Do new Av's from Bluebirds need new soil?

The plants look great and the soil is not the soil they were grown in (it looks like new soil)......do I change the soil anyway?
I can't read the writing on this marker...just know it is a Russian Av

I've bought from them for years. I change the soil, wash the plants with a neem oil and little dish soap. Check roots, check for pest with 30 x loop, I change the soil to the type I use which is good for my method of watering and my humidity , every environment is different.
I have bought plants on occasions where inside of pots were green , roots were not healthy , I like to inspect whats deep under ...
I was taught this from local Av group from people that had been growing , showing and hybridizing for years.
I always give my plants new soil and pots when trans-planting.
Then I isolate all new plants no mater where they came from for 2-3 months.

Gail is your plant Rozovyi Zhemchug ??
Looks like one I grow. One of my favorite Russian Av's. My blooms are little darker but find they darken with age.
~~ Rozovyi Zhemchug " Pink Pearl "(9562) 01/17/2006 (K. Morev) Double white/light pink-salmon patches. Medium green. Standard

that is the name...correct.....I won't go through all that studying but I will change soil and check out root system.....

Gail,Such a pretty plant.I have a young one of that Russian but no blooms yet.Always when I have new plants arrive I let them sit a few days so they have a chance to get over the shock from shipping before I decide whether they need repotting or not.Shipping is pretty traumatic for them no matter how well they are packed and I don't want to cause them any more stress right off the bat.LOL Sometimes I will repot and other times I won't right away.I do make sure I isolate them from my other plants though,thats a must and I give them a good looking over though with a magnifier to make sure they are pest free.I have never received anything unhealthy from Bluebirds yet but its still better to be safe than sorry no matter where they come from.
Nancy

Hi RobinEggs! I see you are *new* to this forum. Welcome.

Gail: I am so bad about repotting right away .. I still have a couple that I got last year that I need to repot. And, I confess here to you all ... I have never isolated any plant in 40 years! I really am learning from y'all. I have never sterilized pots or anything sometimes using very old dirty pots for repotting something! These past couple of months after reading different threads and what you all are posting, I am thinking I better get off my behind and start doing a better job or just one of these days I may end up with "critters" I don't want!

Thanks for all the Great advice and telling of your experiences with your plants.

Don't you feel like a bad Mommy, Lin......this soil in this new batch is looking better all the time!!!! I don't have anywhere to isolate a plant unless you all want me to build a new house with special rooms for isolation (LOL)

LOL Gail by isolate I just meant I put them on their own shelf for some time alone so I can keep an eye on them until I know for sure they are healthy and good to grow and won't throw cooties all over the rest.As far as the soil that comes in the pots.If they look good they must be feeling good so I wouldn't repot them right away either..Oh my...I bet you had me pictured standing in my white suit with a mask over my face in my germ free bubble rooms.Doctor..this one looks good to go.hee hee I guess in that case we would all need alot more rooms! I guess if I were that bad I am the one who would need a padded room.lol

nancy, I think I really do need a padded room (LOL).......this addiction to Av's and other plants is taking over my life.....
When I posted that I was laughing out loud thinking 'which room could i isolate in....I have plants in every nook and cranny in this house'....not sure others live the way I do....still laffin'

Nancy: That's the mental picture I had, for sure! :) I was thinking about having an "isolation" room too! I have a large Florida room, full of plants and old furniture and it needs cleaning BIG TIME! I could use that room or maybe an end of it for isolating new plants ... but it gets sooooo hot out there in summer .... not much air circulation except with one little fan! Maybe I will just use the guest room! We never have company .... threw out the old Queen bed in there a couple of years ago cause it was too large for the room and old. My DH just ordered a Day Bed that I've been wanting for awhile. It should be here in another week! But, since we rarely have company, I could still have one isolation stand in there!

...... now tell me, where does one buy the white coat, goggles, mask and gloves?


:)

Oh my goodness, this is "silly" day......I have just been giggling all day about my way of life....it doesn't get any better than this, but I don't like explaining to my children and family exactly what i do with my time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then, to think that the next time they come to see their mom, I will have more shelves and tables for them to climb around....

This is a visual lesson on how to "not live your life".....you would be as giddy as I am if you only knew what I haven't finished....this would be my new storage unit which was going to organize my life of plants!!!!
I hope DG doesn't mind a few laughs!!!!!

LOL Gail and Lin you both make me laugh so hard my sides hurt.I needed a fun day once and this has been a blast : ))

Now , this would be one angle inside of my organization at this point

oh , there is more to come.......you will see why i need a padded room!!!

That is an awesome storage unit Gail.I would love to have something like that.Oh and I am sure mine would look the same as yours looks inside too.

Please make note that I have plenty of styrofoam to mail packages out!! And do you notice that my propagation heating mats and lights are not even plugged in!!!!!!

I could take pictures all over the house of the boxes which haven't been unpacked yet...but I will just choose the utility room right now (LOL) Can't you see what good use I am making of this storage??????????????????

Ok....I have had my laughs!!! It will all be waiting for me tomorrow and the next day....in the meantime, my African violets and gesneriads have the most attention!!!!! Nancy, we do have a good time....don't know what i did with the computer before i found DG

I've known many people lose their whole exspensive Av collections to Mites :((
Read up on them you will be surprised.
Also a healthy looking plant blooming can have Mealies for a year before you might notice it or Mites, Thrips . By the time the plant starts looking sick most times it's too late .
Even Hybridizers have lost their collections and even some of their named plants lost forever. David Senk had mites and he lost a lot . There is a story on line about this too.
Every seller/vendor will recomend you to isolate. Some people use thsoe small geeenhouse.
When I first started to buy plants the first couple years I bought from one seller. She taught me the importance of isolation among many other things !

I have had mealies on plants out on my deck before. I had a pretty large Sheff once (I think, can't remember for certain what plant it was) that had mealies and I sat for hours with Q-Tips and Alcohol getting those little buggers! Had white flies on the deck at one time too on a couple of plants ... just got my bottle of Safer Insecticidal Soap and sprayed those little buggers too!


Gail: Want to make a trade? I will trade the Gigantic 20 x 20 and about 20' tall shed that we have out back for your shed! Ours is so full .... lawn mowers, yard equipment, old tables, old chain link fences, old wrought iron railings from an old porch, chain saws, pool equipment, irrigation system parts, bits and pieces .... rakes, shovels, brooms and the like! At one time we had 4 lawn mowers in there! Now, it's two ... his and hers riding mowers! LOL. It is so cram packed with junk you can barely get in there! We need his and hers sheds! Mine would be real neat and tidy with everything in it's place .... Yeah, Right! LOL. Really though, yours is the "perfect" size! You just need to get all those boxes unpacked ... a great job for the grandkids! hee hee ... I can just "see" it now! Wouldn't the kids have fun?!

they were just here and my adult children made me lock the storage door!!!!! I can't imagine why they thought it would be dangerous....
Nancy and Lin, don't be envious of this storage....I even have a ramp to get the tiller, etc that is all down at the barn in there...don't think it is all going to fit!! In some seriousness, I am waiting on my brother to have time to finish putting up shelves....can't get organized without all the shelves up. I think I am going to bring the heating mats and lights to my bedroom (LOL) so I will use them properly...and then I will have a big double sink put in to work....right now, the kitchen is turned upside down while I pot plants...can not imagine why my disposal got broken with a dime and a razor blade in it last week.....
One of the best uses of it would be to have one of those big double work sinks for potting up....and not have so much mud in my house all the time....
Maybe I could even set up some section under the windows for isolation time....time out plant!!! you may have bugs!!!

edited to say goodbye...American Idol is on...my fave TV....

This message was edited Apr 17, 2007 7:10 PM

Hey Gail ... ya going to have a big double sink installed in the bedroom? LOL. just teasing you! That Shed will Be "PERFECT" for awhile, but I betcha you outgrow it real quick and need another one! I would love to have a place for potting. I have been telling my hubby for a long time that I need a potting bench ... how nice it would be to have a Potting Shed with a large double sink in there .... nice long counter top to work at. I'd have to have a bar stool so I could sit and work! I end up so stiff and back aching from bending and stooping so much when repotting on my back deck! And, I end up with a huge mess of soil, perlite etc all over the deck! A potting shed .... aaah ...... what a great Christmas Present that would be, huh? Don't think Santa would get one for me though, I might just have to settle for the potting bench.

Gail, I hope you will post photo's after your brother gets the shelves up for you and you get everything organized! I can just picture it ...... shelves all lined with different size pots, shelves stacked with soil and tools hanging on hooks! Hope you have electricity and running water .... I have a feeling you will be spending a lot of time in there. How about a ceiling fan?

Pest on African violets are so different...
If your just growing noids you might not mind but if your spending lots of $$ money and time to preserve African violet Species , Vintage , Rare plants , if your sharing trading, showing your plants and many more reasons you will want to find ways to isolate.
I bet most exsperienced growers and Hybridizers Isolate.
I've been reading a lot here and you have some really great stickies here I noticed filled with great information,.
This link I've seen before it's so true and extremly interesting.
http://www.plantsonpurpose.com/mealy%20bugs.htm
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR NEW PLANT
[HYPERLINK@www.plantsonpurpose.com] chimeras
This is a photo of soil mealies floating in a container of water. I found these guys in the reservoirs of a plant that I had owned for a year. Soil mealy bugs are so small, it is easy to have them and spread them throughout your collect before you know it. Even if your new plant looks 'clean', keep it on it's own reservoir for a year or two

http://www.plantsonpurpose.com/mealy%20bugs.htm
Av's that get viruses can't be treated they need thown out burned...
You can not see Mites without 30 x power loup and sometimes not even then. They hide from lite. They will destroy all your plants. Not easy and fun to get rid of, ask anyone who has ever had them.
thrips are nasty hard to get rid of.. Got to Rob's violet barn to read about pest...
Or just check out sticky above it has great info I am find about everything, how to grow any type of African violet / gesneriad, trailers , Chimerias and more.
Gosh if I have a question I know where to go.
Great Thanks to the person who put them together a wealth of knowledge.

Robin, i do take pests seriously.....just having a good time today.....
ladies, I have already had the plumber and electrician out.....thanks for the idea of a ceiling fan, Lin...I hadn't thought of that.....I bought all sizes of adjustable tables at Sam's....they are wonderful and adjust in height....I want one for cut flowers and a potting site next to the sink...
just a matter of time....farmers are pretty grumpy right now as the cold winds are burning the cotton and blowing the soil away from the cotton and grain...laying low right now with no requests in the immediate future....

RobinEggs,I see Snowrose welcomed you to the AV forum in an above post.Let me chime in with a very hearty welcome to you also.There are so many wonderful,fun,and knowledgable people here.You will love it here : )
We were just kidding around with eachother.We do alot of that here on Daves.Just clean fun.We know the importance of isolation and pests and I am sure we all try to do our best.Thanks for the extra info.We really appreciate it : )

Gail,Your shed will be fabulous when you get it finished the way you want.Sure wish I had something like that.I am like you.Right now my kitchen gets to looking like a disaster area.Good thing my hubby is patient with me.

Sorry Snowrose so much going on here I missed your welcome I went back up !
We are snowbirds ,living in Florida 3-4 months of the year and the other part in R.I. . I mostly grow Chimerias, Vintage, Species , and some Gesneriads. I bring just a few with us here and sometimes buy here. Our oldest daughter lives with us with two of our Grandchildren and she loves plants and takes good care of them while were gone.
Thanks for the welcome.

Sounds like you have the best of both worlds, Robin, with family, New England summers and Florida winters and lots of choice plants. Please do post some photos. Will you be heading back up to Rhode Island soon? Still so cold around here.....send some Florida sunshine our way, will you?