Shriveled Appearance and Mushy Stems If your African Violet’s stems are mushy, or the plant has shriveled you are overwatering. A healthy plant will look strong and vivacious, with firm stems. If the stem has any give when you squeeze them there is an issue.

Individual blooms can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Varieties producing thicker petals and those with green in the bloom tend to last longer. Blooms will last longer under moderate to high humidity with cooler temperatures (say 60-75f degrees).

African violets will continue to bloom year-round in optimal growing conditions, with short rest periods between bloom cycles. It’s a good choice for an easy-to-grow plant to add color to your kitchen. When the plants have finished blooming, remove dead flowers.

With their fuzzy green leaves and stunning year-round flowers, African violets bloom in a range of lavenders, blues, pinks, reds, and white—depending on the variety. Both the plant and flowers are non-toxic to cats and dogs, making them perfect for those looking for a low-maintenance, blooming plant.

In the winter, most of the leaves die back and the purple violets bloom. So they do add some color on a cold winter day. In the summer, they might have a few stray violets but not many, they mostly leaves then.

Use a broadleaf killer that contains 2,4-D or Dicamba, and it will selectively kill the violets without damaging the grass. Another great wild violet herbicide is called Drive (quinclorac). Quinclorac is also sold in other lawn weed control products, under differing names.

Creating a homemade weed killer to control wild violets requires mixing horticulture vinegar with water. You can use a ratio of 80 percent water and 20 percent vinegar. This homemade wild violet weed herbicide has an 80-percent control rate over most broadleaf weeds when sprayed on the offending plant’s foliage.

How to Kill Wild Violets With Herbicide

1. Mix Weed Killer. Mix up a batch of broad-spectrum weed killer in a garden sprayer, following label directions.
2. Add Dish Soap. Add surfactant or a tablespoon of dish soap to the weed killer.
3. Spot Treat.
4. Observe Plants.
5. Treat Again, if Necessary.

The key to killing violets in the lawn is a professional-grade broadleaf liquid herbicide that will stick to the leaves and ultimately knock wild violets back.