Question
Hi Nancy,
How often should an established AV be repotted?  I heard someone say every six months.  That shounds crazy to me!  Is that true?  Also, what causes variegated violets to lose some of their bright colors after a year or so?  Is it always soil pH and nutrients as the problem?
Thanks so much.

Answer
Standard violets should be repotted from 2 to 3 times per year.  Soils become depleted of nutrients so need to be replaced.  Many growers use a very light soil or soil-less mix including 1/3 part peat moss, 1/3 part vermiculite, 1/3 part perlite so there is very little nutrients in this at all.

Variegated violets are affected by temperature.  So most growers put variegated plants on the lower shelves of a light stand where it is cooler.  For window growth, just keep the plant as cool as possible.  It may lose variegation in the summer months then in autumn, when temperatures cools a bit, regain the color again.  This is not a pH problems or even a fertilizer problem.

Speaking of fertilizer, you can use 20-20-20 or even higher, like 10-52-15 for variegates.  Babies with all white foliage may be "greened up" by using a fish emulsion foliar spray.

Nancy