Is this girl reaching for light or is this the way girl's grow?
Debbie
Ma's Melody Girlreaching for light??
This plant I fount grew like this sometimes. Can I see the top please . Girl foliage most times grows well at end of tubes or in nautral light .
Well, I have her under a lamp with flor. bulbs in it that I was asking about in the lights thread. The top of her leaves are about 11" from the bulb, but I can move her over a little. I had been moving her closer cause I read that if the leaves started going up instead of out they were reaching for light.
Here's a pic from the top and she has buds!!!! These will be my very first blooms on an AV that didn't have any when I bought it!! Yippie!!
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Here's a bit of trivia for you...did you know that 'Ma's Melody Girl' (O.Robinson)is a registered 'girl leaf' sport (mutation) from a variety called 'Ode to Beauty' (G.Cox/B.Johnson) which has plain leaves?
Several of Olive Robinsons registered violets using the prefix 'Ma's' were not hybridized by her but are rather sports from other varieties. Interesting isn't it?
So, you never know what might show up when growing violets.....
Congratulations on your new buds/blooms!
She looks real great to me ! I grew several of her from a large plant Lorry picked up wholesale for me. Her leaves root and grow into babies with great ease !
I love this plant !
I love and have a lot of interest in the Sports Snow ! Lot's of Rob's and Olviee ( SP) plants are Sports.
Lot's of people don't know not only flowers Sport but so does Foliage !
It's amazing fun and interesting !
Here is the link of registered Sports. AVSA likes you to look her if you have a Sport to see if it has already been registered. I know some Registered Sports are missing from this list but their trying to get people to put them on here !
http://www.avsa.org/Library/sports.htm
Debbie your growing your plants great ! Thanks for sharing !
It looks really great. Congrats on the buds!! It's so exciting, isn't it?
Snowrose, no, I had no idea!! They should include that info in the discription. Sport of ______ ______. So, how do AVs sport? Is it from a leaf cutting, sucker, or bloom stalk that doesn't look like mom? And then does it have to be stable for so long before it can be named? And how on earth does a plain leaf sport to a girl leaf. And I've been meaning to ask this, but why did someone name a girl leaf a girl leaf.
In my Hosta collection I started collecting sports of favorite plants and found I don't have enough shade in my yard. If I start studying and collecting sports of AVs, I'm gonna be in big trouble. I already have to do some major re-arranging when I bring in my house plants for the winter. LOL
maureen, it really is exciting!! It'll even be more so if my leaves I have down make babies!!
Debbie
You know, baja, when you think about it, all the wide variety of traits found in our violets such as variegation, double flowers, pink blossoms, etc., on and on it goes, all descended from the plain wild species plants via sports or mutation. Hybridizers recognized these unusual traits and helped to create all the beautiful hybrids we have today.
Yes, a sport needs to be propagated for at least 3 generations to see if it will remain true before it is registered. I had an interesting experience once when my 'Pixie Blue' trailer started to have variegated leaves. I was so excited. I quickly put down some of the variegated leaves. But, the plantlets came up solid green and the plant that was variegated reverted back to green. I was so hoping for a variegated Pixie Blue but unfortunately not to be.
I guess as far as sports go, it's all in the 'genes' and how they express themselves. Some types are more unstable than others, especially fantasy type blossoms. Growing violets is all a lot of fun and interesting for sure.
I will see if I can find out the history of 'girl' leaves. I know that plain leaves are called 'boy' leaves.
Debbie I posted the link above where you can see plants that have been reigstered Sports sense 1980 :))
http://www.avsa.org/Library/sports.htm
All Chimerias are Sports !
S[prts are not really rare. For every 100 leaves put down one will Sport ! I love Sports! Espsicaly if their Chimerias .
They have to be grown out three generations ( Not including Mom) and
be an improvment of Mom plant to register .
All Sports are mutation .
Check out the list it's very interesting.
Out first AV ever in the first tne Blue Boy sported girl so we got our first girl foliage plant !
baja - check out this link for some violet history. Near the bottom of the article you will see how 'girl' leaves came about to answer your question.
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12519992_ITM
Baja - one more good article on violet history as it relates to mutation. Thanks to a woman named Tommy Lou Oden and other hybridizers, we have many of our variegated violets. Lyndon Lyon deserves huge credit as well for all his work.
I hope this link works...
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:nE_dAtg7a4YJ:72.41.11.187/varifs.pdf+lyndon+lyons+first+double+pink&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4
Here is one I wrote a link in our forum :))
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/557944/
I had about 30 plus girl foliage plants they are wonderful :))
I also bumped a thread Baja of yours :)) when you were getting cauight up with terms . !! There is info about girl leaf there.
If your do a girl thread search in AV there's a lot of info and history !
And in our Stickys :))
I love the History of Gesneirads :)) and other plants.
I'm off to read your links Snow Thanks !
Thanks for the links!! I haven't had time to read it all yet, but hopfully Sun, I'll get some time off work.
Debbie
Debbie I was reading Mel Robeys Book introduction for his new book ! And I fount this
Question 238 I am growing my African violets under fluorescent lights and the leaves are growing straight up—sort of like they were reaching towards the light. What can I do to make these plants grow correctly?
The problem is you are not giving the African violets sufficient light. Either add additional light fixtures or move the lights closer to the plants. Use a light meter to check the light’s intensity at the tops of the plants. It should be at least 400 to 600 foot candles and can be as high as 1,100 f.c.
http://www.authorhouse.com/bookstore/ItemDetail~bookid~32512.aspx
Snowrose, your link to the library, It was just getting to the good part and I can't get to the rest of the article :~(
I had found some info on the Tommie Lou a while back, but your link gives more info and care of each one. Very interesting reading!! Thanks