Share something new about growing AVs!

We are all acquiring so much new knowledge in growing gessies of all kinds. If you would share with the group, we could all learn some more.

I have learned that I need to make selections of avs from hybridizers who are not living in dramatically different climates than the one I live in. It was hard for me to understand why the prettiest violets at the shows were hybridized by people from (just for example) Kansas down to Texas. Now I know that they just grow better in the right climate for each violet.

I don't have the batteries to my camera to show you what a plant hybridized in New York grows like down in hot balmy Texas weather compared to other plants hybridized closer to home.

I need a picture to start this thread...........Let me find an example although a poor picture as it doesn't show the whole plant. This is Party Dress and she grows in every direction and could never be sold at a sale , let alone entered into a show.

What a Beautiful Party Dress too! Love it ... not only the pink blossoms but the overall growth habit. I would buy it at a sale! I like the way it grows in every direction. Hey, I know I'm weird! I don't have the patience to grow to show so I like plants that aren't perfect. LOL.


I am confused about only growing plants hybridized in an area close to where one lives. What if there are no AV's hybridized in a certain area of the country? I think a lot of businesses would be out of business if folks quit buying from them because they are in a different area. I am learning here so help me get this straight in this brain which seems to be freezing a lot lately! LOL. I guess I am thinking that a plant hybridized in N.Y. and shipped to me in Fla. should maybe be kept in cooler conditions and not put under the hot lights of a plant stand? But, wouldn't it eventually acclimate to my conditions? I know it's a lot hotter and more humid here in Florida than some other places in the U.S. but I always thought it was just like a lot of regular old house plants ... the majority of them originate in Florida and are shipped all over the country. I guess I just thought it would be the same for AV's. Now, I do understand if a plant is grown outdoors in the north, it may not do so well in the heat and humidity here but I figured if it was inside in air conditioning it would be different.

Now, don't laugh at me Gail ... ^_^ I better quit while I'm ahead ... I'm confusing myself! LOL.

This won't help anyone else LOL But I've discovered I grow mini AVs better than regular size!
SORRY but that's something I've learned! LOL

Now that is an interesting topic...I see your point Gail. I have had plants arrive from very different locations and they have done poorly, but just when I think, ok, only plants from the Northeast for me, I will get one from say Louisiana, and it will thrive. So I think we are talking in general terms. Generally any plant will do better at first if it isn't going through culture shock. On the other hand, if no one had thought to pick up the first violets they saw and bring them back to Germany from Tanzania, we wouldn't even be having this debate. And the reason they are so popular as house plants is partly due to their adaptability.
I do think there are a number of things that can be done to help a plant that is going through culture shock. The first thing to consider, I think, is light. If our new acquisition came from a greenhouse, the florescent lights may be a rude awakening. Some growers start their greenhouse obtained plants in natural light and then gradually acclimate them to fluorescents.
Another thing to check on is the soil mix...we all have our own mixes that we use to get the best results in our environments. If a plant is in a mix that's very different from your mix, the grower who you got the plant from might not water like you and their environment is bound to be different. So putting the plant into your mix is a good move, but it could be a factor in the "crash" some plants seem to take at first. Consistency is key with these plants(to make them really happy) so any changes can upset the balance, let alone a series of changes.
All that being said, I still cannot grow the Storytella violets well, so maybe they just dislike Maine. Pier

Diane: I love the mini's and semi mini's. I think Gail grew a lot of them at one time and they are always so dainty and pretty. I have two mini's with no names that I got in a trade when I first joined DG. They have never looked very good and have never bloomed. They just sit there but haven't totally bitten the dust yet so I haven't thrown them out.


Violetmom/Pier: That all makes sense. I think AV's and Gessie's would do better for me if I didn't have so many other houseplants, and could give them the attention from the start that they need. It's very hard for me to stick to just one type of plant.

I still love AV's but I'm not a serious grower like some of y'all. I could never have the patience that you all do with the grooming and making the plant all symmetrical, and since I don't grow to show or sell I like the plants that just do their own thing with growing and blooming.

hmm ... I've never heard of Storytella Violets. Must go google that one!

I didn't mean to start a whole discussion on one topic........because i don't know what I am talking about.........just things I have heard.........someone change the subject (LOL) and tell us what you are learning.

I, too, must google the Storytella Violets

I found some of the Storytella
http://www.rainbowviolets.com/id40.html

What I have learned
I do have lots of plants (AV) and starting on Sterp's Hoya's and Begonias and others.
I have been growing for quite a few years But I have learned 2 things
1.If Plants have names write them down and put in pot But I do get alot with no name from Wally World and Home Depot and alot come from Exoitic Angel
The other thing that I have just discover is Lites and Heat Matt I have put lite and a few heat matts on my stands and I am getting Blooms so many that before
So thats what some of the things that I learned on this Form. I just wish it would take the right color of the plant
Dimmer(AKA) Kim

I learned (the hard way unfortunately!) that when you're in a hurry and REALLY need to water your Episcias, you can't just throw some water down on them from the top of the aquarium..Bad
: (
But I did learn about cutting stolons off Episcias to propagate. I cut 4 and 3 of them are getting really big! 1 is just sitting there but I'm not giving up on him yet!

Don't we all have to learn the 'hard' way. I have also learned from a mentor that when I lose a center leaf, I don't have to panic as it will grow back in time.........wish my camera worked so I could show a picture of one I dropped on the floor breaking a center leaf off.................

Okay, I have a problem. I only have 5 AV's. They are in my kitchen window. I came home last night to find that the window had been opened. (Very windy) and 2 of my 3 flowering "adults" were upside down in the kitchen sink. One of them in a bowl of water. Now I know we aren't supposed to get AVs wet. Is she going to die? I do believe that Richard thought I had lost my mind at the time I found her! After all, it was "just" a plant! Maybe I have gone off the deep end? Maybe I need therapy? Anyway, they are back in the window, (closed) and I am just waiting for whatever happens. Any ideas?

AVs don't mind getting wet... you can even hose them off with warm water under the sink to clean the leaves. What they do mind is having water sit on their leaves, especially in the crown (center). So just blot up the water as well as you can (paper towel works great; scrunch it into a little tuft so you can get down into the center really well).

That nose dive may even stimulate your plants into blooming! :-)

Whew! That is really good news. They were already blooming very nicely. In fact, lost a clump of flowers off the one that wasn't in the bowl of water. I stuck the flower stem into a slit of waxed paper and into a glass of water in the odd chance that they may root. I have no idea if they will or not but decided that it was worth a try and I could at least enjoy the flowers a bit longer.

I was going to send these pictures to jannich to show her the sinningias she sent to me and how they are doing. She sent some seeds also and some crosses of sinningia seed.

I am finding out just how tough and healthy these sinninigas can be......hope you all don't get too bored with this many pictures. They love a LOT of light and moisture. I will tell you if the sinningia is a species or a hybrid.

This one is a species grown from seed by jannich and sent to me as a baby

This is a lime green sinningia cardinalis (I think it is a species) grown from seed by Jan

This is sinningia 'Fuschia Treasure', a hybrid by Belisle

Here is sinningia 'Party Dude' by Lyons

a species grown by jan from seed and now ready to bloom

another species started by seed from Jan.............jannich, are you out there to see your babies?

one more species with buds

Look at the buds on this sinningia species

I love this little 'Flair'......jannich grew her from a cutting and sent to me as an infant

Bonnie and Jan sent me crosses of sinningia seeds.

'Fireworks' grown from seed here like the other one I posted

I won't show anymore from seed...........but I wanted Jan and Bonnie to know that I did get germination from their seeds.

Here are some of your wasp leaves..........'Sport of Celery' in the forefront and I have potted up 'Say What' and waiting on Royal Wasp for babies..........

Absolutely Beautiful Gail!
GREAT Growing My Friend!
Something I have learned........I DO NOT need to add Long Fiber Spagnum Moss to my mix........this equals some STRANGE looking hairy mold for me.
Something I am still TRYING hard to learn........DO NOT remove babies too small!
Another learning lesson......plants DO NOT need to be re-potted or played with every single day......they resent it immensely.
Still learning daily!

Kim

I think, Jan, that I didn't label these correctly. I do believe that this group of babies looking like this are really Optimara Modesty and not Wrangler's Pink Patches as I have her marked.

Great morning to you, Kim............it is all trial and error, isn't it!
The book says that Wrangler's Pink Patches has pointed leaves so I think these are Pink Patches .......????????

Here is a slightly younger version of Pink Patches.

OK...........back to work................
sorry these don't have blooms but I was getting ready to send them directly to Jan and decided maybe we might benefit in some small way by posting these pics....

There's only one photo in PF of Wrangler's Pink Patches ... one SnowRose posted: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/135448/ and the foliage looks different.

I love, love, love all of these pic's Gail ... makes me want one of each of them! You grow such beautiful plants!

Unfortunately I can't say I've learned much - but I do try! I will say, you all have taught me a lot, but this ole brain doesn't seem to retain like it used to! ^_^ I'm one of those students that you have to keep telling me the same things over and over and over! LOL.

That link you posted for rainbowviolets shows some really awesome photo's!

I am really confused about Pink Patches now. The one she posted Jannich and I have the same foliage and they are marked Pink Patches.........but then I have those pointed leaves marked the same. do you suppose there could be such a difference from different leaves?????????
First Class says:
Wrangler's Pink Patches (6230) 05/20/1986 (W. Smith) Double light pink pansy/darker center. Variegated dark green and dark pink, pointed. Large

Interesting thread Gail! I was happy to hear Violetmom's reasoning on the first subject of the violets though as I don't believe Idaho or here abouts has any hybridizers! :0)

What I have been noticing/learning recently is that the old basic violets I have are the ones that put up babies the fastest, then grow the biggest and bloom much quicker, at least for me.

My conditions are far from ideal but I have grown about three dozen standard violets from leaf in the past year or so and the old "no name" leaves that were from my grandmothers 25 year old plants (that my aunt still has) outstripped the named AV leaves I have gotten by a mile!!

I am assuming that the old plants are just a much heartier stronger plant from before the hybridizing really became the thing. Only guesses on my part but it is what I have learned!

Of course the blooms on Grandma's old violets pale in comparison to the newer hybrids! Here is a picture of one of the basic old violets I have of Grandma's. Love the beautiful girl foliage and the blue green color of it.

~Brenda

This message was edited Apr 18, 2008 10:31 PM

Here's Optimara Modesty from AVSA site: http://www.avsa.org/Photographs/OptimaraModestyLrg.jpg#http://../Photographs/OptimaraModestyLrg.jpg%23

and Wrangler's Pink Patches from AVSA site: http://www.avsa.org/Photographs/Wrangler'sPinkPatchesLrg.jpg#http://../Photographs/Wrangler'sPinkPatchesLrg.jpg%23

Awesome Violet, Brenda! That is from one of your grandmother's violets? Do you mind me asking how old your grandmother is? Gosh, it's great that you can keep a plant growing that came from one your grandma had.

The first violets leaves I bought from eBay in January of 2007 I potted in store bought AV soil and grew on my desk top in a south facing window. No domes, no heat, no artificial light or decent soil. I was new to AV's and didn't know better.

Because that is how I started them I have stuck with nothing but natural light (south or east facing windows) for them because I wanted to continue the experiment even after I got stands and lights. Took most of them until now (15 months later) to bloom with these less than ideal conditions. But I am happy with them and the pretty blooms that are appearing!

Here is Firehouse...

~Brenda




This message was edited Apr 18, 2008 10:45 AM

Hi Lin! My grandma passed away nearly 20 years ago at 77. But my aunt (my moms twin) took home all grandma's plants. I now have three violets, a basic green hoya carnosa and an Aloe plant that were all started from Grandma's original plants. I treasure them!

Here is another AV that was started from Grandma's just getting it's very first blooms. My aunt says the blooms will be a pretty frilly pink and white when it gets a bit more mature!

~Brenda

A window grown Playful Spectrum opening it's first bloom...

~Brenda

Oooh, Firehouse is nice but I LOVE that one with the pretty pink blooms!

It is really wonderful that your grandma's violets are still growing on! I know she is smiling down on them and you!

Wow! That Playful Spectrum bloom is gorgeous! Looks like a painting!