Hi All ,
allgr8dogs needs all the help and advice we can give her for her students so they have a wonderful time planting and caring for the violet leaves they will be planting in her classroom ............so please everyone pitch in with all your wonderful know how , we have a lot of genius gardeners here so be good and pop in with your wonderful knowledge ( potting mixes , light , watering , wicking or not etc :) make this an awesome time for the kids :)
Thank you all so very much , hugs to all ,
Connie
LET'S ALL GIVE allgr8dogs OUR BEST AV LEAF STARTING ADVICE
she can try different methods of potting up leaves useing different mediums, see who's leaves do best, useing pearlite for 1 soil for another etc. under lights, on a window sill, different lightings.so many ways, differnt cuts on the leaves, cutting the violet leaf in half & planting both pieces, i do that with ones i really want the most.
mrsbonnie
Any and all advice you are going to give will be welcomed by ME! I am a newbee and this forum is the best thing since 'sliced bread' for me! I am about to follow Gail's great advice and expect to at last have violets I can be proud of! !
bbon
Bonnie's advice is great!! I have never even tried cutting a leaf in half and rooting both pieces.
You could try doming or not doming,water rooting,soiless growing mix,straight perlite,half perlite,half vermiculite.....and so on.Also cutting the stems different lengths,feeding or not feeding.
For students, I would root at least a few in water,so they can actually see something happening in the first week or two.
This is a great idea - thank you so much for thinking of it. How do you root in water - just put the stem in, and add liquid plant food once you see roots?
Its been so long ago that I don't remember well but my piano teacher gave me AV leaves that she had 'staked' down with toothpicks and wrapped in wax paper (remember this was a long time ago). As I recall she staked around the edges and in some cuts that were diagonal to the mainstem. I remember getting 3 little plantlets, but then was separated from my plants during my parents' divorce so I didn't get to see them mature.
Question: if you have variegated leaves can you start a plant from those if they're not all green?
Jackie
Jackie,
Water rooting is super simple.Just cover the top of a glass or vase of water,whatever you have,with foil and poke little holes for each leaf.Then place in a well lit,but not sunny space.You will usually see roots within a week,especially if you use an opaque container.You can also water root leaves in Hummingbird feeders,pretty colored glass,etc.It's just that the students might get a little more excited by being able to see roots forming by water rooting.
They can transfer them to soiless mix when just a few roots are formed(which is really best) or leave them in water until baby plantlets form.
Another fun thing to do is invert a berry basket (one of those green plastic ones with little squares) over a plastic deli container or anything sturdy enough and put the leaf petoiles SP? (stems) through them.This keeps the leaves from actually getting wet just like the foil.
I think I will try this - the kids will get a kick out of seeing the roots forming. By soiless mix do you mean perlite? Will we still need to cut off the tip of the leaf?
Hi Jackie and all ,
Jackie I think when you mentioned your piano teacher making cuts in the leaf and staking it with toothpicks , you were talking about rooting begonias not Av leaves , the cutting off of the tip of the leaf on an AV is to keep the mamma leaf from growing instead of making babies on the stem but you plant the leaf with the stem in the soil / perlite not the leaf although you can root the end of the leaf if you have a leaf with no stem left , you cut the sides of the base of the leaf with a V cut , so the leaf looks like an upside down spearhead and make an angled cut on the base front and put the base in your rooting medium and treat the same as the leaves with stems put down , i have never rooted an AV leaf like you would a begonia but i guess you could try , I have done it with strep leaves , i hope my info is right and clear but I am sure if I am wrong the other wonderful people here will give you the right story , this is just what I have done and not written in stone :) Everyone have a wonderful day please :) and I hope this helps bbon and allgr8dogs :)
Connie
Hi,
I can't keep an grown AV alive but I can sure grow from leaf...LOL All I do is take a shot glass and use my mix and put them in and sit them under the lights and they grow great....
Hugs,
Susan
Jackie,
Once they have formed water roots they can go straight into AV Mix.Most people use a purchased soiless mix with a little perlite added or use equal parts peat,perlite and vermiculite with a little charcoal.There are so many different mixes to use.Just make sure all of the ingredients are sterile and use Canadian or other good quality peat moss.(not that black mucky stuff they sell in big bags for outdoors).It should be a light brownish color.
As Susan said,if you just make a fresh cut on the leaves and stick them right into your soiless mix they will grow.I usually let mine sit about a half hour after cutting before putting into moist mix.Some people use rooting hormone,but I have never felt it was necessary.
Jackie, what an awesome thing to do!! It really takes a special person to do this for a class!
Jackie,
I agree, what an awesome experience and lesson for your students! They will be so excited at the sight of those first roots, and when they spot the first little "ears" poking above the soil ... what a great idea! Are they going to be gifts for their mothers on Mother's Day?
I wish I had some AV's so I could send you leaves too but I'm not growing them right now. I hope you get enough donated leaves that each student can have two or three plants (always nice to have a back up just in case one doesn't make it.) What a great project for students, lessons about growing and nurturing a living plant, I know it will bring them a lot of joy!
We have an organization here in town called WORC (Work Oriented Rehabilitation Center) for mentally and developmentally challenged teens and adults. They have a ceramic shop where students make pottery and a greenhouse where they learn all about planting and growing from seed and nurturing the plants to maturity. The greenhouse used to be open year round, everything was handled by the students, composting, planting, watering etc., as well as dealing with the customers when they sold the plants. Now they are only open to the public to sell plants during the holiday season.
I hope you can take photo's of the progression of your student's African Violet project! Maybe a photo the first day of planting the leaves, then one after the "ears" appear and again when the plants reach maturity and are hopefully blooming. Each student could do a little scrapbook and add the photo's at the different stages. I know they will have so much fun with the project and learn a lot along the way.
Please keep us posted as to how it's going! And, if you need other donations, little pots, ribbon to make bows for the gift plants etc., let me know ... I'd love to make a donation!
Lin
Hi Lin, I could use little pots and ribbon. The kids are going to grow the AVs as presents for their Moms (and foster Moms). I plan on taking pictures, but I have to learn how to blur their faces (privacy concerns by the school). We're going to do a photo progression of the plant growth so the kids can look back and compare in their journals (got to have these kids write a lot more...). Thank you Lin, and thank you all of you DGers for your kindness and generosity.
Jackie
Hi Jackie ,
You could take pics of just the kids hands planting and watering etc , that way we can see how things are going and still keep their privacy in tact , and take pics of just the plants as they do their rooting and growing thing , it will be fun for you and them , as far as pots I use yogurt cups and once you are ready to give them as gifts just have the kids paint the pots or cover the pots with contact paper , it comes in many colors and one roll will cover many pots , ask the other teachers to save their yogurt cups for you or even ask the parents to help by saving them for you too , people like to pitch in and help :) be sure you put holes in the bottoms of the cups so you have drainage , you don't want the kids to feel bad because of them rotting , anyway be sure and ask the nice people here if you need advice , they are truly full of it LOL
Warm Hugs ,
Connie :)
LOL We are truly full of it alright!!
Well, its surely my favorite kind of 'full of it'
Mine too ^_^!!
Hi Jackie- I can spare a few leaves from some semi-trailers, if you still need leaves. What a great project! How old are your students?
My students range from 11 to 15 years of age - typically from 5-8 grade. The school I teach at is for Emotionally Disabled (ED) students who can't attend school at a regular campus. We're pretty strict, but I try to provide hands on activities and do things that help them connect with real life, hence the tadpoles (now frogs), compost bins, fish, plants and things. They're pretty jazzed with the things we've done so far (I did one science unit on flatulence). I find that these kids do not work for (or care about) adult approval, but they're still kids and they're still curious. I try to use that curiosity as the motivator to come to school, and to learn. All in all, I like my students, and its great to see them look younger when they look curious.
I would love to have some trailing AV leaves if you have some to spare. It will give my students more to write about as the describe the plant growth and habits. Thanks so much!!!
This message was edited Sep 29, 2009 8:18 PM
too bad you didnt decide this was a strep project
i could have pitched in too
JIM
sorry, I can't help you this time. We have our state convention coming up the first week of November and I can't cut leaves from any plants with a possibility of throwing up blooms in time for the convention.
I used to teach the very same kind of class you are teaching............so rewarding!!!
No problem, Gessiegail and Jim. I am thankful for all of the help I've already received. DGers are the best kind of people. If this project goes well I may be allowed to start a garden/horticulture club, and I may ask for leaves and stuff again. I just believe that exposure to animals and plants helps a child to develop kinder feelings for living beings.
Well, I tell you Gessie, sometimes my students make me a little crazy, and I wonder why it is that I thought I wanted to teach...other times, its the best thing I've ever done.
Guess what!!! WE have all felt the same way about our own kids at some point in time.........it is called life isn't it (smiling)
The 'baby ears' big by now...are turning yellow on one or two of the potted leaves?
Too much light, water or? or not enough light?
the other ones are fine and big...
thanks
I feed by leaves and babies from start to finish............
Yes,sounds like they need food.Light shoudn't turn them yellow unless they are way to close to it.
All the babies are wicked and one has it's leaves turning yellow....they are all the same distance from the light and most of them are getting sooooo big.....anyone hav a clue as to why one has leaves turning yellow....they are all treated the same way??
Clueless..here..??
any answer will be gratefully 'accepted'! :)
bbon (the other Bonnie)...
Bonnie,
All I can say is maybe too much water.Every once in awhile I run into a plant that just hates wicking.Try hand watering that one and letting it get slightly dry in between.Maybe it's root system has developed a little differently than the others and it is getting more water than it can use.
Lynn
Hi oh-so-kind-and-wonderful-gessie-people! I'm sorry its taken me so long to post these, but I wanted you to see what we're doing with your very generous gifts.
This is week one, and I've hung one light. I plan on buying one each paycheck so we can do a lot of plant projects.
Week two - my students wanted you to know that we are being 'green' - we saved our sporks to label our leaves. I've had to explain several times that the kids can't rub the fuzzy stuff on the leaves (yow!). Each student got to pick out 3 leaves that are theirs (labeled with their name, too). This has engendered quite a bit of ownership. One student pulled one of his leaves up to see the roots and new plant - we did a probable timeline of when they can expect these things to occur, and explained that new roots are so tiny and fragile they can't be seen, yet, and that it will take more than a couple of weeks for them to flower. Some of the kids have been singing rap music to their leaves to get them to grow (I wonder if that will stunt their growth). They're all very excited, and several have told me they never realized that plants were interesting (and alive).
A close up of our spork labels...
I brought a rescued NOID AV from home (we used some of its leaves, too) to show the kids what our goal is. On Parent/Teacher night the kids couldn't keep the Mother's Day secret - they're just too proud of their project. We also started seeds for the Sensitive Plant...
Oh,how cool.That looks like so much fun!! As far as Rap music goes,who knows?? In my days Rock N Roll or my son's heavy metal never bothered them.I think they like Country myself LOL.
Hi Jackie ,
I am soooooooooooooo glad you and your dear kids are having fun with the leaves , it is a fun project and it gives them a gentle caring sense that carries to all other things in life , Children are like plants , if you care for and nurture them you get the joy of watching them bloom with smiles of sunshine at all the wonders the world has to offer them , so glad they are enjoying , please keep us posted :)
Hugs,
Connie
Hi Jackie;
I think this is a wonderful thing you have done for these children, they get so much from this little program.I think this does nurture them & thats a wonderful thing. Just keep us posted & whenever you need more, just ask.lol
mrsbonnie
I am learning along with the 'kids'!! Thank you..
Hi Jackie: I hope you received the little pots and the spools of ribbon I sent. If the pots are too large for this particular project I'm sure you will be able to use them in the future.
Please keep us posted on how the project goes. I know your kids are having a lot of fun and excitement with growing the AV's!
Lin
I have quite a few little clay thumb pots if you need them.I don't use them anymore.
Lynn