I have always grown African Violets in natural light. The growing area in my first house received morning sun. The next house was shaded and had very little sunlight. My current house has nothing but sun. As you would expect, my Avs did best in the location with morning sun.

Growing AVs in natural light causes one to be pre-occupied with the daily weather report. The overriding questions I find myself faced with each morning are:

• Will it be sunny today?
• Do I raise the cellular shades or leave them lowered?

Then there are the quirky days when it is raining in the morning and the sun comes out full force in the afternoon!

Growing in natural light can produce a myriad of problems: burn spots on leaves and flowers, bleached leaves and flowers, small flowers, tight centers, photo tropism (growing toward the source of light) and problems with symmetry – the leaves receiving more light will grow faster and larger. On the positive side, there are no timers to worry about and no tubes to replace

So, if you have no space for light stands, or find them unattractive, you can still have success growing in natural light if you follow some simple rules:

•If possible, select a window that receives morning sun, or has a tree outside to gently filter the sun.

•For southern or western exposures, use light filtering curtains or shades on bright, sunny days. Raise or open them on rainy, cloudy days (beware of those aforementioned quirky days).

•Cut back on fertilizer during the hottest summer months.

•Be extra careful not to get water droplets on leaves to prevent burn spots.

•Rotate the plants ¼ turn in the same direction every week to maintain symmetry.

Good luck and happy growing.

Sharon Rosenzweig has been growing African Violets for more than 30 years. She is a Board Member of the Baystate African Violets Society (BSAVS) in Massachusetts. She is the owner of The Planter Depot which specializes in Oyama Self Watering African Violet Planters and other growing supplies. The online store of The Planter Depot can be found at http://www.avplanters.com

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