So I inherited a BUNCH of AV'c from my grandfather - just got them from the house and took leaves from the ones my aunt is adopting, I potted the leaves (leaving about 1 1/2 inches of stem) - now what? Is there anything I can do to help the ones that have not bloomed- bloom? they have no flowers on them, no idea what color they will be.
Also can you divide AV's? Do they get to old to flower? to leggy to flower?
Also (Tired of me yet??) some have yellow looking leaves is this a problem or could it be the color of the leaves?
I would post pics but the cord to my USB for my camera is fried and I have to get a new one.
Help! The AV's are calling you..... LOL
Heather
AV newbie
Check http://www.robsviolet.com/ for excellent propagation & culture information. Rob explains things better than I do!
I would pull up those leaves and recut them with shorter stems. Make an angled cut about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the leaf. The longer stems will still root, but it will take longer before you see babies.
You can't really divide AVs, unless you have one that produces a sucker (small, separate little crown of leaves coming from the main stalk), which you can remove & root (again, see Rob's culture page).
Some AV's have yellowish/tan variagation on the leaves, but if you're just seeing a few discolored leaves and other leaves are a nice dark green, then the leaves aren't supposed to be that color. Causes could be many, from damage to leaves that got wet during watering, to needing fertilizer, etc. If the leaves aren't drooping (and remember droopy leaves can result from overwatering as well as underwatering), and if the rest of the plant looks fine, don't worry about it. If it's just a couple of leaves, you could remove them.
I'm guessing it might be good to repot these AVs, especially if there's a long "neck" between the lowest leaves and the soil level. That might encourage blooming in a few weeks as well. (Again, check Rob's for how-to information.)
I use AV fertilizer every time I water, and I always water from the bottom, as much as the soil will wick up. There have been recent threads on pots, watering, etc, so read down through the forum a little too.
Have fun with your new collection!!
We're looking forward to pics..... :-)
just a couple of things to add.
The oldest leaves will gradually and naturally die off, so if the yellowing leaves are on the outer circle, then there's nothing to worry about.
If you have unnaturally pale almost-white (but otherwise healthy) leaves scattered around the plant, another thing to look for is scale (insects) - the ones I've seen on AVs are brown shiny dots and they are on the petiole/stems below the leaves.
As for blooming, often this is a result of too little light (not that AVs need that much light). Also, if they have been in the same pot and the same potting mix for a long time, repotting into new mix (but probably the same size pot) often helps. I would not fertilize much right after repotting.