Can anyone please help me with my africain violets? We had four violets from my wife's bridal shower 3 years ago. They have been through a lot of ups and downs, and the last down way be the end of them. Three currently have no green that I can see, and the fourth is only slightly better. I have posted a photo of the best one. Can anyone help me get this one back on the right track? And do I assume the other three are dead if I do not see green.
Thank you, Thank you
'No visible green' isn't entirely exclusive of viability, but there's no question the plant in the picture is circling the drain. To get it back on track, you're going to have to reverse course, and to tell you how, we need to know what course you're on. What are you using for soil? How are you fertilizing (with what - how much - how often)? What kind of light is the plant getting? What temperature range are you keeping it at? Been adding anything extra to the soil or watering/fertilizing solution to 'help' the plant? Have you eliminated the possibility that there is an insect or disease issue? Are you watering the foliage when you water? Is the crown of the plant above the soil line? Anything else you can think of that would help?
Al
Um... An organic potting mix. Watering sporadic may have watering the green. Lighting has been changing a lot was in window sill now in office with no direct light. Temp between 70-75....
Unless the very center has some 'live plant' material it is to late. You could try putting that one green leaf in a small glass of water with just the stem in the water not the leaf. If the stem is withered it is again to late. Sometimes the leaf itself will root if it is laid on the soil with the stem section pressed to slightly damp soil but usually you do it with a healthyleaf.
I think your plant is on its way down for the count. Since it appears that the underlying cause is going to remain unidentified, and if there's any chance of saving the plant it will require your intervention, the best thing is to turn from trying to identify and correct A problem, to trying to make sure you have appropriate cultural conditions. Reading the sticky at the top of this forum would be a step in the right direction.
If you're serious about saving the plant, you might depot, bare-root, prune the roots back to sound tissue, swish the roots in a 10% mix of water & unscented bleach or water & 3% H202 (hydrogen peroxide), and plant the plant in chopped sphagnum moss (not peat - see below), or a 50/50 mixture of chopped sphagnum moss and screened/rinsed perlite. Keep the mix damp, not wet. If you have an old colander or kitchen strainer you can use for a container, use that - call it your intensive care facility.
One of, or the the primary factor that determines if a cutting will strike or not is the amount of reserve energy it has. Obviously, your plant is at the very end of it's energy reserves, so it's extremely unlikely a cutting will yield another plant. Also, since your plant has little in the way of photosynthesizing machinery, which is where the plant's food comes from, removing even 1 leaf will significantly reduce the plant's ability to make food. In this case, it's probably better to put your eggs in one basket. My choice, since I think there is little hope of getting cuttings to work, would be to try to save the plant and to leave all the current foliage intact if it has any green showing.
Al
African violets take a long time to die visibly. Like any "juicy" kind of plant that can't wilt as well as those with thinner leaves, by the time you notice a plant like this is unhealthy, it's usually too late. And since they can take so long to go from genuinely healthy, to unhealthy, to 'doesn't look right,' to 'is dead,' to 'looks dead' they get a false reputation for being a low-light plant. AV's are more sensitive to inconsistent care and inadequate conditionas than most other plants I've had. Plants can surprise you, though. Al's instructions are certainly worth trying.
I have 1 that I have had several years try not to touch the leaves only water from the bottom I put my water in another pot then sit the pot with the flower in it after 30 min. what ever water is in the pot it is sitting I dump out the water I have it sitting in my kitchen window get morning light and blooms all the time I hope you can save yours but it might be to late
