Creating New Plants From Seed

African violet seeds are as fine as dust, and you must be careful when working with them that they don't simply blow away.

Approximately 5-6 months after you have crossed two standard hybrids (see propagation by seeds), you will notice that the seed pod has begun to dry and the that the petiole holding the flower has also shriveled. When this happens, you can remove the seed pod from the plant and extract the seeds.

To do this, place the pod on a folded white sheet of paper (copier paper is OK), and remove it from the petiole by cutting at the base with an Exacto knife or similar sharp tool.

When you have separated it and removed any remaining petals from the blossom, you can split it in two lengthwise, and remove the contents.

After I have split the pod lengthwise, I simply turn it over and tap the back with the knife. This will loosen the seeds and they will fall to the paper.

The number of seeds in each pod can vary greatly, depending on the hybrid. Sometimes you will find as few as 40 or as many as 250. Since they are very tiny, it is impossible to count exactly, but you will be able to make a rough estimate, and after you have more experience at opening pods, you will learn that it is not always possible to predict which ones hold the most seeds.

Let the seeds dry for two weeks in a moisture free environment before sowing. Some people put them in a sealed container and place them in the vegetable drawer of their referigerator. They can then be sprinkled on moist potting mixture (three parts sphagnum peat moss, two parts perlite and one part vermiculite). Do not cover the seeds with potting mix -- they need light to germinate. Temperatures should be at least 76º and the pot covered with plastic to retain humidity. After approximatley 4-6 weeks, slender sprouts should be forming.

After many sprouts have emerged from the mix, you can begin to feed them with a weak solution of African violet liquid fertilizer. Follow the same steps at repotting them as with plantlets grown from leaf cuttings. (Leaves should be the size of a dime before they are repotted).

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