Hi All;
Just had to show you all my babies i have had for quite awhile. i got the leaves from connie some time ago & have had them in this container for some time as you can see. they do so well in here i hate to take them out, i just love looking at them in this container, but guess i will have to pot them up.just love them.
mrsbonnie
CUTE CUTE CUTE! they are so cozy in there
Mrs. Bonnie, you most definitely have the "touch." They look great!!
Melanie
mrsbonnie, I notice that you have mostly perlite in the mix.
What is your potting mix made up of? I sowed some of the gessie seeds you sent me in my mix (1 perlite, 1vermic, and 1 av mix) They never germinated. I am going to sow the rest, but want to know what you use. Your little babies look so healty and happy.
Eileen
Hi There;
If i sow seed i use jiffy pellets or stained av soil, but with leaves i use stright pearlite & usually have very good luck.Thats what i used on the little violets pictured.sometimes seed seems to take forever.
bonnie
Oh Bonnie those just look SO sweet in there! Great job!
I'm hoping that's what my petrocosmea graveyard will look like someday *lol*
You sure to have the touch my friend!
Kim
They look so nice. I too have a lot of things growing in plastic deli containers and I really hate to take them out. I have a couple outgrowing theres now, so I'll have to do something with them soon...but I'v e been putting it off.
I have quite a few petrocosmea plants and I have the devil of a time getting those leaves to root. I'd like to have some for insurance in case I lose a plant and also have some to give away.
tish
Tish, my petrocosmea leaves have been down for about a month.
All of them are rooted but no babies yet. I was excited that I didn't lose a single leaf :)
I will have babies to put in the fall box for the round robin (hopefully) in the fall :)
Kim
Kim are you using perlite like Bonnie - for the pets?
My leaves will either dry up or rot...I can't find a happy moisture. I've used a couple different mediums that work with my other plants. I did not try just perlite yet. Lucky I having plants, I have a good supply of leaves to use to find something that works.
tish
Tish, mine are not in 100% perlite but I would say about 85% of it is perlite with just a tiny bit of soil-less mix.
I left it just BARELY moist until I saw that roots had formed and now that I see roots I have been misting a little more frequently.
Again, no babies yet but not 1 leaf lost (which I was shocked).
Here is the picture of the petrocosmea graveyard again. I've added a couple more leaves to this since the picture was taken :)
Certainly not as cute as Bonnie's babies above yet though ;)
Kim
Kim;
They look adorable & looks like they took. you will probably have lots of babies from these.
mrsbonnie
Oh, I see why you are calling it a grave yard!, ha. Thanks for posting the picture. They look healthy and happy and from all I've heard they are just very very slow.
I see a couple of chirita leaves in there and I see you've used the half leaf method. I had heard about that at last years gesneriad convention. I have a Chirita white magic...mature plant when I got it (it was gifted to me!). The leaves are very large and thick...so far I have not gotten any of those leaves to root either....every one rots even if I use barely any water...I think I need to use a newer leaf at the top...I've been using the old bottom ones, not wanting to mess with the plant. The same with the Pets...I've been using the lower leaves.
Thanks so much for the info. tish
here is a real beauty, first bloom for me. sinningia aries,
mrsbonnie
She's a beauty Bonnie.Everyones "baby pictures" are so cute ^_^.
Lynn
Oh...bonnie...aries is beautiful! And I love that its a double!
tish
Awww...Bonnie--what adorable babies--you must be so proud! s. Aries is gorgeous! Kim, I had some pet leaves a couple of years ago. They all rooted, but took forever to do so. Several produced babies, but none survived infancy. I do not remember what culture I used at that time. I think Pets may not care for my room...I still have the one Barbata I bought as a plant, it has bloomed once in 2 years. Very slow grower too. Good luck with your leaves! Frankly, these days, I'm having better luck with orchids. Dunno why....
Your orchid is lovely Jan!! I just stuck 1 Pet. leaf I accidentally pulled off.We'll see if it roots for me.
Lynn
Bonnie I wanted to share an updated picture of the petrocosmea graveyard because as you can see there are more leaves in there and they are the leaves that you sent me :) I didn't lose a leaf my friend and sure to hope that soon I will have babies :)
Thank you SO much!!!
Kim
That graveyard is soo funny.Name is so appropo.
Lillypad22. Since I am down here in Fl. i find it hard to root things using City water.I mean even a plain white begonia.
Have luck using Zephyrhills spring bottled water.All other waters are distilled and treated.
my eyes are very sensitive to the sun, washing them with city water hurts/burns my eyes and that is what lead me to think it being the cause for plant rot.
Mrsbonnie - those minis are adorable.
I propagate my violets in cell tray reservoirs from Lee Valley. Instead of a graveyard, they are kind of individual crypts.
I just keep the water level full and wait a couple months.
Jamie those are really cute containers! I love them! Lee Valley? Did you order them online?
Kim
They look so happy in there! Did it take 2 months to get that big?
Jamie...is that styrofoam? I think things do well in the foam...maybe it keeps the day/night temps more consistant with the heat of the lights on and off and the room temp changes.
Its true about Fl water, the PH is not good for plants.
tish
I did order these on line at leevalley.com. I think it is styrofoam, over a capillary mat that sits above the water reservoir. These actually took about 3 months to grow. I have them under lights. I like it because they won't dry out and I don't have to add water very often.
that is so cool. will go look at them.
mrsbonnie
I bet this would be a good way to transpplant the babies when separated. Yes?
Rather than my way: the egg carton! Helene
There are clear egg cartons. Some stores carry them. I don't know the brand, but they are really neat...would work well for small leaves. Its made like having two egg carton bottoms, only they are clear plastic, so the egg is covered with a form fitting top and bottom. But it still has the lid of the carton too. It is all clear. You could use the lid on the bottom as a water holder and put holes and perlite into the bottom cups and with the two form fitted parts together it makes a mini terranium for each "cell" sitting in a "tray". I tried this with some mini sinningia leaves but apparently mini sinn leaves don't make plants, so I'll try again with some mini av leaves...see how that works. I'll try and get around to posting a pic when I get it replanted.
tish
What is the proper pot size for a mature semi - mini. Also for a mini?
It can vary because all plants do not grow exactly the same size.For minis,usually not larger than 1/2-2 inches.Semis 3 inches.The rule of thumb is 1/3 the size ot the leaf span.
Thanks. The only mini I ever had was "snuggles" now that goes way back. then there just weren't many out there. Rob's , when he started then they just poured into the market. HD
Hi all!
I have recently started growing African Violets. I went to a show in May, and bought one for my mother too. It was named 'Magnolia'. Before I gave it to her, I took a leaf cutting so I could try to grow a few of my own.
I put my leaf in an empty, clean, Dairy Queen large sundae container and it seems to work quite well. Before I had av babies, I left the lid on the container, making it a little 'greenhouse'.
Here are my two little babies:
Congrats Jeannie, nice babies but be careful -- the addiction develops very fast! lol
Woohoo! love to see those little "ears" poke up!
Bonnie, did you pot your mini babies up yet?
Hi;
No i have not, they look so cute in there little greenhouse, i hate to take them out, but i will soon.I will be going to a show in oct. so got to get some of them ready. lol
bonnie
They look just as happy as can be :) Of course I am sure any plant is happy at Bonnie's!
Connie
Jeannie63 :How clever.
Bonnie : all yours are all smiles.
Jeannie93,
It's so exciting to see those first little babies pop up isn't it ^_^. I am sure you are on the road to many more.
Bonnie,
Don't forget pictures when you get all those little ones potted up!!
Lynn
i am very impressed with all of your ideas--i am new to the african violets and am using the egg carton
i have a few questions
in another thread it said that the egg carton was good because the roots push against the tiny carton and make the plant produce leaves rather than more root--so how does the "grave yard" work? wouldn't that have lots of area for the roots to spread --and get into the roots of the other little plants?
i saw someone mention 3 months for the plant to take off? is it really that long? i am hoping to have christmas gifts from these--what size do you think my week old leaves will be at chirstmas time?
a friend knew i was growing leaves and gave me a trailing type of african violet-i took a vew leaves off of it --i assume all the growing advice is the same for the trailing?
and lastly--am i right that i go from egg carton to dixie cup to permanent pot? can i go from egg carton to permanent pot?
thanks for any help you can give me
Egg carton to permanent pot is too big a jump... you want to up-pot in small stages, so there's not a lot of extra soil mix around the roots of the plantlet. Lots of extra soil means too much extra moisture held around the roots, = root rot.
