I have these friends that needed someone to take care of one of their little ones while they went out of the country… for a year. The little one is very finicky, and I almost thought I killed her, but now she seems to have recovered and is blossoming beautifully!
I am babysitting an African violet. It came with a self watering pot, so how badly could I possibly screw it up? So on a sunny windowsill it goes. A few days come and go, and pretty soon the whole thing is brown. Oops! Good thing my friends have already moved to France 🙂
Knowing African violets are highly up-settable, I did some internet research on how to make them happy. I got a little overwhelmed with the complicated nature of these plants, but I did find one tip that I could keep up with: stagnant (semi-dechlorinated) water.
I don’t have too many plants right now, so stagnant water often sits in the watering can on the porch after the outdoor guys have been satiated. Into the pot the three day old water goes, and now RIII (as my friends named her) is happy and sparkly as can be. Success!
TheCroftBaguette, this is for you:
Miss you!
a Perfect Insane 
Awwwwww……..So pretty. YAY!!!!!
AWWWWWWW! I Love it!! 🙂 Thanks soooooooo much! She looks very happy! Good find on the stagnant water thing, never knew that myself. I see a few African Violets here and there around but can never seem to actually find them in the stores. All I can find with flowers seems to be orchids which are just too intimidating.