I've spent the last few hours reading old posts; after page 12 I decided to stop and ask a few questions.

I read a bit before I placed my order. Since I make my own container mix, I will make my own potting mix for the violets, too. I'm wondering, though, if anyone has used coir. It does hold water well, so it may be too wet. But, it wicks excellently, lasts a long time, and isn't environmentally sensitive in the same way as peat.

I bought a four Watermaids and a couple Dandypots in different sizes, so I have small and large. Is there any difference in the wicking from the capillary matting vs the wicks in plant in terms of the potting mix - such as one more moist than the other?

I decided to buy 5 standards, all slightly different to see what I like. I bought 1 each of Ann, Allegro Coronation,Beb Serbin Red, Sugar plum Dream, and Anastatsia. (I think - I went back and forth a few times, lol). I think this gave me a variety of leaf types, some variegation, some single, some ruffles, some bi-color, etc.

I also bought some small pots. I'm not sure I understand the potting progression, though. One I get the leaves, I need to propagate them. That will be its own post, lol. I get the basics, but want to confirm a few things.

Now, once the leaf roots, I'll get one to several babies that I need to cut apart and plant. Is a Dixie cup the standard for this? Are there alternatives that aren't plastic or that at least are reuasable? Assuming I use a Dixie cup, how long is it in there and what does it move to next? The smallest pots I saw were 2", so I am guessing that is what's next.

More later about the cuttings. And, thanks. Even though I am terribly annoyed at all of you for opening my eyes to this world, I appreciate that you are all here, helping each other and those that are lured in ;-)

There is no 12-Step group for us, alas. There is, however, I'm happy to report, a 12-Strep program. Just go over to the gesneriad forum!
Carol

Ahhh, a gardener after my own heart. Don't be mad! Nothing gives more bang for the buck than a simple AV. Having said that -- you asked about coir. I have read other posts from violet/gessie people who are using coir. I bought a bag of it myself to try. The "soil" recipe offered was 1/2 coir and 1/2 perlite. I haven't done this yet, so I don't know if that is too heavy for wicking. My standard wicking mix is 1-1-1 peat-perlite-vermiculite, with 2 T of dolomite lime for every quart of peat moss used in the mix. Some people add more perlite than this, but I find that my wicks dry out if I put in too much perlite. The coir doesn't need any lime. So, maybe someone experienced with coir and wicking will post?
QC

One of our long time posters used coir and it was a disaster. If you put 'coir' in the search box you should come across the posts regarding this. If I remember correctly, it has something to do with ph.

The standard soilless potting mix that most experienced growers use is referred to as a 1-1-1 mix; one part peat moss, one part perlite, one part vermiculite. If you are going to wick water, bump up the perlite by at least another 1/2.

You will do yourself a great service to go ahead and read back posts as you have time.

Welcome to the forum.

Barbara

To all, I hope my first post came across as funny, not as really being mad. I mean I'm only a teensy bit mad! OK, I'm not mad at all, just overwhelmed with knowing that I am going to like this much too much and I really do not have time for it...or space. I live in a relatively small condo with no place to add things and a Felix Unger hubby who will freak if I start trying to add plant racks (I've already been searching!).

But mostly? It was just a funny way to say hi that I figured more than one of you could identify with. If that isn't your sense of humor, please ignore it as no hard feelings were meant.

QC and Barbara,
Interesting about the coir...I have now read about 20 pages of the back posts, so I am not asking questions without due diligence; I hope it didn't sound that way. As a long time veteran of forums in general and as a moderator of one specifically, I know that it's appreciated to do read before asking.

I've also read info at about six or seven other sites. I also like to be thorough, lol. Mostly, though, I'm getting a lot of basics repeated with an occasional nugget.

I've documented the basics in a notebook and am hoping to get a bit more specific info now - either that I missed by accident or maybe that I didn't understand or maybe just wasn't where I looked.

Coir changing pH makes sense. I wouldn't want to use it initially to start the leaves, but may experiment a bit. If pH is an issue, that can be resolved. Peat is a bit acidic - I thought coir was neutral, but I'll do some research there, too.

Carol, the 12-strep was pretty funny. Thanks for the smile.

Another question, if you don't mind. I placed an order with Bluebird a few days ago and didn't receive an automatic reply saying it was received. Since they may not be that automated, I didn't worry, but thought I'd get something from them soon. I still haven't. It's a weekend, so I may be presuming too much, but thought I'd check to see if people normally get anything from them acknowledging an order. I'll contact them on Monday if I haven't, but knowing how they normally work will help me.

And, yet another (I hope I don't have a maximum!): I found another provider today: Purple Sky AV Nursery. I searched here and didn't find any references to them. They could be new, or not used, but thought I'd ask in case someone has used them and just not posted about it yet. Their leaf prices are nice, but that doesn't mean anything if they aren't shipped well or from happy plants, etc.

Last for tonight (morning for most of us, but I stay up late): I know I asked many too many questions in the post above and in this one, but if anyone has any insight into the other questions, I'd appreciate it.

And sorry for the lengthy post....thanks to all who got to the end without needing a break or without wanting to shoot me :-)

Addictive little boogers aren't they! LOL Welcome to the forum.
In response to your question about Bluebird Greenhouse; I have ordered from them in the past and if memory serves me correctly, I believe they ship only on Mondays and Tuesdays. By shipping at the beginning of the week, the plants should arrive before the weekend and there's less need to worry about them sitting at the post office over the weekend. Also, some of the greenhouses will not ship if the weather is going to be too hot for the plants to survive the trip. Depending on where you are located, this could be a factor. Bluebird is in North Carolina and if their weather has been anything like ours north of Atlanta, it probably has been too hot for them to ship (it was 99 degrees here yesterday). If you placed your order on a Monday or Tuesday and they are unable to get it out on one of those 2 days, it wouldn't ship until the following week. I do not recall if I received an e-mail confirmation from Bluebird. If it has been a several days and you are concerned that your order was not received, I would definately give them a call.

Hope this helps. Happy Growing!

Carol

I'm sure no offense was taken by anyone on the forum. We are mostly a pretty laid back group and welcome newbies gladly. Besides, we relate to the addiction issue very well, since most of us are totally out of control when it comes to wanting/needing another African violet. It seems as though there is always room for one more.

I'm glad you are going through the old posts, as there is a wealth of information there.

Again, welcome.

Barbara

No 12-Step - just a lot of wisdom and experience.

Welcome to the group.

Dora

FYI, I emailed Bluebird to ask if order was received. Had an email in my inbox this morning that it was.

So, my guess is that they do not send confirmation emails and in the future I don't need to be concerned. I do a lot of Internet shopping - from food to clothes to fertilizers - and I can't think of anyone who doesn't provide confirmation, so I wasn't expecting it. It makes total sense that they do not - they are probably busy taking care of flowers and may not even think someone would expect it. In the days of sending our order to a seed catalog, we'd not expect a reply of any kind.

You know what? They do sometimes, and sometimes not. Usually I do get at least a confirmation email, but only occasionally a shipment email. I just generally check my bank acct. When they've run the card no, I know to expect my shipment within a week or week and a half.

In any case, it usually takes at least a couple days or so before I see a confirmation email. They're not one of those that send you one immediately. Hope that gives you an idea what to expect!

Well, I think you have a great sense of humor. I had similar experiences with Roses, Organics, Garden Junk, Greenhouses, Vermicomposting, Cannas, Daylilies, Texas Gardening and now African violets. It's shameful, but I'm blaming genetics, all the women in my family ancestry were/are hard core gardeners and flower collectors. We also have a very funny shaped nose, which may have no relation to gardening, but could be a genetically linked trait. Cheryl

Cheryl, I feel your pain! Thankfully I am in a condo now (no longer have the 3 acre playground) so I am quite limited. It's a good thing or I'd never work...I mean work that brings IN money, not sends money OUT.

Thanks for the chuckle. It's greatly appreciated.