Wendy -

there is no such thing as a silly question, people have different techniques in resolving the issue - you will find what works.

In my experience - stressed plants sucker. it is their reaction to the threat - they try to create more progeny.
So - check if you keep them consistently watered, fertilized and repotted. The culture break of any kind will make them sucker.

Minis and semi-minis sucker more than standards - because in the hybridization of minis in a very beginning a mini trailer species was used. So if they carry mini-gene - they probably carry some memory of trailing as well.

Sometimes young plants sucker, but if you diligently remove suckers until a plant matures - the suckeroproduction peters off. I would say that for me it is a case with some Rob's hybrids.

Sometimes you get the variety that stubbornly produces suckers in your conditi0ns. For me it is Crushed Velvet - and Beachcomber. They drive me nuts - but I love them.
I know that I cannot wait until they start looking like mops.

So - you need special long tip tweezers (forceps), that make this operation easy. You need to nip the sucker while it is under 1/4", not when it is bigger than Mama.
I got mine from Violetshowcase.com, and then I discovered that you can get the set of them in Harbor Freight Tools.

Depending how much the suckering varieties irritate you - you either pass them to somebody else - probably they will behave better in someody else home - or you keep them on the edge of your shelf and inspect them with tweezers ready once a week.

Good luck

irina

Hi
Thanks for your response. I think that I had been lucky with my choices of AV's until now but I do have to admit that things got away from me this winter so the rest of your comments are true as well. I will be watching my collection more closely and maybe finding new homes for the really irritating ones.

Wendy - try to restart the most annoying ones from the leaf. You know - leaf will give you 10 babies, you select the best 3-4, plant them perfectly in a center of the Solo, repot often enough - and there is a good chance you raise at least one that behaves. Mistreated plants often behave like "damaged goods". And you start with your own strong baby and maintain it that way - you would get exceptional plant- that's how Show Winners are raised.

Good Luck

irina

Good ideaq! What exactly is a solo cup? It looks in the pictures like a plastic beverage cup? With holes?

10 babies Irina? You got them on an IVF program or just plain ol steroids...

What I do - stick 2 leaves in a solo cup - and I end with way too many babies. Plus I cut the top of the leaf to prevent it from growing into a rhubarb leaf - so more stuff goes into babies. Minis and semis do not give you too many - but fresh cut standard leaves..usually more than you need.

Solo cup - plastic white 3 oz cup you can get in King Soupers, Kroeger, Walmart etc. in a party supply department- the hole in the bottom can be made by any sharp object - I usually make 2 holes with a drill in 6 cups stacked together.