Hi Yolanda! From what I understand yellow spots can be caused by a variety of things (watering with cold water, water sitting on leaves, viruses, sunburn etc.). Since it seems that only your violets in your South facing windowsill have spots, I believe that they do have sunburn. I would recommend getting small tables and setting them a foot or two away from your window to place your violets on so that the sun is less direct. I've also heard of people putting sheer curtains if they get harsh sun in their windows, but I have never tried it myself. I am no expert but I hope this helps!

Wishing you plentiful blooms and perfect rosettes,

damask_rose_5

Hi All, Hi Rose, thanks for the advice. The windows in our house were old - probably put in when the house was built about 1958. The windows were replaced, and we were told that they are more efficient, and that they block out some of the rays coming from the sun. I do not use lights. Power is expensive, and people have been growing AVs on windowsills for years. The angle of the sun will change as spring comes. It has not been very warm here. Yesterday was the warmest day this month - about 33 F. In July, it will be about 90 F. That will be much warmer, but the sun will be coming from a different angle. Some snow has melted but there is still mounds of snow on lawns across the street. I think this is the first year I have seen yellow spots on the leaves of my AVs. I will see how they are doing later in the year. If nothing, I can move them into the basement and more the ones in the basement upstairs. There are windows in the basement that the AVs like. I will have to consider moving them if they do not get better.

Just saying,

Yolanda

Hi Yolanda! I just thought of another solution. Since your window blocks out certain wavelengths of light and plug-in grow lights would be expensive, perhaps battery-operated grow lights would be a good solution. You could get a few strips of battery-operated red and blue LED lights or full spectrum LED lights and position them above your violets. I found this on Amazon as a reference: Battery-operated LED light strip. I hope this helps! If it doesn't then I'm sure the experts will chime in soon and give you some good advice.

Best of luck,

damask_rose_5

Culture issues, probably cold water. It will grow better if you will repot it in a shallow pot - this is requirement for trailers, it stimuates branching. While it looks like it is a sport - it is still have a potential to be an attractive plant with nice colored blossoms - and since you are just learning to grow trailers - it will be your test subject.

The damaged leaves are not going to get better. I would take them out, pretty much stripping the plant to younger healthier leaves, plant it in a shallow pot - you can use something like a whipped philly cheese container with holes punched - eventually it will fit into a 5 inch bulb pan. Stripping the leaves will open the stems and stimulate sleeping buds to start growing creating offshoots.

You can do it!

Regarding overly wet and rotting plants... shipping in winter ... will chill the plants and make them more susceptible. Wet soil is no-no. So - change the seller and order when it is warmer.

Have fun!

I.

Hi Rose, Hi All, I will see if I can attach a strip of lights over the plants. However, I do not have racks for the plants, and since the house is only 1100 square feet, three bedrooms, and three of us live in the house, I do not know where I would put a rack. It would take some engineering.

I am also waiting for our parish's rummage sale. If any duplicates, triplicates are in blossom, they will be going to the rummage sale. It would make more room for the babies I have and more room to spread out the plants. They are on three windowsills upstairs and three windowsills downstairs. It is all a matter of room.

I will have some planning to do.

Thanks for the advice.

Yolanda

Hi Irina! Thank you so much, this helped a lot! I will remove all of the damaged leaves and try to polish off a cream cheese container so I can use it as a pot. (Bagels do sound good right now :).) I hope I can grow this plant well, it is very special since it was a gift from my family. I don't mind so much that it is a sport, I think the flowers are really pretty. The folks at Hirt’s Gardens are very nice and they were very understanding about replacing the O. Little Inca, but for what you're paying I guess I expected better cared-for plants. To be honest, I felt bad that my family paid a lot for something that I fear I may not be able to keep alive due to the condition the plants were sent in. Hopefully with your help I will be able to make it thrive. I really do love the look of the plant though. I am thinking about naming it perhaps, maybe even registering it. Do you think 'Michelle’s Purple Valentine' would be a good name? I have already set down leaves to see if it comes true. Maybe once the leaves produce plantlets I can distribute some to Gardenweb members who want them for the price of shipping.

Thanks again for all your help, you have been really kind and helpful with all of my AV endeavours. : )

Hi Yolanda! You're very welcome. Wow, your house must be beautiful with all the African violets blooming in the windows! Also, the rummage sale sounds fun! My church has rummage sales once in a while but the only plants they ever sell are lady-finger bulbs. I have too many of those already, (they multiply like crazy!)

Regarding the battery-operated LED grow lights, if you decide to get some, make sure that the battery pack is designed to last a long time, as some only last for a few days. Also, make sure that the lights are bright enough to use for plants. Here is a link to help you out: Everything You Need to Know About LED Strip Lights

If you don’t have room for a shelving unit, perhaps you might have room for a wall-mounted one? Here is an example:

Wishing you both plentiful blooms and perfect rosettes,

damask_rose_5

Hi Rose, Hi all - Rose, thanks for the advice. I will think it over.

My plants may grow on windowsills, but for the most part, I do not think that people notice them unless someone points them out. There are plants in the living/dining room. In the living room, they are on a windowsill behind a love seat, and in the dining room behind a lace curtain, The others are in the master bedroom behind a lace curtain. Those are the ones facing south.

The basement is partial finished, and they are in a window facing north and in another room facing east and west. The basement is still full of things removed from my Mother's place when she went to a nursing home, and probably things taken out of my Mother-in-law's place when she died. There is also things that are being collected for the rummage sale - books, kids' clothing, etc.

In the basement, I think the amount of sun can be a challenge. There are plants that do really well there, and there are others that do not. I move plants from upstairs to downstairs when I feel there is a need. The plants in the basement stare at the car in the driveway, at the sidewalk in the north and into the neighbor's backyard to the west.

Growing AVs has always been a challenge. I know that you may not have a basement. Our basement is full of some useful things - the furnace, the laundry room, the hot water heater, etc. It is extra living space to get away from others.

Just saying,

Yolanda

Strip lights work the same way as LED fixtures, more work to attach them though.

Naming and registering the sports makes sense only if the sport is an improvement from the original variety. If the original plant has bicolor or fantasy blossoms - and the sport has solid color blossoms... it is not an improvement unless it got some other outstanding features - like puts 100 blossoms per crown 12 months a year... 99% of sports are less interestng than an original - so while there are named sports - really not that many. The most desirable sport - is a chimera. If you grow a multicolored variety - every so often in a blue moon you get a chimera mutation. Makes sense to preserve it and name it.

If you want to go through the official channels, put a lot of efforts and get a registration number in AVSA - fine, it can be done.. Just for your own enjoyment - you can name it the way you like - and share with friends. Or it can continue its life as a sport of Rob's. It is technically correct.

Really well grown and blooming plant usually looks much better than a pedigree one with 3 blossoms. Optimara "My Delight" is gorgeous. So investing into TLC and good culture usually pays off very well.

I., the spoilsport.

(Houzz just deleted my entire response before I was finished, so here goes take two…)

Hi Yolanda!

I’m so sorry about the loss of your loved ones. May they rest in peace. I’m sure they would be very proud of you for making the world a more beautiful place by growing African violets. You’d be surprised by how much a few flowers can brighten up someones’ day. Sometimes growing African violets can be a challenge, it is for me too, but I guess that is what makes it so rewarding. You give them a little love and care, and they give so much beauty and happiness back. You just find whatever growing set-up works for you and I’m sure your violets will do beautifully.

Hi Irina! I guess I did get a little too excited about naming my sport. I’ve just always wanted to have my very own plant cultivar. With no room for hybridizing, when I received my sport I saw it as a golden opportunity : ). But you’re right, it’s the plant that matters, not its name. As someone once said, “A rose by any other name smells as sweet...” But then again, I hate Shakespeare, so I may secretly call my violet “Purple Valentine” just for my own enjoyment... ; )

Have a nice weekend everyone and thanks for your kind responses,

damask_rose_5 aka Eager McBeaver ; )

I have a great respect for hybridizers... they plant manyhundreds of seeds every year... nurture the plants... and cull-cul-cull all the way. May be name 1-2 plants from each cross, may be none. Yes - you need to have a space to grow the best ones to bloom...

Hi Rose, Hi All, I have given my AVs names. They have to be named after fictional female characters, such as Pollyanna, Samantha, etc. It is fun for me to think of names of fictional female characters, whether old nursery rhymes, kids' stories or modern fiction.

Just saying,

Yolanda