hmmm... the roots on the second picture, close to the stem look pretty normal to me... but maybe I'll let a more experienced grower give you his/her opinion...
Now, how recently did your repot your plants? Often, plants will go into a bit of shock after a repotting. Mine do it almost every time, actually. Usually one or two of the outer leaves go limp for a day or two, but then they recover and bounce back to normal.
You can always bag the plant for a couple of days, to allow extra humidity around the plant—that certainly helps with the shock. And, if my plant is too large, like a trailer, for example, I use a bit of saran wrap and drape it on top of the plant for a few days, and that also seems to help with the humidity.

I agree with everything Jonboyny said - the close up of the roots look normal to me, too, and bagging it pot and all for a few days might be do the trick. Go easy on the watering; don't let it dry out completely, but don't soak it, either. and just give it some time.

Oh, and be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight while it's bagged or covered - you don't want to cook it!

Thank you for the quick replies! I will definitely try that, hopefully it'll stop wilting. Fingers crossed!

Since you washed the dirt off of the roots, I think I would repot in your smaller pot but I would also take off as many leaves as possible. I would just leave the couple rows that make up the crown.

You did lose a lot of root when you washed the dirt off. I believe in compensating so the plant does not have to work as hard to recover. And use a light mix.

Anne and jonboyny is good. Good luck and show pix when it recovers! Rosie

Me again -

I once again am noticing some leaves drooping, this time my other African violet. I repotted it over a week ago, adding more perlite yet it still seems to show little improvement. I'm wondering if I still need more?

Actually the plant looks good except for that one wilty leaf. Your soil (although kinda hard to tell) looks pretty good also.

I would leave it alone for a while. If that drooping leaf bothers you take it off, but don't get in the bad habit of always "doing" stuff to your violets. When you "do" something,,,,give them enough time to just plain regroup, grow and be normal violets. And that takes TIME. Did you make friends with Miss Patience yet? I know it is hard but she is usually right!

The hardest thing to do is NOTHING, especially after you have just done SOMETHING. We want to see results. We want that plant to perk up and look good and bloom its fool head off!

When that doesn't happen immediately that is when some people will do something else. And when that doesn't produce results in about a week, we look to do something else and eventually that poor plant is so "tweeked" and manipulated,,,,,,,it gives up. And maybe dies.

And people say "Violets are so touchy and hard to grow! Very demanding!!!" Just the opposite is true if you invite Miss Patience to come and help you. Just slow down. Miss Patience would say "After you do something,,,,,,give it about a month or so to see if it worked." She has told me that many times.

Washing the soil off roots like that is not something I would have done. Yes you have roots but you also broke off a bunch of fine feeder roots that were attached to them! The network that keeps that violet alive and growing. Your plant is going to take quite a while to recover from that alone.

IF I would wash the roots like you did, I would take off almost all the outer leaves and just leave the crown and maybe the next row and almost restart the plant. What you did I consider very drastic. Just my opinion.

What do you mean by layered perlite? Do you mean some soil, then a layer of just perlite, some soil and another layer of just perlite?

Are you wanting to put your violet on a wicking system? Or continue to grow in a pot? Rosie

Your last photos of your plant look pretty healthy.

Exposing the roots will cause some slowdown, but AV's recover pretty quickly (say ... over the course of a month). Give your plant some time, and before you know, ... she'll be good as new.

Thank you for the posts! I'm used to growing plants that grow rather quickly (my sunflower is at about 3 feet after about 2 months!) so I supposed the same with violets! What I did with perlite was I added soil, then perlite, mixed in, more soil, perlite, mix, more soil. It's good to know it looks healthy. The original violet I had ended up dying rather quickly after I cleaned the roots.

Oh sorry about your violet. As long as you thoroughly mix all ingredients together before using it to pot the plants you should be good. Like Aegis said give it time! Good luck. Rosie

bloomnewbie

I have cactus that grow faster than some AV's.

One things AV's, do and AV's can do it very quickly, is die.

I have found that once a plant starts to die, (mush, mold, rot) there is little to be done except correct the watering, and sometimes the heat, and let the plant either recover or die on its own. I used to repot but repotting ailing plants, I had very few survive. I do set leaves of any plant that is showing any sign of decay or stress or rot.

For whatever reason, I lose plants. I lose leaf sets. Mostly I don't. Mostly my AV's grow and bloom, albeit some are very very slow.

Your last paragraph sounds like me. I have recently lost more leaves than I can count. I am looking for my "AHA moment". And for some reason I can't find it! But I keep on keepin' on and I will find it eventually! Rosie

Rosie

Heat seems to be the biggest factor. I live in a very hot climate. It was 112 some days this summer. I can keep the house cool to about 85-90 but the leaves still rot.

I don't think AV's like summer day length either.

The plants grow and bloom in the fall, spring and winter 65-85 with shorter daylight hours.

Wait until the fall and see if the cooler temps and shorter days (natural light) doesn't make a big difference.

And you know, do not overwater leaves or young plants. I am talking to myself here because I had to start a "water log" for Skies Over Italy which I was tenderly tending and watering and watering and watering. I had to keep a "water junkie" journal to keep myself in check. I would consult the log to see that I had already watered that plant today or yesterday or twice today and once yesterday. I gradually learned how far apart 5 days and 7 days really were.

I know I am doing something wrong with leaves, I just can't put my finger on it.

For instance,,,planted 15 in Kcups. Medium was BARELY moist. I put the leaf in and it got just a titch of water to run down the stem into the soil. Didn't wet the medium hardly.

This time I put the lid on the container. I usually don't. I cut extra holes for ventilation on all 4 corners. Never saw a bit of condensation in about 5 days. Took the pans to the work table to check everything over, popped off the plastic lid and everything was WET and as soon as I touched a leaf it felt like muck in the yucky part of the lake we used to go to. Ewe!!! AND to beat all,,,,,, the medium was absolutely soaked! And I hadn't even watered yet!

No, I didn't run my little fan and maybe I should have. But, get this, there were 4 leaves in cups that were just fine! Sturdy and absolutely just fine! Now, wonder how that happened?

They were all harvested on the same day, they were all fresh cut, they all got the same BARELY damp medium, and they all got the same titch of water! 4 survived!!!!!

Go figure. Rosie

PS, I live in southeastern Michigan near the Ohio border.

I read on FaceBook that a number of growers in different locations are having problems lately with leaves rotting. No one seems to know why so you aren't alone Rosie.

Thanks Terri, but what really baffles me is no matter the method I use the results are the same. And I am not an inexperienced grower. There has GOT to be something I am missing. Something I don't remember to do or not to do. Something so small,,,,,,,,,. Leaves are not rocket science!

And how does the medium in the Kcups get wetter than when I planted the leaves???? Is it more humid here than I think it is? It was domed, yes, but there was a hole in each corner on the top and I cut triangles in each corner to further insure better air flow.

Should I cover the holes entirely to prevent additional humidity/water vapor from getting in and absorbing into the medium????? Is that what happened???

I have not lost everything totally but I have lost far more than the occasional leaf or two out of oh, lets say 75 to 100. Those SHOULD be my odds. In fact I can remember when I never lost a leaf. NOT a pan of 11 lost out of 15!!! (That was the pan I referred to in this post.) AND that is not the first or only pan. I can see why newbies get discouraged.

Not to worry.....I am not giving up. I hope to acquire more leaves through beg, borrow, barter or buy. That is what I call "My 4 B's" ! And I keep buying from Lowe's and Meijer when there is something I haven't gotten yet. Unfortunately they are not named and that is where this lovely group comes in! I hope to join the round robin when I have something to put in the box. I hope to make trades even though they may be NOIDS. I have some named!

All is not lost,,,just some. (ha yeah a LOT of some) But I am not discouraged. I will keep trying.

And I hope the newbies out there realize that even experienced growers are having issues. But don't give up! There is always another leaf to try and you never know when you will finally "click" and it will just magically happen. I am waiting for my "click" and in the meantime I will keep postin' and growin' !!! Rosie

Hi Rosie, I feel every word your saying I live in Jamaica tropical climate and EVERY year I loose all of my violets. And I keep trying to change the way I water, fertilize, media and light, but guess what it continues to happen. I recently started over again in about April of this year. And made sure to put leaves of EVERY plant I bought to root. Good news they were all doing wonderful until our dreaded summer started.

Now each day I see a new empty cup. They just turn mushy brown and die. To date I have lost three mature plants and even last night I had to repot one which only the crown was left.

Last year I got so disappointed I didn't even want to go into the room I grew them.

But I got over it and I am at it again this year. For me I am still trying to figure them out and even while I am still loosing them I will continue to try.

I honestly don't see myself without violets. I love them way too much plus nothing beats the feeling you get when you get one to rebloom. VELLETA

Thanks Velleta! I know I am not the only one with this current problem. But to lose everything,,,,,every year???? Wow.

But I don't have that type of climate. We have the 4 seasons but for some reason I have "lost my touch".

But, like you, I am not giving up,,,,they are my favorites! Rosie

Quick question again, I'm noticing the soil in my second violet I posted takes much longer to drain water than the one I bought already planted at the store. I noticed the soil from the one I bought has small amounts of sand in it, would it be ok to add sand to my one above? I don't water it too much, but whenever I do the soil stays very wet for a while, will sand work to help with this?

Ok, thank you! From what I can see online, the little grains of rock I see in the soil is much smaller than vermiculite, unless theirs another variety of it. Ok, last question I promise! :o my other violet, which had some blooms coming in, and is still in the same soil as it came in, has now lost one of its blooms, which is unfortunate because it looks like two buds were growing on it :/ this has happened very suddenly over the past two days and I can't think of any reason why it would happen. It's the same soil, I've been watering it consistently, it's in an even smaller pot than I bought it. I'm hoping the same doesn't Happen to my other blooms on this guy! Any advice?

bloomnewbie ...

I would suggest changing the potting soil.

Remove the plant from its current pot, and very gently remove as much extraneous soil as you can.

Then repot in a much lighter (think fluffy) soil mixture of African Violet potting soil and Pearlite. There really shouldn't be anything grainy in the mix.

Repot, ... water lightly, ... and see if that helps.

P.S. It might take a month or so to see a change ...

Ok! Actually just got some new soil just now so I'll be sure to do that! Also these violets I have are sitting on a side table next to a window facing southeast, does this seem ok?

Thank you all for all your help!!

-Bloomnewbie

Oh geeze,,,don't stop asking questions! That is what keeps this forum goin'!!!! lol

Aegis is right try to take off the extra soil but be careful not to damage to many fine feeder roots.

Southeast is fine. As far as losing blossoms, it happens. Sometimes we know the reason and sometimes we don't.

Just keep tending the violets and they will eventually come around and do their level best for you as your technique improves. (from all this good information you read on the forum! lol). Good luck and let us know! Rosie

PS.. REMEMBER,,,,,add the perlite to the new soil (and mix well) before you repot!

Just added the new organic mix, and I finally got around to getting some peat moss, I'd been avoiding it because of the price but I figured since that's what my Venus flytrap needs also it would be a good investment. I've added perlite, peatmoss, and the new soil mix in and the soil, even though I have limited experience, looks MUCH better! Spongy like above, and it's got very similar consistency as the soil in the violets I see at my local floral shop that bloom like crazy! Fingers crossed, thank you so much for all your guys' help! I'll let you know if it shows any improvement, and hopefully even blooms!

-Bloomnewbie

Great! Good luck! (wow,,,,,you can keep venus flytrap alive????) Rosie

Here's a photo:

Just a few quick comments.

Rosie-your leaves need more than a 'Titch' of water. (whatever that is.)
Newly-planted leaves need to be thoroughly watered until the water
passes through and out the bottom. Let drain a bit and then put them under a dome or in a tightly sealed plastic baggie. Your leaves are not getting enough water to stay alive. I know you're not a newbie-there has been a lot of rot going around this year. And I mean -A LOT.

Bloomnewbi. Do not panic when you see a leaf that is droopy, browned, cupped, larger than normal, smaller than normal or anything that 'Looks funny". Do not wash roots. If you want to remove the soil for some reason, tease it off gently. You risk breakage and drying out which could be a death knell for your violet. Your one wilting leaf? Since it is on the outside row it is probably natural senescence. Your other newly re-potted violet needs to be domed or bagged until it begins growing well again.

Sand is not an appropriate medium to use in Violet mixes

Lucky-African Violets are day-length indeterminate which means they don't require a certain number of hours of light to bloom, or not bloom. Day length is not a factor in the blooming process. It is probably the heat and humidity that comes with longer days that your violets are objecting to.

Sorry if I missed something. I skimmed this due to the lateness of the hour.

.Linda