| Author | Content |
adinamiti
Bucuresti
Romania
March 27, 2008
04:35 AM Post #4715781
| Jill, thank you for showing us so many options about how to water our violets ! It's always a problem, especially for the new gardeners...although, sometimes I've killed too some of my violets with too much water...ugh!
Congratulations for another great article!
Hugs,
Adina |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2008
09:00 AM Post #4716134
| You're welcome! You're right; I think more African violets are killed by overwatering than by underwatering. Sometimes, a little "benign neglect" does wonders!
:-) |
langbr
Olathe, KS
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2008
09:40 AM Post #4716303
| After a few premature demises, I finally got the watering trick down. Any suggestions for my next hurdle with AV's...getting them to bloom? I'm not real good at fertilizing regularly so I figure that could be a big clue as to why I don't see blooms. Maybe it's insufficient light?
Good, informative article Critter! |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2008
09:51 AM Post #4716359
| AVs do like pretty bright light, although they might not like being put right into the bright patch of direct sun coming through a south facing window -- they'd probably rather be right next to that window rather than right in front of it. If the leaves on your plants are reaching upwards, they're wishing for more light. Fertilizer will help, too. I use an AV fertilizer at 1/4 strength each time I water (or at 1/2 strength if I've skipped it a few times). Full strength (as per label recommendations) generally seems to be too much.
My plants also did better when I switched to using dechlorinated water. You can filter the water to remove the chlorine or just let it sit out overnight (chlorine will dissipate this way, but chloramines present in some tap water will not). I think you could also use a dechlorinator meant for aquarium use, although I haven't done so. Room temperature or lukewarm water may be better than cold.
If you haven't repotted your plants in a year or so, that will help get them going again also. Rob's Violet Barn (www.robsviolet.com) has good culture lessons on repotting and other stuff. Even knocking the pot on the table (or dropping it, LOL) may disturb the roots a little and shock the plant into blooming.
Good luck! and post pics on the AV forum when they bloom... :-) |
cedarnest
Northeast, NE
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2008
12:10 PM Post #4717122
| Jill can't tell you how much I absolutely Love your article!!.You are truly a gal in the 'know' and its so much appreciated.Thanks to your article..this old dog even learned a few new tricks : - ) |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2008
12:18 PM Post #4717152
| I've picked up a lot from different AV grower sites and from the clever & creative folks on the AV & Gessie forum!
Like so many gardening topics, there are lots of approaches to watering African violets that work... the trick is finding the one that you and your plants like best! |
cedarnest
Northeast, NE
(Zone 5a)
March 27, 2008
12:43 PM Post #4717264
| Thanks Jill! I forgot to ask..Are you planning any more articles on av's and gessies?(care,propagation,etc?) I sure hope so.I really like how you make everything so easy to understand in your articles. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2008
02:15 PM Post #4717616
| I've been trying to get 1 article on the schedule each month on African violet topics, alternating between care topics (AV 101) and types of African violets (variegated foliage, trailers, minis, etc). This was a 2-fer month, because I wanted to do a fun article on green AVs for St. Pat's! I'll branch out and write about other gessies, too, now that I'm learning more about them myself. :-)
I know there's a fine line between including enough information and putting in too many details so that something sounds more complicated than it really is... I'm glad you think I've struck a good balance with my articles! A couple of the other writers have asked me why I'm still sticking with the 1000 word maximum after Dave lifted that limit for the articles... I said keeping it shorter keeps people's eyes from glazing over, and I have yet to have anybody say "hey, great article, but I sure wish it had been twice as long!" LOL On the other hand, I sure wouldn't want PalmBob to be shortening his wonderful articles, so I'm glad we have that flexibility. |
KyWoods
Melbourne, KY
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2008
07:08 PM Post #4718601
| Great watering advice, Jill--I didn't know that a too-dry plant acts the same as a too-wet one! Any idea how long the blooms are supposed to last? Oh, and if you need an idea on another article, propagating african violets would be a good one--I never have any luck with that. My leaves always just rot. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2008
07:12 PM Post #4718614
| That's on my list, KY... I guess I'd better bump up the propagating article and get it on the schedule! There are some good links with propagating info in the resource sticky at the top of the AV forum, too. :-)
A lot of things can affect how long blooms last, but an individual bloom usually looks good for at least a week on my plants... and with a little luck, I'll have some buds opening up for a while. |
grampapa
Wheatfield, NY
(Zone 6a)
March 27, 2008
09:01 PM Post #4719062
| Jill, I'm glad you said they don't mind being watered from the top. I've always watered mine from the top with no apparent ill effect. But I did just lose one micro-mini, I think from too little water. The tiny pot just dried out too fast for me. I'm another one of those who would love an article on propagation, please.
Thanks... ~ jan |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 27, 2008
09:30 PM Post #4719194
| OK, I'll get that one finished up soon... but Rob's does have a great tutorial, and there are some other good propagation links in the sticky, so I guess I had put that one on the back burner figuring it had been covered elsewhere. :-)
I've lost a couple of micro-minis, and I'm wondering if they might just do better in a little terrarium setting... maybe even just a wine glass with a few pebbles on the bottom to hold in a little extra humidity, like some folks (me included) have done with the little sinningias. For me, even when they're surviving OK, they seem to sucker a lot, and I think plants tend to do that more under stress (like uneven moisture conditions). What do you think? |
KyWoods
Melbourne, KY
(Zone 6a)
March 28, 2008
12:48 AM Post #4720121
| Ooo, now that would be pretty! :) |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 28, 2008
12:48 AM Post #4720122
| And maybe it would live! LOL |
goofybulb
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
March 28, 2008
08:47 AM Post #4720668
| never knew all the different ways to water the AV's; great information, Jill!
I think light is very important. since we moved in this house (lots of space, but not too bright, even the south-facing windows), my AV's got less and less happy. I took some to my work place, and some I gave away to a good friend of mine for better conditions.
My dad has a real good hand with them, his (never knew cultivar names) are almost always in flower, smiling happily on windowsills (the south-facing one with drapes, though). He only had one mini, and it was the hardest to please, and for some reason, the hardest to propagate.
I wonder if they do good outside. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
March 28, 2008
11:31 AM Post #4721470
| I know some Florida DGers who have planted them outside with success... I think good drainage and protection from direct sun are probably key. It might get a little hotter than they'd like in Miami; but try it with a couple and see. Another possibility is using fluorescent lights, whether you set up a plant stand or mount a fixture under your kitchen cabinets and put AVs on your countertop. A combination of warm ("daylight") & cool bulbs seems to work well... you probably don't need the really $$ "grow lights" for AVs. I have fluorescent lights on mine, and when they're in full bloom I take them off the shelf and show them off around the house. |
birder17
Jackson, MO
(Zone 6b)
April 01, 2008
11:57 PM Post #4744289
| I bought an African Violet from the Nashville Lawn & Garden Show in late February. I have not tried AV before but these caught my eye. They were minis??maybe??. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a mini. Anyway, it's been blooming happily. It's on the floor right now beneath th door sill of the patio. I have pretty much neglected it as I do most of my houseplants--don't water very frequently. I will move it when the sun comes out - if it ever does. We' ve had way too much rain and cloudy days. |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
April 02, 2008
12:03 AM Post #4744311
| Cool!
Miniature AVs are a lot of fun! There are actually semi-miniatures, also, sort of an in-between size. As long as you don't put them in too big a pot, they'll be fine. Minis generally will never need anything bigger than a 2 inch pot, and semi-minis maybe a 3 inch pot... the diameter of the plant should be two to three times the diameter of the pot, and the roots should fill or nearly fill the pot... when you get a lot of extra potting mix around the roots, that's when you get into trouble, because all that soil mix holds too much water around the roots.
|
birder17
Jackson, MO
(Zone 6b)
April 02, 2008
08:15 PM Post #4748056
| Thanks for all of your very good information. I really like my little AV. Birder |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
April 02, 2008
09:27 PM Post #4748460
| You'll have to drop by the AV & Gessie forum... post a photo & share your new little beauty! |
birder17
Jackson, MO
(Zone 6b)
April 02, 2008
10:45 PM Post #4748823
| Speaking of "gessie" I think I bought two of them at the Nashville Garden Show. There was a "display only" booth. I could not find anyone to tell me what those gorgeous plants were. Finally at the very last, someone walked by (a club member) and I found out they had another booth of plants for sell in a different room. They had two left and I bought them. I have no idea what color they are, but they look very healthy right now. So, what is the real name for these cute little plants? Gessarium?? |
critterologist
Frederick, MD
(Zone 6b)
April 02, 2008
11:10 PM Post #4749005
| African violets are part of a larger group of plants known as Gesneriads... they have a whole host of lesser-known "cousins." I think you definitely need to find your way over to the forum and post some photos! I know people would like to see your plants, and you'd be quite likely to get an ID for them... you could also go to the ID forum, of course.
:-) |
birder17
Jackson, MO
(Zone 6b)
April 03, 2008
08:25 PM Post #4753218
| I'm going over to gessneriads forum :) |
