When and How to Divide African Violets

African violets, Streptocarpus subg. Streptocarpella sect. Saintpaulia, are tender herbaceous perennials native to eastern Africa suited to outdoor cultivation in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 and 12 and grown as houseplants elsewhere.

They have thick, velvety, green or variegated foliage topped by frilly, single or double blossoms in blue, orange, pink, purple, red, white, or bi- and multicolor combinations. Rosette-style varieties are compact with a single crown.

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The rosette types are available in different sizes. There are miniature varieties of less than eight inches wide, standard types that measure eight to 16 inches wide, and large plants that are more than 16 wide at maturity.

Trailing varieties have multiple crowns and a loose, cascading growth habit.

Our African violet growing guide has all you need to know to grow and care for your own.

This article discusses how to divide African violets for health, size management, visual appeal, and to propagate new plants.

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Why Divide African Violets?

When we divide a plant, we either split an existing plant into one or more sections, known as “divisions” or we sever offsets – offshoots from the parent plant.

As an African violet matures, it produces one or more clones of itself called offsets or pups, which it feeds via the parent plant’s mature root system.

An offset is a baby plant. The point where the stems join the roots is called the crown. Once roots sprout from the crown, the pup is ready for division.

Dividing African violets serves several purposes: