I know better than to get "house plants". I kill them. I don't mean to, it just happens that way. I bought two really cute AVs April 20th, because my Mom was coming to visit. She has always grown AVs in her kitchen, so they would be going home with her, and I could visit sometimes.
Didn't work out ;(. She's "given up" on AVs. She wouldn't take them. I've read the care articles, and I've tried, They actually did very well for a while, doubled in size and were blooming beautifully. Then it got hot, and all the blooms died. The leaves seemed okay, except that they looked leggy once the flowers were gone (looked fine with the flowers filling the center of the plant, but now it's bare. Well, I figured that the heat had done 'em in. There is no place in the house that is cool.( Well, there is one room, but it's occupied by a plethora of cats, and is a bad place to be a plant, believe me).
Then yesterday, as I took them for their soak, I found a flower. Just one, and it was hidden under the leaves. It isn't the same as the others were, they had white edges, this is solid.
What do I do now? They're still in a sunny, southern window, and the leaves look healthy. Is there any way to get them thru the summer, until temps are reasonable again? I feel so badly for them. I had expected them to die quickly, but they just kept going....
Unintentional AV mommy
After a heavy bloom, sometimes they just need a little recovery time before the foliage fills out again. You may be able to give them a boost by trimming off the outer row or two of leaves (4 or 5 rows of leaves is sufficient... too many "older" leaves means that plant starts putting more energy into maintaining old foliage rather than producing blooms and putting out some new leaves at the center to get rid of that "leggy" look) and repotting them in fresh mix (not a bigger pot). Sounds like you're doing right by them... they'll survive a hot summer, they just may not bloom well until temps cool down a bit again.
don't forget to bury the neck of the av when you repot. (I always scrape the neck with a blade or something before I bury it in the soil)
I'm trying to get a picture up here, but no luck yet, my camera seems to have issues.
After I've trimmed off the old blooms, they don't look so bad....but what do I know:)
I'll go try again, thanks for the help!
Sounds like they're doing fine!
HERE is a nice site on Repotting a Violet. Step by step with lots of pictures.
www.robsviolet.com/repotting_violet.htm
Thanks, docgipe! Those stickys at the top of the forums really have a lot of good information and Rob always has good advice.
I just used those instructions and found my violets behaving just as was explained. They never knew they were moved....and honest.......never lost a bloom. Consider me a beginner with AV. Always had one or two. Now things kinda got out of hand. Presently excitedly waiting the first blooms from a leaf cuttings made plantlets.
Planting AV leaves is verrrrrry addictive. I still have 2 big trays of babies but I am only taking one plant from each kind this time. If not, I won't have any shelves left (LOL).
Lowe's just put the perfect size AV clay pot out marked down to a buck. Bought twenty but think I better think about some other sizes too. I usually paint the side up to the shoulder or rim. That slows down some of the evaporation. Makes the display a bit more attractive.
AV's like tea a couple time a week - do not like to get their feet wet - always water from below - Hope that helps
Yep we were coached that way when we started. Teas are the only feed our inside plants get including oranges and lemons in the winter.
My tea making includes: manure tea, earthworm cast tea, fishoil, kelp and Bat Guana augmented by occasional use of aerobic tea. Our plants never see a salt based manufactured fertilizer. We dust the leaves off once a month. Even our orchids put up with this rotation of teas.
There are so many good sites available for growing gessies. The AVSA site even has DVDs available for 8.00 from the convention lectures. Also, the stickys at the top of each forum are a wealth of information for all of us. .......thanks to begoniacrazii and others.
Wow! This info is all great :) For several days I've been unable to get to this thread (and only this thread) so I'm glad to finally got back and see. My one baby now has two blooms, but the second is solid, as well. The first new bloom is beginning to develop a white center, while the blooms first time around had a white edge. Is that normal? I'll keep watching them.
Thanks for all the help. Maybe they will survive :)