Basic African Violet question

I repotted several AV's earlier today and couldn't help but notice that they were lifting out of their pots or rather stretching up a tad. They look extremely healthy to me based on other people's photos and are blooming profusely. What is this a sign of? Should I be doing anything about this? They are currently potted in a mix of 2:1:1; sphagnum peat, horticultural grade charcoal, perlite. I fertilize them with Miracle Gro's AV 7/7/7 when I remember which isn't all that frequently. They are double potted with the interior pot being unglazed.

It sounds like either they need a tad more light or maybe it is the natural growth process where the lower leaves die off & leave a bit of a neck??? Can you add a pic to show what you consider "lifting up"...stretching is usually due to a lack of light.

In any case,since they are blooming then they must be happy!

MsC

Thanks so much!

It's not a lack of light. I have them behind my kitchen sink. My kitchen sink is in a corner with a double hung window to the east and a double hung window to the south. I also have 5 Nepenthes plants hanging over the sink (they like the humidity) and those plants would not pitcher if light levels were too low. I think you hit it on the head with natural growth process because I have removed lower leaves before. Not all that frequently, but every once in a while I pinch off a lower leaf. Neck seems to be a perfect word for what they have. They now have about a half to an one inch neck. So about this neck, when the plants get repotted can we just sink them a half an inch lower in the pot? Probably not but I thought I'd ask.

Yep, that's about right.... bury the neck, and new roots will form on the buried part. Check out the other thread on repotting violets with a neck, and you'll find some tips and a link to some great step by step info on Rob's web site.

Yay! I did something right when I buried the "neck"!

How be you critter?

Doing fine! Lots of spring digging and planting going on... spent last week in Pittsburgh with my folks, got some things done with their yard, now trying to catch up here... I still have tropicals to plant from your co-op! Good thing they are all nice and dormant. :-)

I'm in the same boat as you with lots of digging and planting going on. I still have tropicals to plant too! I'm getting there, slow but sure!