I posted this in another thread, ... but I think that it deserves its own ...
Obtaining Optimaras (or any other brand) African violets from a retailer like LOWES, Home Depot, WalMart, or a local grocery is just not the best idea, ... UNLESS you have a GOOD ISOLATION plan.
The problem, from my experience, with these violets, is as Ken states, ... you don't know WHAT they've been exposed to in shipping, storage, and worst of all ... in the retail indoor garden department.
Because of such wide exposures, ... these plants will inevitably become exposed to Thrips. It used to be my practice that I would walk through the African Violet display in these outlets ... and see if I could find any plants that did not have the tell-tell spilling of bright yellow pollen on their blossoms that indicated the presence of Thrips (or, worse yet, evident Thrip damage ... shriveled, damaged, and streaked blooms ... caused by Thrip feeding). Even on those plants where I could find no evidence of Thrip presence, .... blowing a bit into the blossoms would more often than not, result in mature Thrips emerging out of hiding.
My biggest nemesis to African Violet growing has been Thrips. Twice, I have discarded collections of 50 plants or more because of them. The last problematic plant I purchased from a local outlet was a stunning Optimara Millennia in full bloom. I just had to have it. I blew on its apparently pristine petals, ... no Thrips emerged, .... maybe I would be safe. So I bought it, and took it home to my other violets.
Now this was also prior to the time that I REALLY LEARNED the lesson of ISOLATING NEW PLANTS. (I have bought a couple retail plants, since then, which I have successfully ISOLATED by the upstairs bathroom window for MONTHS ... before I let it join my other violets). But in the case of this Millennia, I was so desperate for COLOR, during a non-blooming period among my downstairs plants, ... that I plopped it right with a few plants next to our sliding glass door. The nearest other collection of plants was two rooms away, in the dining room (about 20 plants or so). Sure enough, in time (maybe a week or so), signs of Thrips showed on the Millennia. So, then the question became, ... HOW LONG would I let it remain .... before I either tossed it, ... or stripped it of its still beautiful blooms and buds. Eventually, I did get rid of the flowers and buds, .... applied what insecticide I was using at present, ... and crossed my fingers hoping that none of my other plants had been affected.
In the mean-time, two rooms away, I had a Picasso that was finally coming into bloom after a LONG struggle to finally get it to grow well. Its blooms opened ... and they were beautiful. It was only a few days later ... that I saw the Thrips. The long and the short of it is ... ALL of those downstairs plants (probably 25 or so), were eventually discarded, all because of one beautiful Optimara Millenia that was carrying Thrips.
Since then, I have much more careful with plants (maybe a couple) which I have obtained from a local outlet. I think that I have purchased, ... maybe an Optimara Modesty, ... and an Optimara Hiroshige. But these I ISOLATED by my upstairs bathroom window (and kept the door closed), so those experiences went a lot better. BUT, I still have obtained Thrips, at times, from other sources (online vendors). I do have a viable Thrip treatment plan now. I use a little Merit (from Bayer Tree/Shrub Treatment) in the saucers of plants where Thrips show up. And, generally, within a few weeks/months, I am seeing no more Thrips. Now I have to mention that some of my plants haven't taken well to such treatment. I lose a few out of every batch that I treat.
But, ultimately, I've found that it is so much better to start with leaves and/or plugs (from someone like Bloomlovers). Bringing in plants which are already blooming ... or in bud ... is a risk, if you don't get the ISOLATION piece right.
I've found, that, once I got my water/Chloramine situation in hand, raising plants from a leaf or plug is not hard at all, and, ultimately, will protect the plants you have (and all of your hard work and dreams) from the risk of Thrips (and/or or some other pest ... Mealybugs, Mites, .... I've had them all).
Leave the retail violets to the first-timers, ... who will throw their plants out soon anyway. If you want your Violets to provide you with beauty fro months, and maybe years, ... steer clear ...
Or ... if you see a plant that you just can't pass up ... have a good ISOLATION plan to protect your OTHER AV's. Doing so can save you weeks and months of having to fight against the Thrip scourge ...
9 years ago
9 years ago
9 years ago
judy musicant