Gardening Guides: How to Propagate an African Violet from a Leaf

By: burgundy bug

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African Violet leaf

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

African Violets (Saintpaulia Ionantha) are one of the most common houseplants and a breeder’s dream come true. They are renowned for their beauty, elegance, and are incredibly easy to propagate.

What You’ll Need

• An African Violet or a leaf from an African Violet
• A 1 in ceramic or plastic pot with drainage and a dish
• An X-Acto Knife
• Potting soil
• Water
• Low to moderate sunlight / low to moderate intensity grow light

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African Violet

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

For this guide, I will be using a leaf from an African Violet I had purchased a few years ago.

As you can see, this African Violet is quite large with a variety of large, healthy leaves to choose from.

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Selecting a leaf to propagate

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

I have chosen a leaf that is close to the base of the plant. Although it is plump and lively, it is not getting optimal sunlight because it is shadowed by other leaves.

Therefore, it’s not contributing very much to the host plant. If anything, it is probably more inefficient to leave the leaf attached, as the host plant will spend valuable energy keeping it alive even though it’s unable to receive adequate light.

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African Violet leaf

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

It’s important to select a leaf that is fully grown and healthy. Otherwise, your leaf may wilt before it sprouts any suckers or it may not sprout anything at all.

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Cutting the African Violet leaf with an X-Acto Knife

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

Once you’ve selected your leaf, take your X-Acto Knife and cut the very bottom of it at a bit of an angle. If your leaf has an especially long stem, make your cut further up.

Some gardeners advise removing the top by making an incision halfway through the leaf. This encourages the leaf to focus less on growing itself and more on producing a sucker.

I have had a relatively equal amount of success propagating violets over the years, regardless of whether or not I removed the top of the leaf – so I typically leave it as it is.

You can find X-Acto Knives at just about any big box stores, craft suppliers, or home improvement retailers. They are also available on Amazon.

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Plastic Jell-O cup and Chi-Chi’s Salsa lid

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

Next, select a 1-inch plastic or ceramic pot that has drain holes.

In the spirit of sustainability, I will be recycling a plastic Jell-O cup and the lid from a Chi-Chi’s salsa container for the dish.

However, my favorite pots for propagating African Violets are these black, plastic, 2.8-in pots that are available on Amazon.

You can get 100 of them for a little over $20 – what a steal!

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Adding a drain hole with an X-Acto Knife

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

Because I am recycling a plastic Jell-O cup, I am using the X-Acto Knife to make my own drain hole.

You’d think the countless hours I’ve spent making custom stickers would have left me with cutting-edge drain-hole-making-skills, but alas. It may not be perfect, but its something, right?

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Planting the African Violet leaf

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

Fill your pot with soil, cover the stem of the leaf, and add a little bit of water (just enough to get the soil wet, but not soaking).

My favorite soil is Miracle Gro’s African Violet potting mix, which is also available on Amazon. The pearlite provides excellent drainage and the soil feeds plants for up to six months so you don’t have to worry about fertilizing your plants!

My favorite soil is Miracle Gro’s African Violet potting mix, which is also available on Amazon. The pearlite provides excellent drainage and the soil feeds plants for up to six months so you don’t have to worry about fertilizing your plants!

Place your leaf in a window that gets low to moderate sunlight, or under a low to moderate intensity grow light.

Then comes the hardest part – waiting.

The amount of time it will take for your leaf to sprout a sucker varies quite a bit. Generally, it should take about six to eight weeks, but take that with a grain of salt. I’ve had some leaves give me suckers within three weeks, while more stubborn leaves took as long as six months.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why some leaves may take longer than others. In some cases, it’s a matter of the environment. African Violets are very sensitive to their environment and need enough humidity in order to thrive.

More information about how to care for your African Violet is available in our Gardening Guide about the species.

Read:Gardening Guides: African Violets

Not all leaves will successfully propagate. Even if the conditions are absolutely perfect, a leaf may wilt or never produce any suckers.

Don’t beat yourself up if your first leaf doesn’t give you any suckers. Instead, increase your chances by propagating a whole bunch of leaves! If you happen to be especially lucky but don’t have enough space for a whole fleet of African Violets, why not give a few out?

The amount of suckers a leaf may yield also varies quite a bit. One leaf may only produce one sucker, while some may produce a whole litter.

In any case – good luck! If you follow this guide, I’d love to see how your leaves turned out. You can send a link of your photos to our submissions page or contact me directly via email: editor@burgundyzine.com

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African Violet leaf

Source: Propagating an African Violet | Penelope Peru Photography P³

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