Oh, can someone please give me some advice? My 96 year old neighbor, who I dearly love, gave me an AV. It was very nice until I repotted it and watered it from the top! Could I have done anything any worse?!!! It only has one leaf left and a very teany leaf sprout. I now am watering it from the bottom only. Any more suggestions. I don't want it to die. I would honestly cry. Melissa
Help!!!Newbie to AVs....
I am sure some of our experts will step in, but my first thoght is too much water. I think it would help if you could post pictures.
Take the plant out of its pot. If the roots seem very soggy, put the whole rootball on a paper towel and let it sit out for a day or so until it is less waterlogged (I'm assuming overwatering might be part of the problem... if it doesn't look soggy, skip this part).
From your description, I'm guessing both the top of the plant and the roots have died back very significantly. If there seem to be some good roots remaining, repot the plant in as small a pot as will accommodate its rootball. You don't want the plant to stress out trying to fill lots of space inside the pot with roots. Use potting mix with at least 50% perlite added to lighten the mix. Water to settle the plant into the pot, but you want the potting mix to be barely moist.
If the repotted plant was nearly rootless, you may want to help it along with a high humidity environment while it recovers... you can form a simple terrarium environement with a plastic bag, as long as you take care not to let the plastic touch the leaves of your plant (put a couple of chopsticks or something into the pot to make a tent).
If you really think the plant is a lost cause, you might want to propagate a new plant from the remaining leaf. Rob's Violet Barn has good step by step instructions with photos (see link to Rob's site on our "sticky" thread at the top of the forum).
Good luck! I'm sure other folks may have suggestions for you as well. If you have a digicam, photos would help us advise you. It's always sad when you think you might lose a plant, and doubly so when the plant is a cherished gift... I hope you'll be able to save it!
This message was edited Feb 28, 2006 12:35 PM
Jill has given you excellent advice. Good luck. We all know how you feel
Hi. Glad you're here! Hang in there!!
Melissa sorry about your plant I know how much it means to you coming from a Special Friend.
Jill gave you great help ! Good Luck "))
Melissa a very big welcome to our African violet Forum ! Sure hope you can visit with us ofter. And please if you need anymore help let us know
Welcome ~ Welcome ! Nice to meet you Melissa ~
totally agree with critter.
Assess the root situation, and don't feel shy in loosening the rootball up. Pot in a small pot that just fits the rootball using a very light potting mix (add perlite) that is just moist.
It's better that the plant be kept slightly humid than the potting mix to be wet. Because there aren't that many leaves, it won't be using anywhere near as much water as a healthy plant.
A leaf sprout is a very good sign. It sounds like you don't have crown rot (which is like damping off - a bacteria that turns the plant to mush). For future reference, it's okay to water from the top so long as you use warm water and don't let water sit in the crown (where the newest leaves come out of).
Thanks, Jill for the wonderful advice! I will try repotting it into a smaller pot and the terrarium. It seems to have stopped dying and leveled out over the past week. I can't give up on the little fella. Thanks everyone for the welcomes! I have been reading your forum and looking at all of your pictures. You all are great!!!! Melissa
Melissa...welcome....we all want to help in any way we can...good luck with your special plant...
A little up date everyone... I put it on a paper towel last night, it wasn't really soggy so I just let it sit for a couple of hours. Finally I repotted it in a smaller pot in the soil critter recommended. It's not rootless the rootball is about two inches wide. I also made a terrarium out of a ziploc bag. It works great the sides didn't need supporting. Thanks for the info. I'm praying my baby makes it trough all the torture I have inflicted. I appreciate all your well wishes and hello junglebob!
Good to hear it has some nice roots! I think that helps its chances a lot. So, it's now in a 2 inch pot, right? :-) The baggie should make a great terrarium. If you see just a little puff of mist condensing on the baggie, then the humidity inside is just right. If larger droplets are gathering on the inside of the bag, then you might want to cut a couple of slits in the bag for ventillation.
I'm crossing my fingers for you!
Yes, ma'am. The pot is just big enough for the rootball. Thanks for the humidity tips as well, I'll keep that in mind.
How's your plant doing ?
It's doing a little better. The two biggest leaves have perked up and are a nice green and the baby leaves in the center have grown a bit. I took a picture of it but I have to get it developed as I don't have a digital camera. Thanks for asking!
great ! Glad to hear it's coming back ! When I did not have a digetal camara I would have them put my pictures on a CD when I got them developed and then you can put the CD right into your computor to share or order prints !
That's what I do because I have pictures I want to share not only here but with family. Do you happen to know any thing about florist cyclamen plants? Some of my leaves are turning yellow but the flowers droop if I don't water it. It might need more light, I have it at a east window w/ a porch and the blind is mostly shut. I'm not very good at this housplant stuff! At least not those two.
I don't buy I think Lorry has some. Post a new thread I'm sure someone here can help you !