Rosie, Rosie, Rosie - I just luv ya. :-)

Oh thanks Anne! Let's hope ya still love me after you read this post!

Ok everyone,,,,,I told you about my plan with my beautiful little single crown plant that went nuts.

Well, that is NOT going to happen. The person who generously gave me that little beauty informed me it really IS a trailer! And all I did was make a bunch of NEW little trailers. (course THAT always makes me happy! More babies! YAY!)

OH MY!!!!! I completely misunderstood or didn't read the email carefully and thought it was a single crown out of control!!!! Maybe on superfood!!!! Steroids!!

BUT that means that I now have a large batch of little trailers happily rooting and hopefully going to bloom as soon as they are ready.

SOOOOOOOO,,,,,,,my sincere apologies to my violet benefactor, mea culpa, and hope it is accepted.

And my apologies to the forum for my misunderstanding! As far as the future surgeries???? Except for a leaf removal here or there to let the light get inside the plant, the little ones can rest easily. NO MORE!!!!!

Ok, I am serious this time,,,,,please call off those people approaching my house with that very large net!!!!!! I am not coming out of the basement until they are gone!!!! Rosie

PS. Everything I told you about Rob's Argyle Socks is correct! THAT I am sure of.

I dunno, doesn't look like fuzzy socks to me. Good luck, Argyle Socks is a cute one.

Yes, I didn't want you to continue torturing them to try to make them single crowns...not likely to happen :) But they look happy, don't they ?

They do look happy don't they? I think so. sigh,,,,wish they had a real name, but I love them just the same!

So far, RAS is doing well. Let's hope it keeps up especially since I have to "show and tell" it once a month! geeze,,,,no pressure! Rosie

Well you and I hashed out a probable name some time back...though NOID it will ever be.

Yep! And I love them just the same! Forever NOID. Rosie

PS. But I can wish can't I???? I know,,,,wishin' ain't gettin' !!!!!

I am making a vote that Rosie missed her calling and would make a great author! The character that comes out in your writing is the best!

Awww, thanks so much! Rosie

Ive got a RAS that has been two plants since I got it. A neurosurgeon could not have separated those little buggers when they were little. Now, they're still little but the plant is like a pair of joined twins. Ive debated what to do and so far, I have decided to enjoy them in their current state. I doubt the plant will ever bloom but I want to wait a while before I attempt what is likely, death by knife. I don't think either side would survive the amputation. Funny how some of these crazy plants take a notion.

Many years ago I had a violet like that. I forget their names but they were my little Siamese twins! So I took my trusty razor and went just a little to the side of the main crown but made sure I didn't damage either crown and cut all the way straight down the middle of the trunk til I got to roots. I made sure each one had a nice crown. Then I gently separated the two halves and they each had a nice hunk of roots and I planted them. I covered them and hoped for the best. They both took their time, but they did well! Oh and of course I started the excess leaves! Waste not, want not! Rosie

In any case, if you let them grow, they'll form separate trunks eventually.

Yes, I understand the dilemma. Since I am not a huge fan of the plant anyway, I think I will wait for a bit longer, hoping that one or the other crown will become dominant.

I can tell you what I am not going to do and that is I am NOT going to put the energy into RAS that I put into my Black Pearl. One crownectomy and that will be it. Failure to behave at that point will prompt a trip to the compost bin.

Jeff instead of a big production (surgery to split and save both), why don't you just use a sucker plucker or something like it to remove the crown that isn't dominant? Yes it will leave a gap until the other crown straightens up and flys right but it is a lot less work. It's an option! Rosie

Even if none of them dominant - just cut one off. The longer you wait - the uglier it gets. RAS is a pretty good plant. If everything checks right. I had one that bloomed beautifully... no variegation though...

I think Jeff is getting into an experimentation mode. Lets suggest some ideas worth pursuing.

Using DIfferent Fertilizers? Grafting AV to Episcia? Playing classic music to AVS?

Wait,,,,doesn't everyone play classical music to AVS???? Rosie

Pretty funny guys. No classical music here. Mine get a steady dose of Fox News though.

I have every intention of doing something to my RAS. Soon. Just putting off the inevitable. Its kind of a nice plant or should I say they are nice plants just like they are!

Heres a pic of the little bugger.

Looks like the one on the right should have all the leaves taken off. IMO Rosie

PS. Don't forget to start the leaves!

SUckers!!!

?

See now Rosie, I would have taken away the sucker(s) on the LEFT, the right side looking more like a complete crown to me. But I could be wrong; I've seen you perform miracle surgery before. ;-)

Good to know. Some of you would keep the right, some would keep the left. Hence the reason why, up to this point, I have kept both sides.

Since I have removed all the flowers and blooms off of all the plants for thrip spraying, I am going through the herd and removing unwanted leaves. (Sometimes I get behind on this.) As soon as I get caught up, I will address the RAS issue.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Not sure what will happen but one side or the other will have to go.

Rosie, Ill put everything I cut off and put it in an envelope for you!

Really really really Jeff?!?!?!?!?!?! Ah how sweet and they will have a good home and I will love each and every one of them!

BUT,,,,(no Irina,,,not "butt"ering any buscuits here lol) I was thinking,,,,, instead of trying to save the large sucker on the left, which I believe looks larger and more dominant,,,,,and ending up doing a lot of damage,,,,,,, I would take the outer leaves off of the crown you wish to remove one at a time til I got down to just the small crown. Then I would carefully excise the little crown. That would do less damage to the trunk and overall plant than trying to get off a larger crown with a lot of leaves to wade through. It will leave the same open space,,,,AND a smaller sucker will have a better chance of rooting than one that has to sustain more top growth. Then I will happily plant the leftover leaves!!! Ooops! did I say I???? I mean YOU can happily plant the leftover leaves!!!! Anyway you do it,,,good luck Jeff! Rosie

PS. Thanks for the vote of confidence Anne!!!!

Well, Robs Socks got made into a true pair today. We'll see how it comes out. I don't have any worries about the strong side but I was unable to save any roots on the weak side.

Should be ok in a month or two. Maybe now, Ill finally get one of them to bloom.

Jeff!!!! You did it!!!! DRUM ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Put down all those leaves now. Don't waste anything!!!! You never know who will survive and who won't. Good luck!!! Rosie

Rosie, so glad you found a club! Wow! I am back in mine after a 1 year break. You are hilarious! I did the same thing with my first trailer, not knowing it was a trailer.

When I caught on, thanks yo Irina (this is going back), I finally potted up 20 or 30 separate "crowns" and donated them all to a neighborhood plant club and to a senior center. Many people love trailers, but not me. Joanne

Thanks Joanne! I love my group! For the first time I actually worked at our Fall Show and Sale. I had a ball circulating and talking to people in a "belong to a group" capacity as opposed to "be a customer" capacity! It was so much fun!

Oh and that was not my first trailer. I just got my wires crossed somehow. But I got a bunch of great plants growing from it and hopefully they will blossom! Eventually. Low (window) light being what it is! But I love them just the same! I love them all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rosie

PS You may not know, but I have a nice "Wish List" going!

Rosie, how could anyone forget your wish list

Rosie,

I bet it is a good feeling to now be a contributing member!

Rob's plants are minis and minis have trailer genes.

I donated all my Rob's minis to club members who grow minis and trailers. (Rob's plants just don't grab me, but other people love his minis.) I also donated some vintage semi-mini trailers. Twinkle Blue, I think.

Sometimes, I like to grow plants out to see whether they work their magic. Or if they look like a failed science experiment.

Joanne

Oh so you remembered my list? That's nice! I still add to it.

Yes Joanne, it is a good feeling. I was on my own with no one in my county close to me to even talk violets (or any plant for that matter) with. I do have one close friend but she is so far away from me! Thank goodness for a phone and NO long distance charges!!! It is just nice to go once a month and see a group of people and talk all you want about violets/gesneriads! And I got to help with the sale!

Ohhhh, I love Twinkle Blue! And Rob's, and semi mini's, and, and, and,,,, Rosie

PS. I forgot to say Vintage anything!!!!!! Oh, and all different sizes! Did I forget anything????

Just an update on My babies & Rob's Argyle Socks project. Last week was our last meeting for the year (heavy sigh). But the whole plan about the project of Rob's Argyle Socks was to bring our little plant to the meetings so we could all see and discuss how they are doing. So I did! HAHA and I was the only one who did! lol! But my little plant of RAS is doing real nice!

And the "my babies"???? Well, they are lookin' good! No flowers that I can see yet, but I am a patient person. (sort of). I will let you know as soon as they flower!!!!! Gotta say,,,there is just something I love about those little plants. Rosie