What Did You Learn?

15 years ago

I grew AVs quite happily for 20+ years before I knew about AV clubs. (Remember, I predate the Internet. LOL)

I'm telling you what I learned in hopes you'll tell the rest of us to give some assurance to newbies that we weren't always this smart. :-) Along with these forums, joining a local club and the AVSA (avsa.org) are great tools to learning about growing beautiful African Violets.

I learned:

1. About grooming. I mean REAL grooming; not just removing a leaf or two. Edward Scissorhands came to mind the first time a member volunteered to groom an AV I thought was just fine. Not! I think it wound up with a three rows, it's neck scraped and half its rootball removed. Which leads me to...

2. Remove the lower 1/3 to 1/2 of a rootball when repotting. Which leads me to....

3. DO NOT OVERPOT!!! EVER, NEVER, EVER, NEVER! Putting an AV in a 10" pot does not a 60" AV make.

4. 4" or 5" pots are as large as you want to go (except for trailers which are another matter altogether).

5. African Violets do not have to have a neck and yes, it's possible to take them back to their original form.

6. There are such a thing as "baby leaves" (the hardest thing for me to recognize and sometimes I still don't) and they are not a good thing....

7. ....Neither are "eye pokers."

8. You can start leaves in plastic baggies (the zippable kind) with a soilless mix and hang them in a sheltered window to save shelf space. Of course eventually they will take up self-same shelf space you thought you were saving when you hung them in the window.

9. You don't have to put down EVERY leaf that breaks.

All white leaves on a varigate might be beautiful but can be deadly. Poor Champagne Pink. :-(
African Violets come in the trailing variety! "Not so sure that was a good thing to learn," says Linda who has at least 60 of them.

Now, please remember I learned all this after 20 years of blissful ignorance. Oh, BTW, that Edward Scissorhanded AV? In less than three months the club declared it show-worthy!

Linda

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Comments (4)

User
15 years ago
Good words of wisdom, Linda. One of the hardest things I had to do was cut back my 12 year old Violet about two months ago. It had great sentimental value, since it had been in my father's funeral basket. Although I didn't know it all those years, I did everything wrong, and yet it still grew beautifully. When I started getting serious about growing AVs about a year ago, I joined a couple of on-line groups, since there are none local to me, and started reading all I could about their care. I repotted my 12 year old and took off a couple of leaves but not much else.

One day I noticed that it was leaning, really seriously listing to one side. Oh No! So I took it out of the pot only to discover that the root/neck was over 5 inches long and had begun to curl back on itself at the bottom of the pot. Horrors! So I steeled myself and cut that neck back to about 1 1/2 inches and cut off about 2/3 of the leaves from the outside rows in. That was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do to any plant! I put down a lot of the leaves, just in case, and repotted in fresh mix.

Your AV is NOT supposed to look like this.
{{gwi:377874}}From African Violets

I am happy to report that it has recovered nicely, growing new leaves and standing straight and tall. And the leaves I put down are just starting to sprout babies.
{{gwi:377875}}From African Violets

These Violets can tolerate a lot, which is a good thing for all that we put them through!

Sue
GrowHappy
15 years ago
1.) If you have one, join your local AV club. You'll learn a lot and enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded folk! And then, attend at least one national AVSA convention in your lifetime.

2.)Isolate, Isolate, Isolate! All new purchases for at least 4 months. Six months, however, is much better. Viruses and bugs can take time to manifest.

3.) When grooming your violets, clean your tool between each violet or leaf you're working on. You'll prevent the spread of deadly viruses. Clorox wipes work great.

4.) Don't grow more than you can comfortably take care of. It should be an enjoyable hobby, not another full-time job. :)

5.) When you make changes, do so a few violets a time, not your whole collection. This way, if something goes wrong, you haven't damaged or lost your entire collection.

6.) Repot often- every 6 months for standards and 3-4 months for minis and semi-minis. Violets appreciate a fresh start, and you'll possibly prevent any pH problems.

7.)Do not take leaves from a bug infested plant. You will only transfer the problem to new babies. Get rid of the bugs and then take leaves.

8.) You really do need big guns to get rid of bugs. Use the chemicals according to directions- not a little less and not a little more. If you use less, you'll only create resistant strains of the pest. More can damage your plants. Natural remedies are often ineffective. I recommend Forbid for mites and Marathon(granular) for mealies. I've never had to deal with thrips, so I don't have a personal recommendation for this bug problem. I do know that Conserve SC is still the best thing available for retail consumers, although thrips have developed an immunity to it.

9.) Violets are not one size fits all. What works well in my growing conditions may not work in yours. Do what works for you! If it's not broken, don't try to fix it.

10.) Don't be afraid to toss a violet or leaf that looks "iffy" or isn't performing well.(i.e. stunted growth, etc) You risk losing your whole collection by keeping the malingerer around. Most violets can be replaced.

11.) Be careful of boxstore violets. They often are riddled with thrips and are kept too wet- a sure recipe for rot.

12.)Be aware that even the best vendors, or well meaning friends, can have problems that they are unaware of, such as thrips or virus. This brings me back to #2- ISOLATE, ISOLATE, ISOLATE!!!
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GrowHappy
15 years ago
Sorry, the last point should read "....such as bugs or virus."
snappyguy
15 years ago
Until I went to an AV show the only violet I'd ever seen was a purple single pansy with medium green ovate quilted leaves and a bit of a neck. So:

1) Not all AVs look like this.

2) AVs belong to family Gesneriaceae, and very few gesneriads look like AVs to the untrained eye.

3) Not all AVs have the same growing requirements: some need slightly more light, others will never thrive in our home but will in our friends', etc.

4) I heard about the AVSA, AV clubs, shows, and sales.

5) I learned how shows are judged (and also became a judge.)

6) There is an art to starting plants from leaves. I couldn't do it for the longest time, and now very few of my leaves don't make it.

7) Take time to enjoy the beauty of the plants, but don't forget to groom and inspect them often.

8) I learned that Psilotum nudum (whisk fern) Phalaenopsis orchids, and Tillandsia (air plants) all make good, non-gesneriad companion plants.

9) Gesneriads were named for Konrad von Gesner, a Swiss naturalist from the 16th century.
1. Cats will eat your show plants, and show no interest in the others.
2. and finally.... the different types of blooms, foliage, and plant sizes. I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of points, but this is what I can think of right away.
Mark