The African violet, which originally comes from the mountainous regions of Tanzania, is considered a demanding houseplant. It does forgive mistakes when it comes to maintenance. But if these are not remedied, it becomes ill and soon dies with bad luck.

If your African violet's leaves are changing color like a mosaic, it's seriously ill

Mosaic disease - the most common disease in African violets

You can recognize the mosaic disease by the mosaic-like discoloration on the leaves. As a rule, these are light green to yellow in colour. These symptoms of your African violet give an indication of chlorophyll damage.

But how does chlorophyll damage occur? Most of the time, this is caused by care errors. African violets are particularly sensitive to watering that is too cold. Direct sunlight can also have such symptoms. If you fix the care mistakes, the African violet will usually regenerate on its own.

Other unusual features of African violets

Furthermore, owners of African violets sometimes notice the following anomalies:

  • yellow leaves: too dark and cool location
  • falling leaves: root rot; earth is too wet
  • missing flowers: lack of nutrients, location too cool
  • wilted, yellowish leaves: too little water

How to prevent diseases?

In order not to see sick African violets in the first place, these plants should find the best site conditions. This includes, among other things, not putting them on the balcony. You don't get drafts and direct sunlight at all. On the other hand, they love the constant temperature in the apartment.

In addition, the African violets should be watered regularly and extensively. Room-warm water is used for watering. It should be low in lime or lime free. If you don't have access to rainwater, you should leave the water in the watering can for two days. This will cause the lime to settle down.

Last but not least, it is important not to over-fertilize the plants or to supply them with too little fertilizer. They should receive a portion of liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks, especially during their main growing season between March and September.

tips and tricks

Also remember to repot your African violets regularly and divide them if necessary. Such measures also strengthen the plants and prevent diseases. Only a weakened plant can be affected by diseases.

Category:

Indoor plants