If a person who has never grown AV before should tell you she would like to try, what is advice would you give a total newbie?
This message was edited May 15, 2010 5:27 PM
What advice would you give a newbie ?
Oh my that is a very hard question to answer. I was very new last year so I can tell you what helped me a lot.
Keep the pots small - smaller than you think they'd want. I think the rule is 1/3 the size of the plants leaves.
Only start with a few plants or put down a few leaves to make babies. Too many too fast is overwhelming and if you don't have the hang of it yet, it's all the more to kill. I started small, then got a lot, killed a lot, then took time to learn, then got more again. I wish I'd just gotten used to the first few before I got a lot.
Add perlite to your potting mix even if it's made for AVs. I don't tend to overwater and I overwatered at first so using a soil that holds less water is probably better to start unless you're sure you underwater.
If it doesn't grow well for you then throw it out. That was so hard for me but I keep seeing so many people say this and finally have started doing it and threw away 6 plants just today while I as cleaning and watering. It's not necessarily your fault it could be bad stock. If you really want it order it again from a differnt vendor.
Make sure you have room and lighting for them. I didn't have good lighting at first and had to rearrange my tiny living room to make room for a small cart that I made myself to keep costs down. My first plants were growing cockeyed from the window light even when I turned them regularly.
Ask lots of questions and read lots of material. I read a lot of old posts and read things on the AVSA site and became a member of AVSA and did a lot of searches on the internet. I also asked my neighbor because she knows so much more than me. If I didn't have someone like her I would suggest someone should join a local club if available if not then just spend a lot of time here.
I don't know if that's what you are looking for but it's what popped into my head.
annacanna, this is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. I have agreed to help a group with their club and it is quiet obvious that many members are very new; they are becoming discouraged because of the negative experiences they are having.
I feel the problem is that attempts are being made to start on a too advanced level.
My theory is that a grower should creep before they try to run.
By that I mean, start with something that will almost guarantee success, like start with an optimara variety, grow it, reproduce it from a leaf, groom it. This will endow one with confidence, making it possible to move on to more complicated varieties.
In the learning process everything you mentioned would be involved as part of the growing process.
I have a big job cut out for me in the coming year to build a confident club and am asking DG violet growers for ideas to help make violeting fun for these new comers.
Thanks for your view as a recent newbie; a year later you obviously feel more confident as a grower.
That's what I want to hear from the group I am working with next year.
My advice is to have FUN! These are gorgeous and fun plants to grow. It is addictive because there are so many fantastic varieties. I love variegated leaves. They don't require a lot of things. Just really bright, cool light, fertilizer, a good soil-less mixture and not too much water.
Sallysblooms, what pretty violets and an interesting arrangement!
Not too much water! My favorite phrase: More violets are killed by over watering than any other cause. This is the first thing I discovered. Most of the club was trying to grow them under aquatic conditions!! They were literally drowning their plants.
I like your emphasis on Fun. The theme I am promoting for the next year is "Violets are fun, Grow one!"
Hi There;
I think one big mistake alot of newbies make is using the wrong soil. They usually use package mix or etc. They don't relize that it's really to heavy & should add a little pearlite to the mix.
Mrsbonnie
mrsbonnie, another excellent point, thanks.
Be sure to tell them to isolate all new plant material,no matter where it comes from.Also,don't work in the yard and then directly on your violets.Wait about a half hour.Many small mites and such will die by then,because they have no plant host to feed on.
Lynn
Oh defintely the isolation. I didn't want to do that initially and I read about how many people did so I forced myself to and boy did that ever pay off. Someone didn't realize and sent me some young plants with hitchhikers in the pots. It all worked out well for two reasons I suppose. I followed the isolation rules and just as important I'd read about the main pests and had an idea what to look for and I kept good track of my plants. I don't hover mind you but I do really look at them at least once a week.
That is another piece of advice. Don't do things like wick watering or other more advanced stuff to start. It's good to pick up your plants and pay attention to them. Later when you're more experienced it's fine to start with things like that.
Oh and another I just thought of. If you're trying something new only try it on one or two plants not on all of them. Make sure you get it right and understand it then apply it to everyone else.
These are great, please keep 'em coming. So many of things I do and have forgotten that I had to learn in the beginning; so basic, too many times old timers simply forget!
This message was edited May 16, 2010 4:54 PM