Hi all!
Today and tomorrow, I'm going to be repotting all my AVs that haven't already been repotted. Of course, I have questions. LOL
You know I had the four AVs from Walmart that had thrips. Well, I have bought a few more from that same Walmart (as well as some from other places). Now these were purchased after two trips when they didn't have any AVs at all, so they're not from the same lot that had thrips, but still I worry. I haven't seen any evidence of thrips (or anything else), but I'm strongly considering taking the flowers and buds off every new AV I have, repotting them, and dipping them in Neem oil. I'm just scared that the thrips are there, but I'm not seeing the evidence yet. Maybe I'm overreacting... Is it a good idea to go ahead with the above procedure? Or can I do a Neem oil spray or dip with the flowers and buds still on them and just watch them closely for evidence of thrips? Will Neem affect the blooms and buds? I'd rather miss the beauty of the blooms for a while than have my entire collection (at least the ones in the kitchen - Allison's are way separated from those in a room all their own) put at risk of infestation.
Also, anyone who uses Neem oil as a preventative measure, please share how you use it. Do you spray it on or dip them? Do you put Neem oil in the watering water to kill or prevent soil pests? Allison, I know you use Lysol for algae/mold control - does it help with pests as well?
Ahh, the ponderings of a newbie... LOL
Thanks so much everyone!
Repotting, pest prevention, & Neem questions
And just to spice up the thread, here are a couple of pictures of new Optimaras I got. I haven't had a chance to look them up and ID them yet.
#1
And #2
Raingazer..number 2 is the same one I just bought from home depot..I just LOVE it :)
Oh and I use neem once a week as a prevention.
I put some in my water.....to wet the root system...and I use a light mist on the leaves.
So far it has worked very well for me and I have, fingers crossed, not had any outbreaks.
I also repot everyone the minute they come home for a couple of reasons.
1. My soil is very light so I don't overwater....so I want everyone on the same watering schedule and every soil is different.
2. In case there is something in the soil.
I then put all new guys on their own rack for a few months until I am sure there is nothing going on with them.
IF you choose to dip...make sure you get any excess moisture out of the crown of the plant.
I like to tell you I had an expenive plant blooming growing crazy as healthy as can be for 6 months on own saucers, own window alone isolated. And fount Mealy. I had a heart attack. I Sprayed this plant to death 4 days in a row. Cut 99 percent roots off all soil thrown in trash. It sat on paper towels in bucket for 4 days no pot during treatment. It's still in the bathroom potted up. I won;t trust the plant for a year. Just loke the story I posted. And I have 3x power loupe.
Most time if I saw this I'd trash it but it was a very expensive plant. I also read on another forum the seller had Mealies like a year before and they were gone guees what not.
Lysol does not kill bugs just helps with fungus and mildew, algea. I think it works as fertilizer plants are growing so fast. lol
What I wwant to say just beacause your plant looks healthy does not mean it is. My plant I also took 3/4 of the foliage trashedit Guess what after dresnching it with that Mar. stuff I can't spell it still looks healthy .
I would Spray soil, and nursery plants change to lighter soil. Funny thing is most plants I start all over just crowns. and then isolate. I'd spray under leaves , top or leaves, soil and still isolated. And I'm saying a good 3-6 months. Also bleach all tools tray used. Bugs can get under your nails, clothes, jump ,come in screens and more. So when working with other plants inside or out wash up good. Plant books say change clothes but who can keep doing this ? I live in PJ;s.
Everything Lorry sad is great. I have now ordered Neem Oil ( after having problems with Gardens alive first time in years they kept charging different amounts to my care and not shipping oh my ) I ordered Sprayers too. They said put drop of dish sopa with it.
They also sell something to use with it and use with fertilizer to help it asorb better but I did not know if it was needed so I did not order.
In three years growing I have never had anything but a gnat. I am happy I am careful and isolate.
I always used the oil to spray and in water right into the pots. I think this is good. I will be doing it every 7-10 days and isolating even more. If something is not healthy it's being thrown away like I always have . If it's not good enough for me I'm not sending it to someone one else.
I will alway isolate / I use my zip up greenhouses and different rooms.
I bumped the thread up about what to do with a new plant. It's also in our sticky.
Avid is the only thing that can really kill and get rid of mites.
I know David Senk had them and for months he tried other natural stuff nothing worked he had to go to Avid.
He worte all about this in an interview.
Good LUck Isolate Isolate you can't see those nasty bugs.
Great minds think alike, Lorry! LOL Have you been able to ID that one? I haven't gotten around to repotting them yet, still hoping to get started today. I'm going to get the Neem mixed up and I think I'll dip them the first time, after I wash the peat off the roots, to be sure that I get all the foliage really covered completely. Does Neem mess up the blooms and buds?
Allison, I know you can't always see the pests and that is what has me so worried about these. I don't even want to chance it. I dont see any evidence of any pests on any of these new plants, but I think I'm going to treat every plant I get as if it is infested, just to be on the careful side. Ignorance just isn't bliss in this situation.
Oh, and I finally called Eleanor today, spoke with her personally, and she's so nice and helpful! She suggested that I mist the leaves with the VF-11 solution because it works very well as a foliar feed. I can't wait to get the sample from her!
It looks like Rita to me but I am not certain :)
The other one I bought, doesn't look like anything I can find on the site LOL
Oh Amy I am so careful and do like you treat each plant like it's infested :(( I have always been so careful .
PlantMOM I have ordered last week did priority ship neem oil on the way. I did not order it from Violet Barn but after notice after ordering they have it at good price.
I am going to use it as Spray top and bottom under leaves, and put it into the water like I use to the other oil.
I'm not sure about the buds or flowers. But my sick plant I took them all off and most leaves ( It's a chimera ) and they all were trashed bagged gone dirt pot everything. I guess it's good it does not need to put it's energy into blooming but getting better. Now Thrips eat on flowers so if your trying to keep them away then yes I'd take flowers off. It's in the bathroom now but for the next year it will be living alone on my bedroom dressor.
But other than that maybe you can spray and put in water in a way buds and flowers won't be touches ?
Maybe people who have used it will know more.
Eleanor is so kind so nice too how she takes time to talk with all of us.
I really have a hard time IDing them from the Optimara site. Several of them are very similar, and some of mine don't look like any of them, just like you said! Ah well, they're pretty anyway! As long as we enjoy them, that's what really matters!
I may just get brave and take all the flowers and buds off. Do you take them off at the top of the stem, or all the way down to the crown?
Lorry how about
Optimara Seurat (8974) 01/31/2001 (Holtkamp) Single white ruffled sticktite/variable pink patches. Medium green, plain, heart-shaped, glossy, hairy, scalloped. Standard
I take he whole thing off stem and all. Well people getting ready for show take them off then they get bigger more blooms. So maybe it will be worht it :))
Mine's not as light as Seurat, it's a deep raspberry color. And the other one is almost completely white, with tiny splashes of raspberry.
Ah, justification! LOL If taking them off will produce larger blooms, then that will make it much easier for me! :o)
OH Amy I love the dark one number 2 also :))
Optimara Degas (Holtkamp) Single white/red patches. Medium green, plain. Standard
Number one could have been all white and got colore or color all did not show up and might someday.
Look at this plant and the two different pictures in FC of the same plant.
Optimara Gauguin (8311) 12/14/1995 (Holtkamp) Single white star/dark lilac patches. Medium green, plain, hairy. Standard
PIc one
Optimara Gauguin (8311) 12/14/1995 (Holtkamp) Single white star/dark lilac patches. Medium green, plain, hairy. Standard
Pic two same plant
Degas is very close for Pic 2 above, but the edges of my flowers are a bit more frilly than the one in your pic. Does that matter?
My plant in Pic 1 has much fuller flowers than Gauguin. Here's a close up of them. What do you think?
Another...
Last one...all from the same plant
wow pretty you's are going almost white . let me look at pictures again !
That's what I loved about it! Just the slightest blush of color, and the blooms are so full. (Showing my newbieness here...) Are those double blooms?
They sure look to me to be Semidouble-double flowers. Oh yes I love white and the white with little blush of color and nice big fluffy flowers WOW ! Between First Class , and Optimara both missing so many pictures just about impossible to match. Then you go to Optimara see a plant go down and they link it to where the name changed. Lot's of times FC has two pictures both looking different , people's camera, light, or growing conditions ?
Optimars said
"Note: Bi-Color Violets Which May Appear Entirely White
Keep in mind that many bi-color Violets are almost entirely white with just a little of another color. This is often the case with African Violets on which the second color appears only on the edge. Therefore, when searching by color, be sure that the white Violet you are looking for is not, in fact, bi-color."
Well, in that case, I dub this one "Blushing NOID" LOL I still think it's a beauty! I snatched it up right away when I saw it.
It sure is a Beauty !
Hello to all, The photos are lovely looks like a lot of good growers here. This is my first post here, I grew all Granger Garden's violets when they were in business at the time in the late 60's and early 70's. I grew some Rhapsodie violets Elfredie a favorite now on to Optimara, one problem that I had/still have is transplanting the violets for me there is usually a 3-to 6 month waiting time before they bloom again,I would like to hear from the group their methods of getting them started again. I have used their soil [optimara along with their fertilizer] Volkman's are out of business now I used their potting soil still do since 1969, any tips will be appreciated there is lots to learn here. Thanks for having me. Morganberg
Morganberg
Hi Welcome ! I wrote a long help posting for you and DG's is not working and I love it all. I will try again later if it's working and will let me post.
Allison
welcome morganberg! glad to see you here!
welcome Morgan - so happy you are joining us - a great bunch here!
Morganberg
I love Granger's African violets but most are hard to find.
When you tranplant your plants make sure the pots are not too large for the plant. I use the 1/3 tip. The pot should be 1/3 the size of the plant and then roots mater also. So if the plant is 9 inches across you'll want to tranplant it into a 3 inch pot.
Even if moving the plant to same size pot make sure all pots are bleaches clean, use new soil mix and wickes each time. I like my soil-less mix to be very light and I add 50-60 percent Perilite which helps promote growth of healthy roots . Give them room to breath too.
When trans-planitng cut off , remover all old foliage , damaged or bruised. Check roots cut off some if they are not white and healthy. Take a little top soil and bottom off. This way you can give the plant new soil on top and bottom.
Set up a program for watering and fertilizing program. 12-16 hours a day of light keep warm and provide needed humidity and they should bloom year round !
Maybe some others can give you some more hints !
Allison