Hi, Dan,
You are very kind to adopt this older AV! I just wanted to say welcome to the Forum! You will get lots of wonderful advice here.
You have definitely done your homework.
As for the plant itself, I will step aside and let Linda give advice.

Linda has given great advice on this forum for trimming roots, repotting and scraping and burying a neck.

You can also find videos on You Tube that show how to do this. Paul Sorano of Lyndon Lyon's has one.

Joanne

This post was edited by fortyseven on Tue, Feb 25, 14 at 14:31

Dan,

It sounds as though you are on the right track. The plant should be re-potted in a light soil in a pot one-third its size. You will probably have to slice off the entire root-ball because of the length of the neck. Scrape the neck gently until it shows green and then re-pot bringing the soil to just below the crown. Do not plant too deeply. You don't want the crown buried. Water well and put in a plastic baggie, sealed tightly. (no holes.) This will create a terrarium-like atmosphere that will encourage new root growth. After a few weeks, open the baggie, give the plant a gentle tug and you will be able to tell if it has rooted. If not, re-close the baggie and give it more time. If it has re-rooted, gradually open the bag so the plant can acclimate to life outside the baggie. Place in a well-lit but no sun area during this time.

After the plant is growing well remove any floppy, damaged or yellowed foliage.

I would take a leaf or two and restart this violet as well. Younger plants, like people, look better and have more energy!

Linda

Good luck, Dan. You have something else going for you. That plant made it 7 years :). The pot appears to be too large, but it looks like it had drainage which is important (the saucer on the bottom).

You've been given good advice. I neglected mine terribly and rerooted most of the crowns and didn't lose a one so you should do fine. If I had felt better though, I would have taken some leaves as well.

I just covered the cut off crowns with plastic baggies tightly and that worked too. I also had a shoebox full of ones that were too small to mess with individually. It is 6 mos. later and some are blooming and nearly all have buds. I wish you the same luck.

Diana

Between Linda and Joanne, there isn't much else to say...
I put most my store bought (4") ones into 2" pots by the time I am done grooming and repotting, then let them grow out again and repot as necessary. Just saying, the pot you end up using may be much smaller than the current one, and that's ok.
Also, yup, it's a good idea to start some leaves. Yes, it may count as an addiction, but it's always nice to have a backup, whether you make a mistake watering, your dog decides to eat one, or someone opens the wrong window and freezes a few plants...
Good luck :-)

Karin

P.s. seen as youre in ontario, are you planning on going to the avsc show in Toronto?