CARE OF YOUR AFRICAN VIOLETS DURING HOT WEATHER: by Barbara Brenchley

Well, it goes without saying that you try to keep them between the ideal temperatures of between about 20 and 28 deg. C but how is this achieved? This is not going to be some lengthy article on temperature control, just a number of points to bear in mind during a particularly hot spell. Emergency plan, you might call it…just like a bushfire plan; and that’s one of the secrets of success – planning in advance. • if your plants are under lights, turn off the lights during the hottest part of the day, that is, after lunch. If the night temperature is predicted to be reasonable, try turning the lights on at night while the hot spell lasts. My lights are normally on from 8am till 6pm but during hot spells, I turn them on at about 6am – 11am and again at 6pm – 9pm. Sometimes I turn them off altogether for a day and only have them on for a few hours during the evening, especially if the temperature is over 40 deg C. Unfortunately, I cannot have my lights on at night because my light stands are in the bedroom! • If your plants are on window sills or near windows, move them into a cooler part of the house but not right under an air conditioner. There are no hard and fast rules, just use your common sense. • Make sure your plants have sufficient water and check the water wells frequently. They will drink more during hot periods BUT do not add fertiliser when you are just topping up the water wells. Your plants will not suffer by not having any fertiliser in the wells for a few days. If your plants from Nico’s are not on water wells and have not yet been repotted, they will still require more water than usual. The ‘No Extra Fertiliser’ rule with the extra watering still applies, but just keep your eyes on the soil and keep it DAMP, not WET. • If you have vertical blinds, have them at an angle that deflects the sun and helps to keep the heat out of the house. Move the angle accordingly as the sun moves. Keep your windows closed as much as possible. Fresh air is all very well, but you will be letting heat indoors.
• If you have an air conditioner, you will be able to regulate your indoor temperature but during extended periods of heat, it is advisable not to leave it too late before turning it on, and if, like me, you turn it on around 8am and keep it on a temperature of around 25 deg. C, you will find that it will cope with the extreme heat quite well. • If you have gesneriads or other plants that you keep outside, bring them in if you can. I have a small tarpaulin that I put down at one end of my lounge and bring my 3 hanging baskets of fuchsias indoors while the heat is extreme.
• It is not always the heat that destroys plants, it is the lack of humidity. You will aready know this if you’ve ever had a plant crisp up and die. If you have one of those room diffusers that are popular, in which you put water and a few drops of perfumed oil, turn it on {omitting the perfume}. It will create a little humidity indoors. I use one among my violets. It is just enough to help them but not enough to discomfort me. If you haven’t, you can always create some humidity when your lights are turned off, by using a spray bottle with warm water in it. Use rainwater if you have it, or water that has been left for 24 hours so that the chlorine and other ‘nasties’ in tap water dissipate. • For plants outside, creating humidity is essential and I turn on the hose spray every 2 hours, not to water, but to spray everything and create humidity. It saved my 2 raised beds full of salad plants during the last hot spell we had. • Do not have your air conditioner pumping out cold air onto your African violets. Again, use your common sense. Generally speaking, your guide should be your own comfort. If your indoor temperature is comfortable for you, it will be OK for your plants. Be vigilant, and good luck.