Why Are African Violet Leaves Turning Brown?

When the bright green leaves of your African violet begin to turn brown, your plant is suffering stress caused by environment, or worse, blight. Catching the problem early on can help save your plant.

Watering Problems

• Brown leaves on any plant are often a sign of lack of water, which also holds true for African violets. Dry soil that has pulled away from the pot and wilted flowers also indicates under watering.

  Overwatering can also cause root and leaf rot that can result in brown leaves. Water the African violet only when the top two inches of soil are dry.

Fertilizer

• Yellowing or brown lower leaves and a reduction in growth and flowering often mean that the African violet is not receiving the nutrients it needs for growth. Remove yellow or brown leaves, and fertilize with an African violet fertilizer according to the package directions.

Blight

• Another result of overwatering in African violets is botrytis blight, caused by a fungus that grows on soaked leaves, turning leaves, stems and sometimes flowers brown or gray. Withhold water and remove blighted leaves to stem botrytis.