I would love to know, too, so will check to see any answers that come in. Thanks for the great pictures. Surely someone will know what's happening.

Spooned leaves. Genetic. Probably something in your culture makes it more expressed - but otherwise - it is specific to this variety.

It looks a bit pale and a bit stretching, but otherwise it is OK, no bugs or disease. How does it bloom?

Irina

Wow, if those are genetically spooned leaves I have never quite seen them that spooned before. Yet some of the leaves are perfectly flat. I hope someone comes up with something concrete so I can understand!

What color flower does it have?

Are there a lot of suckers in that pot or is it a trailer? Hmmm. Puzzling. Rosie

Rosie -

if you look at the type of leaves of African Violets - you will find - Boy, Girl, Bustled, Longifolia, Holly - and Spooned. And several more.

Typical very spooned AV variety - is 'Buckley's Spoon' - I found somebody's photo -

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/57069120251772084/

Some AVs have spooned leaves - but they are much less expressed than at Buckley's Spoon, or they develop with age. I think the plant on the photo has this treat, but it is not as evident. I cannot say - if it is a trailer or rosette - because we are looking from the top. Seems that some older brownish leaves can be removed. I cannot see - if it has suckers or just way too many leaves with long petioles. Which is possibly because it needs more light. All plants grow suckers - standards and trailers - it just for trailers they are desirable and for rosette varieties - they are not and should be removed.

I love spoon leaves. I don't know why. I had one waaaay back in the day, before anyone really took notice of them.

One thing I am getting familiar with is bustled! The first time I ever saw one I asked "What kind of growth is on the underside of that leave?" I really thought it had a tumor (lol) or something bad.

I know better now. And I do like that bustle! Rosie

As long as it is not fashionable anymore to wear a bustle under our skirts...

This mutation - wasp flowers, genetically combined with bustle foliage - happened in a collection of one lady in mid 60's, She recognized that she had something different - and shared her finding with her fellow club member and hybridizer Jimy Dates. Jimmy hybridized and registered some of them in 60s and 70s, these plants are vintage and desirable now - Aeolian Wasp, Blue Tail Fly, Celery are still in circulation. Lyndon Lyon hybridized one too - The Martian - very floriferous dark blue wasp with a very "bustly" foliage - size of the small standard - or large semi-mini - it is not registered - so cannot say off hand - is available too. David Senk worked with wasps - I think he managed to separate wasps and bustle foliage - some of his wasps have normal non-bustle foliage. Look for "Senk's". Other hybridizers piyched in - there are more of wasp-bustle plants around. I was in a club with Tina Moreno, before she and her husband moved out to east coast - she was in love with with wasps - and now she is registering her own line = her plants start with Gecko.

So where did you get your Morgan's Festival?

Irina

If I may jump in here, Irina - Rosie got hers from me and I got mine as a leaf from Bloomlover's. Cute little plant! And thank you for the lesson on bustle back AV's. That was fascinating. :-)

Anne

Thanks Anne! You beat me to the punch!!!! lol It is an endearing little plant. That bustle just fascinates me! It is doing quite well, just not blooming yet. I have it growing in an unobstructed North window and lives in a terrarium made from a cut down water bottle. It did bloom once and its little flowers were soooo cute! I just love that little plant!

The reason it is in a water bottle terrarium is,,,,first it fit. Second it had a sucker attached that I removed after a while and I wanted to give it the best start I could. They are both doing very well. So cute!!!

Irina I thought the information on the bustle leaf was fascinating. I didn't know it dated back as far as my start with violets! Right under my nose for all these years and I was blind. Thanks again! Rosie

If you cannot learn anything new in your hobby - it is time to pack and start a new one! It is so wonderful that after so many years - we still find something exciting!

Morgan's Festival - is a happy and easy semi-mini. But to stimulate bloom it needs more light. I gave it too much light - and bleached the leaves - but it was blooming buckets. I do no keep it in terrarium - it is in a basement with other plants .. humid plenty. Do not think it needs a terrarium - but it probably looks pretty cute in one.

There is always more to learn! The reason it started life in the water bottle terrarium is,,,,I was more interested in growing it a little larger especially since I cut away the sucker to start it. Just about everything in my house needs humidity. This is one big dry house in the winter. I have seen nice leaf growth and if I am not mistaken (I will update after I look a little closer) there may be a flower bud. North is not the best, but it is where I can keep an eye on it every single day. She is so darn cute!!!

My plan is to get it on a wick system as soon as I am sure it has a good root system (it was little when I got it). That will protect it in the winter from drying out every day.

I do rotate the plants in the east window and north window frequently so they get the benefit of both, since that is all I have for now. Working on a single shelf with flourescent fixture. Then I will rotate between all three locations! That is the plan. Just love my violets!

Is that a pix of your Morgan's Festival? The leaf span on mine is no where near what yours is. The leaves are just barely past the outer rim of the pot. Maybe because it is in the north window, but it is growing new leaves, they are just staying very small. Not reaching. Nice flat rosette type. Everything is proportionate. As soon as I determine it is root bound, I will pot it "up" one size only and put it on a wick. Soooo, that is what I am currently doing and as usual,,,any suggestions will be welcome! Rosie

Rosie -

it is semi-mini so the leaf span can be up to 8". I wick - but there is a limitation on the wicking if the windowsill is chilly. Mine is in a solo cup and even for a mature one I will not go over 2 3/4" size pot. Seems that yours is just slow because of the time of the year - lower light, may be cooler temperature.

It is just so much more challenging without lights, wicks and mats..

What a fun thread! I love the bustle illustration! Joanne

Artificial light certainly helps more than just window space. I remember I did much better when I had my 3 tiered AL shelf in my basement. Kids would go to school and I would head for the basement, do laundry and tend and putz with my violets until it was time for them to come home. No wonder the violets did so well!!!! But, different house, not so accomodating basement, and laundry on the first floor. The only thing that is the same is that the kids are gone. Instead of to school they now are in their mid 40's and not living here! (still miss them). So for now, I do the best I can with what I have to work with. Whew. But I love them just as much, and I am in awe of some of the new varieties! Rosie

How are your daughter's violets doing, Rosie!? Joanne

Hi Joanne! Talked to her over Christmas and she said they are doing well! She really got into violets the last year or so! Rosie

researched a ton and have several...dif varieties all cupping and no idea why. Even ones that grew normal for a couple years cup now. I tried everything..dif light, location, temp. I use rain water run off from roof and wonder if that is the cause because more are starting it now.

I am thinking that water your collect from your roof is on the acid side - too many cars, too much exhaust... we are not in a pristine world anymore... and the smoke from Chinese still mills is reaching Pacific coast of North America 24/7. My understanding is that AVs prefer the pH of 6.4-6.8, otherwise they do not absorb nutrients well enough. The second issue with rainwater - it doesn't have calcium and magnesium micronutrients that are always dissolved in a tap water. So oops. In some areas water is not good for tender plants - high Ph, high solids - usually it the water that comes from artesian wells. If the plant collection is large and watering it with a store bought Spring Water is too much, some people buy a RO filter that produces almost distilled water. For RO water Michigan State University developed a fertilizer that compensates for the missing micronutrients so you can get it.

For now - repot your plants in a food fresh soil and try a bottled water for a while.

Normally the tap water is OK, exceptions are dissolved solids over 200ppm, preferably around 150 ppm, normal tap Ph is around 8-8.5 - they add buffer - something Ca ang Ma salts to prevent sedimentation in the pipes. Usually it is compensated by the peat in your soil that produces humic acid if kept warm and humid... like in our houses. The last exception is if your water treatment plant uses chloramine instead of chlorine. Chlorine in water evaporates if you keep the water in the open for 24 hours. chloramine not so. You can neutralize it with chemical from an aquarium supply store. All this info you can get in your water treatment facility. They should send you a yearly report anyway.

Aargh... good soil, not food soil