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African Violets

drooping stems and leaves

20 years ago

I left my 2 AV at school during the Christmas vacation. I believe the heat was on as usual and I watered them very well before I left. Upon return, they have the lower half of the plants with wilted leaves and stems. I thought it was that they had dried out, but I have left them without water for longer periods of time before.......and after watering them and waiting 2 days, they still are droopy. What should I do? Cut off the stems? Then I will have a VERY long neck on the plants. I have never tried cutting off the root ball and stripping the neck.............it sounds SO harsh. Help...........I love these plants as they usually bloom and bloom and bloom! Thanks...........Rhonda

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Comments (2)

korina
20 years ago
Rhonda, you likely have root rot. If so, you have no choice but to jump in and do it. Check Rachel's site for clear instructions and pictures to walk you through it. It's really not that bad. Just make sure when you cut the rootball off, to trim the neck to healthy tissue.

Good luck.

Korina

Here is a link that might be useful: Rachel's long neck
mzinwa
20 years ago
Rhonda:
Korina is right...you just have to push up your sleeves and cut the neck! Believe me, it will hurt you more than it will your plant. I put it off until I had one violet with a 1 1/2 inch neck - it looked hideous. But I went to Rachel's site, and followed her directions step by step. After the operation, I put a baggie over my violet, and within a few weeks I could see little roots growing out of the stem. It was a succes for me and now I wonder why I waited so long!
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