iceman, Would have loved to have had some of that (ice) around here last week. Have a weathermans promise of better this coming week.

I'm new around this AV stuff also. Did orchids for years, and twice involved professionally with them, but am now fully retired, and a bit older than you...well, a good bit older to be completely honest.

I don't know about the advantages of the so called AV pots, I have mine in about anything they will fit in. I am trying to wick water a few minis in half pint mason jars, and the verdict is still out on that. You might be interested in a post I did back in the winter "announcing the germination of my African Violet tree". I think that is close enough for you to search it out. I also have found a few pot treasures in thrift stores and Yard sales. No shame on my part for that.

Where are you located? As you can see I am in central SC. I grow just a few potted plants.....no more than I can comfortably haul in each winter.

You will have to do like I did and just jump in here and let folks know you are present. There are a lot of very knowledgeable folks that hang out here, and they are certainly not stingy with sharing what they know.

Have fun with the new hobby, and keep in touch.

Bill

Hi Bill, We are in Missouri. I am a gun collector and African Violets is a hobby both the wifey and I enjoy together. She doesn't mind my gun collecting so I can do that without having to buy extra for her. LOL. I am on the search for a deep blue and a red African Violet. I guess I should, but I don't really care about the names of the different violets. We just see blooms and leaves we like and go from there. Fun stuff for us old poots. LOL. My last name is ICE, believe it or not. LOL. Here are some more close up pics of our meager collection. Mike & Bunny

Hello Iceman very nice plants I grow my AV in pots with drainage holes water from the top. They grow beautifully no problem regular pots are find.

So, you really are THE Ice Man. The wife and I were in the St. Louis area a couple of weeks ago....the week it was nice and cool, and before the last rain. Came home and parboiled here in the heat and humidity until some relief came over the weekend.

I say nice looking plants.....I don't have a single one in bloom right now. I posted a photo of my blue (grown from a leaf I picked up off the floor in a grocery store) a while back (its back on page 4) "My first bloomer....."

Most of my plants right now are being wick watered in 1/2 pint jars. The plants are planted in clear plastic condiment cups. The others get potted in whatever is handy. The leaf I picked up actually produced about 10 little plants, and right now 5 of them are in a salad container from a local restaurant.....black plastic bottom and a clear snap shut top. I'm "frugal", but the wife calls it cheap...and usually spells it with a capital C. Don't think I will ever get her trained, its only been 51+ years......

Bill

Hello Ice!

your plants look healthy, which is a good thing! often people don't come here until their plants are beyond rescue.

May I advise you to use the search function on this forum. there is a wealth of information that has been passed on by members who don't frequent Gardenweb/Houzz anymore. Posts by Irina, Linda and Fred Hill are good ones to look for.

The pots you mention are a form of continuous/wick watering - you don't need the decorative pots do do that, but they are nice looking :-)

Look up soil mixes for wick watering - what you are currently using may be a bit dense. (it is probably sold as african violet mix, but that's merely a label) - you may want to mix it with equal parts of coarse perlite.

another thing to pay attention to, especially if you buy those pots second-hand, is to clean them thoroughly. fertilizer salts can actually clog the pores in the clay thus stopping the pot from working as intended.

with continuous watering, you still need to check on your plants regularly to make sure the wicking is working, and the soil is not too wet (or dry).

Other resources you can look at are the allaboutafricanviolets podcasts and rachel's reflections website (google them for an address).

Happy growing! & Don't be shy to ask questions, some of the "experts" still drop by every once in a while :-)

Karin

Hello and welcome! I hope you continue to enjoy your violets and keep in mind that they are addictive & soon they may have lots of company!

As for AV pots, I find that violets will grow in just about any pot that is of the correct size for the plant & has drainage holes. I start many of my young plants in Kcups or solo bathroom cups. I grow a number of larger plants in 5.3 oz yogurt containers. I strip of the label, punch some holes in the bottom & they are good to go. You can add a wick if desired. I like the rather squatty size of these & they seem to be made just for violets. . . cheap too & the yogurt is good! If you prefer, you can easily slip this pot into a decorative container.

Terri

Thanks for the tips. Good stuff. Yes, this has indeed become an addiction. LOL Mike & Bunny

Your plants and pots are lovely. Donna

Thanks Donna. Mike

Hey, Mike and Missus, Here's the scoop, most people with large collections pot in plastic.The pots are cheap, the nice dark green ones in the 4" size are whar are used for full grown plants and cost under $2 and often under $1 at garden centers. The leaves do not like to rest on clay that is not treated. Clay is a pain, it is heavy, soaks up water, is messy and the plants dry out too fast. The self-watering pots are tricky and have to be monitored. You can wash the leaves off once in a while, just blot them dry and dry them out of the sun, and you can brush them with a soft lady's make up brush or a kid's soft paint brush.

Find out if there is a club in your area, I believe there are a lot of them in St Louis, the convention was just held in Kansas City, that is a big deal. you might find lots of violet growers near you.

Joanne

Blue and red violets can be found from some of the specialty commercial sellers. The photos and descriptions give an idea of the color. I usually buy from Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses for bright, vivid blues and deep reds. When reading the descriptions, be aware that they horticulturists use the word "blue" to describe a category of violet as well as the color. For example, a blue type could be in the color range of purple or light purple. The photos give a better idea. If you prefer to look for violets in your local stores, these are usually Optimara brand, the primary distributor at the retail store level. They have red violets. Occasionally, you will find a mid-tone blue. Optimara tends to send lighter colors to stores in the summer, the deeper reds in late fall towards the winter holiday season. If you are just getting back into violets, you will find some interesting developments in the range of possibilities. Many people like to review the various offerings of commercial sellers on the internet. There are many of them that others on this forum can recommend as well. Lyon's is a larger one, so they seem to have a big variety of both their own brand and others as well. Joanne

Hi Mike! Welcome, welcome, welcome!!!!! Your plants are very nice! One thing I noticed though. Your cover pot should always be wider than the AV pot. If your cover pot is wide enough but too deep, use small stones or aquarium gravel to lift the AV pot at least even with the rim of the cover pot. A little higher won't hurt. This allows for air circulation around the AV pot. Cottage cheese or sour cream containers are good for cover pots until you can get something decorative if that is what you want.

Picture #2 looks to be a painted clay pot with a clay saucer. The clay pot will absorb water out of the soil and if the clay saucer on the bottom is sitting on wood it may leave a mark on your wood table. However if your clay saucer has been glazed and fired on the bottom then it is ok. (I still would put some type of cloth under it).

Ohhhhh, I do love that violet in the last photo. Would love to trade for a leaf of it! Private message me if you are interested!

As far as not being interested in names,,,,a word of caution. If your plant comes with a name, by all means keep that tag with that plant! When you get into trading leaves and plantlets it will become important. But we all have NOIDs. And yes we do trade for them also! Good luck and post frequently! No dumb questions here! They all matter! Rosie

Maybe it was said and I missed it, but African Violets leaf stems can NOT touch bare terracotta. It can rot them, don't know why. Use aluminum foil to coat the edge of the pot.
The plants look good. As for self watering: It all depends on personal preference. Some people swear by self watering pots. I don't have any African Violets in any. Mine are all in plastic pots. (note: Rosie gives good advise too!)

Yet again a wealth of knowledge! Many thanks Rosie (even though this isn't my thread, LOL!)

Oh hey, if you got a violet/gesneriad,,, you got "thread"!!! lol Jump to any thread anytime!!!!! Rosie

Thanks so much for all the advice folks. Very friendly bunch of folks here. I learned a lot. Mike & Bunny

This is very good forum

Thanks so much for all the advice folks.