African Violets and Gesneriads: Newbie needs rooting help..., 1 by Allison_FL

Allison_FL wrote:
Lali
The heat factor is a big thing . But mainly in the winter . Any time year round it does not hurt to use a heat pad. I never have just beacause I don't have any but I know many people do with freat succes and fast healthy babies
I don't use clay pots , I see them as a thing in the past , only kiddng to you all that use them and like them. lol They easliy get salt build up. Well when I go to local av group they all use plastic pots to proper size and they've been growing and showing 30 plus years with great show plants . Plus you have to show plants in white pots, except trailers and gessies.The pot also must be the proper size for the plant.
Good rule to keep or your in for root rot and a very unhappy plant down the road.
So I buy pots from thumb print size up . With so many babies I order the 2" pots by the 500 and I go threw them fast. A baby can stay in them until their 6 inches across and the perfect size for Mini's year round. for life.
Of course you need to transplant , ( re-potting does not mean always going to a learger pot if the plant does not need a larger pot keep it it the same size pot but a new pot with some new soil ) but always using new sterile soil-less mix ( I like mine for very light a lot of Perilite my husband has the amounts down pack as at lest once or twice a week he mixes me about 20 gallons) and pots new. If the pots are not new make sure you have soaked them over night in the strongest bleach and hot water. I never save a pot or solo cup. Used once it goes in the trash less chance of having any insects or viruses. I also bleach soak all new ones. I use solo cups for putting leaves down. I never re-use any. Then the solo cups with leaves are kept in the clear like shoe boxes . I have from 6 quart I started to use in the begining to ones that hold 50 plus cups. This way not spilling messes and the boxes go right on the plant stand under lights or int green house.Makes a lot of room for many leaves down in sma;; areas :)) .
Most sellers sell them in solo cups, I just have never been able to do so . I like them in pots and when someone gets a plant from me it's in a new pot " Always " :))
I know a lot of people that grow just in Perilite and vermiculite half and half. THey have allergies and must do so. but they do need to feed their AV's more.
Soil-less mixture is so important. What's important with a plant is not what yu see on top but under neath the root system and healthy they are and their ability to absorb the nutrient they need. I use Special stuuf in my soil to help inhance growth and promote healthy root.
I have done leaves everyway you can imagine but once I learned a special way at my av group I 00 percent stuck with it as it gives me fast healthy plants. Most imes I can put a leaf down and have several halthy babies of it ready to go to a new Mom in 3 months. Like well'll take Vespa Sensational a new wasp. I bought the leaves in summer end of August. It gave me four healthy babies :)) Everyone wanted one it's special and only the leaves " No plants " have been sold only on Ebay for high prices. Two friend in Canada got one and friend in MD my wasp loving friend and I kept one for me. I kept the smallest on that is now in 2.50 pot a good 5-6 inches across :)) I shipped out the three babies different times in the first two weeks in November. . I had put the leaves down the thier week of August. And I don't ship my babies out too small. Now tis does not happen all the time. Sometimes it's 6-8 months before I can ship a baby out.
On an other group I belong lot's of people did experimants putting leaves down at the same time same plant many different ways. I think that most fount the light soil-less mixture to be best. But that does not mean it's going to be est for you.
Lali I feel it's a super great idea :)) to do your experiment and see which way you like best :))
I keep so many leaves down I need an easy orginized system that works well for me. You can't put leaves down each day and have 200-500 leaves in a small home being diabled without being organized and having it easy care and of course I like fast healthy growth :))