African violet pots

[Fishmom]

A friend gave me one of those special African violet pots that has an inner unglazed pot that sits in another larger decorative pot and absorbs water (and nutrients, presumably) through the clay. Anybody have any experience with them? will salts build up on the outside of the planted pot and require repotting and cleaning? Do you keep the outer pot full of water all the time? For years I've fertilized my few violets along with my orchids, and they seem to like the "weekly, weakly" routine just as well as the orchids do. So would I use fertilizer solution all the time rather than water? Or should I just continue with my plain plastic pots, which actually seem to work just fine?

[krpot]

I have experience killing things in these (AVs and other plants). I think it's a neat idea but I don't know how to use it without over-watering. I imagine fert is the same, but the constant moisture to the roots I don't believe is a good idea. The other way that you mentioned works well for me too. I too wonder how to use these pots without drowning the plant.

[tangers40]

i have my one and only AV in one of these...but not for too much longer. it's outgrown it and whenever it decides to stop blooming, i'm repotting into a bigger regular pot. in my experience, yes salts do seem to build up on the inner surface of the cache pot, but i have never cleaned it out. doesn't seem to bother the plant at all. i fertilize (full strength) when i fert my cactus and that seems to turn the inside of the pot a little blue lol but it eventually goes away when using regular water. and yes, i try to keep it full at all times...i fill it every week or 2, or basically whenever i remember. my plant has always been healthy (had it for 7 or 8 years now) but just recently bloomed due to my ignorance about how much light they require. anyway, i do like the convenience of the pot it's in and the plant seems to like it as well.

[Fishmom]

Well, that's one person for, and one against. Maybe I'll get a few more votes before I have to decide.

[psyc1210]

I have all my AVs (7) in the self watering pots like you are talking about. Mine seem to really do well. All have rebloomed repeatedly, and in general look really nice. I don't always keep the reservoir full, just when I remember to check it, every week or two.

[chaseg89]

I have my only african violet in one of these pots and it is doing awesome. I have had constant blooms on it and just the other day it exploded with new blooms. I only fill it up so that the first inch or so of the inner pot is covered by water. I check it like once a week and refill it. But the pot seems to work well for me.

[Puddy1]

I had 5 AVs in these pots. They seem to do well. I check the water once a week or so. I want to be careful they are not saturated so I let the water go all the way down before I refill. 1 pot was smaller than the others so should have been on a tighter schedule. The soil got too dry & I lost my violet (my favorite )

[jessicalee]

i keep a Selaginella martensii (winter fern) in a self watering pot, it does quite lovely. i have no salt issues either, but i do have a couple of pieces of charcoal down in the bottom, i am not sure if that it what is preventing the buildup.

i have had good experiences with the self waterer, but never have i tried it on something as tender as the African Violet, only on things that enjoy the swampier soils.

my Granny is an AV specialist and i doubt she would trust the pots.

good luck

[Fishmom]

Well, today I bit the bullet and moved my largest AV to one of the self-watering pots. I plan to let it dry out a bit before adding water each time, just as I would if I were watering a regular pot. The weight of the self-watering pot will be an advantage as this plant is not symmetrical and has a tendency to tip if not in a cache pot. Even without water in the bottom it is heavy enough to provide stability for the plant.

Thanks to all who posted on this thread. I am pretty ignorant about the niceties of AV culture, and I appreciate your help!

[retroresale]

I find my violets get too soggy if I leave water in the bottom pot continuously. So I just water as often as if it were in a regular pot with drainage holes. It does make watering easier as I don't have to worry about splashing the leaves I did have to experiment with it a little and nearly murdered one violet in the process.

[BGGraham1]

I also have several AV's in the self-watering pots. I keep water in the outer pot all the time, and when it drops down to below the cache pot, I add more water with a few drops of Flower Magic fertilizer ( I got it with my Plumerias.) They bloom pretty consistently, except the mini which is growing out kind of wonky. I'll have to post a pick of that one - its really weird.

I also picked up another kind of self-watering pot from the local nursery that has a pad of felt on a ceramic platform that goes in the bottom of the pot. The theory is, you put water in the bottom so the felt gets wet, then the AV will wick the water from the felt piece. I really like that one. I'll post a pic of it, too when I get home tonight.

[BluPeaches]

I don't have any African Violets but in going to try these pots with one of my phrags and see how it does.

[otis 226]

You really do need to watch salt buildup on the outside of the inner pot. I don't know how well fertilizers seep through, but I do know from experience that every so often you need to remove the build up or it can start burning the outer foilage. For me they weren't worth it in the long run. Good growing.
Tony

[GardenGroomer]

I too have had luck w/ self watering pots. However, I agree with the person who said they still only water as before. Meaning I still water as I always did, and do NOT concentrate on keeping the resevoir filled. AVs do not like to be saturated. I haven't had any trouble w/ salt build up either. GL! Would love to see a pic of you AVs. They are my second passion to orchids!

[exasperatus2002]

I have two african violets. I use them & dont have a problem so far in my hard water. If I remember to fertilize, I fertilize directly not in the water reservoir. I've had mine for two yrs now. No issues yet.

[BGGraham1]

I took some photos of my AVs. The first one is the medium sized "Perfect Pot". She's been blooming almost non-stop for several months now. The second one is a pot I got from Green Thumb Nursery. I repotted the AV in a fresh plastic pot with AV potting soil, and put the whole thing inside, the next photo shows the flannel pad and the 3rd shows the ceramic bottom. I put enough water to go over the top of the platform, and put the plastic back on top. I generally check every 7-10 days. The soil never gets completely soggy. The last two photos are my mini in the "Perfect Pot." It still flowers from time to time, but is seriously deformed.

[tangers40]

i'll chime in again since this thread has been revived.....

the AV i talked about in my first posting is STILL in the same pot i got it in almost 9 years ago. it's a self-waterer, and i keep water in the reservoir constantly. but hey, it has literally been blooming non-stop for a year and a half now. it has two crowns, so one side will bloom, then just as it's fading, the other side will bloom, then repeats. it has never gone a single day without a flower in a year and a half. it must be happy, right? in fact, i was so proud of my AV growing abilities (finally!) that i found a new one to bring home.....had them at the grocery store for $1.66 each. but this one's purple!

tl;dr : my AV seems to absolutely love it's self-water pot. i never scrub salt/crud off of it, i fertilize directly into the reservoir, and keep it wet all the time. basically everything you're NOT supposed to do, and my plant loves it.

[ceahorse]

I have a lg collection of AV's but never used one of the self-watering pots. I did pot up a baby for a neighbor in a self-watering pot and it's doing well.
I pot them up in anything even pots with no holes and never had a problem.
Only for myself thro since I don't over water.

[ceahorse]

Have several in the same pot for yrs too, they need to be pot bound to bloom. They are happy and I won't rain on their parade by reporting.
I have one AV that is over 20 yrs old and it has kids all over the country. Plus have started some from seeds too.

I let them dry out and give them a good soaking, I never even water from the bottom. I do have one with a wick, it was a gift.
I do have to be careful with the the ones n pots with no drain holes, no direct sun and pretty much leave them alone! At least one of them is blooming at all times.
Love my AV's!
here are a few pic's of the ones that where in bloom at that time.

[Schila]

I have also an African Violet on one of those self watering pots. Now everywhere that I've read (online) says to put the unglazed pot in a container with water and let it sit for 30 minutes so that it soaks the water that it needs. After the 30 minutes to take it out of the water and put it back inside the glazed outer pot. I've done this since I got my AV and to tell you the truth even though the leaves look healthy there are only 2 blooms.

Now like everybody here says, if you let the water sit on the outer container and just refill when the level goes down, isn't that too much water?

Also, when it comes to fertilizers: i have the liquid type that I add to the water when I water them once a week. Exasperatus says that she fertilizes from the top. How do you do that? When you have these self watering pot you are not supposed to water from the top because of the no holes on the bottom.

[tangers40]

Originally Posted by Schila

Now like everybody here says, if you let the water sit on the outer container and just refill when the level goes down, isn't that too much water?

*shrug* apparently not, at least for mine.

[patticake]

Generally, African Violets like to be in a pot that's 1/3 the diameter of the leaf spread. I used to hybridize and grow hundreds. I'm not too keen on those pots, but they're ok I guess for a plant or two. Whatever works, I say!