If my violets are blooming well, repotting is delayed until near the end of the blossom cycle then remaining blossoms are removed. Like Subversive, I believe in postponing immediate fertilization. Moistened potting mix is used to repot plants. I don't add water immediately to reservoirs(using self watering Oyama pots) for a day or two allowing potting mix to just begin to dry a little(not too dry or mix won't absorb water) before normal amount of plain water is added to reservoir. I avoid fertilizing until my plants completely use up one reservoir of plain water, or about 10 days or so. Usually plants are past repotting stress by this time, otherwise fertilization is delayed even longer. Elaine

BittyBatts Although the peat based potting soils degrade into very low Ph mediums, stunting plants, repotting should fix that. African Violets, potted in peat based potting soils, are fine with any water Ph 8 or under. My water is 9+ I add phosphoric acid to bring the water I use on plants to Ph 7. It was easy after I figured it out but required some math to find the parts per million of phosphorus. It also required knowledge of how to mix water and acid. how to store acid and how to dilute water with acid to the proper Ph. Trust me, water Ph, unless your water is so thick with dissolved solids you can plant in it and the Ph is above 8, you don't want to mess with it. It requires addition of acids, the best being food grade phosphoric which despite the label is extremely corrosive in its undiluted state. Also, it is necessary to know how much phosphorus (ppm) are being added when you bring the Ph down. Phosphorus is a fertilizer. It is possible to use citric acid (expensive) sulphuric (dangerous) or nitric (dangerous) so it is best to leave the water alone if you don't have an extreme problem. Or repot every 6 months to counteract the buildup of minerals and Ph in the soil Very high Ph water can, over time, seriously affect plants. Yellowing of leaves, poor growth and lack of flowers are the usual symptoms. This post was edited by lucky123 on Fri, Aug 8, 14 at 17:24

It seems to me that you can get by with a smaller than 4" pot - may be 3 - 3.5" - especially if the bottom row of leaves is getting tired and needs to be removed. You need a decent AV soil and perlite to add to it. Azalea type - squatty pot will be perfect. You can probably find a 3.5 plastic pot in a good nursery - or you can recycle any plastic container - just punch holes - until you get the one you like so you can move it. I agree with DBarron - double ceramic AV pots are tricky - too big, too expensive, tend to drown the roots...etc. The best self watering pot is Oyama - they have a correct size. There is an overpriced Dandy Pop that also works - though the standard size is too big for your plant. I understand that nowadays AV clubs are shrinking because everybody hangs on internet. But it is much more productive to see how it is done, rub the soil between the fingers... to recognize the texture, humidity etc... So if you find a club in your area - check AVSA.org - local clubs - you can find experts, mentors and plant material to try.

The All About African Violets series of podcasts gives instructions. To find this, try a search for the website, "Allaboutafricanviolets." Joanne