Cute plants. I fear they are a bit over potted. Each might be happier in a container about 1/2 their present size. Most mature minis perform well in a 2" pot.

they have grown to fit their pots now... those pics were taken last year when they were too cute for words. :-) i wonder if thats why they have not bloomed though?

If a violet is over potted, it will spend all it's time & energy trying to grow roots at the expense of blooms. That is why they bloom best when slightly under potted. If your plants roots have mostly filled the pot & aren't blooming, insufficient light is most likely the cause. Minis actually need more light than standards.

If the violet had been placed in tiny pot, it would have grown a lot larger. I have personal experience.

I'm sure... but how on earth do I FIND a pot smaller than 2"??? This is like the smallest pot I've ever seen, and if it's not small enough I'm not sure what to do!

We have had some interesting discussions on this forum about where to find smaller pots. Many people improvise with "home-made" solutions.

I've seen nursery (cheap plastic) 1 1/2 inch pots. I have no idea where they get them though.

I use plastic condiment cups that I buy at a Cash n Carry (basically a restaurant supply store). The small size ones that sesame seeds come in at chinese restaurants. You can burn holes in the bottom with a soldering iron or hammer them in with a nail. As the minis get bigger you can use solo cups. I cut holes in bottom edge of these with a pair of wire cutters.

I use the Kcups from my Keurig coffee maker.

Those are brilliant ideas. So, my miniature is in a 2" pot right now and the outer leaves just barely touch the outer rim of the pot... should I move it into a smaller container? If so, just HOW small?

I also have a mini that's about 3" across... and it's in that size pot... I love minis but this is the first time I've tried mini violets, and it's a little hard to wrap my mind around just how big they will get. What's the biggest size a mini will get? and will they get bigger if they have a bigger pot? My variegated mini's leaves new leaves are awfully solid colored.. does this mean it's getting too much light? or is that related to temp?

Some (semi)minis will grow to the size of a small standard, whilst others remain small - all depends on genetics and environment. That is where growing named varieties makes things easier - you can actually ask others about how they grow for them.

For example, I looked up the description of pacific pearl. It is described as longifolia mini trailer, but, for me, grows to the same size as champagne pink, which is described as a standard. Oh, and it doesn't show elongated leaves much either. So I asked on a forum, and got a bunch of replies, along with photos, and they all look the same. So it isn't a fluke or mislabeled...

Mac's minis are said to grow on the big side if given space and good care.

Not sure about light, but most variegates will grow greener in warmer temps, or if you feed them more nitrogen...

Karin

Here's a picture of my two current miniatures... the bigger one I think needs to be in a bigger pot? What do you think? The canning lid is for size comparison...

And here's the smaller one (Lil Ballerina). The "pot" is the smallest thing I could find. I 'drilled' two holes in the bottom with the point of a knife (and amazingly I didn't cut myself!) And it's about 1 inch across I think. :-) Is this about the right size pot?