I have a number of "reds" in my current collection ...

Red Rocket is a lovely violet that I've yet to see perform at it's best for me. I just checked my fairly healthy plant once again for any signs of bloom buds, .... but I don't see anything.

Meanwhile, Red Lantern is opening blooms now. I've had nice blooming from it before.

One of my latest acquisitions from Lyons is "Secret Rendezvous" which blooms well, and has well-behaved foliage.

Finally, Hot Spot from Bloomlovers is also quite fetching.

The prettiiest red shading I've seen in an African Violet is from Frosty Cherry, .... where the white in the bloom lightens the red dramatically.

Isn't it funny-Red Rocket blooms great for me and Frosty Cherry is kind of a blah reddish-purple. I was disappointed in that one. It makes you wonder of it is growing conditions or the source of the plant. Probably both,

Thanks of the info. I'll check them out. I love the reds!

Linda

Funny, I just bought a red, and it looked near scarlet at the store, and at home, under my grow lights, it suddenly was more pink than red.... Ah well...

Okay-I shouldn't have done this from memory-here's the real names!

It's Zoe, not Ozio, Ma's Red Rover, not Mac's LL that are my favorite reds.
Pictures to follow.

One reason I like my light set-up is that it does not change the colors. It's disappointing to buy one color and have it look so different under the lights.

This is "Hanging Gardens.'

Linda

Lady In Red

Lyon's Red Rocket

Ma's Red Rover

And Zoe. I think that's it!

Linda

Thanks for the stunning pix! My Powwow just bloomed for the first time. It is a beautiful, rich dark red. It is a Kent Stork plant. Similar to Lyon's Christmas Dream I' ve had for years. Leaf edge variegation grows symmetrically. I have Rob's Love Bite, a red mini--another new one.
Joanne

Joanne ...

The richness of Pow Wow's color is it's standout characteristic, ... against the backdrop of it's variegated foliage.

Pow Wow has a distinctly rich and thorough color.

And it grows so symmetrically .... I've got one growing now. Waiting on it to bloom ...

Hi, A similar AV is Mac's O'Scarlett O'Hara, semi-mini. The flower might be lighter red. I have Tomahawk in bud. Another K. Stork. I plan to get Arapahoe by Stork. It is supposed to be the foundational red. Joanne

Thx everybody esp Linda, for the pictures and your knowledge of african violets. I've put the names in my wanted list.

I have Powwow, Ma's Crime Scene and Apache Redcoat; but none of them are truely red. A friend gave me 2 leaves of Frosty Cherry, now they bear babies so I have 4 near red AVs.

Below are their photos and hope you like them.

Powwow

Ma's Crime Scene

Apache Redcoat

Wow! thank you! Love that Powwow!
Joanne

Pow Wow is my favorite, as well. Beautiful!

Linda

I just had some photo fun, with my blooming Powwow, a planter shaped like a red sleigh, my blooming Marie Lorraine, a red Christmas ornament, and a couple of small teddy bears in Christmas sweaters. I will post once I follow through with the instructions provided.

I am thinking of getting Aca's Red Ember by Brownlie. The description sounds like Powwow.

Joanne

I'd like to get Ma's Red Rover (pictured above), but I've had no success growing any of Ma's plants.

Thanks for letting me know. Is it Ma's plants, or is it VB in general, do you think?

I ordered Powwow from VB, also Tomahawk. Both are doing well, but they are hybridized by Kent Stork.

I read on this forum that VB sends smaller plants in a heavier potting medium, it takes them longer to grow to maturity.

I ordered Rob's Love Bite from LLG that is doing well.
It was in bloom and already mature when it arrived.

As for a red similar to Red Rover,
Midnight Sun from LLG blooms constantly.
It has wavy leaves, is a compact standard.

I liked Sedona, (Stork) but it was a bit fragile.

If you don't have Bob Serbin, consider it.

(I also have Powder Keg, it grew too large for my preference. It is more of a brick color.

Joanne

This post was edited by fortyseven on Wed, Jan 1, 14 at 18:28

I have heard of some who have trouble with VB's heavier soil. Maybe if you want to try a Ma's plant, Aegis, either re-pot it on arrival or get it from another grower.

I agree with Joanne: Bob Serbin is a great plant. Great color and an easy grower.

Linda

I agree - hybridizer Ken Stork produced wonderful reds - keep an eye on Arapahoe, Hot Tamales, Tomahawk, Powwow, Geroniomo, Buffalo Hunt.
Powder Keg by Sorano is large and it tries to grow LARGE. But when it is in full bloom - it is gorgeous. I would say it has a tendency to bloom in flashes - rest - wow - rest - wow.
Regarding VB. They fine tuned their growing media to their conditions - and for people who grow on mats and wicks it is too heavy. For people who grow on the windowsills - they even sell their special soil. They do not wick plants - they mat them and make sure the contact is good between the bottom of the pot and a mat. Since nobody else uses this method - it is a good idea to repot the plants after they adjust. Depending on demand sometimes they are sold out so they send you very last youngest babies - but if the certain variety is not that hot this year - the plant will come with buds. Never lost any plants from them - but they sometimes need babying. You repot them and cover with the dome - and they will catch up fast. Rob's minis and semi-minis and especially trailers - are better than great. Some of his minis sucker, but they all sucker more or less - that's the nature of the minis. Regarding Ma's standards - lets say in my conditions I would probably better with other hybridizers. I saw great Ma's plants on the show - but mine never grew to the show quality. They grow, they bloom - but no wow. While some other plants naturally grow better for me.

I.

Great info, Irina! I posted a red swap on the Exchange. Of small plants. Also, my Powder Keg is in a 6" pot, so it got too big. I would like to find a new home for it. Joanne

Joanne,

You can send it to me... ;)

Linda

Linda, If you are serious, I would love to ...
I guess we would need to wait until spring if you are still buried under snow or anticipate more cold weather.
That will give me enough time to figure out how to safely
pack it. I am thinking bubble wrap and lots of styrofoam peanuts.
Shoot me an email (click on My Page.)
Maybe we can trade for a plantlet of Red Rocket, or whatever ...
Joanne

Irina
I am so grateful for the advice on the reds. Mine seem to especially bloom at Christmas time. My Powwow now looks just like the pic Zukoll posted on this thread. I found one of the nurseries has listed Arapahoe, I sent them an email to make sure it is in stock.
I have been maintaining a list of reds. First, I wanted to see how they did, so I ordered a few about five years ago.

At the time, I was a little disappointed in their performance and the sameness of the color. But I was not that well-informed about violet care.

The reds that I have now I am happy with. So I am ready to increase the red collection.I just don't want any more large growers.

When I first read about Buffalo Hunt, was a little unsure about it because of the name! I have not ordered that one yet. So I appreciate all your suggestions and advice about Kent Strok, as this is a new hybridizer for me.

Joanne

Linda, nice plants! Thank you for sharing.

Joanne,

It sounds like a plan but I couldn't find your e-mail on your page.

Lina,

Thanks!

Linda

Click where it says "send an email." It doesn't display the actual email, it forwards it. Jo

Linda
I updated my member page, you should be able to send me an email now. (I hope the update "stuck.)
Joanne

Hi Linda
A Russian that grows symmetrically for me is Gentle May.
It is a very bright pink with brighter green foliage than average. I think it is being phased out by growers in favor of newer varieties because it is getting harder to find. It has made a good gift for non-AV friends who want just one large, well-behaved, easy to grow AV.

My Aly's Key Lime Pie just bloomed, it is similar in color to the photo of Apache Redcoat above. A very cheerful-looking bloom.

Once I get the hang of posting photos, will post.However,the photos from my I-Phone don't do justice to the blooms.

Well, an outbreak of something or other on an older plant. Have to do some spraying and will discard the plant. I have had leaves down from it, anyway. So all is not lost regarding the AV.

Was talking to an older man who raises orchids. He said his grandma used to raise violets, they were big and bushy with huge heads of blooms. That must have been back in the '50's. I was surprised, because I thought plants like that were recent developments. This is in Calif, so maybe that is why. Things grow more easily with less fuss than my experience in the past.

Joanne

Joanne,

I've not heard of 'Gentle May' although since my Russian is non-existent, I may even be growing it and not know it!

I also have 'KLP' and it does not grow well for me. The blooms are kind of yucky.

Some violets in the '50's were prolific and some were not, just like today. The difference was that there weren't the 'fancy' varieties that have since been hybridized. And, as we have all experienced, the plainer varieties usually are heavier bloomers than the fancier ones.

Also, there wasn't the emphasis on growing violets single-crowned. So you can imagine that a multi-crowned violet would be both bushy and bloomy. (My MIL still grows hers this way!).

Linda

Interesting. That makes sense, as the "babies" often grow with three or more all very close together, and some plants just naturally sucker.

Come to think of it, I never knew about the single crown theory until one of my office pals, who went to shows and was a member of AVSA, "reprimanded" me. I actually had trailers, so multiple crowns were normal, but it was hard to convince her, so I had to take the plants home. I still did not know what all the fuss was about, until I began to separate the crowns on other non-trailers and saw they grew better.

I recently saw a huge plant growing in a heap in a dry cleaner's shop. It looked like a species violet. It probably had not been repotted in many years. Perhaps it was a trailer. The top central crown area looked thin, it had blooms scattered throughout rather than from one area. It stood at least two or more feet high with cascades of crowns and leaves just everywhere.

A friend of mine has three separate plants in a huge pot in her office. They are not trailers, they appear to be three separate plants rather than one plant with three crowns. They seem to do ok and bloom fairly well. They just don't get too big. She has had them like that for years. For Christmas, I gave her a bottle of AV food. She felt that in an office, one big pot looked less cluttered than three separate.

After my first experience of being "reprimanded," I thought I, in turn, was supposed to give the same suggestion/advice to others. Then finally realized it is not that big a deal.

Joanne

Linda, A question for you ... as a landscaper and horticulturist, do you recommend that people shun most "big box" or local nursery stock of any types of plants, or only certain ones? From previous discussions, I gather this would extend to things like orchids. But what about "ordinary" ground cover outdoor plants that are annuals, such as, say, primroses? (I just used that as an example, because they sort of remind me of violets and come in all sorts of wild colors, but all seem to be of one variety.)
Joanne

Joanne,

Most all of the plants you see in nurseries come from just a few wholesalers. The difference is in the care that they receive at the store. At a professional nursery, plants get excellent care. At a big box store, not so much. So, the trick is to get your plants when they first come in and before they have been treated to inadequate care.

I once worked for a company that sold to one of the box stores. The plants were beautiful when they came in. It was difficult to go back and see what they looked like weeks later. As a plant lover, it was very sad.

You know how our violets look when they have been through-desert-and-swamp conditions? The same is true for all plants. It really stresses them and added with the trauma of transplanting, survival is questionable. It's a good question and one I get asked often.

You gave me a good laugh in the previous post about having to take your trailer home because your co-worker didn't like its multiple crowns! Sounds as though she hadn't been to enough shows!

Linda

No, she hadn't! It's all about orchids here. I think the big shows are in the east. Once, we were going to Sacramento. She wanted to show. But even that was 1 1/2 hrs. away. We did not go. Your experience is interesting. I think that is why so many of us take home neglected plants. Sympathy. Joanne

Joanne,
One and a half hours? And she let that stop her??? I once went to Tokyo to an Orchid show I was judging.

Linda

This post was edited by whitelacey on Mon, Jan 13, 14 at 1:12

Linda !!!!!
I just learned about five different clubs that are "sort of" in my local area, so there is hope yet that I will get to one or more in person this year!
Oh, and did I mention that the office AV pal also has lots of little fluffy white dogs?! Another office pal was breeding them ...
Somehow, when one has dogs, the cats are "second fiddle" not counted, but she had a bunch of those, too.
Joanne

To Optimara fans, my local Trader Joe's had a new shipment today. What I believe to be Cora and Dakota. Plus pure whites, solid light blue, two-tone blue & white, two-tone purple & white. Also, solid violet-purple. $3. The lowest price I have seen AVs from local growers at retail. A store salesperson said they get fresh shipments every day. (They also have lots of orchids for $13 for a medium size. Probably, their biggest sellers are orchids because they last much longer than cut flowers for decorative purposes.) Joanne

In general,

Seems that buying local plants was not a good idea due to thrips (as Irina warns.) I had begun to "stockpile" some locally grown AVs for eventual use as table decorations for an upcoming event. But a local club expert just advised to buy only from the commercial vendors due to the risk of INSV carried by western thrips. After reading about INSV, I am convinced to not buy local plants. (She said it is ok to buy from big AV shows. Perhaps most of the AVs there are from the commercial vendors.)

She said thrips are easy to get rid of by spraying and then using Marathon when repotting (as I have read here from Irina.) I've sprayed all the plants in all the rooms. Plan to repot some plants soon and will use Marathon and Neem.

The babies I have been raising from leaves from named varieties will be for a local AV show in the fall. They are under domes, in a separate room. They should be fine. I sprayed to be safe.

INSV sounds difficult to detect, so will have to carefully
observe all plants. I don't know if thrips are caught early, INSV can be prevented ... seems like it can.
Joanne

Joanne,

It difficult to get any better than violets and fluffy, white dogs. Of course, not having to cook Thanksgiving dinner is pretty awesome, too!

Linda

Hi
Is that 'cuz now your daughter is married, someone else besides yourself was the designated chef?
Joanne

At the av society meeting I went to they talked about this highly competitive person who used to grow the most beautiful AV's. Now she's abandoned that to show dogs - she lives with 12 of them in a house. (Kinda reminded me of your office pal there :-p )

Joanne,

It difficult to get any better than violets and fluffy, white dogs. Of course, not having to cook Thanksgiving dinner is pretty awesome, too!

Linda

Just lost two delicate plants to crown rot. Somehow, both got a little too dry and foliage got floppy. I watered, but must have been too much. One is a small variegated that took a long time to bloom, then had a lot of bloom. It was challenging to gauge its water needs. The other I've had since Aug. It had not bloomed. It is one from the Rebel series. I wanted to know if they are known to be fussy. It has solid color dark green leaves. I removed its leaves to try to hydrate as it would be too difficult to try to order this plant again. Just wondering, if plants can't tolerate being hydrated after a brief dry, spell, then how could plants tolerate a lot of water being flushed through to leach the mix? When doing that, should the plants then be placed on absorbent paper to blot up the excess water? Finally, found a leaf fallen off a plant. The underside had what look like nibble marks, brown spots. I removed the Optimaras I had in the room that I had recently removed from isolation and put them in quarantine. I sprayed everywhere and washed many leaves at the sink. Joanne

Joanne,

It's the desert to swamp conditions that violets can't take. If a plant is very dry, water it a bit, and then water it a bit more until it gets back to where it should be.

Pouring lots of water through a plant is not a problem. First, the soil will only hold so much; when that limit is reached, all else passes out of the pot so the roots are not sitting in too wet soil. Also, leaching is to be done on a plant that is not suffering drought conditions.

When I leach, I just put my violets back on the shelf. But, it is egg-crate suspended above the trays, so they are not sitting in water. That is the key-you don't want them sitting in water.

But I am wondering what you meant by you removed its leaves to try to rehydrate?

Linda

Thanks, Linda, I took off all the leaves to soak in water with a pinch of sugar to try to get them crisp. Seems to have worked. now I will try to root them. Great advice you gave me. I still don't have egg crate on my shelves. I have plastic trays such as are used for food serving. That works well for humidifying the air.J.

Joanne,

I got it now! You can also use a bit of Superthrive if you have it.
It's expensive but a little goes a long way.

Linda

Thanks! I do have it! I got it from LLG! I will use it tonight when I get home. Joanne

Linda
Not sure I should revive this thread, but sinceI am merely reporting and not posting a pic, just wanted to say my "Dumplin" bloomed today. It is a beauty. I have been waiting since June or July. The blooms are like pale peach puff balls, a little similar to Ian Madame, a Russian that is a two-tone peachy pink.
Joanne

Pictures!!!! It sounds lovely. Pictures!!!

Linda