Hi,
I purchased this AV about 2 weeks ago, and I read about the care for it. Now it has developed these yellow spots on the leaves, I swear houseplants hate me lol! No water has touched the leaves, I water from the bottom up, even though some things I have read say you don't have to.
Does anyone have any advice for me?
Thank you, Kathy
Could it be sunburn? Have you had it in any direct sun light?
well, it is on my table with my seedlings and there are 2 florescent lights hanging above, so maybe?
Water damage maybe?
No water has touched the leaves, I water from the bottom up, even though some things I have read say you don't have to.
The damage could have happened where you bought them...........sometimes these places let sun hit the poor african violets. Remember that they grow from the crown, so you can always remove the outer lower leaves and it will just keep growing. Once the damage is there, not much you can do about it...........
would florescent lights cause that or just real sun?
I would imagine if the plant is too close to the light it could get burned but it only seems to be on a few of the lower leaves, so it could be damage that occurred at the nursery. As Gessiegail said, you can cut those leaves off and you could root them for more plants!
I'm wondering if it could be cold damage. Is it close to a window, or where it would get a draft? Was it really cold the day you brought it home?
Fluorescent lights could cause "sunburn" but I don't think that's the case if your seedlings are ok. It certainly looks healthy, otherwise, so it could just be that those leaves are getting old.
Here's a site with pictures of various AV leaf problems. I don't see one that exactly matches yours, but it might help you figure out something.
http://www.steverd.com/violets/leaves/leaf-id.htm
Good luck! Please let us know if you figure out what actually caused it.
Great minds Amy..LOL..I was thinking cold damage too.I had a few too close to the window on one shelf and that looks like the damage I had on some leaves : (
Hi Nancy! I'm glad you posted, since you've had experience with it. I was betting that's what it was, but if you had cold damage that looked like that, stands to reason it most likely is.
guspuppy, it might even be that they were exposed to the cold before you got them and it has gradually shown up. How quickly did the damage appear on yours, Nancy?
I had about 3 plants too close to the window on that shelf.The outer leaves on them just started out looking a little faded and pale.. is the best way I can describe it Amy..lol..then after about a week I noticed the spotting.I ripped those leaves off and moved the plants to a different shelf and they seem to be bouncing back just fine.
LOL, I live so far south, I didn't recognize cold damage! Here I was thinking of sunburn ... that's what happens when you live in Florida. :) Think sunburn - not frostbite! LOL.
You gal's are good! I knew someone more knowledgeable with AV's would come along with advice! Thanks ladies!
Lin..you know it might actually be sunburn.... Goodness sakes..Don't put too much stock in what I say..I am far from an expert..LOL..
LOL Nancy, seeing as guspuppuy is from Ohio, it's probably not sunburn!
All great suggestions, thank you. The AV is in the middle of the table and isn't far from the woodstove, I sweat in the cabin! So I don't think it is cold. I will just snip those leaves off and see if it happens again. Your right about being in Ohio, no sunshine here! lol.
Would these leaves root even though they have the spots? I haven't tried that yet just read how to do it.
Kathy
Sure, they will take root, and you will have new baby plantlets in no time!
Thank you everyone, I will let you know if the rooting works for me! I am going to do the one I read where you snip off the leaf leaving one inch of stem, put it in the medium not very deep at an angle, water and put in a bag and seal. Then wait.........
Does this sound like a good way to root the leaves?
Kathy
Sounds good. I think a lot of people root leaves that way. Just don't give it too much water. And, it needs to be in a warm, bright spot. To test to see whether it's rooted or not, in a few weeks just give it a gentle tug and if you feel resistance you know you have roots.
Maybe some of the pro's will chime in here with suggestions for you.
I am certainly not a pro, but I have better luck rooting african violet leaves in only perlite evenly mixed with vermiculite . Then I don't have to worry about overwatering because you almost can't hurt anything with perlite and vermiculite (and you zip lock bag).......once you zip it up you probably won't even water again until the leaf is rooted and the bag is off.
As Lin says you will know when your leaf has rooted as she doesn't want to be pulled out.....a gentle tug will let you know when it is time to take the zip lock open or off.......
These are the av leaves that have babies and need to be planted up......see, no soil here
On the strep leaves I use a lot of perlite and vermiculite .........but I do use just enough soil-less mix that the babies grow better and root better than the way I do my african violet leaves
awesome pics, thank you!!!
go for it and get a thrill. I never get tired of propagating new babies!
