African Violets and Gesneriads: Would There Be Any Interest In.... , 1 by SilverTigris

SilverTigris wrote:
LOL... you guys and gals really know how to brighten any day :)

I'm glad to see so much interest in hobby hybridizing as well as those that are interested in becoming a true hybridizer. I've been mixing soil up to get ready to buy more of the $1.00 5" terra cotta clay pots I found at Wal-Mart the other night when I went up to the store to get some Zantac for my hubby. That 2lb bag of really small stones (something they're calling natural "beach" sand) about the size of perlite pieces. I think that will work wonderfully in the soil and make it light enough for my AVs to be very happy :)

While I love the AVs I also love a lot of the other Gessies as well and would love to have a smalll collection of all different types of gessies. You never know but I may even come up with e AV x "other" Gessie cross ;) But that will take me some researching to find out if that is even possible and if so how to work toward crossing things to get what I want. You never know, I may even decide to take a "leap of faith" and close my eyes and see what happens ..lol j/k Anyway, I would like to try to create some unique and one of a kind gessies whether AV or otherwise just to have something no one else has that I can share with those interested. Connie, thank you I'll be sure to post any progress I see so everyone can see how things turn out including any plants I am able to grow from the cross :)

Kim, Thank you for the advice as it is always appreciated to hear what those experienced in hybridizing have learned and experienced. I went to the AVSA's website before I started trying to crossbreed my two AVs and did see where it said to leave the bloom/bud on the plant until it drys out and practically falls of the plant. I've been making sure to also keep up on fertilizing them so that they have the necessary nutrients needed in order to produce a seed bud :) I've been looking and checking my plants regularly to make sure they don't get dried out and to make sure that they don't get "sick" either. Luckily, for now I've been keeping them inside under a grow light so I can check on them daily if needed. However, both plants that I'm crossing are just blooming away as if they are the happiest plants in the world. I when I did the pollinated I did so over a week period so as to give myself the best possibility of a success mating. Here a picture a bloom from the beauty that donated her pollen to my crossbreeding attempt.