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If you consistently repot your African Violets when the neck just begins to show above the edge of the pot, you will never have to resort to “drastic measures”. Most plants should be re-potted every 6 months. Remember, African Violets like to be pot bound ! Most mature standard African Violets can remain in a 4 inch (diameter) pot indefinitely. So how do you repot a plant into the same size container? 1) First, remove your plant from its pot. You should wash the pot to remove any crusted mineral deposits from the sides. (Plastic pots are preferable to clay pots.) 2) Remove any loose soil from around the root ball and any mineral deposits that have collected on the surface soil. 3) Remove any old, limp, discolored leaves by snapping them off close to the stem. 4) With a sharp knife or single edge razor blade, carefully scrape away the crust or calluses on the stem or neck so you see the green fleshy part of the stem underneath. 5) Next, measure the amount of stem or neck from the top of the root ball to where the healthy leaves are attached. For example, you may have one inch of exposed stem. (If the neck of the plant is longer than two inches or the depth of the root ball , you need to resort to drastic measures!) 6) With a sharp knife, slice off a piece of the root ball equal to the amount of exposed stem. For example, if you have one inch of exposed stem, you will slice off one inch from the bottom of the root ball. 7) Return the plant to the clean pot. With part of the bottom sliced off, the plant will now sit low enough in the pot so that the bottom leaves are level with the top edge of the pot. 8) Fill in the empty space around the exposed stem with new dampened potting soil. Use soil specially prepared for African Violets. Tap the soil down tightly around the exposed stem. Make sure the soil makes contact with the exposed stem. Within a few weeks, new roots will form from the exposed stem.
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