Today more of WW bloms finally opened & they are very cheery...
I also added a leaf suppport ring, cause it's getting a bit on the large size. It's just reaching about 15 inches now.
MsC
More of Winter Warrior Blooms
Very beautiful. Love the butterfly.
Yes, it is very beautiful. And the butterfly is a neat touch.
Jesse
Beautiful large plant..and the variegation has stayed so vivid .
Very nice, MsC, and so big! Love the variegated leaves, and it has such pretty blossoms.
Thanks for sharing,
Stephanie
Ohhh! I love the whole plant!
Beautiful!
Very nice and I too love the butterfly!
Joanne
Thanks all. This is one of my favorites & it is steady growing blooming off & on. The variegation seems to hold no matter the temps too.That's a good thing here..lol
It's so nice to have pics to share with you all.
MsC
It's nice to see them. I was wondering what a hot climate would do to avs. Are you in ac? I would think you would have to be. AZ gets very hot!!
Well, the climate I came from was just as hot as it is here, the difference is the humidity levels. There isn't any humidity here!
It's about 10-13% most of the time .
Back home in Texas some days it would be 110* plus 80% humidity!
Killer heat!
Here it is just as hot, but it's very, very dry. Hot is Hot..:>/
Yes, we have both types of air conditioning here. The house had a "Swamp Monster" (larger fan that blows over water~ a really big joke!)& we just added a refridgerator type room air conditioner to the main part of the house.
The one problem I have been noticing is a lot of powdery mildew.
I don't know if I brought it with me or if it is the "Swamp Monster" creating the problem???
Any suggestions on what to do for the powdery mildew would be great! Is there some kind of systemic that's reasonable priced???
I did not have any trouble back home, so I get to learn to do things differently now.
The other thing I've noticed is I have to change my mix over to something that holds a little more mositure. With all the fans blowing & it being climatically drier, I doubt I will be drowning any of them...lol
More pics on the way.
MsC
Obviously the problem is not circulation. Could be the swamp cooler. I have trouble with mildew going from winter into spring. fluxuating tempertures between night and day. cold and warm. I think sulfur dusting is suggested for treatment. I didn't use it. I tried to regulate the temperature a little and keep the room as even temperatured as possible.
Nana, You are right, there's plenty of air circulation for sure...but I'm thinking the same thing about the temps varying so much. During the day it is quite warm compared to the nights.
Right now my Av's are in the diningroom centrally located to the rest of the house, but I plan to put them in a room of their own & maybe have more control over regulating the temps.
I just spoted mildew on my 'Winter Warrior' !! UGH!
MsC
I spent most of the early spring washing my plants as the mildew appeared. I used dish soap. They all came out ok. Annabelle had a hard time. But Optimara sent her too soon and she suffered from the cold during shipment. Her blooms were black and a couple of leaves. She is ok now but has been blooming so much that her leaves are not as large at the center of the plant. I have been debudding her and some of my other plants. I have also stopped fertilizing them for at least a month. When I start fertilizer again, I am only going to fertilize once a month. I use trays as the well and have a grid across the tray for wicking. I think the salts build up in the tray with continual refilling with fertilizer (even diluted) water.
What do you think?
During the winter is I got any mildew or algea I use Lysol have for the past couple years works great. You can lightly spray or use right in water. I swear it has food in it as mt plants grew and bloomed crazy.
I have A/C and fan going and still every once in awhile find some way in back on the stand . Just taking them off sitting on potting table with fan for the day, and moving plants around to different placement of my stands help.
Nana,
Yes, I think the salts do build up & faster that we realize or can keep up with. I know you are supposed to wash those mats at least once a month to rid them of the build up. I was using mats a lot before the move but just have most set up either in self watering pots or I bottom water.
I also don't fertilize as much as recommended because I use a soil mix I make that has some fertilzer in it. The only time I see tight crowns is when I start fertilizing for blooms. Sooo, I guess you have to play a balancing act ???
MsC
When you use lysol do you dilute the same a oil soap? 1 tsp per gallon of water?
Allison,
Do you use the spray and spray around the shelves or are you spraying it right on the plant???
I used a spray for mildew & boy it sure marked those leaves. They are kinda poka dotted...lol
At least I'm on the right track , I did exactly as you suggested... I washed them w/ soap & dried them, then moved them out in the open.
It seems the 3rd shelf down is where I'm seeing it?? So I wonder why that is???
MsC
MsC
Once the centers have become tight, how do you get them to relax? This is my biggest problem. At first I thought I had bugs of some kind. But there were no other symptoms. I am pretty sure my problem is fertilizer.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Even though you have a lot of circulation, the third shelf may not be getting as much. I also found that if I pulled the stand away from the wall it helped.
Nana,
For me it's kinda tricky, because most of my Av's are in those life saving pots(self watering)...I gentle flush the soil with water and tilt them to let the excess drain off.
Now another thing I have noticed too , is when I use SuperThrive too close to fertilizing them it really makes them pucker up! So I have diluted my ST by half so I don't forget anymore...lol
I dosed everyone with ST before the move as a precaution for stress.
I knew the temps were going to go up & down, plus the added stress of being in the dark, too.
If I think the tight centers are from too much light , then I take a napkin and lay it dead center for a couple of days...seems to make those leaves stretch out looking for the light.
I also changed my light set up.Mostlybecause I had to make room for all of them. So that made the shelves closer together, too close to the strong lights I was using. So I just switched them to 2/25 watt bulbs.
We will see how they do.
MsC
I guess it is just a trial and error thing. Sure is disappointing when a beautiful plant tightens us in the center almost to the point that the center disappears.
Crowns tighten up, and disapearing can be beacause of many culture , and traits inherited . Rob on Violet Barn talkes about this.
For one example yellow blooming plants is one type of plants that like to do this. Keeping them in low light end of tube or natural light can help prevent this.
SuperThrive , over fertilizing , cold wet feet, too much light, salt and fetilizer build up and so much more can cause this. I know we have many links about this and Rob has some great info also !
One example ~ If you find all most anything in our Stickys and threads !
Question: Recently, I have experienced a problem with the center growth on some of my violets. On some otherwise healthy plants, the center growth has disappeared. The plant would remain healthy, then eventually sprout suckers from the center.
>>>
For the Answer http://www.robsviolet.com/faq_page_2.htm#no%20center
This message was edited Jun 19, 2006 2:14 PM
Thanks, Allison. I guess I would like a fantasy world where my plants stay perfect all the time. I am learning not to be so attached; but rather, just enjoy the plants while I can.