By watching the leaves of your African violet, you can often determine if a plant is getting too much or too little light.

When a plant receives too much light, the leaves will droop over the side of the pot instead of forming a nice flat platter of leaves. Drooping leaves can also be a sign of too little or too much water. The plant needs water to hold its leaves out, so only increase the light if you are sure the plant is getting enough water.

When a plant receives too little light, the plant’s leaves will "reach" for the light. This means that the stems will grow longer, and the leaves will grow upward instead of in a nice flat platter. In either case, correcting the amount of light will not cause the plant’s leaves to correct themselves right away. It can take several months for the plant’s leaves to return to normal once a problem has been corrected. To prevent your plant from leaning toward the window, rotate it through a quarter turn each time you water it. Since bud formation is governed by light intensity, the most frequent reason for lack of bloom in African violets is not enough light.

If African violets are growing in a window, they will need help to develop and maintain good symmetry. A quarter turn after each watering should keep plants symmetrical.