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pluto1415

Well, I split it...

I took the plunge yesterday and split my violet. When I pulled it out of the pot there was a thin layer of white roots covering the bottom and part way up the sides that just fell off. It turned out to be 3 plants all wedged in together. They were almost knotted together by their leaves. I tried to be gentle, but some leaves seems to almost snap off on their own. I got them down to what seemed a reasonable size based on photos and videos I've found. I purchased black gold violet soil and some perlite and mixed it about 50/50, then potted them up. Hopefully at least one makes it!

Those are 4" azalea pots - that is a West facing window, but when it was still one plant it thrived in there.

Comments (22)

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That looks great! It'll take a little while for them to stabilize and bloom, but I bet they will all make it. ;) great job!.*thumbs up*

  • 9 years ago

    They look good. Might've put them in smaller pots, but as long as you're careful about watering you should be fine :) if they go droopy, you can put a clear plastic bag over them, held up with skewers, to increase humidity...

  • 9 years ago

    You did good ...

  • 9 years ago

    When leaves snap off they can be rooted. Of course you've probably enough already.

  • 9 years ago

    They've already gone really droopy. It's been just about 24 hours. Should I bag them, or let them be?

  • 9 years ago

    Is the soil really soggy? Did you pack the soil down? I've had good success taking a toothpick and loosening the soil around the neck, and letting some air down there.

  • 9 years ago

    Or if the soil is dry, try watering with peroxide water (2 teaspoons to a gallon) that will give air to the roots.

  • 9 years ago

    Don't let the soil be soggy, Damp/moist at most ...

    If the soil is too wet, soak some of the water out of the root-balls by sitting the root-balls on paper towels.

    The plant's roots probably experienced some trauma. Your plants should perk up in a few days.

  • 9 years ago

    If you dome or bag them, all of them should make it fine even if they had no roots. But it is necessary to bag or dome them to increase humidity after a major repotting like that or they are going to have a hard time making it.

  • 9 years ago

    Are those clay pots? Did you take off a leaf to start just in case bad happens? They do look good,,,,Glad you took the plunge and good luck! Rosie

  • 9 years ago
    and if you bag, be sure to keep them out of direct sunlight.... nearly cooked a batch of seeds that way once....
  • 9 years ago

    They are clay pots and I did not keep any individual leaves. It seems like just the outer leaves are droopy, the inner leaves still seem ok.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    amyalternate has good advice. If you aren't going to dome or bag them, take them down to only the central crown so they transpire (loose) less internal moisture that way versus what the roots can cope with after the shock. But I strongly suggest you invest in a nice 10 by 20 inch flat with dome lid like you can pick up at Walmart as you can use it over and over again when repotting, reducing shipping stress on new arrivals, or for starting leaves. For the cost of about two adult plants you can expand your options long term and loose fewer plants when they need a little extra TLC.

  • 9 years ago

    Thanks for all the suggestions. To the person who suggested I invest in the growing dome, that's a great idea, but I literally have one window sill that gets enough light and it won't hold anything that big. The plants do seem to be recovering, even the droopy leaves have firmed up some...

    And yes, those are glass milk jugs waiting to go back to the store :)

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, very good. In the future instead of a dome you can slip the pots into 1 gallon baggies with a pencil or kabob skewer to keep the baggie off of the leaves. There are many ways you can make a temporary 'greenhouse' enclosure including cutting the bottom of of a milk jug to set over the plants. But only if you want to.

    I'm glad they are doing better! Rooting backup leaves is also a good idea, if your space permits. If you decide you don't want them you can always give away extras or trade. Enjoy!

  • 9 years ago

    I don't think they're going to make it. I decided to take the advice and move them into smaller, non porous pots over the weekend. The two on the left and right were pretty rotted, the one on the left I just pitched - everything that was underground was soft and black and squishy. The one on the right I tried to trim back to where it wasn't squishy any more and took a bunch more leaves off of it (they were squishy at the bases). The one in the center that I thought was going to be OK looked fine when I took it out of that pot, but after putting it into a smaller pot (yogurt cup with holes) it's looking really droopy - even the center that stayed firm and upgright throughout the first transplant is starting to look wilty. I've got it bagged, so I hope it perks up.

    Unfortunately, I think I'll be headed out looking for a new one soon :( Now I'm seriously sorry I even split them to begin with.

  • 9 years ago

    Aw, I'm so sorry! I've had this happen to me before. :( I almost lost one just this weekend... I ended up setting it outside and it looks better over the weekend... I'm not sure why. Sometimes it's hard to know what they need. :(

  • 9 years ago

    Unfortunately it is very important to NOT water them too much once repotted because the roots and plant become stressed and nearly stop taking up water. Therefor the roots become particularly prone to rotting in that condition. Which is why we dome them with the soil barely dampened. It raises humidity so the plant looses less water through the leaves. It is also a good idea to remove excess or wilting leaves around the crown. It may be too late to save these now but anything that is yet firm should be cut away from all else and restarted. A small crown with no roots can go into a tiny bit of damp but not wet soil, and bagged to start new roots. The same with any individual leaves which can be rooted to grow entire new plants in time, if the light is strong enough. Window light often isn't enough but it might be. Depends on the variety you try to restart. Good luck with it!

  • 9 years ago

    Pluto, that rots. I feel like I let you down somehow. I recommend ordering from Lyon's. They have strong hearty plants. Plants at big box stores could have a variety of pests. But, if you only want one plant, or two, then you can risk a Big Box AV. When I pot up leaves I make sure the soil is not too wet, and if it is, I use paper towel to absorb the excess. Just place the pots on the towels and let the water drain out. Replace the towels a few times.

    You can remove the crown, cut off anything brown, then cut more. I have regrown huge plants that developed root rot (due to neglect) using just two little crown leaves barely attached a sliver of stem. What Hyn Parry said: Be sure to wet your soil so that it is barely wet, and bag it, or use a little clear dessert box. It can take 3-4 weeks for roots to start, be patient.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sorry, Pluto ...

    Dividing plants can be a litle tricky.

    Once you get the hang of it, though, ... it won't be so hard.

    One of the most consistent lessons in growing African Violets ... is that you will lose some plants. I've concluded that they're not a HARD plant to take care os, ... but that they are a particular plant ... with particular needs, ... which you will have no trouble providing, ... once you get a sense of what they are.

    I'm sure I've lost hundreds of AV's (shhh ...). From root rot to stem rot to Mites to mealy-bugs, ... I've had to send my plants over the Rainbow Bridge many many times. (in my initial year of ordering AV plantlets, I was sure that, at some point, my initial vendor was going to refuse to send me any more plants ... since I obviously didn't know how to keep them alive (since I kept ordering the same varieties over and over).

    But, you'll be oh, so proud, when you begin to be able to keep your plants alive ... and see them rebloom.

    Don't give up. Find (or order) another plant or more that catches your fancy.

    This time, try to make sure that your selected plants have only one crown.

    Bring them home, water them sparingly, and watch as they surprise you with their resilience.

  • 9 years ago

    Amyalternate, don't feel bad at all. I knew it needed divided, it couldn't have continued the way it was. It's not your fault I couldn't execute. I'm going to just leave them alone for a little while and see how they do.

    They weren't any special types, just plain old dark purple ones from a florist. When I do go looking for a new one, I don't have to go big box, there are quite a few mom and pop greenhouses around. They might still be plain old purple ones, but at least I think they are looking out for pests.