I would love to know what you think of them if you do. I was thinking about getting one.
They say they get quite large.
Anyone collect trailing African Violets?
I have had several trailing violets mostly standards and mini's.
I love them.My favorite is lil Pink flowering one that seems to bloom & bloom.It is a no -namer I found at a local store but it's a great one.
I have a super mini that is great in a terrarium, but I can't get the lil rascal to bloom.
I will hopefully have a few to share in spring so remind me when the weather warms a bit. I just love mine & know you would too.
I'll see if I can find a pic or two for you and post it shortly...
MsC
Here's a few pics...some are not blooming of course but you can get the idea.
They are as easy as any of them to grow and I think easier to bloom.
Enjoy, MsC
MsC - if you can grow the micro minis, you *should* have an easy time with the micro sinns as well.
I have a few mini trailers too. Note that some have a tendency to "trail" upwards, whereas some trail very nicely horizontally. With the ones that climb up, you can sometimes encourage them to spread sideways by pinching out the top crown. I stick with the mini trailers because I don't have the space for standard or even the compact ones.
Hiya Ki!
I really like the trailers a lot and I am growing the micro sinnigias close to the AV trailers so they get pretty much the same care. I haven't manange to kill as many since putting them in the cookie jars or a similar terrarium type set up. I don't tend to over water them.:) That's my down fall as a gardener, "if a little is good more should fix you right up" -NOT...lol
I don't tend to remember to fertilize them as much though and so they don't all bloom as well. I will learn eventually..lol
I'm still waiting on the lil mini sinnigia ( think it is the Rio da Pedros) to bloom. It has buds but none have opened so far.
That's the one that came in the very first batch we traded! I thought I had killed them but they recovered even from my care.
MsC
I have Rob's Sticky Wicket trailing violet. It was really nice looking...then I gave several pieces to relatives...now it needs to spend some time recouping.
I would like to get more trailers...just have not ordered...and this time of year would most likely not be good for shipping.
Deb
I have a couple of trailing varieties that I got from a leaf auction on eBay last summer. They're turning into nice little plantlets now. I'm excited for them to get a bigger so I can really see how a trailing violet grows. What fun!
I've never heard of a trailing AV. Where do you get them?
JesseK
This site has some:
http://www.robsviolet.com
I'm fascinated by the trailing types. The first one I ever saw was at Carousel Violets in Winston-Salem, NC (fantastic store, neat lady, but call for hours as her schedule is random), and she hadn't propagated it yet. But next year I got one from her -- 'Marion's Enchanted Trail' -- and it's picture is below. I've propagated several babies, but then I lost the parent, so I've only had this one potted up for a year, and I guess it's still too young to trail. The first one I saw had half a dozen trailers (4 to 7 inch) spilling out of a 3 inch pot, in full bloom -- just amazing.
I also have another mini trailer (from the same store).... don't know the name, but it's a fantasy.
..... and while I'm not sure 'Ness' Pink Patches' is officially a trailer, this semimini has produced multiple crown and suckers in its pot, so at least for me this plant seems to have a trailing habit. I think I remember a note from Rob's site that some people think they have trailing violets when actually they have unkempt violets with long, snaky necks.... but I figure as long as it looks good to me, I'm not chopping it apart!
Also, I recently planted pots of both my mini trailers with 3 or 4 babies in a pot. I figured this would give a fuller appearance and might promote trailing once the roots filled the pot. I'll let you know what happens with them.
I'm placing an order to Rob's as soon as the weather warms for shipping! I've had a wish list going from his site for a while....
MsC, I just love the pix w/ the micromini. do you get those online or is there a local place in houston (or nearby) where I can get me one. They are priceless. I have gotten 3-4 AV, and don't really know what I'm doing, but haven't killed one yet. I even have a leaf going that I think is gonna do well for me (at least not dead yet).
Vossner.. I'll send you an email..you are soo close to me.
MsC
Okay, I give. ;) Could you please tell this dummy how you tell the difference between a trailer and non-trailer? I thought I had just regular ones but if I'd leave them go (not repot them and let their necks get long) they'd proably start "trailing", too! I am an expert AV grower (they seem to love me a lot!) but funnily know little to nothing about variety, types, etc. I don't even know if mine are standard, mini, what-have-you! I just have a whole, whole lot of 'em growing beautifully. Any info? :)
Hiya Greenthumber,
Sounds like your name suits you well. Here's a link that should explain it in words and pictures from one of the best AV hybridyzers in the country. The site has all types of violets & gesneriads and many pictures of all kinds that you will enjoy & can learn from.
Enjoy the site and let us know what you think :-)
Here's the link:
http://www.robsviolet.com/trailing_violets.htm
Enjoy
MsC
Okay, I've read the descriptions on this website before, too, and I'm still unsure as to what a mature trailer's growth patterns will be. I have a couple of trailing plantlets, but it's too soon for me to tell. I remember reading that sometimes people think they have more than one plant in the pot when it's really a trailing variety, and I know they can get big. But other than that, I'm not sure I get it, either... I guess I'll know once my plantlets mature!
I have a question, it may be a silly but none the less a question. I have a African Violet and i have see a couple post that say you can cut a leaf off and start growing another one. Is this true? cause everytime i touch one of the leaf it dies and my mom said that it will happen to not touch them or water them from the top...well it is doing good other then a few leaves that have died from me touching them. Can someone please tell me how to do this IF it is at all possible... Thanks a million
Char
Hi Char,
There are several ways to root Av leaves and you can find some tips by searching some of the old topics on the AV forum.
Not sure why the leaves of your Av are dieing from being touched? I wash mine and touch them all the time.The only thing that does kill them is COLD water hitting them.
Maybe reading these tips will help?
Start here:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448557/
MsC
Danak, from what I've seen with mine, I'm thinking that the true trailing varieties get multiple crowns along one stem and have leaves all along the stem right back to where it goes into the dirt. On the other hand, the 'Ness Pink Patches' one that I don't think is a real trailer but just a violet that's very prone to suckering gets crowns with long "necks," but the necks are bare stems for some distance above the soil surface.
Char, you can indeed grow a new violet from a leaf, and it's a great way to expand your violet collection! Go the the www.robsviolet.com website. Click on "culture corner" for an overview, and then click on "lessons" to get to the link for "Propagation of African Violets by Leaf." Excellent step by step description with photos, better than any explanation I could post here! Note that I don't always trim my leaves, as I've had trouble with them rotting rather than rooting if I cut into them. The leaf should root within a few weeks, but it can take several months for baby plantlets to appear. Leaving the leaf whole or leaving a longer stem on the leaf can increase the time it takes to get babies, but won't decrease your chance of success. Good luck!!
Critterologist,
Thanks for that link. I would like to do the same with mine. Does it root faster or better if you have part of the stem, and if so, do you only put the stem in the dirt or more of the leaf?
JesseK
thank you critters x 2....I will sure try to root some. I just hate it when i cut some of my houseplants and they die...but i guess that is how we learn. And I dont know why the leaves die when i touch them, I thought that was kinda odd and i only water them from the bottom not from the top, however it is cold water so maybe i should start using tepid water. I have taken a pic of it for you to see. And you can see that some of leaves are starting to turn brown
Jesse, I've been using about 3/4" of stem attached to the leaf. I bury all the stem but not any of the leaf, as burying the bottom of the leaf seems to lead to rotting for me. YMMV, and I've seen suggestions that just a sliver of leaf can be rooted to produce one or more babies, so obviously not everyone has that problem with burying part of the leaf. Did you check the pictures Rob put on the site? I thought they were pretty clear in terms of how to pot up the leaf.
Char, I'm really sorry, that does not look like a happy violet. Tepid water might help, but I'm not sure that's the only problem. I'm also wondering where you have placed it and whether it's getting enough light, as the leaves seem to be reaching upward as well as turning yellow (this isn't a normally variagated variety, right? I mean, it was all over green when you got it?) BTW, I don't think just touching the leaves will kill them, but water on the leaves or even a cold draft can cause damage. You might want to start a new thread and post this picture along with a request for first aid advice. Maybe somebody else will recognize the symptoms and know what to suggest.
Critterologist, thanks for the explanation. I finally understand the difference! I received an older plantlet of a trailing variety, and now I can begin to see the trailing growth pattern as you described. At first I did just think I had more than one plantlet in there. :) I also have an AV that had a stem with suckers, so I know the difference.
Thanks, DanaK
I was at the Rob's site and they have so many I want. I will need to win the lottery to get them. There is one I really would love to have and it is the orange pekoe one. I love love love it.