best in a spot that gets four to six hours of bright but indirect sunlight each day.
A site in front of an east-facing window or on a shelf near a west-facing window would be ideal places for your African violet to sit.
- What if my plant is getting too much sunlight? If the leaves of your African violet are turning brown and developing crispy edges, the plant may be getting too much light (usually direct sunlight).
It’s best to move it to an area with more shade as soon as possible.
- What if my plant isn’t getting enough sunlight? An African violet that isn’t receiving enough light will have thin, spindly growth and dark green leaves.
If you see this happen, try moving the plant to a brighter location for at least part of the day.
While they don’t like true direct sunlight, they do need bright light to flower.
African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) are popular flowering houseplants for good reason.
They’re compact, have beautiful blooms and are fairly easy to care for.
All they need to thrive is a moderate amount of light, consistent watering, and warm temperatures.
The main requirement is that African violets need bright light to bloom regularly.
Your plant will not only survive in low light, but it will also grow healthy green foliage – just don’t expect to see many flowers if you keep it in the shade or dimly lit rooms.
If you can’t provide enough sunlight, use artificial lighting instead.
How Often Do African Violets Bloom?
Window facing light
You should look for a window that faces east or west, so that your African violet gets plenty of light without being placed directly under the sun for extended periods throughout the day.
A south-facing window would require you to filter its light through sheer curtains in order to keep your plant comfortable.
Even better than an East or West window would be a North faces one—in this case you can supplement with a plant light on top of your African violet
Growing African Violet under fluorescent Light
African violet can grow in indirect sunlight.
You can also grow it under fluorescent light as long as you keep it close to the artificial light source (not more than 2 feet).
One of the biggest problems with growing African Violet is that most of us do not have the right kind of light for growing it.
If you can provide fluorescent lighting, you will be able to grow beautiful African Violets.
The African violet plant is unique in that it is the only flowering plant that can grow and thrive under fluorescent lighting. It doesn’t need direct sunlight to flourish, and it doesn’t cost much to keep it going.
In fact, all you really need to do is water your African violet when the soil becomes dry, fertilize it once a month with a special fertilizer made especially for African violets, and place it on top of a pebble tray with water to help increase the humidity in its environment.
But, if you want your African violet plant to grow healthy and strong, then there are a few things you can do.
One of the main things that you should know about how much light your African violet needs is how much sunlight it gets during the day.
There are two different seasons that you need to be aware of when deciding how much sunlight your African violet needs — wintertime and summertime.
How do I Get My African Violet to Bloom Again?
How much sunlight your African violet plant needs to grow?
If you’ve ever wondered how much sunlight your African violet plant needs to grow, it’s actually not that much.
Too little light will prevent your plant from growing and producing flowers. However, too much sunlight can burn the leaves and cause them to wilt and die.
Wintertime
During the winter season, the African violet plant is more tolerant of direct sunlight than it is during the hot summer months.
This is because most homes are not as warm during the winter season as they are in summer.
The windows in a home provide sufficient natural light for an African violet plant to grow and bloom during this time of the year.
If you have a greenhouse, it is best to avoid placing your plant near any type of heating system or venting system that could be too hot for your African violet plant.
Summertime
During the warm summer months, try placing your African violet plants near an east-facing window or on a shaded porch or patio area that receives no more than eight hours of direct sunlight every day.
The plants will also do well in a sunny room with north-facing windows or in a basement with fluorescent lights hanging above them.
How often to water African Violet
Conclusion
It is a common misconception that African violets need direct sunlight to produce flowers.
Actually, African Violets will flourish and bloom profusely even when grown under artificial lighting.
Flowering plants may be grown under fluorescent lights in any room of the home or office.
Properly designed fixtures are available for growing plants on the windowsill, over the desk or countertop, and for hanging from the ceiling.
Some of the more popular artificial lights use ordinary fluorescent lamps.
These should be placed in close proximity to the plants – as little as 6 to 8 inches from the foliage, depending on the intensity of light produced by the bulb.
There are special fluorescent bulbs designed for plant growth with higher intensities than those used for general indoor lighting.
