African violets bloom when food and light is adequate and their roots are slightly pot-bound. After your violet has finished a vigorous blooming cycle, it is best to repot it using fresh potting mix. Use the same size pot it was previously growing in or one only marginally larger. Try to avoid using a pot which is too large or more than 1/3 the diameter of your plant's outer leaves after you finish grooming off old leaves. Remove any lower leaves that have become pale, weak or broken. Try to snap them off clean at the base, so there are very few, if any nubs left on the plant's main stem. Also lightly trim up the plant's roots with a sharp knife. Place the plant into the new pot and fill with fresh soil so that the base of the growing center is level or slightly above the soil and level with the rim of the pot. Water the plant with room temperature water until it begins to run out the bottom drainage holes. When the plant needs its next watering, begin using a diluted fertilizer, and fertilize about 2-3 times per month. Give the plant strong, indirect lighting and give it a quarter turn whenever it begins to lean toward the light source. With good, consistent care and adequate light and fertilizing, your plant should enter another blooming cycle in about two months or so. If it doesn’t, investigate which of the three necessary components are lacking: light, fertilizer or constriction of roots. As is very often the case, your plant may need stronger light or more consistent watering, as each wilting will delay the next blooming cycle and reduce the vigor of the plant.
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