Question
I am an AV newbie, and my African violets have been very happy in my new place with the filtered light from venetian blinds, and were blooming their hearts out. Until now. I now find that on some plants, the flowers fail to open and are blotched with brown. The leaves still look fine. Is it something I am doing, or do you think it is some kind of disease? I try to limit watering to once on the weekend. Is that still too much?
Thanks,
Bonnie

Answer
Bonnie, I can't be absolutely certain, but your problem sounds two-fold.  First, it sounds like the buds may be blotched brown due to water touching them when you water the plant.  Or, it could be some type of insect.  It's very difficult to say at times.  Just to be safe you could spray once a week with an all-purpose insecticide (diluted).  No need to drench; just spray the leaves and buds about twice a week for a few weeks.  You don't need to keep the spraying up if you do not notice any improvement.  It may not be an insect; it could be low humidity.  Secondly, try raising humidity.  That is almost always the reasons buds do not open, (except for what I mentioned above).  You can raise humidity several ways, by running a humidifier if you have lots of violets,  or by using "pebble trays".  Just place a shallow layer of pebbles similar to the gravel used in fish tanks into a saucer, then barely cover the pebbles with water.  Set your plant into the center.  The evaporation from the pebbles greatly raises humidity.  Warning:  Do not allow your violet to absorb the water from the pebble tray; this can lead to root rot. To avoid this, allow the pot to just barely sit on top of the pebbles.  Make sure the pebbles are kept moist and add water every 2-3 days.  Keep this up and within a few months you will notice your blooms last longer, as well.  Of course, this method should be carried out for all of your violets.