Soil
The native coastal soil is acidic, infertile, and sandy. Decaying organic matter enriches it with nutrients to support blooming.
Choose an African violet potting mix. It will have the appropriate 5.5 to 6.5 pH level, organic matter for healthy foliage and flowering, and inorganic matter for drainage and moisture retention.
African Violet Premium Potting Mix
This product from Midwest Hearth is a ready-to-use mixture of peat mossperlite, and vermiculite. It is lightweight, well-draining, and moisture-retentive.
African Violet Premium Potting Mix is available from Midwest Hearth via Amazon in four- and eight-quart bags.
Water
In its natural environment, gloxinia grows during the wettest seasons of the year.
As a houseplant, it needs consistent moisture without oversaturation from spring through summer.
When the top inch of soil feels dry, water deeply until it runs from the drainage holes.
Use tepid water, neither too warm nor too cool, to avoid shock. Take care to water over the soil, not the foliage or tuber, to inhibit fungal disease and rotting.
Our guide to watering houseplants has more information.
Fertilizer
To support optimal blooming, feed each time you water using a well-balanced liquid plant food diluted to a quarter strength.
A product with an NPK ratio of 10-10-10 is sufficient.
Where to Buy
The time to purchase seeds or tubers is in late winter or early spring. You’ll find an array of named cultivars, including hybrid series, from which to choose.
Hybrid cultivars have the largest flowers and expand the natural color palette with pastels and variegated schemes.
The Brocade Series was developed by the Sakata Seed Corporation and offers a mix of double-petal blossoms in shades of blue, burgundy, purple, red, and white, often with white margins.
The foliage is dark green. Allow 20 to 24 weeks for maturity from seed.
Brocade Mix gloxinia seeds are available from Outside Pride via Amazon.
Additional cultivars you may come across when shopping include:
‘Carangola’ has white blossoms with purple throats and olive-green leaves.
‘Purple’ has purple flowers and dark green leaves.
However, it’s more likely to find more generic labels that simply list their color.
Maintenance
For a fuller, more uniform appearance, some folks “disbud,” or pinch off the first two spring buds to encourage clusters of blossoms rather than individual flowers.
Post-bloom, deadhead the spring flowers. When they fade, cut off the stems just above the foliage to encourage a repeat bloom in the summer. Remember to pinch off the first two buds for the best display.
When the second flush of flowers dies, reduce watering. Keep the soil slightly moist while the foliage also dies back. Discontinue fertilizing during the dormant period.
After the foliage has withered, dormancy begins and lasts through the fall and winter.
Place the pot in a location where the temperature remains between 60 and 65°F and keep the soil dry during dormancy.
In late winter to early spring, new growth appears.
This is a good time to repot in fresh soil before bringing the pot into bright, indirect sunlight for the growing season. Resume watering and fertilizing when the top inch of soil is dry.
Repotting every one to two years replenishes the soil and gives you the opportunity to increase the pot size if necessary.
Gloxinia likes a snug fit, so allow no more than an inch of space between the tuber(s) and the rim and an inch between tubers.
