How To Choose Your Pots

POT DILEMNA

Violets normally grow in the wild in rock crevasses in small amounts of dirt and moss so putting them into a pot with enriched potting mix is kind of an upgrade. When you start growing violets, you may face the dilemna of where to get your growing pots, how many to buy and what size to get. If you're just starting out you might want to save your money for the plants and dirt and go with much more affordable cups.

Cups are a good choice for growers because they are easy to find and they work. Violets really don't care what you plant them in as long as they get what they need out of it. They need good drainage and light soil.


MINIATURES AND STANDARDS

The perfect starter cup if you are doing miniatures is the plastic shot glass or red 2 ounce shot cup. You can find these at any dollar store. For the regular leaves and starter plants you may want to start out with the white 3 ounce plastic cups. You can get those at any grocery or big box store for cheap. They are perfect. Just punch or burn holes in the bottom of them for drainage.

GRADUATE TO POTS

At some point you will also need 3 inch, 4 inch and maybe a few 5 or 6 inch pots too. You need to go to pots at that size because taller cups will tip over on you and violets like the pots squatty. I have been able to find 3 inch pots at the Dollar Tree but only in the spring so that's when I stock up. I use a lot of 3" pots because I grow a lot of semi-miniatures. They are flimsy pots but they work. I've had to order 4" plastic pots from the internet as they are harder to find locally.


A FEW MONSTERS

Occasionally you will grow a monster plant that needs a larger pot than you normally have. I have a few space violets that grow enormous and when they do, I get some short food containers that measure 5 and 6 inches from the dollar store and paint the outside of them with whatever color spray paint I have on hand.

These were painted with a gray primer because that's what I had on hand. Any color will work. I prefer green or terra cotta but I'll use up whatever color I have first.


THE PERFECT SIZE

Some people use the one third rule to determine what size pot their violet needs. It states that the pot should be about one third of the total width of the leaf spread of the plant. It's a basic guide for beginners, not a rule. I know when a violet needs a bigger pot when it is top heavy or the plant wants to tip over. Also if the roots are coming out of the bottom and starting to swirl around the inside of the pot - it needs a bigger pot.

A fast growing plant can skip a size and grow into a new pot comfortably without a fuss. Also, plants in bloom can be potted up a size without losing their flowers. See how to pot a violet in bloom .

DECORATIVE AND FANCY POTS

I'm sure you've seen the "african violet" ceramic pots out there. They are beautiful aren't they? Well, over time they get easily clogged with water and plant food minerals and then they can't pull water into the porous ceramic to keep the violet soil damp. More often than not, the plant will die from dried up soil. If I ever used one of them again, I would drill a hole in the inner pot with a diamond drill bit and run a wick through it but personally, I don't like decorative pots for my violets.

I have never been able to keep a violet alive for long in one of those, although some people swear by them. I think they are the reason water reservoirs and wick watering was invented. Personally, decorative pots compete with the beauty of the plant for attention so I use the plainest pots possible. You really don't need anything fancy to grow violets.

There are even expensive pots with built in rims that help the plant hold its leaves flat. And there are self watering pots out there too. Some are a little pricey. You can get those if you like and some people swear by them but all that really matters to a violet is good drainage and a light mix.