African Violet leaves/how long till they have babies

I bought some african violets at the home show in mid-March.On the way home some of the leaves broke off.So I potted them up to try to start new plants.They are still just sitting there.I guess the good thing is -they didn't die-but its been 2 1/2 months and NOTHING.Is this normal?Thanks for any help.Karyn

well, I must say 2 1/2 months is a long time. Were the leaves small when you potted them? I had a leaf that continued to grow a while before it started having babies. Maybe it needs to mature before reproducing. I detached the first batch from the parent leaf and restuck it back in soil and the second batch of babies came much quicker. I guess as long as it's still alive, there's hope.

If you have a lot of leaves to experiment with, you can try sticking it in a jelly jar filled with water that is covered with foil with a hole punched in for the stem to poke through--that way, you can see the progress.

You might also find this previous thread useful http://davesgarden.com/showthread/17884.html

This message was edited Tuesday, May 29th 10:09 PM

I just rooted my first leaves in water in a jar with foil over it. I could not believe it it only took about 4 weeks and I already have a baby leaf showing.

Well I chopped the leaves in half, hoping this helps,should I fertilize? give up? pull up and drop in water? 3 of the leaves are variegated, will this make a difference.I tried pulling on them and they didn't "give",does this mean they're rooting?I don't want them to root -do I? I want them to form babies don't I ?????

dear crestedchick, (aren't ALL chicks crested??)

it is very funny to observe an obvious loss of self-confidence everytime a cutting doesn't signal that it has developed. I notice it in myself very often. This is not good - what is needed, is to turn the intuitive wish to give life for a cut leaf into cold knowledgable logical technique.
OK, pull out one and examine. Remeber ALL details about the previous operation: did the cut leaves remain too long exposed until they were planted? Was it cold then where you put them? Were there any chemicals used etc.
At the end, go and buy another african violet and start from the beginning - I am sure you can conquer the subject.

Best wishes
Dimitri

Since the leaves didn't give when you pulled on them, it's means that they've rooted, which is a good sign. It needs to root first before it can form babies. Did you dust it with rooting hormone when you first stuck the leaves in soil? If so, that could cause a delay in the babies coming because the leaf is expending energy forming roots instead of babies. Do not fertilize. Make sure that the area is not too cold and give it plenty of bright indirect sunlight. Temperature and sunlight could effect the growth rate. Also, giving moisture can help, whether it's putting a jar or an inflated bag over the pot. The variegation shouldn't be a factor. Be patient--these plants sometimes take their sweet time.

I remember reading this info somewhere - sometimes an AV cutting will not grow babies if the leaf is too old (from the last row of leaves). The best place to remove a leaf for propagation is from the third row. Also, the more stem that is buried, the longer it takes for babies to grow. The amount of stem in the soil shouldn't be more than 3/4". I have grown at least 100 AV's from cuttings and found that some just never got babies - I'm not sure, but I think the above reasons could be the explanation. HTH and good luck!

Great advice from everyone!!! O.K. I pulled one up and yes,there are roots on it.Yes, I did put them rather deep,so the one I pulled up I reset kinda shallow.And yes, they were the older outer leaves ,they were the ones that broke off when I brought them home.I have them sitting on my kitchen window sill.Its a shaded, south facing window,but its one of the warmer parts of the house.(Here in central N.Y. we seem to be going in reverse of the seasons.It's been cold and rainy,but in april it was hot and no rain for almost a month.) All my other AV's are in the bathroom window.Also south facing with a lace curtian to diffuse the light.They seem to do well there. I have not fertilized.I did have a bag over it for the first 2 months but nothing was happening so I took it off.Next time I'm going to try the water method! this is too stressfull for my nerves!!!

Crested Chick,
African violet leaves where the first leaves I learned how to propagate when I was about 5 or 6. The easiest fastest way I have found to start them is the same method I used back when I was first doing them. Simply place the cut ends in some jiffy peat pellets that are swollen up with water. Place the the pellets in a make shift greenhouse made of a clear plastic wrap and coat hangars. Use the coat hangars to make hoops for the plastic wrap to go over so the plastic wrap does not touch the leaves. This keeps the heat and humidity up so you get faster babies. I have also had better success with simply using perlite and pine bark with just a dap of peat to root coffee leaves in the past although peat pellets will work as well for them, just not as fast. Patience is the key that I so lack.
Sincerely,
Brugmansia

Update-still no babies,being patient,trying very hard to be patient,talking to them,not yelling at them yet.Will bribes work?