Question
Hi there.  My African violets are seriously overgrown and threatening to just fall out of their pots.  There's a lot of curly stem above the surface.  Apart from that, they are very healthy and bloom regularly.  My mother had always started her AV's from a leaf in water, but I think that there must be a way to just repot the existing plant and have it continue to grow and be healthy.  Can I just scrape down the long root and plant it, bag it, and it will re-root?  What about water content in the soil so it doesn't rot, yet still is adequately humid?

Answer
Hello:

More than likely you have several crowns, or starts of plants in the one pot.  If you let the soil dry out just a bit, you should be able to pull apart or cut the different plants.  

Once a plant has just one growing point, the center crown, it will grow flat and once roots have filled the pot, it will flower even better.

When the plant has a single crown if you take a tape measure and measure across the plant keep that number in mind.  Divide that number by three and that will tell you what size pot the plant needs.  

So if the plant is 9 inches across, you need only a 3 inch pot.  When pots are too large, you put too much soil in which keeps it too wet.  This rots the roots.  So keep the pot size down.  Also violets bloom better when their roots are just a bit crowded.

Many growers start their leaves in water.  I prefer starting in soil since my leaves in water tend to rot.

Yes, you can scrape the long neck and plant it in fresh soil.  Do bag it since this will give extra humidity.

Water content in soil is adjusted if you add vermiculite and perlite to your mix.  

Misting with hot water may also make the plant more happy.  Don't put the plant in direct sun after misting since this could cause a burn or scortch.

Nancy