Karin,

Personally, I think there is too much leaf removal for no good reason. Plants grow leaves because they need them! Also, all plants do better when they are not constantly fussed over and picked at. If your plants are doing well, I would leave them as is. Just mho.

Linda

Lol, that's why I plot and plan and then usually don't end up doing much...

I just know I am moving sometime in the next 3 weeks, and last time I lost half my plants because there was no room... (Long story, we had to stay in a motel, because our new place wasnt ready).
I already have to give up all my temperate trees (no more balcony), so I am trying to come up with a strategy that lets me keep as many of the (indoor) tropicals and violets as possible...

You would probably do better to switch to minis and semis. Trying to keep a plant small that is supposed to be big is an exercise in frustration. It will make you frustrated and the plants miserable.

Linda

So what would be a good practices for moving with violets? I have a cross-town move to a new apartment at the end of December.

You could try wrapping them like people who ship them do. However, they usually ship fairly small plants. But the theory is the same. Wait until they are starting to go limp, several days after watering. Wrap / roll them in newspaper, or in those clear plastic sleeves that they use at shows. The violets will be in a V- shape. Then you can water them. If you try to wrap them when they have been freshly watered the leaves will be turgid and will snap. You can then box them, padding the sides and bottom with shredded newspaper. A banana box from the grocery store is very stiff and relatively low. The bottom and top needs to be reinforced with pieces from another box since the center is open. But you can easily get these boxes for free from grocery stores. After you are settled you can unwrap the violets and the leaves will slowly relax to their former shape.
Others may have better ideas, but this is what I have done successfully.

you could probably get the plant sleeves at your local flower shop or, grocery store that has a flower shoppe.

˘.˘

dave

If you would need to water the plants before you get a chance to unwrap them, just let each one sit in water for a bit. (This works for the ones in plastic sleeves.) It's much easier than trying to unwrap, water and then re-wrap. You can also just use an ordinary box if there are enough violets to pack them tightly. Or use something to fill the extra space so they don't get jostled during the move. I have transported many violets wrapped as Bunny says and it works just fine. And, as Bunny says, the trick is to let them go a bit limp before packing so you have very few, if any, broken leaves.

You can also wrap them several days before the move so you are not rushed in the last-minute chaos of moving. Been there, done that!

Linda

This post was edited by whitelacey on Sun, Nov 10, 13 at 16:04

Hi Splattered whim,
An additional suggestion that worked well for me.
You can cut small pieces of plastic from a baggie
to cover the soil to keep it moist and to avoid spilling.
Secure it with masking tape.
You can wrap them in thin corrugated cardboard as the outer layer over the plastic or cellophane sleeve (instead of newspaper.) (I got thin corrugated paper from a hardware store.) Cut to size and secure with masking tape. You can leave them wrapped for a day or so once you move. Just open the box for air.
Joanne

Thanks for all the suggestions! Now i just have to figure out what to do with my other plants - especially the ones too big for the car (bubble wrap popsicles pop into mind....)

Karin

Hi Karin
This idea might not appeal to you … but when I moved
a few months ago, I decided to pare down my collection.
Once I made that decision, it was quite surprising the
number of people who came forward to take donated
plants. My family asked me to do this, so moving was
the perfect motivation.

I gave away many of my larger plants, duplicates,
and leaf-started plant lets.
I put an ad in a neighborhood
on-line newsletter. I was very surprised at the number
of neighbors who contacted me. One took several for
her office, another for her mother's senior center.
A gardener in a local nursery took the larger ones.
School teachers and moms-at-home also took some.
I just asked around and discovered some friends
enger to either start a collection or replenish a lost
collection.

I wanted to have
smaller scale plants. Putting down leaves of favorite
plants insures that I still have a clone of the original plant.

I had a friend with a florist shop who was always
giving me violets and orchids that I did not want
but I did not want to say "no." So many of those
also made great gifts to neighbors.

It was easier and more economical to cut down on
my collection rather than trying to move it all.
For any that I gave away but really wanted, it was
a simple matter to order again from the hybridizer.

It also makes me happy when plants find new homes
that make others happy. I also joined a local club
and gave away another large batch of baby plants
for their annual sale.

Once I moved, I assessed the space that could be
allotted for plants. It was quite different than what I
was anticipating--once my "decorator" gal friends
assessed it. I also joined this forum,
which encouraged me to rebuild, selecting only
the varieties I really wanted to add.

Because I went through so much effort to pare down
my collection, and family is always in the background,
I have kept the collection to a moderate size. I now
have more plants that I did before, but all are plants
that I want. This forum made me more "conscious"
and less cluttered by setting up appropriate shelving.

All the baby plants started recently
will eventually be donated next spring when they
are ready. I already know where they will be donated.

With a shared
living space in a smaller home, I need to have limits.

I live in a temperate zone where AVs are popular
houseplants and easy to give away. AVs thrive all year. Not sure where you live or if that would work for you.

My philosophy is that AVs are meant to be given away.
My first one was a gift in an Easter basket. That
little plant ignited the craving …
But there is no lack of supply
and a collection is easily replenished.

My family nagged and teased until I cut down. People
on this forum are gentler and share the same love
for AVs. Along with great tips for managing a collection.

Hope this helps,
Joanne

Joanne - it is easier to move starters and leaf sets. Less space in a box. you can zipock them - and they will hold for a week or 2 until you have their new space set up. Plus young plants grow and bloom better.

I.

HI Irina
I did not realize that younger plants would bloom
better until you advised me on this forum because I always gave away every new plant I started before they came into bloom! This time, I will keep a few until they bloom to see
what they look like!

In reading back over older threads over the years, I see
that so many of the same questions have come up
over and over. It is a delight to wander through the archives. There are some names of posters who were
very helpful who don't seem to post anymore, such
as Fred and Linda from NJ. Well, I am very glad to have Irina from CO, who has been on the forum a long time
and still posts faithfully, and Linda, White Lacey.
I never did ask you the meaning of your name, Linda!
(mine has no meaning, i just had to pick a number
that no one else had picked because there are so
dang many Joannes on all these forums collectively)
Joanne

You have a beautiful name, Joanne - that's why many parents pick it for their daughters.

I miss Fred from NJ too- he was my main mentor - 12 years ago when I was a total newbie.

Hopefully several years from now you, Joanne, will be mentoring newbies - and I can retire.

Joanne- female version of John - translated from Hebrew - God is Gracious
Linda - tender, soft, also linden - which has very soft wood - good for carving -German, in Spanish - Linda - means beautiful.

Gorgeous names - do not replace them with something )*(&&^%&!

HGZ

Irina

Thank you, Irina!
I heard something sweet recently- A teacher was asking
children how to describe "love." A five year old boy
replied, 'love is when someone says your name so tenderly, that your whole name is safe in their mouth."

Irina, you will not be allowed to retire!
Just pray I don't get the orchid "bug."

On an older post, about a month ago, you posted
about Travis' Violets. I was going to order, then decided
that I should "limit" my collection to the manageable
size it currently is. Then … mysteriously, that Travis post of
yours popped up again!

Joanne

Joanne,
When I first started on E bay, I couldn't find a name that suited me. I happened to look at my sleeping Maltese who was at my feet and who was white in color and came up with Whitelacey. Viola!

She is now in doggie heaven and I miss her sweetness every day. She kept me going when I could see no reason to do so.
And Irina is correct:Linda is Spanish for beautiful and it so fitting. I am quite the looker.
Linda

Way to go - we need to praise ourselves first thing in a morning - it just makes a day!!! And do it every day!

My turn - I am a pleasantly plump lady! (Even if the floor sometimes bends under me ;-))

Hi! Thanks for letting me know the story, Linda!
Malteses are wonderful. (Wo)man's "best friend!"
Joanne