I have a question...

Since I am a newbie in this "making babies" thing, I am a little worried about separating the new baby leaves from Mama.

My question is...what would happen if you didn't separate them and just planted the babies in a pot with original "Mama" leaf? Has this been done? Would think that the "Mama" would eventually just die off.

Am a little worried about when the times comes...when???...that I might botch the process and lose the new babies that I waited sooo long for. Any advice? Thanks a million.

Don Ü

Rebel's Camille

B-Mans Etna. Tiny little babies just starting to peak out of the second leaf.

I am a strong believer of keeping Mom with babies as long as possible, Give them a good start for a healthy life.
This is a large growing AV "B-Mans Etna" my leaves would be a good 2-3 inches long each before I took Mom off.
If Mom dies I keep small babies together until they get larger.
Sometimes I pot them into new pot and soil as babies can take 4-9 months ..A mini, a plant needs trans-planting every 4-6 months why shouldn't babies too !

But, Allison, do they have to be separated from the mom? The thought terrifies me. :(

It's not so much a matter of needing to separate them from "mom" when they get big, it's a matter of needing to separate them from each other when the pot starts getting crowded, so they have a chance to form nice rosettes of leaves.

When you separate them, you can tip the whole rootball out into your hand (this is where I like flimsy plastic pots; a couple of gentle squeezes and you can tug the plant right out). Feel around a little, and you'll be able to find the base of the plant, which may be connected still to the mother leaf stem or connected to one of its siblings... you'll have to break the connection... a little pinch, a little wiggle, and it'll snap off (like when you're removing a leaf). Sometimes separation will go more perfectly than other times... I'm happy if I can get a couple of good looking plantlets and maybe a few smaller ones that aren't too lopsided. Any tiny ones hiding underneath their larger sibs, I try to keep them with the mom leaf if possible (just repot), and otherwise I pot them up and put them in a higher humidity environment until they grow a little, especially if they don't have much in the way of roots yet.

It's best to let them get a good deal bigger than they are in your pics... but once you do a couple, you will gain confidence.

:-)

Don,
Allison & CritterO have given you great advice.
I can add a bit of info to theirs as well.

If you leave them to grow until they get 2 inches tall then it is easier to separate them. They are very hardy lil guys and WANT to grow.
One of the main AV sellers has a spot on her website that shows how they separate & plant babies. they pull the first roots completely off!
Then they repot them individually in their own pot.
It's not as hard as you first think it will be or we all would have failed at it.

Now if you really are afraid to do it with your first babies then you will have an interestingly full plant, and they will grow that way~ but they will not look as pretty as the show plant . They kinda resemble a bad trailing AV.

I do have a few that I've allowed to grow into very interesting shapes & they do bloom & are fine. They just aren't classy looking AV's....So have it anyway you like it & are comfortable with.

MsC

Good suggestions, MsC -- do you have a link for that seller's site? I'm interested in the idea of pulling those first roots off, as I generally try to let the roots get as big as possible before separating or up-potting! Hey, there's as many ways to do it as there are people propagating AVs!

With minis, I go by how many leaves the plantlets have (I have better luck if they have at least 4 leaves plus maybe a couple of new ones coming in the center) and also by how crowded they are in the pot... If there are just a couple of plantlets in pot, they may be able to get fairly large and still be forming nice, even rosettes of leaves.

I have a couple of varieties that seem to sucker every time I look at them, and I've finally given up and decided to let them grow as a multi-crowned plant. So far, they look rather nice, even if they are not show-worthy!

BTW, if you don't remove the mother leaf, that's fine as long as it isn't in the way of the developing plantlet. You'll eventually see the mother leaf start to yellow & die back... once it looks tired enough that I don't think it's contributing much anymore, I cut it off (even if I'm not yet ready to separate the plantlets).

Mmmm.. lemmme go see if I can find taht link.. I almost had a heart attack when I saw it for the first time.:)..............................

MsC, just sent you Dmail on a completely unrelated topic -- macaw in distress, needs your expertise! Thanks.

Thanks CritterO,
Got it & have emailed to help... I went to look for the link on the babies but apparently the info talking about taking off the roots must have been in an article in an AVSA magizine. Sorry... now Blue Birds has some pretty neat photos of how they pot them up from a very small size but not the exact info I refered to.


MsC

Ok how about these great links and there are more in our sticky !
Here on this link has everything and does have pictures of separrating babies.
Don let them grow and grow and fill the pot get tall and they will be healthy and strong and easier to take apart.
There is no rule how many crowns you may have excpt if you are showing. You can grow them anyway that makes you happy !
http://www.rachelsreflections.com/

This might be the link MsC was looking for . This person sells off of web and Ebay/
One this link is Planting up new plantlets from the Mother leaf
Step by Step and pictures.
Plus information of just about everything else.
What to do with your leaves when they arrive at your home and more !
Planting up new plantlets from the Mother leaf
http://rainbowviolets.com/id4.html

You guys are terrific! Critter, MsC, Allison, your advice has helped clear up a lot of questions and uncertainties I had. Thanks so much. The links provided are very helpful. I have saved this whole thread for later use when my babies are big enough.

Makes me wonder if some sellers divide too quickly. I have one mini, West Trail, that has struggled since the day I got it. Such a little AV, just an inch or so and hasn't grown at all since it arrived almost 2 months ago. Very sensitive to the amount of moisture it gets. I sometimes wonder if it'll make it. Sigh...time will tell I guess.

Thanks again, my friends. I think I can do this when the time comes. I am so glad I asked. Ü

Don

Don
Trailers I hardly ever spearate. When I send someone a trailer I like it to be trailing if possible.
I do re-pot them into new pots.
Yes I have fount in the past few years most sellers separate them too soon. The average person growing AV's does not have the luck to keep babies too small alive.
It's just like a Pre-Mature baby it struggles to catch up God willing it lives but it takes many months even years to catch up to normal size. But if it had been with Mom full term it would have had a head start on life
To me same thing with AV and Gesneriads longer with mom the healthier the stronger they will be.
Streptocarpus I never separate. I like them full with lots of flowers. With Streps one leaf is considered a Plantlet. So a seller can send you a plantlet with one leaf.
Many times people will get a Strep baby plant from me still with a good Mom leaf. I leav it threre until it no longer wants to be. Also I fount if I do want to separate them much easier when large. Streptocarpus do not bloom from crown . A leaf will only bloom so many times then that's it. With no new foliage growth they will stop blooming/
Another good thing to do is do not trans-plant new plants for a least 30 days. If I get a small plant or plant if it is in healthy soil, new pot I do not trans-plant for 2-4 months or until needed.
I have recieved many yucky solo-cups, green slime pots, crusty pots,,, and so on these get re-potted into new bleached pots with new soil.
Your plant is already stressed out from travel why stress it more if not needed.
Another good thing to think about watch the size pots you use. Shallow , short , azela type pots are the best for Av's and gesneriads. Don't over pot them. A full grown minature never needs a pot large than 2 inch and semi-miniature 2.50 , 3 inch tops if the plant is 8 inches....If you over pot the plant will struggle to grow, get stressed out and may die :((
Oh the great news ! Your box is on it's way. God willing no problems at the border you should have it by Tuesday, Wednesday next week. It was shipped today fastest way Global express airmail priority..
Takes 3-5 business days !

You are an angel, Allison. Thanks so much. I'll be watching for it. And thanks again for all the great information.

Don Ü

Ooooo, Don, have you had a box from Allison before? If not, you are in for a real treat!! If you have....well, I guess you're still in for a real treat~lol!!

I have some standard noids that I do all my "testing" on. I've taken a couple and gradually cut down the mother leaf as the babies get larger. Then split them up after a while. It worked fine! (so now I have a ton of rather boring noids...oh well, they are flowers~lol).

LOL, thanks PMcP. You're right...and all AV flowers are beautiful, right? I'll remember your advice.

Don Ü