Every one I have ever had has died, but I'm trying my luck again. I figure they are just plain jane variety, but would like to know in any case..... Also any tips on how to keep the things alive and blooming? I got this one for Mothers Day, it was blooming then, and then it quit..... it does have some new growth at the bottom tho.
Thanks!
Janis
News ones
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Very nice!
The most critical issue seems to be watering.... Too little water, and they look droopy, but too much water, and they also look droopy.... so it can be a little tricky until you get it figured out.
AVs don't like cold water, and they don't like to get their leaves wet. Most people seem to have the best luck watering from the bottom -- just put that pot in a dish of room temp water until it has soaked up all it can. Once a week seems to work for me, and that's enough time for the soil to dry out for a bit between waterings.
To encourage both growth & bloom, I use a fertilizer formulated for African Violets, adding it according to package directions each time I water.
They also need enough light for blooming.... If they're not getting enough light, the leaves will often seem to be reaching upwards. Too much light will make the center leaves very small and bunched together. They like bright light, but not a ton of direct light.... If you have a south or west facing window, they'll do better right next to the window than right in front of it.
Well, that's my quick summary. There's some good culture info in previous threads on this forum. Also, www.robsviolet.com has great culture information, so check out that site!
Janis,
Welcome !
Those are lovely ! We love all violets and so "plain jane" varieties are very welcomed here. They are wonderful AV's and most are easier to grow & bloom than the fancy named varieties. We all love the price of them, too! Instant gratification!:)
CritterO has given you some great info and if you search the AV forums older threads you will get a lot of info and links to check out.
I agree with CritterO bottom watering those is probable the best way. I always have trouble with watering my violets and am using several different methods to see which works best for me.
I have started to add a little perlite to the bottom of my pots when I buy new AV's because I find they are in straight peat moss and it doesn't seem to let the roots get much air. It compacts pretty fast after watering them a while. Adding the perlite tends to let some air get to the roots until I can get them repotted into a lighter soil mix .
Great pics of your plants.
MsC
Sorry my initial response was so choppy!
How cool that you loved your mother's day plant so much that you went out and bought 4 more! African violets are fascinating to me, in part because of the wide variety in flower color & form, even different foliage. I don't think there is such a thing as a "plain Jane" violet! They're all lovely, and it can be hard to explain why a particular one catches my eye (or jumps into my cart at Home Depot), LOL.
MsC has a good suggestion about the perlite... I knew she'd catch any tips I forgot to mention! I use about half perlite and half "regular" potting soil (like ProMix, which has some perlite & vermiculite in it already), especially if I'm using one of those self-watering violet pots.
Thanks so much both of you :)
My GM for years has grown AV's, and has given me some over the years, but I have never ben able to keep them alive til now. My first one, the one I got for Mothers Day, was doing poorly, so I put it on top of the fridge and left it there, that is when the new growth appeared LOL I think the kids and the cat liked it a bit too much!!
I have a wall plant shelp that DH is gonna put up for me Monday and that is where my AV's are going to go. The wall faces south, but there is a west window that they will get indirect sunshine from, no direct sun at all.
I bought a bag of AV potting soil, and a bottle of Miracle Grow AV stuff, and I use fish emulsion for my coleus, can I use that on the AV's as well?
Thanks again, so much :)
Janis
Janis,
Funny you mention the top of the fridge as the perfect spot for your AV's. I have been keeping my new "circle pan of Minis' on top of our kitchen's huge storage shelf and they seem to love it up there.
I have a 4ft light above the it for extra light in my kitchen . I think the distance from the light, the humidity from the kitchen sink and the extra warmth is what they like. They are really doing well.
( We won't talk about the fact that they are out of my over watering reach up there....lol)
I'm thinking of turning one of the spare bedrooms into a plant room for winter and adding lights and shelfs so I can have them all in one place. It might make my house look a lil more organized and the family should love that.LOL They think I have way too many already:)
Any AV potting soil will still need extra perlite added to it to make it just right for your AV's. I have no idea why they don't just put more in there to start with but you will need to add it to any soil mix. Some like to use equal parts of perlite,soil and vermiculite. I find with my watering skills the vermiculite keeps it way too wet, so I don't use it.
You can use the MG fertilizer at 1/4 strength per gallon of water. You will want to alternate that with a bloom booster fertilizer every so often.
That's what most AV sites reccomend . Everyone seems to have their own soil formula and fertilizer program so you have some room to experiment and share what you learn.
Everyone seems to water differently and uses different soil combo's . Ask GM what she is doing and
that is a good place to start.
Keep us posted with pics of your new shelf.It sounds wonderful.
MsC
MsC GM won't even let me in the room with her plants LOL Family joke was if Janis breathes on it, it dies. That really seemed to be the case for a long time. This year I started all my outside plants from seed, except 3 dianthus, a rose bush, and 2 bleeding hearts. 1 bleeding heart and all 3 dianthus made it, everything else died LOL Recently, I have bought more plants, but I really babied my morning glories and neglected everything else, so I was really wanting some new color.
We have a room off the master bedroom of our house, it is supposed to be a bedroom for our 3 yr old son, to get him out of the same room as his 14 year old brother, but now it looks like my 14 year old will be spending the school year with my mom (about 15 minutes away) so DH says that I can put in flourescent lighting and over winter my plants in there. (I have about 20 different kind of Coleus I want to over winter) and I hope to plant seeds early next spring, and have some earlier blooms.
I think I'm gonna look into some of the self watering planters..... I have a feeling I am watering too much. My GM says she waters when the pot feels light to her, she figures ever 2-4 days. I am gonna pick up some perlite next time I am out, I saw it when I got the AV's and passed it up.
Thanks again for all the tips :)
BTW, my GM is 82.... still gardening inside and out, and has christmas cacti that bloom ALL year.... I swear she could take a dead stick and make it grow LOL
Janis
Janis if you have 20 different coleus then you are going to love AV's..lol
We will have you hooked with your next addiction in no time!
Don't feel to badly about having the death curse with plants, a lot of us start out that way and end up with so many plants we can't find spots to them all.:)
I started out with tons of plants from a gardening friend years & years ago and I killed everyone of them. She said "well, did you learn anything?" lol
She dugg more plants and over the years I learned what I could grow & where it grows best.
AV's have been a nice challenge for me and the one thing I love about them the most is that they are cheap! Well... at least the "plain janes" or Noids
(No ID) are...lol
They are also easy to propagate so when you buy new ones do what I learned to do- Pluck a leaf or two and plant it in potting soil...at least if the mother plant dies you have something to take it's place:)
Nothing lost.
MsC
DH will just LOVE a new addiction LOL
I went looking at all the different AV's today here and on some other sites.. WOW I had no idea there were so many different kinds.
Do you root yours in water, or use a rooting hormone, or just stick them in the potting soil? The one I got for mothers day I tried to root one in water and it didn't work... silly thing turned all brown and I gave up after 2 weeks. LOL
My 6 yr old neice was here ther other day, and told me that I was a good gardener, like Mama (my GM) Boy was that a nice thing to hear. 2 days later my mom told me my homemade veggie soup was as good as my GM's...... I must be learning something :)
Janis
Oh Janis, you just have NO IDEA how many...lol
(MsC's evil lil laugh...another one bites the dust)..........
Go here and look, but you better get comfy:)
http://www.avsa.org/Photographs.asp
I do a lil of everything cause I never know what will work...I'm a bit off though:-)....
I've grown them in water and soil and terrariums and votive cups and etc........ they are too easy to give up .
The perfect addiction!! Hubby shouldn't mind they are cheap and easy....you can trade 'em, sell em and show em.... see what I mean????
MsC
At last someone else who is a bit off :) LOL We should get along fine
Ya just had to post that link, didn't ya?? My poor behind is already numb, I shoulda been in bed 2 hours ago, and now I"m drooling over the keyboard.
My problem is once I find an addiction, I go INSANE with it. Trading them sounds good :) Showing them would be nice, but I hate pressure. Buying them.... well, I showed how weak I am when I came home with 4 yesterday (that was all the different colors Lowe's had)
Thanks so much for the link....... today I made him look at 3 pages of Coleus with me, and he was boggled by that..... when he is off monday I'll show him the AV site :) LOL
Janis
Hey, ya'll. I decided a year ago to try AVs 'cause my friend in Florida said if she can grow them, I could grow them. So I bought some cheap ones at Home Depot and copied exactly what she does. They are in small bowls so I can water from the bottom. They get AV food every time I water, which is once a week. They get bright direct light for part of every day. Hers bloom constantly. Mine don't bloom at all. She never has lost one. I've lost about four of the ten I started with. I finally did some online research and I think my problem is the room temperature. They are in my bedroom (best windows in my in-law suite) and I keep the room cool winter and summer. So about two weeks ago I put up the little greenhouse I had purchased last year for doing seeds outside and closed them in. Bought it from the ABC catalog and it has a plastic zipper cover. They are looking much better. The plastic seems to be making the difference. I don't know what else to do. I love the things. Next thing you know, I'll be talking to them, begging them to bloom. One of my daughters has one that she has had for ten years that lives under a lamp. She never feeds it, waters it if it looks limp, and it never stops blooming. My other daughter has beautiful violets that live on a table where they get hot afternoon sun, proper watering and feeding and they are gorgeous, too. I don't get it. I think I'll just go buy silk AVs and fool everybody!!!
I'm glad you get my warpped sense of humor...not everyone does .
Coleus and AV's are a good combo....
I watched an AV on ebay go for over $100.00 just a few days ago!! (And they think I'm off...lol)
That will buy a lot of potting soil or groceries...
You haven't even seen the Gesnariads that grow with the Av's...lol wait til Keyring shows you some of the cute lil Chiritas or Sinnigias and don't forget about the Episcais....I can save that for later.
There are even different types of AV's, like trailers and 3 sizes of Av's ...Standard, Semi Mini's and Mini's....it's almost as bad as baseball cards,marbles or Barbie clothes...lol
My addiction to AV's started with a single plant I baby sat for my MIL now I have them everywhere.... a friend refers to hers as"tribles" or "gremilins"...they just keep multipling....
Check out the photos and don't forget to rest...
MsC
Diane,
Fancy meeting you here LOL I have tried for years to grow AV's..... we'll see about these.
The room temp thing..... I think that was part of the problem with mine at first, I had it in the dining room, where it got west sun, but the AC was in the same room. I moved it about 5 feet, to the kitchen and now it looks much better.
MsC..... you are so cruel.............. teasing me like that. Now I have a new place at DG to hang out LOL
I figure I have to have something to do this winter when everything outside is dead :)
Janis
Welcome 1 gardengram !
You are in good company here...lol
Some of mine bloom like crazy, some ...well I have "special names" for those darlings ...GONERS! :)
More seriously, the most common complaint from most folks is that they won't bloom...the most common reason stated by the AVSA is that the things they need most are light and fertilizer. After that some are just more floriferious thatn others. Soooo, try changing your fertilizer to a bloom booster...something like Schultz Bloom Plus 10-60-10...very weak solution at first and then increase it week by week...
To grow them most folks use a standard AV fertilizer that says something like 20-20-20 or 10-16-10 etc... look for a high middle number and if you can find one without urea in the mix the better off you are.
I have even misted them with a warm solution of fertilizer & water and yes I even use epson salt in a weak solution...so try those in combination with the greenhouse.
Mine usually die a horrible death by over watering before I get a chance to worry about blooms...lol
Oh and Janis...I'm cruel but in the nicest kinda addictive way...lol Just call me an "AV enabler", but I won't leave ya lerking those AV sites all alone...lol
MsC :-D
Well, I thought I answered this once, it musta got lost in cyberspace :(
I can deal with a nice cruel LOL Just yank me back to reality every now and then LOL I might get lost in AV land :)
Janis
Hey there Janis--I was thinking the same thing! We are everywhere it seems.
MsCritterkeeper--You MISTED them? Horror of horrors! I thought that was certain death for them. I am on my third different fertilizer, using all in weak little droplets each time I water, of course. This one is Miracle Gro 7-7-7 especially for AVs. But don't tell anybody I said Miracle Gro, OK? I don't like their stuff at all and haven't used it for years, but figured what the heck. I'll look for one with the higher numbers. They make the print so darned small you hardly know what you are getting. I should put my magnifying glass in my purse and then maybe between that and my trifocals I can figure out what I'm getting. Ya think?
I really like all the help I get on this website.
I think the trick with misting (if you're trying to get in a quick fix foliar feed) is using *warm* water. Also, I've found that if I accidentally get an AV wet on top, it'll be OK if I put something over it (like a tupperware bowl) until the leaves dry.... I think cold water or drafts are the problem with wet foliage. I got a plant recently that's very pale in color, as though it really needs fertilizing, and I'm considering a fertilizer mist if it doesn't start greening up soon.
Oh Yes!!!
I misted them and I even wash them once a week or so...lol. I have a lot of fine dust created by myZooCrew of animals here and HAVE to bathe them and everything else in the house.
The water does NOT hurt them as long as a few simple rules are followed.:)
1.NO COLD water EVER.
2.Warm/TEMPID water ONLY
3.NO sun while leaves are damp or wet.
4.Dry/dab off water with a paper towel.
5.Make sure to hold the plant at an angle or upside down to let the water run off the crown to prevent crown rot. It is actually the water getting cold and staying around the crown that causes the problems.
I mist them with a warmish weak water & fertilizer solution, like a foliar feed about once a month or so.
I try to make sure that the air temps are on the warmish side (like late afternoon, 2-4pm when the house is heating up) with no drafts from air conditioning.
Fans seem to be ok for me as long as it is not circulating the cold air from air conditioning.
All of my new plants get a bath and a spritz of bug spray as preventatives when they are first purchased & brought home...I try to check themm really good before I buy them at the store and then when I get them home I check them again. They also get a sprinkle of "mosquito pellets" for the gnats plants are famous for bring in.
Hope that helps.
MsC
Thanks, MsC! That's good information!!
Oh, my gosh. I am absolutely amazed. I never heard before about misting AVs. I think I'll rush them off to the shower--and then by Monday they will all be bursting into bloom!!!!!
Naaaahhhh!! Maybe not.
This message was edited Jul 9, 2005 7:56 PM
Thanks so much MsC :)
I'm definately gonna save this info :)
Janis
Glad you liked the info .
It is good sound information from the AVSA website and many good books .
I've tested all of it on my AV's and if they survived then you know it's gotta work! :)
1Ggram-Misting the leaves is not a commonly thought of practice with Av's. Most folks don't remember the rules...NO COLD WATER... I even have trouble with that one. I'm constantly blasting something because I forget to check my water temps. That's why I learned to pluck leaves when I get new plants...so when I kill the lil darlings I have another one to start over with.:)
If you are still a lil worried about anything "new" then pick your least favorite plant and give it a try...I always try new techniques or products out on one or two of my plants BEFORE I treat them all...it has saved me a lot of grief.
MsC
MsC-- You are really a great help. I'm sure going to try what you have suggested. Thanks so much for all the time you have taken.
I've also read (I think on the ASVA website?) that water only hurts AV leaves when the leaves get wet and then get direct sun. I have always watered my AVs from the top and occasionally get water on the leaves. It's never hurt them.
OK, I did it!! I "showered" all six (big deal, right?) of the ones I have left from my original ten yesterday. Today I bought new fertilizer without urea and a 12-36-14 formula made by Peters. I looked at new plants today, but decided not to throw more money into them until I see if I can get these to bloom. (My daughters just look at each other and shake their heads. They don't do anything special and can't get theirs to STOP blooming.) I have been reading the other thread you were on about the green AVs and I about fell out of my chair over the "Irish Laughter". I only know about the ones in Home Depot and places like that. I have led a sheltered existence, I can see that!
1GGram,
That's wonderful ! Glad you gave them a lil bath, they will love it. Just be sure to dry them off and no cold draft or water.
Don't feel badly because yours don't bloom...if they are still alive, then there is hope...lol
Look at where your daughters are placed in thier homes and notice the amount of light, humidity and warmth where they keep them, then try to find a spot at your home the is like that.
Remember too that AV's like to be root bound in their lil pots to bloom. They don't need big pots, so when re potting just repot in the same pot with fresh potting soil.
Mine tend to bloom better in the winter than summer for me.I think it is cause I keep the house very cool.
I can't wait until I see your pics of your blooms!
Oh & yes you need to check out the pics on the AVSA's photo website...they are beautiful and there are hundreds of them so get some coffee or other drink & relax...you will be in heaven!!
Glad I can share something of value with you guys it just makes growing them soo much more fun!
Friend & flowers what could be better???
MsC
One of my daughters has had the same plant for probably ten years, and it lives under a lamp. When it's limp she sets in the sink and soaks it from the bottom up. She has never fertilized it, and it almost never stops blooming. It wouldn't dare!! It's her one plant, period. She just doesn't do plants. My other daughter is a talented gardener and houseplant person. Her AVs are on a table in front of a west-facing window and they get full blasting afternoon sun through the glass. She waters them the correct way. I don't know how she fertilizes them as I forget to ask her. (We have opposite work hours and don't get to talk much anymore.) Hers are blooming constantly she said. She made the comment to me once that I would know if mine needed watering because of the leaves becoming pale and transparent like other plants do, but I doubt that's her rule of thumb for watering them. So there you have it. Two very different methods and theirs bloom all the time.
When I first got mine, I bought clay pots and took them out of the plastic ones from the store. I know they like being a little root bound, so I did not go much bigger than what they were in. I bought AV soil for them and they sit in little cheapie disposable Gladware-type food containers that are a little bigger than their pots and I just use the lids under my crafts. When I water them I pour the water into their "cup" and make sure that it doesn't sit there too long. I usually water once a week, but determine that by the feel of the soil. They are much happier looking since I closed them into the little greenhouse. Their color is a darker, richer green and they just look generally better. I have had a couple of them bloom over the year that I've had them, but it was a token bloom at best, and nothing to write home about--or take pix of. I used to have them in front of a different window, but their leaves were always pointing up and I decided that they weren't getting enough light. So....I moved them into my bedroom where they get bright light all day and afternoon sun through a miniblind. They stopped reaching up, but that room is a lot cooler and so I think the greenhouse to protect them from the a/c may be the answer for that problem. The little greenhouse has three shelves, but sitting on the floor only the top one is perfect for the windows. I can raise it up if they do well and I will fill the other two shelves with more AVs of course. Then I'll have to get my little step stool out to water them!! Gee, what a terrible problem that would be, huh?
So there you have it, MsC. Thank you again for all your wonderful help. I just hate it when people say "If I can grow this, so can you. Why just look at that wonderful garden of yours." Yes, but look at these little things over here that won't bloom!!!
That's so interesting about the different growing conditions everyone uses. It amazes me that the Av's do so well and so many diferent types of growing conditions.
You just have to find what works for you in your area.
I have plenty of humidity here but I'm very limited on good light from windows so I use a combination of window light and florescent lights... mine are always standing straiaght up with tight centers because I forget to turn the lights off..lol
I do have a few that are growing nicely and one is so pretty.It's a baby I grew and is one of the orignal species violets. It's pretty common looking but i like the idea of having a species violet to grow.
My darling hubby just broguht me 2 small greenhouse like you are talking about for my room I want to set up.
I'm excited about trying them out in there and hoping to see more bloms. I also have started a trial with different watering methods because I have so much trouble with over watering mine.
Just keep trying things out until you find what works for you.
Glad to have you here!!!
MsC
My bedroom has seven windows and a Zoneline heating and a/c unit like those you see in a motel room that is under two of those windows. If this AV thing works out, I could put maybe three more of those small greenhouses up along the windows and still live in there. It's a huge bedroom and the light is good, so I have a big ficus and a rubber tree in the corner where six of the windows meet and I winter some other things in there that are now getting some size on them. I have wanted to grow AVs for so many years and have tried them a couple of times long ago and gave up because I could not keep them alive. I figure this is my last chance to get it right and if I can't grow them in this room with all that light, then I really can't grow them. I do have lovely gardens outside and maybe should just content myself with what I do well and stop beating a dead horse. Well, off to get my day started. Nice talking to you and thanks again. I'll bet yours are lovely.
