Who else grows African Violet Trailers????

I'm interested to know if anybody else is growing standard trailers???

If so post a pic or two...
Thanks
MsC

I do grow a few trailers MsC, but no blooms right now. I think a standard trailer in bloom is awesome and they seem to prefer natural light. Snowrose sent me a large trailer 'Sunrise Waltz' it has a beautiful shape and variegated leaves but is a very shy bloomer. It's been in my window at work now at least a month and no blooms yet, but the leaves are so pretty I get a lot of comments on the plant without blooms. I'll try to get a pic of it. Please post some pics of yours.

This message was edited Jun 7, 2007 2:36 PM

I got some leaves of Ramblin' Ruby and Falling Raindrops as a Bingo prize last year. They're still pretty small, though.

Hi MrsC, I thought I just had semi mini trailers but I went and looked and I have two standards. They are both maybe 4 months old so nothing like the beautiful big trailers I've seen in pictures. I'd love to see your pictures if you have some of your trailers blooming. My Sunrise Waltz which is not blooming now (it has some buds forming) and Ramblin Spots which has slowed down but looked like this a couple of weeks ago.

Here's another shot of it. I looked really pretty for a young plant and the blooms have light purple fantasy markings all over them. At least I think that's what is meant by fantasy.

cjolene, if your Falling Raindrops gets big enough to spare a leaf or two, please let me know. I had it, but killed it and would love to try to grow it again. :o)

I have Cherokee Trail, but it's small yet. Let it get a little bigger and I'll post a picture. It'll be a beauty, I think!

bmedel, Ramblin' Spots is lovely! You're right, those random specks of color are called 'fantasy". May I ask, what is the white and blue one at the upper right of your second picture? It's very pretty! Is it really blue in the eye, or actually purple?

lol RainGazer...you're the one who gave it to me. ; ) I'd be too happy to share. Just so's ya know...it's taking forEVER to get started...it's the one on the very left. The one near the chirita with variegation is Ramblin' Ruby. Want a leaf of her, too?

Picture would be nice, wouldn't it...

I thought I remembered sending it to you...which is why I didn't mind one bit asking for a leaf! ;o) LOL I've still got Ramblin' Ruby, but thanks for the offer. My FR stayed little like that for the longest, then finally shriveled up and died. Not very encouraging for you, is it? Sorry...I'm sure yours will fare much better! ~nodding enthusiastically~ Love the Chirita, too. Which one is that? I like Chiritas, cause they don't mind going a little bit dry. :o)

'Hisako'...you gave me that leaf, too...it just grew faster. Don't know why... They've all been together all this time and get the same treatment.... lol

I thought for sure FR wouldn't make a baby at all- it took so long for baby leaves to come up. Is it a semi-miniature? I've never even tried rooting a semi-mini before... but I actually pretty feel confident that it's coming along now. As long as the cat leaves it alone...

I had Ultra Violet Saturn going, too, stronger than all the others, but cat knocked it over... not once but TWICE in the same week... and the second time killed it. The cat almost lost her home that week... lol just kidding (or am I?) ; )

By the way, I also still have Gleeful Elf, U.V. Solar, and U.V. Meteor... want those?

Raingazer that is a mini violet called Rob's Loose Noodle and to me it was more purple than blue in person. Just as the Ramblin Spots is very pink with purple flecks but looks washed out here in these pictures. The picture definitely gives Loose Noodle a blue tint. It has some buds on it right now but nothing open so I can't retake a picture and try for a better color read on it.
This is my mini called Superboy and it is a purpely blue that looks much bluer in the pictures too.

Thanks ladies... I still grow a few trailers but have lost many.
I love the standards, but then I love everything..lol
I'm down to 1 standard that is grwoing well but needing repotting badly.
It's Cherroke Trail & a keeper for sure. The semi-minis seem to be easier to keep cause I stick em in a zip lock baggie if they start looking scarey.. Poof they come right back out.lol

I have a bunch of lil plantlets in my old terrariums that I need to work on. Those poor plants have really takin a beating- moves-no light - no fertilizer no nothing and if I don't do something with them they will die from starvation & neglect... just another one of the many things that having too many of does for me.



bmedel
Love your pics & I just purchased Ramblin Dots &Lambs ear and am looking for a few more I lost..


MsC



This message was edited Jun 8, 2007 7:11 PM

MsC, I didn't mean to hijack your post. I'm sorry! I'll dmail cjolene and we'll continue from there. :o)

You have Cherokee Trail, too? I'd love to see a picture of it! I could post mine as a "before" picture and you can post yours as the "after" picture. :o)

Raingazer, absolutely no problem hijacking my thread....it helps keep it on top so I don't forget.:-)

Here's a shot of Cherokee Trail .

I thought I'd add that it grows kinda bunchy for me but then again, I just plant em & pray I don't really make lots of effort at training them.


MsC


This message was edited Jun 8, 2007 4:14 PM

Oh that's gorgeous! I'll have to bring mine over here and show it what it can become if it will just hurry up and grow! LOL I don't think it looks bunchy at all, just gloriously full, which is how a trailer is supposed to be. Do you wick yours? No, you use self-watering pots, I think...

No wicking here....with the larger trailers for me I found they kept falling over when they started to creep over the edge...but I just like the SW pots ... now some of the lil trailers I do wick until the get big enough to go into a SW pot..the SW pots also don't get as much algae growth either....it's just a system that has worked well for me...


MsC

I'm going to get one and try it. My homemade Sprite bottle self-watering pot has really done the trick for the AV that's in it. It's twice the size of another one that I think is from the same mom leaf. It actually bloomed, too, so that in itself says a lot! Someone said just the other day on one of the threads something similar to "poverty breeds ingenuity". Well, evidently so, because I just had to try a self-watering pot and didn't have one and couldn't buy one, so I made one. I'd show you a picture of it, but it looks ridiculous. LOL

"poverty breeds ingenuity".

LOL... yes I went to that school to for many years til my hubby took pity on me & made me an honest woman..lol

Show your pic..I don't mind if it works it works...remember my terrariums outta bird seed containers??? it works...:D

LOL about the honest woman comment...

Promise not to laugh?? LOL No, don't...you'll break your promise. ;o) I'll go get it and put it next to the one that's so much smaller. I think they're from the same mom leaf, but if not, I know the mom leaves were put down the same day.

waiting...........Lallalaaa...

Impatient! LOL

Here's a top view of them...

And here they are from the side. You get the full effect of the Sprite bottle this way...ROFL

I keep it sitting in a clay pot my son painted, so anyone who sees it can't tell what it's actually potted in. I just keep water in the bottom of the bottle and it seems to work fine. :o)

I'm assuming you're still wiping tears and holding your sides, or you're completely speechless! LOL ;o)

Not laughing....really not laughing...

Very ingenius...sure cheaper than the oyama pots...I'd say by the look of your very healthy plants they are happy...kinda like Joseph's coat of many colors???


I had a few of those interesting contraptions, too!
Just goes to show you that before you spend a lot of money you might be able to improvise & get the same results.

Good Growing,

MsC

It seems to be happy. And it really is considerably larger than its counterpart, so something has to be right. It's budding out again, and has roots all the way down into the neck of the bottle. It's leggy and could use a good grooming, but for now, I'm happy with it. Really, I'm just excited to see it bloom again. :o)

Thanks for understanding that sometimes, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. ;o)

Mmm ,actually I've done it the oposite way,too & cut the bottom off and made a small slit int the side...then I pot my episcia babies up and pop them inside, push the top of bottle back on with the screw cap in place and set them under the lights..if they heat up too much then Ijust unscrew the lid. A friend sent me a few stolons while I was out in Az this way and it was kinda funny when I first opened the box...I DID have to laugh really hard.I thought what the heck??? She has that "left brain thinkin' thing "like me too...:)

We can't all be rocket scientist..lol

MsC

That's a great idea! Instant terrarium... A little ingenuity really does go a long way. And I feel a bit proud of myself when I find a way to make something rather than buy it.

I'm convinced now that self-watering pots are the way to go. I just didn't want to spend the money only to find that it didn't work. Truthfully, I'll probably start mass producing the plastic bottle self-watering pots, and will buy 1 or 2 along and along til I have enough for them all. It would cost a fortune to buy as many as I need all at once, but in the meantime, they could all benefit from the concept.

I have tons of water bottles & Coke bottles around and when they are empty they make great pots, terrariums & now you've shown us a way to make an oyama pot...we learn something from each other all the time on this forum...sooooo neat.

MsC

oh, wow, I really like it!

I am not a fan of the self-watering pots - too heavy (the ceramic ones), too much space, and for the most part too frilly. Your soda bottle is MUCH better.

I've made wicking pots out of the drinkable yogurt bottles before - I needed a way to keep the minis watered!

On a related note, my local salad bar where most of my plastic seed/leaf containers come from (they are a gem because they are 3" deep) has just switched to post-consumer cardboardy stuff...... (It's a Wholefoods store.) ARGH.

I'm so glad you both like it! I was embarrassed to post it. LOL My husband drinks lots of water at work, so I've got quite a collection. I think the clear ones will be better than the green, but I messed up the first two clear ones, so green was all I had left. The only real problem is how top-heavy they are, but sitting in a clay pot pretty much takes care of that.

Walmart sells caramel chocolate rolls in a fabulous plastic container. However, any benefit I would get out of having lots of those would be completely negated by the damage it would do to my hips. LOL I like the little containers Gail got from Violet Showcase, and they're pretty inexpensive, too, so I may get some of those at some point. I still have some bbq tubs and a couple of Cracker Barrel dessert take-home containers, so I'll finish using those before I buy any. Yesterday, I used the cubes from the pitcher plants and venus flytraps that I bought and killed. I like them a lot. Either of you know where those could be purchased? I watch the Lowe's clearance table for any of the carnivorous plants that aren't doing so well and get them for $1 each, but haven't seen any in a while.

Thanks for the tip on the yogurt bottles, Ki. I've been wondering what I could use for the minis. Yogurt is completely not my thing, but my kids love it, so I can get some of those.

That's too bad about your salad bar. Wonder if complaining would do any good? ;o)

well I do happen to know where you can get vfts and pitcher plants but local is often easier and cheaper. Have you looked locally for other sources? Sometimes there is some guy with a backyard greenhouse who sells them to kids for educational purposes. lol.

http://californiacarnivores.com (have ordered and visited)
http://www.carnivorousplantnursery.com/ (have bought from locally)
http://www.cascadecarnivores.com/ (on my list as the next place to hit up...)

Think we are going to go grab a bite to eat... see ya'll in abit..

MsC

just catching up... Cool soda bottle idea! lol Bet I could do that with a milk jug, too...

Just thought I'd let y'all know the Sprite bottle AV is blooming! :o)

RainGazer, you told me you couldn't grow avs..................looks good to me!!!!!!!!!!!! pretty!!!! You gave me lots of trailer leaves.....................do 'ya want some leaves back?
Now, I have to go see what trailers are blooming...............I missed this whole thread...........

The violets with some edging on the petals always catch me, they are so pretty! This one is obviously loving that sprite bottle self watering pot. It was such a great idea I'm glad to see the results of it are great too!!

Brenda

bmedel...........I took pictures of a beautiful begonia you sent and it has taken off with new leaves galore...........when I reached down to put the memory card in, I put it in the wrong slot and it is lost (LOL)...........thank you............don't know where it is.........probably easier to go get another memory card than to call the tech........I have another around here somewhere.......

Oh good, I'm glad it's happy there!! I've gotten some little babies up from a leaf of that begonia that I cut into pieces and then stuck the way you do an AV leaf. They are starting to grow a little faster after being so tiny! I love them, they're so cute!

Maybe if you pick your computer up and shake it your memory card will fall back out. LOL

~Brenda

good idea!!!!!!!!!!!! I did just find another memory card just in case........