An ace hardware store carries perlite?! Wonders never cease! I'm gonna look at mine! :D

Yay! I have a baby little moonstone! I've seen so many pictures of its perfect blooms.. it's good to hear from someone who has grown it that it does indeed bloom well. :)

I really want Faded jeans... The pic you posted of yours really grabbed me!

The Ace Hardware that I have locally is also a garden center that has wonderful stuff, so I don't know if all of them carry the items I get there. Here is my wonderful Opt. Little Moonstone that never stops blooming and is indestructible. It is in a small pot sitting in a china teacup, picture was taken before I started wicking plants, but this one didn't care if it was wicked or not, lol.

By the way Optimara LIttle Crystal is another one that never stops blooming.

Oh, that Little Moonstone is terrific! I used to have one but killed it before I got a set up that allowed me to grow the mini's. I used to kill them regularly when I was trying to keep them hand watered. :-(

My local Ace hardware doesn't have a garden center, but they have an aisle devoted to growing indoor plants and sometimes they have perlite. I'd say if yours doesn't have any out on the shelf be sure to ask. If they get a request, they can probably start stocking it.

Thank you! I did hand water OLM for a long time before I started wicking and it still survived everything. Its a very strong plant and the constant blooms amaze me.

Anne is right,,,Ace does have an aisle for perlite etc. But then so does Walmart, Meijer, and Lowes if you have any of those stores. Rosie

A lot of the minis will BLOOM THEIR BRAINS out if you repot them about every 3 or 4 months but make sure they get slightly root bound quickly. That's what really triggers African Violets into bloom if other factors like high enough light are met. I keep my minis in 2 inch pots and they practically fall over with flowers. Some take longer rest periods than others between bloom cycles but you can usually jump start that with frequent repotting.

Honestly, my heaviest constant bloomer of all time so far is RS Roskina. It has barely been out of bloom at all for the past entire year+. It takes tiny breathes in between bloom cycles and then goes nuts all over again, and again, and again. But as mentioned that requires regular refreshment of the soil with root disturbance. Every time it has mild root disturbance it works to grow new roots, and as soon as those start to hit the outside of the pot, BOOM. It goes back into bloom mode.

To some degree most of my AV's and streps do that because it's a gesneriad thing, but there are a few stinkers like Kissaway Trail that just will NOT bloom, that little sh*t. It's been repotted several times, got moved into higher and higher light (so now it gets full sun for hours every morning) and fed, and scolded, and whatever. I gave up on it and grow it as an interesting bonsai, now.

Here's Rob's Macho Devil, a variegated mini in a 2 inch cup that blooms like crazy but will take slightly longer rests in between than some of my others.

Ness's Crinke Blue is a pretty easy one to keep regularly in bloom, another mini:

Jolly Orchid is a classic bloom-it's-brains-out bloom a holic mini:

Not a mini but is 'standard' trailer that for me growns crowns about semi-mini in size so far, is Enchanting Waterfall (non-chimeric form) or Enchanted Watercolor if you get the chimera. Even a single crown of this plant will sport 100 blooms at a time, easily. It has also been in bloom the past 6 months I have had it, non-stop. Literally.

And this is RS Rosinka, a standard Russian. I don't think I can keep this one out of bloom unless I kill it. It can grow large but I keep all my standards in check by simply removing outer leaves so I can control the size.

Lastly another standard Russian that is very often and regularly in bloom for me, if not as constantly as RS Rosinka, is Snow Edelweiss:

These are all very easy to grow varieties that bloom heavily. At least for me, in my growing conditions.

Great info Hyn. Thank you.

Oh the violets are beautiful, Hyn! And your little bonsai,,,I had a mini once that insisted in growing like that. Did I let it? NO!!! I was determined it would grow like a violet proper and be a single rosette no matter "what". Well, because I was stubborn, it said "what" and died. <:( I love yours and next time I will not be so stubborn!!!!! Rosie

Haha, well better luck next time, Rosie. I may yet get that little bugger to bloom but it's probably a dud. Genetically some just are, especially if they zipper or whatever it can interfere with them ever blooming, or the chromosomes can be damaged, etc. I will probably get rid of it at some point once I get a certain other micro mini I have my eye on I want to replace it with. It's variegated and happens to live with a friend in Washington state so I need to get her to send me some leaves because it has beautiful tiny foliage.

Ahhhhh, wish I had something to trade you for your little bonsai. I think it is fascinating!!!! Good luck on getting the variegated micro mini leaves!!! Rosie

I think this is one of my best bloomers so far! It's a noid from Wal-Mart. :P

Optimara modesty... This plant has been in bloom almost constantly since January!

My Optimara Modesty has also been in almost continuous bloom since I got it last year. I just repotted it and it took a little rest and is coming back in bloom again.

It is a good one. Mine's blooming heavily right now as well. So is my Optimara Romance right beside it. I should use the latter in some cross pollinating as it has really nice variegation even in my heat.

Btw, not sure if anyone mentioned the perlite. I get mine from local nurseries or hydroponics stores when I can swing through any city. Just call around to see who has it before you go.

I pick up huge 4 cubic foot bags in fine, medium, coarse, or big chunky granular sizes for anywhere from $20 to $30 a bag. These are huge bags as big as I am, but very light to carry. You don't want to pay shipping on these, trust me but worth going to pick up once in a while if you can hunt down a local source.

I use it up way too fast to mess around with little bags at places like Walmart, Home Depot or Lowes, which only have the tiny fine grain stuff anyway.

Good idea to call a hydroponics store. And Snow Edelweiss is lovely. I put it on my list. Ty :)

I do not know the names of these violets, but they've been going crazy the last few weeks!

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

Boy you can tell it is spring both outdoors AND in!!!! Rosie