Southeast Dubois County School Corp. A. African violets require quite a bit of light to bloom well. They grow best at 65 to 75 F night temperatures with a 10-15 degree increase during the day. Pulling a blind or putting paper between them and the window will keep them from chilling at night. Growth and flowering will be slowed at temperatures above 80 F. Increase the humidity by putting the plants on a tray filled with gravel, perlite or sand. A shallow layer of water in the tray will benefit the plants, and the gravel will keep the pots up above the water level.
Many stores sell African violet soil mixes.
You can make your own by combining equal parts of soil, sphagnum peat and perlite. Keep the soil moist, but keep the leaves dry. Provide fertilizer during the growing season but taper it off in the winter months. Q. We have a cactus that has grown large but never produced any lovely blossoms. It is not a Christmas cactus, although it is supposed to have large pink flowers, similar to a Christmas cactus but larger.