thanks for your reply, ngbehht. I've put down a couple leaves, one is touching the soil (barely) and one isn't. they are in Ziploc bags, and so far, no rotting...been there for a couple weeks now. I didn't want to buy leaves and lose them by not doing this properly. I think the next ones I do, i'll not have them touching the soil. these are off a NOID I have, just to experiment and see if I can actually get some to grow... THEN i'll order some nice leaves...
thanks again for the help
Debbie

Debbie,

I try to keep the leaf from touching the soil. In my conditions, it is more liable to rot. Sometimes the petiole is so short, it can't be avoided. I've rooted both ways but the 'not-touching' works better for me.

Experimenting is the name of the game. It is how you find out what works and what doesn't for you and your growing conditions. And using a plant that is not one of your favorites is also a great idea!

Linda

thanks for your reply, whitelacey. I think in the future i'll do as you suggest and not have the leaves touching the soil to minimize the chance of losing the leaves to rot. There's a million beautiful violet leaves out there just waiting to be rooted!! LOL
Deb

Deb,

You are so hooked... ;)

Linda

yup, been bit BAD - but that's a GOOD thing...LOL

Yep, she's a gonner! lol... I love it!

We got another one!! High five!!!

Linda

Finally, I have baby mousies coming up! Two days ago, I noticed teeny, tiny little green things poking out of the mix of two of my leaf sets. Hubby said "they're just weeds coming up", lolol... And the next day, another leaf set with greenies!! And today, another...I'm so excited! And the first ones that came up have gotten bigger in just 2 days...so cool.

Question..., do I continue to water as usual or do I now start using fertilizer? These things are tiny, so I'm not sure.

Also, when they get bigger and filling up the cup before separating, how do I water without getting the babies wet? They're hard enough to water now with just the leaves. I have them in little 2 oz cups and I'm using the turkey baster that was suggested, to water now.

One more question, should I keep them under the dome with the heat mat until they're ready to pot up, or do they need to be hardened off when the time comes? Temp is a pretty steady 75 with humidity 85-89%. Every single leaf set still looks great, I haven't lost one.

I'll have pictures tomorrow, it's late and I'm ready for bed, lol.

Any suggestions are appreciated (Linda) :-)

Sharon

I just got myself a condiment bottle, you know, one of those that they have ketchup and mustard in at hot dog stands. It has a tiny nozzle and makes it fairly easy to squirt water between leaves... But I've also got mine on a watering mat, less for watering, more to increase the humidity, still, bottom watering is quick in a pinch. (Domes didn't work all that well for me this winter).
Come to think of it though, I wouldn't stress too much about water on baby leaves - if they were to stain, they will be long gone before the plant is a decent size anyways...

Karin

Duplicate reply.

This post was edited by fortyseven on Mon, May 5, 14 at 22:02

Hi, Sharon, congratulations, good job! The mousies will not need fertilizer because you have them planted in a mix that contains fertilizer. Those domes are good, I use the exact same ones. Make sure they have enough bright indirect light. The cup in in the right hand corner looks too tall. I usually cut those types of cups down by one third and then poke a few holes in the bottom with an X acto knife. It is easier to poke holes when the pot is full.
However, if this leaf has started to send up babies, or if it still looks crisp and healthy, just leave it alone.

Joanne

This post was edited by fortyseven on Sun, May 4, 14 at 22:54

Sharon,

You do not need to worry about getting water on the leaves. It is a MYTH- MYTH- MYTH- that you cannot get water on violet leaves. Do not get COLD water on the leaves. This is what causes spotting. Blot any water that is sitting in the crown and dry away from the light.

Most experienced growers regularly wash their violets' leaves to remove dust and gunk. I washed two trays of violets over the week-end.

I start feeding when the leaves appear. I do not use the potting soil with fertilizer because I have no control over how much fertilizer the plants are getting and when the fertilizer is used up. If you want, you can feed them with a weak solution of fertilizer.

I start to harden off when the leaves are about the size of a dime. Just gradually acclimate them to the surrounding environment. I would turn off the heat mat first for a few days before I started opening the dome.

It sounds like you are doing great. Make sure you post pictures!

Linda

Thank you!! I will definitely post pictures, I'll post a couple tiny babies up now. Thanks Linda for your expertise!! They're getting bigger every day.

Couple more...:-)

Exciting, isn't it???

Linda

If it were too complicated, they'd have probably died out by now ;)

Diana

So true Diana! And I had no idea how much I would like these little guys :-3 I just bought a clearance av the other day. Looks like something fell on it (a lot of leaves broken off), but it's a healthy plant, with one beautiful purple and white double flower. I'm afraid I may be losing my fight with the av bug!

Lauraeli,

Resistance is futile.......

Linda

Soon you'll be joining the rest of us. "Hello, my name is Vikki and I'm an AV-holic . . ."

Sharon, makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it? Spring must be here! J

We can quit any time ;)

Diana

Clearance plant :-) I paid $1.70.

(Getting off topic now...whoops)

Might be Optimara Cora. I've been looking at its variations today. If it is, it may change a little (not for the worse). Nice find!

See those two leaves forming a V below the broken stem? That is a sucker. You can take it off or maybe let it grow and get another plant from it.

Diana

We CAN quit any time...(we just don't want to. ) ;)

Yup, quit anytime we want . . . . (But why would we want to?)

Yes it does seem to have a few suckers on it. It is a mess, shape-wise, and I am entirely unsure what to do with it! I'm thinking I will let it fill out a bit, into some semblance of a circle, before I decide what to take off.

Optimara cora! Yes, I believe you are right. I never would've figured it out. :-)

We seem to have had so many questions about suckers here and you gave us such a wonderful photo of one that I wanted to point it out :)

As I said, I've been looking at Cora a lot because I had a very nice one and I'm not sure what I'd get if I order from Selective Gardener. It's a distinctive plant though, not like all these white-edged ones I suddenly seem to have accumulated.

Diana

I am curious whether i should remove the flowers and flower stalks so that it will focus on leaves...it would seem a shame.

Opinions either way?

You probably should, especially since thrips can hide in the blossoms. However, if you wish to risk it, it would probably grow just fine if you left them on.

I do disbud them because of the possibility of insects and isolate them for awhile (about 3 mos. although some will say 6). I've never had a problem come from my Lowe's though.

Diana

I dont see any evidence of bugs luckily. I did have thrips on my other AV though. This was before it started flowering. They were attacking one leaf, which I removed. It's been months and havent seen any more.

I have also seen ocassional evidence of foliar nematodes on my other AVs. I thought that was the beginning of the end. But my AVs are very hardy, and healthy as can be. I have seen foliar nematodes all but destroy a begonia, while the impatiens in the same pot flourished without symptom.

My AVs are always isolated from each-other so Im not concerned about it. I find it very interesting though, how one plant is overcome by an infestation of bugs, and another shrugs it off. It piques my curiousity.

Lauraeli
I have found Optimara Cora to be very sturdy.
In my experience, it can focus on growing both leaves and flowers at the same time. If you do not see any evidence of thrips, such as spilled pollen or tiny little specks on the blossom that look like lint, it is probably ok. That variety of plant does tend to form suckers. At some point, when the plant is bigger, you might want to remove them. They will root easily and yield many new plants. Cora leaves and suckers tend to root easily.
Joanne

I am sure I will do that :-) I dont have any experience removing suckers. I hope it is easy.

Diana
I have many leaves of what Joanne believes to be Cora put in the propagation cups. It is a sturdy, floriforous plant.
When and IF I get babies, I will be looking for homes.

Lauralei,

Are you sure it was thrips attacking your leaf? Thrips feed on pollen, not leaves.

Linda

Im sure thrips feed on pollen too...and of course, they prefer flowers over foliage. But I have known them to also attack the undersides of leaves. And commonly, too. Perhaps not as noticeable on an AV, since they have thick leaves. Anyway I didnt get out the magnifying glass, but Im quite sure that's what they were.

Not a terrible infestation by themselves, especially on a healthy plant, but they spread infection from plant to plant :-( such as viruses. And viruses, as we all well know, are not treatable in a plant.

We can quit any time ... but who would want to ...
For those who make a serious business of this and raise many, sounds like an exciting part time business or hobby!
It is very encouraging.
Joanne

This post was edited by fortyseven on Fri, May 9, 14 at 23:48

Hi there,
I've been looking at heat mats. Do they really help? My concern is the winter time, with babies coming up. I'm wondering if anyone has done a comparison on growing with and without?

And about what temperature should the inside of the dome be? Mine are growing in flats with a 7" dome over the top. Babies are sprouting, but I thought it might help to provide some bottom heat for them. The daytime temp (within the domes) is about 68 F. Haven't measured the evening/night time temp yet, but am a little worried it's getting a little too cool in there.

Thanks for any insight!
Best,
Judy

I think gentle bottom heat can help. You don't want it to get too warm though. I haven't bothered with bottom heat for years though so someone else can probably help you. I think the newer cables and such are thermostatically controlled. I used it for starting seeds in the basement.

If it gets too cold, you will have problems. Somebody will likely come along with something specific, but I'd try to get over 70, maybe around 75 or thereabouts anyway. I had them in front of the hot air register one time and they did fine. It was pretty warm in that area.

Diana

Hello, I wanted to ask you guys if you "pin" your AV leaves when you're propagating? I have been just sticking the end of the cut leaf into the soil. I have since read in several places that some AV folks use things like a bobby pin to "pin" the leaf to the soil. Does it do better with than without?

I think that pinning is usually done to help propagated leaved to "stand up" in the soil, ... rather than lie in the soil ... where they are more subject to rot.

I just learned from Rosie to only fill the cup to half full. Then the leaf can rely on the edge of the cup to stand up. Also cut the stem only to half inch long, so it doesn't bury too deep in the dirt, making the babies easier to come out.

Hmmm. I have been inserting my leaves at an angle that pretty much leaves (no pun intended) them lying on the soil. I do have some mold on my leaves but no sign of rot yet. So a preferred method is to prop the leaf up or stand it up?

I think that we're all just following the advice of the propagation experts here ...

I've also learned to cut my stems short (no longer than an inch) ... because otherwise the new plants have a lot of soil to get through to reach the surface.

That certainly slows the process ... and sometimes, the new plantlets might never make it ...

Wow,,,this is an old thread! Very interesting though. Thanks for the compliment Julie! I know it will work well for you. Notice how Holtkamp/Optimara leaves are in the soil up to the base of the leaf? And a very short piece of stem underground. Wont hurt them a bit. Rosie

one of my best largest healthiest variegated blooming violets collapsed with crown rot when i was away.

it was on wick in original soil (not enough perlite). i uppotted it into a pot with a perlite all around to keep it drier back in summer. and it survived like that in 75F for 2 weeks. so i did not think to worry about it..

but now the temps are cooler and it rotted :(. i cut off 6 still healthy leaves and put them in water with some peroxide to disinfect. but after 2 days i see browning of the stem at the tip...i cut off 1/2 inch more and now have only 1/2" stubs left. i finally put them in perlite and dipped in rooting hormone to hopefully stop the rot.

i actually never put the leaves in water like that before.

so my question is : does the stem naturally brown at the tip when put in water?

Don't use peroxide, don't use rooting hormone. I have successfully rooted in 1:1:1 peat : perlite : vermiculite mix on a wick and in plain water. I would re-cut the leaves, with sharp knife or razor blade and stick them into water or mix. Don't treat them in any way.

i use rooting hormone all the time, i am a pretty experienced grower. of AV's and lots of other stuff. i propagate begonia rex and rhizotomous from leaves all the time . first in water, then when rooted xfer to perlite.

and i add peroxide to my water all the time as i grow everything on wicks and leave them for months at a time unattended :)...yah, believe it! peroxide is not a problem at all. they must've started rotting to turn brown like that, but i trimmed again.

just curious, if other people had this happen when crown rot occurred and they trimmed the leaves for propagation.

You try to do your best - but sometimes the infection is already there...

I had the case when the leaf stalk was rotting every time I put it in the soil - the way I finally managed to root this picky variegated one - is to root in vermiculite. It is sterile,

Irina

i recut sev leaves and just let them dry for a day to seal the cut to see if that will make the difference - now rooting powder and into perlite ...we'll see. that's a sep batch .

it's my fave new 'dead' one!...