You want bright, indirect Sun. Corrections welcomed.

Pictures are difficult to judge but I would say from the pictures, your violets are getting a bit too much sunlight. The leaves look bleached rather than the rich greens of violets. Even light green violets are vibrant green, not yellow or brown which is what that "red" suggests to me.

If you aren't getting flowers, it could be fertilizer or temperature rather than sunlight. I had violets on a table that never bloomed. I corrected the fertilizer, water ph, and now, same light, the violets are blooming beautifully.

How long are the petioles on each? When mine get too much light, they either get brown spots on the leaves, or the petioles get short and the new growth is all crowded in the center and sometimes the bloom stalks have a hard time getting out from all those clumped together leaves. This could be why the ones on the far side of the office seem "larger", the petioles are just longer. I thought the red color in the leaves is present if the violet has red-backed leaves. Light conditions change over the course of the year when you are depending on window light, so you will have to be constantly experimenting all year with which place is the best for the violets.

Okay, I have removed the plant from so close to the window! I was not doing it any favors by giving it so much light. It's back in it's original spot ... from the feedback here, that's where I think the light is best for it. I didn't know that about the petioles and getting crowded. I will keep a close eye on it. Thanks!

I have most of my avs in direct sunlight this winter, a southern exposure to boot. I've seen very little sun damage yet, but we've had several cloudy days, too. It's also colder here in the Dakotas, so I think they need all the warmth of the sun. I have drapes to pull if I feel like they need filtered light.
I would guess that this av has the red-backed leaves, as aseedisapromise suggested. Just my 2 cents. It looks healthy and happy to me!
Sue

Hi,
The recommended pot size to plant size is 1/3 of the diameter of the leaf spread. This plant appears to be in too large a pot for the size of the plant. Normally, the maximum size pot used is 4"

However, if it has been in that size pot for a while, it will eventually fill out.

As you may know, the roots of AVs are very thin and small in comparison with the leaves, that is why they require smaller size pots. Joanne

â¢Posted by fortyseven 9 CA (My Page) on Tue, Jan 20, 15 at 20:07

Joanne, I completely agree. I used a tiny pot for a rooted leaf because I had no pot left. It surprised me that the AV grew so fast and happy in that tiny pot. I could sit it in a little water and it never had problem.

Sue
Light is the most difficult dimension for me. I can get the fertilizer, the ph, the soil mix, every element down to science but light, natural light through windows, is a constant challenge. What is surprising thing for me is how little light AV's actually need in my environment.

Leaves with red backed leaves are a darker green without a trace of yellow or brown. I haven't seen any red backed leaf where the red of the back "bled" through to the surface of the leaf. That yellowish/brown tinge in the green would indicate too much light in my environment. Another indication, an early warning for me this fall, when a tree started to defoliate and the plants were getting too much light, was the leaves started curling down. I like to see crisp leaves with a slight upward tilt.
I have too much sun, way too intense UV, as I live in a harsh desert. I am learning about light the hard way and pale brownish/yellow leaves with a downward curl is a sign to get moving..to lower light levels.
Just my two cents worth :)

Lucky,
It seems to me that your 2 cents is worth more than mine. :) I haven't gone through all those steps to be sure everything was just right. I'm sure our light situation here in the frigid north is much different than yours.

I'm looking at a small phone screen, so I'm certain that I don't see the photo as well as you do. You are so right about the coloring. I just took a good look at my red backed avs, and they are a vibrant, dark green. Totally different.

So, I changed my mind, and I agree that light is an issue for this plant. Please let us know how much difference moving it makes.

Sue

I'll keep you posted. The pot may be a little big for it, but don't let the photo mislead: the pot is just a little less than 3" across. I moved it to this one because it was crowding its sibling out of their 4" pot. Now they each have their own small pot (the other, a smaller plant, is in a 2" terra cotta pot).

Sue
Thanks for checking the red backs. I have fat red backs so I wondered if someone else might have a thinner or different that did bleed through.
I have to rely on my own very limited experience in my very particular environment.
I like North Dakota. My great grandmother had a south facing bay window in the kitchen of the farmhouse. She had plants and herbs there all winter. I don't know about AV's but I think they might have done well there year around. Softer light and higher humidity.

My red backed leaves are mostly darker green than the ones in the op's picture. I have gotten the downward curled leaves from too much sun or maybe fertilizer as well. Most of the leaves on my violets that look like the ones in the op's picture are ones on that bottom tier of leaves that are about to be shed for some reason or another. (You name a way to mistreat a violet and I have probably done it.)

Danielle, the plant proportion to leaves and petioles looks as though it was getting the right amount of light before you moved it because the proportion looks balanced. If the plant is not blooming, it is most likely because the plant is trying to establish its green leaves and roots before it bloom in late spring. As others have stated, when you moved it, the light was too strong. Now that you moved it back, it should be fine. Just remember to rotate it a little once a week. Normally, the underside red does not show through the top, it just makes the tops a richer, deeper green.

This post was edited by fortyseven on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 3:22

Duplicate.

This post was edited by fortyseven on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 0:46