I was inspired by the glad boxes! I re-potted 15 Av's today and added wicks! I know the containers are a little small but I had to get them to fit on that shelf which was originally for toy boxes- - my poor kids LOL! my plants have even invaded their playroom - but the light in there is perfect for AVs! The pic was take at night and about 3 hours after I finished re-potting them all. Each container was full when I put the plants on the shelf.
Heather
Looking good. My experience has been that the soil needs to be really light when I wick. I use prebagged potting soil that is ph correct and add equal parts of perlite. I have also found that you don't need as much fertilizer when wicking. If it calls for 7 drops to a quart of water I use 5. If it calls for 10 drops, I use 7.
Hope it works well for you.
Nanna
They have potting mix mixed with perlite and peat. The water is a little brown because I put a couple drops of bio boost in it. I have to run out a get a mini funnel tonight so I can fill the buckets! So should I keep the buckets full?
That depends on how much water your violets want. You might want to let them go dry before you add more water -- at least for the first couple of weeks. Just keep your eye on them. I've noticed that some of my violets like a lot more water than others. Some especially want all they can get when they are in bloom. It also depends on how dry the room is and the amount of air circulation in the room.
Good luck. Keep us posted.
Nanna
some of those little pots are alomst dry already!! Just since last night! So I don't have to keep the wick constantly moist? It will still work if the bucket empties out and I refill it?
Heather, even when your potting mix has perlite and vermiculite in it already (including when using that pricey "african violet potting soil"), you might want to lighten the mix further with additional perlite. Don't go with just additional vermiculite, as it can hold too much water. Some folks also add a little horticultural charcoal to help keep "things" from growing the soil, and MsC has also suggested adding some chopped spaghnum moss.
However I water them, most of my AVs seem to like drying out between waterings once in a while, so it's fine to wait a few days before refilling your reservoir.
That's what I mean. I make my own AV soil by adding a good bit of vermiculite to bagged potting mix (Walmart Pro mix I think - in the yellow bag)
Oh, OK, sorry, I misread your post above. Somebody (maybe nannanavaro?) reported problems with too-wet soil when using vermiculite to lighten their mix... are you using perlite or vermiculite? (You mentioned both, but in different posts.)
Perlite (also from Walmart)
Your right critter. It was me. I added additional vermiculite to prepackaged av soil. The soil became so heavy and wet that one of my violets developed crown rot in less than a week. I had to repot everything. Now I use one part packaged mix, one (additional) part perlite, and 1/4 part horticultural charcoal. Things seem to be going OK. The avs are on their second week with the new potting soil formula.
I think my problem was that I used fine vermiculite instead of coarse. But vermiculite does hold water whether it is fine or coarse. I feel perlite is the way to go.
Nanna
About the wick being constantly moist. I've read that both the wick and the pot must be wet for the wicking process to work. However, I have had the wicks go dry several times. If the pot including the soil is also dried out, I refill the well and also water from the top just to get things going again. My wicks have always responded even if they were completely dried out. I understand that you must be careful to avoid getting the crown soaked. When I water from the top I carefully aply water to the outer edges--all around the plant.
I don't have a lot of experience. I've been working off and on with wicking for about a year. I prefer it to regular watering. I recently repotted everything with a lighter soil and my violets seem to be happier. The first attempt at a lighter soil was fatal to one of my plants. As I said above, the problem was fine vermiculite. The soil become very heavy. When I repotted I could tell the roots couldn't servive in that condition.
This message was edited Aug 30, 2005 7:56 AM
I still don't know what to use for wicks. Any suggestions. Also, I must buy some perlite. I don't want crown rot!
Watering AVs is such an interesting issue. I used to just use regular potting soil and water from the top. I watered a little bit every other day since I used terra cotta pots. But then I started leaves in the little plastic cups and adding perlite and vermiculite to special AV soil and it's thrown off my whole system! Maybe once I get this mastered I'll have to try the wick watering. :)
All of the information that I have read suggests acrylic 4 ply yard for wicking. I understand that you are NOT to use cotton yard. I cut my yarn into 12 inch lengths. About 5 inches comes out the bottom to go into the well. The rest is circled aroung the middle of the pot.
Nanna
is this something you can get at HD?
I think nanna means YARN - at least that is what I used and it seems to be working.
You can get it anywhere -- Walmart has a ton for 99 cents or less even. I just used what I had left over from making puppets with the kids. acrylic yarn
ok thanks
Ahh, welcome to my world... where all the little tupperware has been converted to a reservoir of fertilized water :) On the upside, we're forced to eat the leftovers quicker! haha :) I'm currently trying to concoct a plan for turning all these applesauce containers into reservoirs... but can't think what to put on top to keep the plants from drowning ;)
I have discovered that the shallow, flavored cream cheese containers are good because they are opaque. I've had trouble with transluscent ones growing algae... sometimes, so much that the algae grows up the wick, blocking the water uptake. But this mostly happens in the sunny windows. Not under the lights where the violets would live.
If you want a taller reservoir (higher capacity), but still transluscent, start saving your sour cream containers :)
Sarah
for some reason I hadn't seen this thread so far. I use acrylic or nylon yarn too - I think it's often sold as mason line or some such name. How many ply you use depends in part on the pot size. For e.g, in 2" pots I only needed 2 ply (I pulled them apart).
I also let the reservoirs go dry between waterings. If you use a peat mix, remember to check the mix when you refill - if the mix is dry, you need to water the pot as well as fill the reservoir.
Another thing to watch for is white solids on the soil surface. If you water is very hard, you'll see deposits accumulate on the soil surface after a while. When you do, repot and change the soil.
I often wick water the mini AVs after I've separated the babies. When the pots are so small, I find I never remember to water them as much as I should - wicking helps so much!
Bumping
Hi
Yes I use yarn also. Around our home I am blessed with windows. I display many plants in little tea pots, saucers, cups all kinds of cute holders. I also use the fancy type pots like you have Laurie or the two piece and put my plastic wicked plant into them for wicking.
On my plant stands I have wicked solo cups for my leaves in those clear shoe boxes. The lids I turn upside and place wicked plants / babies and use them for trays. I started out with 6 quart boxes and had a lot of small trays but then my husbband started picking up larger one which hold more !
I like to let my wicks sry out a little in between watering ( works well for me might not for you ). When the plants need water hot to warm water is pored into the trays . They are allowed to drink for about a 1/2 and the rest dumped out of the trays. Me being disabled it's a great simple set up and hubby and others can easliy help me watering.
My small holder threw out the home I fill the little holders with an inch or so water depending on their size when dry I refill.
I use a very light soil-less mixture my husband makes for me. Mine is even lighter more perilite just the way I like it after lots of experimenting.
Now the plants you buy from Lowes, HD, grocery stores have been grown in a nursery control enviroment. You bring the plant home and now it has to get use to your home. This takes time and not always easy. A good thing to do with each new plant is put a leaf or two down just in case.
I don't recomend re-potting for 30 days except if you need to.
The soil will be heavy and will need new soil-less mixture for wicking.
Some Av books say when going to buy a plant pick the smallest one it will get use to your home the easiset. This is not easy as we want the pretty blooming ones. So put down some leaves for insurances :))
I use petere's , or Optimara, or Elenor's VF-11 fertilizers. Any kind for Av's or any kind that does not have Urea is good to use. I use half strength also . There are different numbers , I use different ones for young plants , plants I want to bloom and so on. I could write a whole thread on Fertilizing :)) Keep a permanent record of when you fertilize your African violets.
I think all the plants shipped to you today and other's going out Lauri are all wicked in new pots :))
Allison
With your wicked solo cups in the plastic boxes/trays... Maybe I am missing something, but is this any different from bottom watering?
I've been repotting into "self watering" pots and also into wicked clay pots with a reservoir (I found some short glasses that hold the pots beautifully about an inch or so off the bottom of the glass). However, I'm not using wicks for all the little leaf pots and plantlet pots that I'm putting into 1020 trays. With those, I pour water into the tray about once a week (as needed, and as you said it seems good for them to dry out a little between waterings). If I put only about a quarter inch of water, that seems to be enough to moisten all the pots without leaving them swimming. If there's a lot of extra water (more than what will just go down into the grooves on the bottom of the tray), then I pour it out as Allison does.
Although I'm trying to switch over to wicking, I've had pretty good luck with bottom watering, eg, having the pot in a saucer or container that will hold 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water that the plant can suck up within a couple of hours. Excess water after that should be poured off. Now, I'm not saying that my plants are all blooming like crazy with bottom watering, but they seem to grow just fine, and I think blooming is more of a lighting/fertilizing issue for me.
Here's a picture of some of the glass "reservoirs" I'm using for wick watering. I got several of those little inkwell-looking things at a local thrift shop (they're like the one you found in Gettysburg, Nanna - thanks for the idea). I used a few little blobs of that blue tacky stuff you can use to put up posters to make sure the pots wouldn't fall off their perches too easily. With that other rounded glass, you can see what I mean about inserting a pot that sits with its bottom raised above the base of the glass so there's room for water.
And here's another picture that shows some of the ways I do bottom watering. I have some small pots of violets on a plate that has a pretty good lip on it so it can serve as a tray -- the plate on this shelf (left side of photo) is also on a lazy susan so it's easy to get to all 7 plants on it. I also put plastic or terra cotta pots down inside decorative containers like these glass punch cups or that brown onion soup bowl.... I just lift up the inner pot and pour 1/4 to 1/2 inch of warm water into the outer dish, enough for the plant to soak up plenty without then sitting in water for days.
Wicking and bottom watering is close all goes up from the bottom. I wick 99 percent of my plants and all my solo cups with leaves. I only use solo cups for leaves and all plants babies or aduilts are in wicked pots. Just I have so many so the leaves are in clear plastic boxes I pour or someone does it for me I'm disabled and can not do
it myself. And my plants are on trays wicked and watered the same way. I keep like plants on the same trays, like Mini's, micro's, semi's standard, size pots together. Most of the big plants I grow for trade or to give leaves away are on their own saucer and though I love and enjoy their blooms I like ttto grow the mini's best :))
Now in our living room, kitchen and so on we have many windows and there are plants all of them are in plastic pots from 1 1/2 ", thumbprint for micros, 2 " , 2.25, 2.50, 3 " 4 " I use a lot of pan pots for trailers and Gessies, Streps and so on :))
They are wicked ( I learned from local group people who have been growing and showing 30 plus year the two peice pretties are better for looks after I bought a ton) So my plants sit in them for display , along anything else cute I can find ti display them inn. But their all pretty much wicked except some of my 6 inch and 12 " hanging pots. Plus people that show have to use white pots for av's certian sizes .. blah blah.. now there is no way that is correct or wrong way. The best ways are what works for you :)) If it's not broken don't change it , this is just some ideas of what I enjoy doing and what has worked well for me :))
I need to get my film devloped to show you some of my holders.
I'll see if I can find an old picture
This message was edited Nov 17, 2005 8:54 PM
One the little neighbor girl gave me :))
I'm finding some :))
This is wicked I need to find my picture trail address I paid for. lol too :)) and add more pictures to it !
I have a couple rocking chairs and couple chairs anything fun I can find :))
window blooma
Few more plant holders for wicked plants :))
I have a lot of windows ! I like growing in natural lights . I don't want to bore you soon I'll have new pictures and more of my wicking pot holders :))
Anyone have any favorite holders for your wicked pots !
Nice! I especially like your use of "lifts & levels" to display them at varying heights!
I guess I think of "wicking" as working more like a self watering pot, where a reservoir of extra water is available to be wicked up to the plant over a longer period of time. With both wicked and self-watering pots, I think it's important to let the reservoir go dry every so often for a few days.
With your method, I'm not sure the wicks make much difference in the soil's ability to soak up weekly bottom waterings.... I sure can't argue with success, but I wonder if using the wicks is redundant, possibly more work than you need to do when potting?
Some plants really like the steady moisture of the self watering pots, but I've had AV varieties that really seemed to hate them and did much better with bottom watering. So I'm keeping an eye on my new ones in their wicked pots!
Thanks for the link!
As I said, there's no argument with the success of your methods! :-)
I especially love that 'Falling Stars' in bloom -- WOW -- is that a strep?
I especially liked that one too :) and the mini garden... very cute :)
Sarah
Yes Thank you ! Falling Stars is a Strep. I sent that one in full bloom in those pots . to my sister in R.I. Her health is bad I have sent her over two dozen plants. Mostly Av's, some Gessies, Strep's, Rpsicas, Begonias. The only plant she has alive she says is Aussie Alice. ( Mom says tell her to send a picture lol ).
I just love the little mini gaden :)) I like playing around with my plants, I move them around like furniture. lol Just having fun and good times. I got this picture trail which is free. But last Feb. I paid $ 19.95 so I could put up to 500 pictures in it. Well tell ya what I need
to get some more pictures in it :)) Soon I hope.
Have a fun Av day !
OH Ps lol. I wick just about everything. I was taught at local group about the clear plastic boxes. Except they rolled newspaper up and damaped it in the bottom of the box. They also cover them. Well the covering did not work for me. And after trying the newspaper a few times I did not like it just me. I also cut the wicks long I bring it up the bottom and twirl it many tims in the bottom of the pots/cups and then bring it up to the top of the pot. I feel this way it makes it easier for the water not just to seep up the bottom a little but come up to the roots or leaves...Also if I want to take that plant and put it in one of my conatainers it's already wicked. I feel it drinks up better from the bottom this way. Sometimes to keep any salts or fertilizer build up I water threw the top.
Large pots 4 " , 6 " Pan Pots I use 2 or even 3 wicks .
Allison
Just found this one - Allison - you have such a gift with AV's and gesnariads in general!!! I so love seeing your pictures.
Oh your so sweet . Thank you :)) None of my pictures are fancy I just use a throw away camera. Thanks, for your kind words, Allison
They are gorgeous Treasure..so I agree with her!
I use a digital camera....but still trying to take GOOD bud photos LOL
Allison just posted a comment on another thread about an AV she had growing in "a mini tea pot." That gave me an idea I just had to share! I'm sure you've seen those "tea for one" sets with a little tea pot that sits on top of its own tea cup.... Well, it occurs to me that you could probably drill a little hole in the bottom of the pot for a wick, and use the cup for a watering reservoir! How cute would that be!?!
OT, but another clever use I've seen for those sets is using them to put out cream (for coffee) and keep it cold.... Put some water in the "cup" and freeze it, then put the cream into the "pot," over the frozen "cup," and it will stay fresh for hours.
Of course you can't try the second tip if you've drilled a hole in the pot for an AV! I'm going to keep an eye out for one of those sets now.... I've picked up a number of them over the years but given all away, I think.
