Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: African Violet Grooming Questions, 0 by MissionVao

MissionVao wrote:
Hey,

My african violet (which is probably about 9-10 months old) has just put out its first ever buds (which is really exciting), but it also has leaves growing from places I didn\'t expect, such as low down on the neck (some even just peaking up from under the soil line). Is that normal? Should I pinch them off or just let it do its thing? If I have to groom it, should I wait till it\'s done flowering first?

Secondly, my violet seems to have a long neck, but I bought it as a very young plant (it was labeled as an April 2015 starter) and I\'ve only had it for about four months. It had a longish neck when I bought it, even though it only had like ten leaves. It seems to early to \"neck up\", but I don\'t know. It\'s my first AV. Any comments or advice?

I\'ve attached some pictures of the plant, it\'s neck, and the funny neck-leaves. It\'s supposed to be \"Playful Spectrum\".

Thanks!