Where Can I Get Saintpaulia (African Violet) Food?

Question

I've been advised to feed my African Violets (Saintpaulia) with two type of food;

1. NPK 20-20-20 for the leaves
2. NPK 15-30-15 for the flowers

The former comes in powder form, and 1/4 teaspoon of it should be dissolved in 1L of water. This is what is used to water the plant every time (whenever the pot is drained), and every three times feeding the plant with this one, the latter should be used in the same way to feed it.

However I've checked 3 or 4 DIY/Gardening stores and have asked the assistants for this formula, but they have no idea about the flower nor the formula. They just point me to the indoor plants' food which is normally the Baby Bio brand and is way different in the formula.

Any idea where I could get these two plant foods?

Answer 1

A few points to note:

• if you fertilize an indoor plant that frequently you will raise the soluble salt and eventually burn out the roots
• the most common fertilizer is 20-20-20. This should be available anywhere they sell indoor plants. The brand does not matter. It contains equal parts nitrogen (N), phosphorous(P) and potassium (K). Phosphorous is essential to the formation of the flowering parts of the plant
• flowering plant fertilizer has a higher ratio of phosphorous and is usually formulated at 15-30-15. Again, the brand does not matter.
• African violets are native to the cloud forests of Kenya and Tanzania. This environment provides filtered or diffuse light which is why they can adapt to being grown indoors where light levels are much lower than outside
• this guide for professionals advises the following for a fertilizer schedule

Generally, interior plantings should be fertilized a maximum of four times per year. As a rule, applications should be more frequent during the spring and summer when sunlight intensity increases and days are longer. During the short days of winter, many indoor plants that receive little or no artificial light enter a resting stage. If plants go into a winter rest period, it's best to give them little, if any, fertilizer

Flowering plants can require more fertilizer if they are coming into heavy bloom but my experience is that more applications at a rate that is half what is recommended provide better results.

I have African violets that get a little fertilizer once in a while and they bloom frequently and profusely. One of the reasons for the popularity of the species is the low level of care they require.

Try growing them in a warm area with diffuse light without fertilizer and see what happens. Edit: The most attractive violets are grown at a nighttime temperature of 65° to 70°F and a daytime temperature of 70° to 90°F