Jul 26, 2011

African Violets 101 - Part 1

Part 1

Here are some photos of my African Violets to get things started off. I will get into more technical stuff later on, i.e. AV history, origins, Latin name, etc. (I use AV as an abbreviation for African Violet)
Photo #1: AV on a humidity tray in an eastern exposure – Note: the little chef to the right... I accidentally broke him =( I felt super bad about it after the fact. Dang!!!! =(

Photo #2: AV getting watered from below, the best way to guarantee that you don't accidentally get water on the leaves, causing spotting to your plants. This spotting cannot be removed once present. The only option is to completely remove the AV leaf! Make sure you also take the stem of the leaf as well. Leaving it attached the plant without the leaf will cause the stem to die and rot away. Not good! And not very flattering to your plant, either.

Photo #3: The group on the windowsill. These plants are all larger now, since these photos are at least a year old or more (I think, but I honestly am not sure!)

Photo #4: Baby AV plants, grown from 2 single violet leaves. There are several babies in this one pot, which later needed separating. I allowed baby AV's to grow freely in this same pot since I thought it would look cool and fuller with all the leaves. Only later did I find out how hard separating them was.

Take it from me – plant only one cutting (AV pup) per pot in the early growth stage. These are most commonly grown from stem tip cuttings taken from the mother plant. (Please see below for information on stem tip cuttings.) In short, it’s much easier to care for the cutting to start off if you keep it singular . =)

Note: Later, once your AV matures and blooms, you can group it with other AV’s for an attractive shock of color and beauty to add charm to any room! 2 or 3 plants to a container will do nicely.

Photo #5: Av's in bloom. I was at Trader Joe's with Mom one summer and they had 3 AV plants in the same pot, all blooming!! Each was a different color (white, purple, and pink, if I recall). I couldn't resist buying one (or three, that is.) Since this photo was taken, the plants have been separated into individual pots.

How to Root AV Leaves (Stem tip cuttings)



1. Find a healthy AV leaf that's a nice shade of green. Using sharp, clean scissors, snip it well below the leaf, leaving plenty of the juicy stem. (You can dip the cutting in rooting hormone if you desire, but personally I haven't had to do this. If you are impatient waiting for plants to root, however, this may be your best bet!)
2. Next, using well aerated soil, fill your chosen container just about to the top, with about a half inch of room to water (if you want to water from above).



3. Make sure it's equipped with a drainage hole! Please do not compress the soil! Using a pencil, or your finger, make a hole in the soil.



4. Stick the stem tip down into the hole, leaving some stem visible above the soil surface. Lightly firm up the soil around the cutting.



5. Go easy on the watering until roots begin to form (about 3-5 weeks, or more, depending on the location, humidity etc. The 'time-to-root-formation' will vary depending on whether or not you used rooting hormone.) To test the roots, give the cutting a gentle tug, but don't mangle it or rip it out! Soon you will begin to see little AV leaves creeping up around the cut stem. Try not to get water on them!


6. Once the baby plant looks fairly large (about 2 months, maybe less depending on humidity and light conditions) cut away the original leaf from the baby plant. Pot up in whatever container you like, or leave the baby in the current pot. The choice is yours! (Photo showing the old leaf completely removed. Plant is still small, but fully mature enough to bloom.)

In general, A high humidity room will help the cutting root faster, as well as assist your AV's by giving them a growth boost--mature plants, or otherwise. As for sunlight for your AV cutting, the best location would likely be wherever your other Av's are currently residing (probably an East or West window. My best friend keeps her Violet in a Northern window, and it's constantly in bloom. The choice is really a matter of personal preference.)

Warning! A Southern exposure will cook your AV. Yikes! NOTE. **If you are not sure what window faces which direction, get an expensive compass to help you locate true North, and go from there** With a bit of patience, you will have brand new AV's ready to pot up! More photos of my AV propagation are now posted above. =)

You can 're-use' the same AV leaf to grow multiple plants if you wish. Simply re-cut the same stem after removing it from the baby AV, and repeat steps 2-6. If the leaf has rotted or is no longer green, discard it.

Be persistant and do not give up! Not every cutting is sure to become a new plant! If you meet the proper conditions (and increase humidity) you will be successful! **Soil, watering and drainage is the key. Too much water = rotting plant. Poor soil = rotting plant due to lack of drainage, fungus gnats and more. Also, Too much sun = cooked plants. Keep at it and don't doubt yourself!!

More to come in African Violets in Part 2!

42 comments:

  1. Thanks for your posts. I really found them useful.
    Esther

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want to share this wonderful testimony to the Good people all over the world on how I was able to Enlarge my Penis by Dr. Aziba. I was living a shameful life from my young age, just last month as I was browsing on the internet about Penis size  and Enlargement Products, I saw a testimony of a Man called Tim James testifying of how he was able to get his penis Enlarged by Dr. Aziba and I decided to also Email Dr. Aziba for my small penis size and he quickly respond to me and gave me the normal instructions which i did and then he shipped the product to me here in the united state which i received in just 3 working days and today i am very happy because i started seeing positive changes in my penis size in just 7 days of use.  Dr Aziba herbal product is the best recommended for you and to whom ever suffering from this shame or having any other diseases as well should Contact this great herbal doctor via his Email : Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com and WhatsApp Him on +2348100368288









      I want to share this wonderful testimony to the Good people all over the world on how I was able to Enlarge my Penis by Dr. Aziba. I was living a shameful life from my young age, just last month as I was browsing on the internet about Penis size  and Enlargement Products, I saw a testimony of a Man called Tim James testifying of how he was able to get his penis Enlarged by Dr. Aziba and I decided to also Email Dr. Aziba for my small penis size and he quickly respond to me and gave me the normal instructions which i did and then he shipped the product to me here in the united state which i received in just 3 working days and today i am very happy because i started seeing positive changes in my penis size in just 7 days of use.  Dr Aziba herbal product is the best recommended for you and to whom ever suffering from this shame or having any other diseases as well should Contact this great herbal doctor via his Email : Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com and WhatsApp Him on +2348100368288


      Delete
  2. You are most welcome, and thanks for reading! =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Eirinn,
    Thanks for the easy to follow steps to start new plants.
    Being a bit frugal as well as environmentally friendly,
    I decided to use all my discarded Keurig coffee cups to plant the leaves. Bonus, I'm recycling and they already have a tiny hole punched into the plastic. Wish me luck!
    Darryl in Nanaimo BC

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aρpreciating thе peгsiѕtеnce you ρut into your blοg аnd detaіleԁ information you
    pгoѵidе. It's awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn't the
    sаme old rehashed material. Wonԁeгful reaԁ!
    I've bookmarked your site and I'm including your
    RSS fееdѕ to my Google account.


    Rеview my hοmepаge color code of Resistor

    ReplyDelete
  5. I do consider all the concepts you have offered on your post.
    They're really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too short for newbies. May you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.

    Feel free to surf to my website ... Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey I am so delighted I found your website, I really found you by accident,
    while I was browsing on Bing for something else, Nonetheless
    I am here now and would just like to say thanks for a marvelous post and a all round enjoyable blog
    (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through
    it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also added
    in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please
    do keep up the superb jo.

    Also visit my web-site - Queeniescrib.Blogspot.Com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Heya i am fог the first tіme hеrе.

    Ι came acгoss this boaгd and I find It tгuly uѕeful & it helpеd me out a lot.
    I hope tо gіve somethіng baсκ
    and aіd othеrs liκe уou aіdеd me.


    Αlsо visit my web pagе ... hakopedia.org

    ReplyDelete
  8. I absolutely love your blog and find many of your post's to be just what I'm looking for.
    can you offer guest writers to write content available for you?
    I wouldn't mind producing a post or elaborating on a number of the subjects you write about here. Again, awesome blog!

    Feel free to visit my homepage - cellulite treatment reviews

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fantastic gooԁs from you, man. ӏ've understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely magnificent. I actually like what you'νe acquired here, certаinlу like what you're stating and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still take care of to keep it smart. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is actually a great web site.

    Look into my blog post :: resistor value

    ReplyDelete
  10. It's an amazing post for all the web people; they will take benefit from it I am sure.

    Look into my web page; resistance of a resistor

    ReplyDelete
  11. These look excellent, hadn't heard of them before! Thanks for all the info about them!

    ReplyDelete
  12. If you want to enhance the beauty of your garden, choose from the wide variety of fauna offered by our exotic plant nursery Sussex. We at Athelas Plants have created a name for offering the widest range of shrubs, trees and grasses and other plants to suit your individual requirements and preferences.

    Online Plant Nursery Eastbourne

    ReplyDelete
  13. I tried this and on my first attempt, it is amazing! It's healthy and still growing! I have 3 more trying to propagate. One isn't doing anything yet, one leaf stem rotted, and one leave was half dead/green so I almost gave up but much to my surprise, last night I looked and saw a baby leaf! I guess the green at the bottom where the stem is had enough energy to grow. I'm SO happy! My poor African Violets I've had a few years finally died. Not sure what happened but now I will have new ones.... Yipppeee! Thank you for your wonderful insight!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Valuable Tips For Violets Plant

    North Star African Violet Council Twin Cities Guys, Do You Know How to Grow Emergency Garden? If You don’t Know then, attention Please Here some better Idea growing home Indore plant helpful to you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I want to share a testimony on how Le_Meridian funding service helped me with loan of 2,000,000.00 USD to finance my marijuana farm project , I'm very grateful and i promised to share this legit funding company to anyone looking for way to expand his or her business project.the company is UK/USA funding company. Anyone seeking for finance support should contact them on lfdsloans@outlook.com Or lfdsloans@lemeridianfds.com Mr Benjamin is also on whatsapp 1-989-394-3740 to make things easy for any applicant. 

    ReplyDelete
  16. I want to share this wonderful testimony to the Good people all over the world on how I was able to Enlarge my Penis by Dr. Aziba. I was living a shameful life from my young age, just last month as I was browsing on the internet about Penis size  and Enlargement Products, I saw a testimony of a Man called Tim James testifying of how he was able to get his penis Enlarged by Dr. Aziba and I decided to also Email Dr. Aziba for my small penis size and he quickly respond to me and gave me the normal instructions which i did and then he shipped the product to me here in the united state which i received in just 3 working days and today i am very happy because i started seeing positive changes in my penis size in just 7 days of use.  Dr Aziba herbal product is the best recommended for you and to whom ever suffering from this shame or having any other diseases as well should Contact this great herbal doctor via his Email : Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com and WhatsApp Him on +2348100368288


    ReplyDelete
  17. I want to share this wonderful testimony to the Good people all over the world on how I was able to Enlarge my Penis by Dr. Aziba. I was living a shameful life from my young age, just last month as I was browsing on the internet about Penis size  and Enlargement Products, I saw a testimony of a Man called Tim James testifying of how he was able to get his penis Enlarged by Dr. Aziba and I decided to also Email Dr. Aziba for my small penis size and he quickly respond to me and gave me the normal instructions which i did and then he shipped the product to me here in the united state which i received in just 3 working days and today i am very happy because i started seeing positive changes in my penis size in just 7 days of use.  Dr Aziba herbal product is the best recommended for you and to whom ever suffering from this shame or having any other diseases as well should Contact this great herbal doctor via his Email : Priestazibasolutioncenter@gmail.com and WhatsApp Him on +2348100368288


    ReplyDelete
  18. Dehradun is the hub of beauties, if you have come to Dehradun for some kind of tour or trip, you are in the right place because we have gorgeous call girls in Dehradun.

    Dehradun Escorts | Escorts in Dehradun | Call girls in Dehradun

    ReplyDelete

  19. I started on COPD Herbal treatment from Ultimate Health Home, the treatment worked incredibly for my lungs condition. I used the herbal treatment for almost 4 months, it reversed my COPD. My severe shortness of breath, dry cough, chest tightness gradually disappeared. Reach Ultimate Health Home via their website www.ultimatelifeclinic.com . I can breath much better and It feels comfortable!

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for sharing this, Dear!!!
    Really an amazing, very awesome blog. I know this is fully informative which is the best for me and others. I want to share this wonderful Information with Good people all over the world. Also, do you know how VPS Server is important for the business website? If anyone wants USA VPS Hosting at a Cheap price. Onlive Server provides full configures Services related to web hosting in the USA location.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you for sharing the nice blog with us!!!
    Really I like your blog, So a very interesting blog. keep always sharing nice info with us. If you want to know about the best VPS Server Hosting, Then UK VPS Hosting is helpful for all types of business websites. Onlive Server provides you the best customer support with advanced technology at 24/7 hours. and grow your business.

    ReplyDelete
  23. 바카라사이트
    바카라게임사이트
    바카라

    I am definitely enjoying your website. You definitely have some great insight and great stories.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I’m impressed, I must say. Really rarely do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the issue is something that not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.


    스포츠중계
    토토
    토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  25. I haven’t any word to appreciate this post.....Really i am impressed from this post.... eos파워볼

    ReplyDelete
  26. 나는 이것이 유익한 게시물이라. 소액결제현금화

    ReplyDelete
  27. 최악의 부분은 소프트웨어가 스포츠중계

    ReplyDelete
  28. 훌륭한 영감을주는 기사. 링크모음

    ReplyDelete
  29. 그것을 읽고 사랑하고, 더 많은 새로운 업데이트를 기다리고 있으며 이미 최근 게시물을 읽었습니다. 토토사이트 추천

    ReplyDelete
  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  31. "Pretty! wonderful post. Thanks
    info." Schlüsseldienst Helmstedt

    ReplyDelete
  32. Interesting and interesting information can be found on this topic here profile worth to see it.
    500kva transformer price

    ReplyDelete