Here are three pictures of my work table and using egg cartons to start leaves. I think it is working and is sure does save space. In my little dome are 24 leaves and 6 crowns.
Space Savers
Inside the dome
Close up of the leaves and ears in the egg carton
This may not be new to you guys, but it saved my life. It opened up space for more violets. Happy Days
Nanna
And..it appears to be working. Question...do you use a rooting hormone for your violet leaves? Thanks, Deb
I did on some of them. Right in the middle of everything I read an article that said avs do better without the compound. So half way through I stopped using it. Everything I put into soil is earing. I think it is more important to keep the soil slightly moist and a little on the warm side--greenhousing.
Hope this helps.
Nanna
How long did it take you to start getting ears on these? They look great!
I think the shallow soil in the egg carton cups is a great idea... but I wouldn't let them get quite as big before transplanting as you might if you were putting leaves down in 2 inch pots... you don't want the roots to completely fill the space, as then they will really start tangling and be difficult to separate.
I've been putting down leaves in those little square plastic pots I bought at Violet Gallery... looks like I can fit 36 of those in a 1020 flat, leaving a little room around the edges so the leaves don't touch the plastic dome. I'm also putting 2 leaves per pot, especially for minis. I've even put 4 leaves per pot for the microminis, thinking that the moisture in the soil mix might be taken up faster by more leaves... I have trouble starting those really tiny leaves.
It has been about 6--8 weeks. I think they would have come sooner, but I limited the amount of light they received. Actually, they were a bit neglected.
Nanna
Those are nice Nana. Cute babies ! I know a lot of people that use the egg crates. They also say they are good for mini's.
I done( Tried) leaves everyway you can think. Water, on damp paper towel in zip lock bag...Then at my local group I use to go to I learned to use the solo cups and plastic shoe boxes.
I started using the 6 quart ones which hold about 16 3 oz. cups.
Lot's of people cover them put them under light and forget about them for a month or so. But I have not done well with covering each time I do they get too humid and go to mush. I put lots of holes and check the next day but no luck.
It was fine doing all the different ways when I did not have many leaves down...but then I became addicted to growing babies !
I use the 6 qrt. but now have many larger ones my husband picked up for me that hold more cups !
I label each cup, wick them, fill with soil-less mixture, I cut my leaf stems short to one inch or less or a wedge. , I put it straight into the soil-less mixture until the leaf touches. water threw let them drain. Then place them into the boxes. I then set them under the lights. In most cases 95 percent roots and babies coming up take 4-6 weeks. Some have taken months. As long as the leaf is healthy I keep it. Once the babies start growing I like to remoever the cups and put them on trays of like right close to the light almost touching and I start feeding them. When I have ( i'm out of it) I like giving them some fish emolsion drink. This realy shoots them up ! )
I also like to keep them in the pot with mom until they have grown pretty big ! Sometimes I take big babies and put them then in 2 " round plastic pots . If the mom leaf has roots and other babies I put it into new soil-less mix new cup to grow more.
I also use the tops that come with the boxes for my plants ! I wick them and fill the tray with plants, not too many on each so nothing touches. They fit nice on my plants stands under lights.
I like the boxes and lids as they can be bleached. Every couple weeks they get new trays , boxes also if needed and my husband soaks them in the bath tub over night in hot water and strong bleach.
It's all about having fun and what's good for you !
Allison
Thanks Allison
That look very organized. I try that next. I should be repotting in January or February.
Nanna
I'm glad people at my group taught me how. I need simple and
organized so my husband can pour water in and people can help me !
Many nurses, CNA's come to my home each day. They say I make it look so easy. They say every time they try their dies and turn to mush.... I have helped a lot of them to grow many babies they are extremly proud of them ! She brings them in their box to visit me and now they are larger she takes pictures !
I like to keep it simply and easy for them . Now they say it's easy too ! She even had a bloom on one of her babies. She took pictures of it from a bud on. ! It lasted for weeks she was so proud and no way going to take it off !
Let me see if I have that picture she gave me !
Grwoing African violets and sharing the joy is so much fun !
Allison
Picture of Gayle's baby with flower. She has a nice digeital and took pictures of it from a bud ! I first gave her about 16 leaves they all did well she wanted more I gave another 20 or so :))
Thanks for the picture. I see the hole in the bottom of the cup. Jill may have a verry good point about individual root systems. This looks very neat and trim and just what I'm looking for. Thanks
Nanna
This message was edited Nov 14, 2005 6:47 PM
This message was edited Nov 14, 2005 6:48 PM
Gayle my cna she's in her 50's had tried to grow Av's so many years and never could. I have given her around 35 leaves/varieties and she is so proud they are all growing well !
Let me see if I can find another one of her pictures ! Allison
What is the fish emolsion drink?
I use a lot of organic items. But many people use Fish Emolsion ( I can't spell) I buy it from GardensAlive.com. It's good for variegated plants when they have too much white or some babies grow all white leaves. Some people use it for foliage spray.
I also like to put 25 percent worm castings, and couple cups of Bat Guna and kelp meal into my soil-less mixture :)) Allison
http://www.gardensalive.com/Default.asp?bhcd2=1131903364
This message was edited Nov 13, 2005 12:36 PM
Sounds like those little critters will be mightly healthy!!!
When do you seperated the ears from the main leaf and repot seperately? How big do you think the little plantlets should be?
Nanna
Hi
I let my babies get pretty big. Sometimes if Mom leaf die I will re-pot a healthy looking baby. Sometimes if the babies are real big I will separate them and if Mom has a lot of roots , healthy she may even have little babies I may re-pot her down in fresh soil .
I alway use new pots, new solo cups, and fresh soil-less mixture.
All my pot's are bleached even new ones and all my plants wether sold or given away come in new pots :))
Let me see if I can find a picture or some babies still with Mom. They are also easier and stronger if you let them get a good size before taking them away from the Mom leaf !
More babies still with Mom and most times I let them get even larger than these. Allison
More babies with Mom I just love Babies :))
Last one :)) More babies ! I think I will have to go play in the dirt after looking at all these babies :))
Allison, it looks like there's some very nice white variegation on the AV in the lower left of that last photo... What variety is that??
I let babies get pretty big too before separating them from the mother leaf. I try not to let the roots fill the pot completely though, because if you get a really tight mass of roots then separation becomes trickier.
And, hey, Wow, that's a lot of babies! You're going to be busy repotting soon.... :-)
Thanks guys. The pictures really help. Mine have a ways to go yet.
Nanna
Nanna
It always seems to me once the babies start coming up they grow fast ! I like taking them and start feeding, and I put them under lights real close. Allison
How close, Allison? I have a bunch of small plantlets (still in with the mother leaves) that I want to move under the lights.... I think I'll put newly potted leaves in the "AV nursery" terrarium instead, as they seem to do fine without the extra lighting.
I have my seedlings and new plants on my work table which is under an east window. The sun at this time of year is not too hot for the amount of time it comes through the window. I think I will keep them there until I figure out what to do with them until the Spring Swap.
Nanna
My babies and leaves are so close to gro-lights. About one inch under. And once they have babies I put them all together on trays together. This way I know which ones have babies. Most of my boxes hold 16-45 or more Mom leaves and all grow at different times.
Be careful I even have to in Florida at night the windowsill areas are going to be ten degree's colder. This can easliy slow down your plant growth or kill them.
Allison
I've had problems with temperature fluctuations if I put plants actually *on* the windowsill, but near the window (say, maybe a foot from the glass) doesn't seem to be a problem. The plant stand I used for violets back in high school was right up against the window, but they did fine unless a leaf actually touched the glass.
Sounds like AV babies like the same sort of lighting as seedlings I start for spring.... I keep the lights just an inch or so above the leaves for herbs, peppers, tomatoes, etc.
Nanna, we will have to get together for a spring plantlet swap! =)
WOW you two live close how lucky. And you both have wonderful plants !
Your right if they touch the window it can be harmful. We live in Florida and when our nights drop in the 40's-50's I take my plants out of the windowsills. Did you grow African violets in High School on the shelves ? AV's are sensitive especially quick temperture chnages outside . Strating in the fall and winter when daytime temperatures begin to drop early in the afternoon it's time to move your plants to a warmer , more secure place. African violets are very sensitive to chilling drafts and are quickly damaged if not protected from them.
Lot's of people use warming boxes, heating pads and other heating techniques for propagation of leaves, seedlings, and baby plants. ( you can see these and read about them in lot's of the Av books,) If you don't control the air and soil tempertures all the time don't worry it just means that it may take longer for cuttings to develop roots and new plantlets. The Plantlets, leaves, seedlings really need to be warm.
Last winter I saw a lot of people with big expensive collections loose most or not all their plants beacause of the cold.
I keep a thermometer on my stands .
Allison
I guess it would be a good idea to have a plan just in case there is a power outage this winter.
Nanna
Spring plant swap sounds very exciting.
This message was edited Nov 14, 2005 9:09 PM
I'm glad we have a gas furnace.... power outage, yikes! Can you just imagine me carting up all those trays of AVs from the basement and setting them around near the fireplace in the family room??
I'm actually experimenting with the slightly cooler basement temps (which I'm sure are generally above 60' and unlikely to get cold enough to do harm to the plants) to see if the variegation will improve on some varieties.
And yes, I had a pretty little collection of AVs in high school, maybe a couple dozen plants.... nearly all were started from leaves. Any time I saw a lovely one on somebody's house, I would admire it out loud and then ask for a leaf! I don't think that request was ever refused, LOL.
Ok, Here's a crazy situation. Several years ago, I went antique hunting with a friend. We were in the mountains of VA. It was a warm day in winter, but chilly enought to wear heavy sweaters, I'd say about 50 or so. One shop had a av in a sunny window. The shop was not heated. The owner said that that violet bloomed all year round and stayed in that same window. You know that the temperature got very cold at night. So, the question is: do av's aclimate to different situations?
Nanna
I'm sure they can acclimate to some degree, which may depend on the variety. I know some of mine definitely seem more "delicate" than others. But, an unheated shop! Wow, that's one tough AV. I assume it never actually got down to freezing inside, and maybe the things around it absorbed enough heat from the sunshine during the day to keep the AV a little warmer than you'd think at night.
An interesting story.... really has me speculating about what else we think we "know" about AVs!