African Violet Blog

 I am growing African violet plants from now until an October garden club meeting, where they will be part of my demonstration to the club members.  I have extended an invitation to the club members to Grow Along with me!  If anyone in the general public wishes to Grow Along, I am posting the 4 month Schedule and Instructions for the various steps.  Everyone is welcome to join, or to simply watch my updates on my Fun and Fancy Flowers Facebook page.

I have FINALLY realized I need a different goal in my Violet Life!
In the past, my motto has been "Grow As Many Violets As You Can!"
So, how has that worked out for me???
If you know me personally, the answer is easy:  It hasn't worked too well for me!

I would buy a leaf of every violet that I didn't already own.
I would also set a leaf of all my Favorites!
These babies would produce hundreds of babies.. and I LOVE to see a tray full of rows of multiple plants of the same variety.... possibly this aspect of growing African violets is even more satisfying to me than seeing them bloom!
A few months later, and I would have many, many... way too many plants.

To make the situation even worse, I typically set the mama leaves during the late fall, before shipping season ends, and when the ranch work slows up.  That works fine during the winter as I have time to transplant the babies, watch and fuss over them.
As they grow, and begin to need potting up, the time is then Spring, and ranch work begins with a blast.  I can usually manage to get them into larger pots, and the illusion that I can grow 200 + violets continues!

They begin to bloom, which is great as whole shelves of color are a wonderful sight!
But they also begin to demand more consistent care, watering more often, and grooming.
The summer temps get hotter and our work load builds!
I begin to cut corners on my 'hobbies', and before I know it, the violets are drying up... dead or dying.  There are years in which I do better than average, but there are also years when I lose nearly every plant.  Boy, was I glad I set leaves every other month!!!

By fall, I have lost many varieties and so I buy new leaves....
and so the cycle continues!

Add to this Cycle, my attitude of keeping every variety that I have ever grown.... good and bad!
If it has been in my house for a few months, it is a friend, and I need to keep it for all time!
I have gotten better at 'culling' varieties that either didn't like my house, or that I didn't find attractive.

SO.....................................
For the FIRST TIME, I am setting goals for myself.
Time will tell if this saves 'violet lives' but it has already made a difference!
I have resisted the urge to buy more leaves.  I have been able to give away my last plants of a few varieties, and I did not pot up every little baby from every leaf!

 1.  Make a list of my favorites and a few varieties that I must try.
 2.  Limit the list to 50.
 3.  Set leaves of my favorites and those on the list... not every variety I see in photos online!
 4.  Pot up only the best babies from each leaf.
 5.  Keep only 5 or 6 light shelves!
 6.  Watch each variety carefully and if there is any fault or weakness, do not hesitate to cull that variety.  On rare cultivars that I really want to have, I will try one more time.  But 'two strikes and you are out' will be the rule!
 7.  Not all cultivars need to be fully mature mama plants at all times.  There are a few varieties that I am keeping because they are old, hard to find, or for sentimental reasons, but are not at the top of my Favorites List.  These could be kept as leaf cuttings, etc.  (HERE is a good article where the grower keeps different varieties at different stages of growth.)
 8.  Share my favorite cultivars and any that are hard to find commercially.  Loxi, my local violet friend, has come to my rescue many times by supplying me with leaves of varieties I have lost!
 9.  Cull.  This one needs repeating.  :)
10. Remind myself that growing, watching, and caring for varieties that are Old Friends is as satisfying, maybe even more so, than the excitement of new varieties.  This is one of the great joys that has been overshadowed by all the African violet photos shared online!

Just had to share the BEAUTY that sits at my elbow while I am on the computer!

Most of these are plants I ordered from Violet Barn last October, and they are still in the little pot they sent them in!!!!

These are a few young plantlets just coming into their first bloom! I have about 200 of these - in 121 varieties!  Yikes

I AM trying to 'limit my collection'! REALLY!!!

I had lots of fun with my violets at the Montana Seed Show held in Harlem!

Update on the mildew problem:
As expected, correcting the cause was the saving of the situation!
But from past experiences, I knew that simply creating a good mildew-free environment wouldn't completely eliminate the problem since the powdery mildew spores were still floating around.
So, I misted the Lysol over most of the growing areas every three days.  I did mist my 'mama' mature and blooming plants once, very lightly, after removing all open blossoms that would have the most probability of having unseen mildew on the backsides. The leaf trays and streps also were misted.

The tray of babies that was so badly infected/affected were left so that I could see what the milk/clove oil/water combo did.  I sure hated to take a chance, but since I have been in an 'experiement' mood this winter (thanks again, Laurie!) I just had to.

Ten days later, and there was no return of mildew.. and yes, I did put on my glasses! In the past, it often returned in five days to one week.  So on the eleventh day, I misted the leaf tray and the Maverick's Faded Jeans plant with the Lysol.

The mildew did leave it's 'mark'... some of the leaves on plants most often touched developed brown marks or brownish tints.  I read somewhere that the mildew actually enters the leaf and feeds on the plant's cells.  Kill the mildew and it will stop doing more damage, but any cell damaged will die or show stress.

Anyway, now that my canary hen hatched several baby chicks, I have to be careful with the Lysol spray... the smell drifted throughout our house since several of my violet stands are in the open living areas.  Cautions include dangers to household pets, including birds.  So, I will continue to mist the sales plants with the Lysol on a schedule, in another room with an exhaust fan going and the door closed.  But my personal plants in our living areas will get the milk treatment.

My new violet corner is not finished... not by a long way, but I just had to take a photo!  :)
Now to compare my AVs from October to my AVs now.
Below, is a photo of my personal collection of plants... the ones I am keeping for myself, taken in October when they were on two shelves on my bathroom stand.
Two months later, here they are on the stand in my new violet corner:
Here are the extras and for sale ones in the porch:
The streps and a few young av rooted suckers in the bedroom:
Last, the stand in the bathroom has the most recently planted leaves, foliage plants, and etc.:

Okay... I've finally admitted I have to TREAT powdery mildew!!!  For the past two weeks, since we started the wood stove and the house temps have changed, I have been noticing a few blossom stalks on larger plants on one stand had mildew on the stems and some on the petals.  I DID NOT find any mildew on the other stand in a different area!  :) 
     So, I began TREATMENT with the only true first step:  PREVENTION!  I took off all stalks with open blossoms... and moved the plants to a better area!  The temps in the new area don't drop so low at night, and the difference between night and day temps is not so large.  This new area is one side of our living room, and we walk by the violets many times every day, creating a little 'stirring' of the air.
     That was two weeks ago, and I have not seen any sign of mildew  I will keep a close watch but I expect not to have much problem.
     The original shelves where the mildew developed are in the bathroom.  It is a large bathroom, and we do run a fan for several hours a day, and there is not high humidity.  The problem is that it is an 'isolated' room, on the outside wall, and several rooms away from the wood stove.  When the wood stove is stoked and working, the main furnace does not run, and yet the heat from the wood stove does not warm the bathroom.  We use a small heater/fan for those times we use the shower, so the daytime temps aren't too bad, about 66-72 degrees.  But the night temps often drop to 60 degrees.
     Today, I noticed the oldest tray of mama leaves had a well-advanced case of MILDEW!!   Yuk! I was checking on them nearly every day, but they were growing at the pace that a watched pot boils!  So, I decided to let them be for a few days.  So, I missed the first signs, if it came slowly.  It could have developed in the last week, since I watered them a week ago, but I didn't look too closely!
     I did a quick check on the new stand, and the large plants were free.  I looked over the stand that has the 'extras' and for sale plants.  They are in a good environment similar to the new stands,and I have been misting the area with Lysol spray, just to keep the selling plants clean.  It seems to have done a good job.
     But those propagating leaves were horrid, and needed quick help.  I did some research in the violet books, and Nancy's book, etc.  I decided not to rely on the Neem Oil as it seemed it worked best for prevention.  I didn't have the stronger chemicals... so went to work with what I had.
     I have had good results with simply washing the mildew off on a very regular basis, keeping the shelves and area clean, the Lysol spray, and improving the growing environment.  So, I mixed a milk/water/clove oil solution, and began to brush it THOROUGHLY over all the mama leaf surfaces.  I did not brush the baby leaves... except those in the front three pots in the photo below.  Just for an experiment!  :)
     I mean I REALLY COVERED and saturated the leaf surfaces,  It wasn't easy, as the hairy leaves, and the mildew itself seemed to shed the solution.  I did remove some leaf tips, and some mama leaves completely, if the babies were large and looked sturdy.
     I did find one medium plant with some mildew on the blossom stalks and one leaf.  So, I completely covered it.
     The leaves and plant  dried very quickly as I did the work very close to the wood stove and the fan on the stove does move air!  I left the leaves and plant in the kitchen for the rest of the day, and will place them in a place that has more even temperatures and good air circulation.
    Tomorrow, I will wash and spray the bathroom shelves and give everything a light misting just to keep them safe.  Plus, I will double check day/night temps, and make sure it isn't the best mildew environment.
     Here are photos:

• 16 tablespoons of warm water
• 4 tablespoons of milk (whole, raw)
• 16 shaken drops of clove oil (essential homopathic oil, not culinary)

It rained this week!  And I filled jugs for houseplant watering... after testing the ph and TDS.  The ph was 7 and the TDS was 67.  I am back in business!  :)

I have been watering my violets with distilled water and no fertilizer.  So far, every plant has been watered twice with distilled water.  I will water one more time and then flush the pots of all my 'mature mamas' and repot all the starters and small babies.  They are ready to be potted up and this will fit in with my 'remedial' soil training!  :)

I had a busy week , with the houseplant class, getting our food co-op delivery, buying and trading goats, getting canaries, displaying my art at the local library, moving cows from summer pasture, having snow storms, selling violets, etc.  etc.  AND I have not yet repotted the 'ph affected' violets.
Their symptoms have not worsened, and they look like they are doing fine, while they wait for me!

This week is somewhat 'less crowded'.... we are taking several work-related road trips, and will be weaning the calves (taking them away from the cows), and will be picking up the artwork, plus hosting the last night of class.

I received the TDS meter today, so began to test various waters and combos with soil:
(P.S. by the way, the federal standards for safe human drinking water is no more than 400 ppm TDS)
UPDATED test list

source of water                            ph                    TDS

WATER TESTS

Mom's spring water                       7.5                 411 ppm
our well water                               7.5               1466 ppm
our well water after Berkley filter    7.5               1466 ppm

rain water in October                    6.5                 109 ppm
rain water in November                  4                    84 ppm
yet to test:
Harlem city water
Dodson city water
bottled spring water
bottled distilled water

SOIL TESTS

In October:
1 cup distilled water (7 ph)
ran two times through 4 inch pot of
freshly mixed soil                        5.5                did not test

In November:
1 cup of Mom's water (7.5 ph)
ran two times through 4 inch pot of
> potting mix                                5                  did not test
> Splendiferous plant displaying symptoms
                                                  4 or lower        751 ppm

tests comparing soil ingredients and mixes:

1 cup Mom's water (7.5 ph)
ran two times through 4 inch pot of

Miracle Gro AV Soil                  4
Glacier Gold Compost                5
my potting mix                            6
a plant from my friend (different mix) 4
FERTILIZER TESTS

November rain water (4 ph) with
1/4 strength Jack's Classic 20-20-20
                                                  5                   did not test

Mom's spring water (7.5 ph) with
Neptune's Harvest
> very dilute Liquid Seaweed 0-0.1-1
                                               7 or 7.5            did not test
> very dilute Fish Fertilizer 2-4-1
                                               4 or lower         did not test
powdered super phosphate      3.5

Jack's Classic 20-20-20          6.5
Schultz AV                              6.5
Dyna Gro 7-9-5                      4.5
Dyna Bloom 3-12-6                3.5
AlgoFlash 7-9-5                       4
WOOD ASH TESTS

concentrated WA solution:
1 tsp cottonwood ash per 8 oz. mom's spring water (7.5 ph)
ph tested way off the chart so not included because I couldn't
figure accurately.

November rain water (4 ph) with
> 1 TB WA solution per 4 oz.      7.5
> 1 TB + 2 tsp  per 4 oz.             10. + very purple (past blue?)

Poured 1 cup of 1 TB WA per 4 oz.
over 4 inch pot of potting mix      6.5

wood ash test below (Note the test tube is purple... but not the 'red' on the acid end of the color chart, but blue-purple of the other end, or off the other end!)


I did the wood ash tests after reading all I could find in 'modern' books and online about adjusting soil ph in pots and while mixing soil.  All mentioned limestone, lime, etc.   Brief mentions of wood ash were included as part of an 'etc.' listing.  I didn't have any lime, and am not going to town.  So, I decided to read the old AV and gardening books, and came up with the above concentrate solution that was used for outdoor use.  I will test the concentrate Wood Ash solution in a day or two and see how it changes.

I was surprised at the very acidic ph of the mixed fish fertilizer!  Good thing I tested it! 
Now I am wondering about the other fertilizers that I take for granted!  When I have lots of  'good' water, I have more testing to do!  (My bottle of test solution was for 'indefinite tests, ample for typical gardener'! Do you think I am typical???)

I just tested the other fertilizers I have used or plan on using on my violets.  I was surprised at the acid effect of the two Dyna formulas.  Also the AlgoFlash which is the fertilizer I used on my greenhouse plants this past spring.

WHAT I AM PLANNING:
I will get 'good' water in a day or two.  In the meantime, I have one gallon of the October rainwater that tests with an okay ph.  If any violet needs watering in the next day or two, I will have that.

I found three violets, including the Splendiferous, that show symptoms of limp, yellowing or dying older leaves, with some possible root damage (ie:  soil mix in pot staying damp longer than normal)  These three are blooming fine, but overall plant vigor is slowing, leaf and blossom stems are stiff and darker colored, backs of leaves showing some degree of purple coloring, and center young leaves are very slightly twisted and tight.

These three plants will get 'flushed' with Mom's spring water and a small amount of the Wood Ash concentrate.  I will pour the water through the pot.  Then I will set the pots on a bath towel, which seems to always soak lots of water from the pot.

Before and after photos will be taken, I hope!  :)

Update.... after researching in Robey's book, several horticultural botany books, etc...
I tested my water, again!

Last month, I ran about a dozen tests, on the various water sources I have such as city water, bottled water, distilled water, our well water, my mom's spring water, and the water from my rain barrels.  Simply:  all local water was slightly alkaline, and the bottled water was slightly acidic.  The distilled water was as close to neutral as my cheap-o test kit can show.
I tested my soil mix, using the distilled water, and running it through a small pot, then testing the saucer water.  It was slightly acidic, bordering a bit toward the worrisome.  But since my water was alkaline, and I have used this basic soil recipe (from the same bulk bags of peat, vermiculite, and perlite) for the past 18 months, and had no real problems, I decided to assume, as I have in the past, THAT ANY INCLINATION TOWARD ACIDIC SOIL WOULD BE COUNTERBALANCED BY THE ALKALINE WATER.
We got a small rainfall, and so I filled all 35 gallon jugs from the rain barrels... before the water froze solid!  :)
(I don't mind if they freeze, I simply bring them indoors during the winter and let them thaw in the tub!  Instant water! )

After noticing Tiger Trail's leaves were purple underneath, I took a closer look at all my violets.
I found:

• bloom colors more intense generally, with some varieties/plants having blossoms more solid than normal
• some plants had leaves that were a bit thinner than normal, with discoloration on leaf tips sometimes leading to dying leaf tips
• 1/3 of the plants had leaves with pink/purple undersides (entire undersides were tinted purple)
• general impression that oldest leaves beginning to look 'tired' or 'dusty'
• center leaves a bit too tight and twisted (as I have seen with too much light)

OKAY:  I thought the plants with 'dying tips' may have been the ones that went through single digit temps to the houseplant class!  :(  They would be expected to have some side effects of a 'night on the town'!  :)
And they are all effected.... but I noticed several others that stayed home just beginning to show the same effect.  ????

As for the bloom colors, I have a different combination of light bulbs in my fixtures than usual.  I used one white and one cool for years, then switched to one GroLux and one cool in more recent years.  THIS FALL, I had problems finding any T12 tubes... finding only 'Kitchen/Bath' and 'Daylight', which I decided would be close to the original warm/cool combo.  The fine print on the tube packaging didn't quite match up the old combination, but I decided it was worth a try.  I DO KNOW that BULB TYPE/COLOR does make a difference in the appearance of an African violet bloom under the lights, and in the Grow to Show book, it was written that actual bloom color might be affected as well.????

I also added new BRIGHT light tubes... at least one to every fixture.  And to get as many plants in my space, I have three shelves arranged on my metal shelving units, so the fixtures are normal or closer than normal above my plants.  Maybe a bit too much light????

Reading about Acid vs Alkaline, I discovered that the micronutrients are used more easily at acidic conditions, and decreases the uptake of the three macronutrients. 

Looked at TT closely, and other violets and concluded I needed to do yet another water test!
I tested the water with fertilizer added, and found it was slightly on the acidic scale... today will do a 'runoff water' test with the plant most obviously showing signs.

CONCLUSION:  no real danger yet.... nothing that cannot be corrected.  May have to retest my tub of potting mix, just to see if it has changed after setting.  I did test it a day after mixing, and the 'rules' say to wait a few weeks!  :(   I will also retest my rain water... maybe the recent rainfall was more acidic.
I will use town water or some other more alkaline water, and I will alternate basic Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer with plain water for a month.  Neptune's does not have added micronutrients... while my other brand of fish emulsion has added elements.
If my tub of potting mix is more acidic than normal, I will remix with new bags of peat, vermiculite and perlite.  I am near the bottom of them anyway, and will use this mix with spring's veggie/flower seedlings.
I will set the light timer to an hour less light.

P.S.  also sent for a  TDS meter... Total Dissolved Solids are in recent literature as having as much to do with plant growth as ph.
P.P.S.  will also set up our Berkley filter again.  We used it after the spring flood was so high and long lasting.  It will be interesting to see if the cheap ph and TDS tests show any real difference in our well water before and after filtering!!???

I have had this happen before, in years past.  I have not yet found a reason why.
The resulting 'pink babies' look similar to photos of Ellie Gardner, registered by the same hybridizer the year after Tiger Trail.  But they were not the same as a starter plant of Ellie Gardner.  (I did not have Ellie Gardner long, as that is the time that I discovered a thrips infestation and the plant was eventually tossed.)

After Laurie's questions, I photo'd my Tiger Trail plants, and discovered the newest growth was 'turning red'.  The leaf backs were red on the youngest leaves and the top side of the leaf had smaller specks of pinkish variegation.

Photo of typical Tiger Trail (2003) in window light:


Photo of Tiger Trail 2 years ago (2009):

It is amazing what 2 weeks can do.... when the plants have elbow room!  After repotting, and grooming my 'mama' violets, I put all 40 back on the two lighted shelves.  I knew I HAD to put up a third light fixture, but I was busy.....
MILDEW came!  Our Montana nights are becoming cold, and yet the house is warm on the days the sun shines.... SO.... ideal mildew situation:  warm days and cool nights.  There was probably a 15 degree difference. Combine that with the crowded conditions, and I began to see a few spots of mildew on several leaves.
Since I want to have some of these plants for display/demonstration during the upcoming houseplant class, I went to work.  All the plants' leaves got a firm washing under running warm water.  Then trays, shelves and plants were misted, quite heavily, with Lysol disinfecting spray.
Forgot to add that I put up a third light above the original two.
(tFirst photo shows top and middle shelves.  Second photos shows middle and bottom shelves.)
Since this stand is in our master bathroom, I ran the ceiling exhaust for at least 6 hours a day.
It has been 8 days, and no new sign of mildew, but as soon as I take some of the plants to the first houseplant class this week, I will mist everything again with the Lysol spray.  It does have a tendency to spot the blooms, so will wait until after they have had their beauty show.

The philodendron stems in the glass bottle, and the sweet potato sprouting in the blue glass are examples for the class.  On the top shelf, is a tray of sweet potato slips, and a 'Mother of Thousands' kalanchoe.

I just finished repotting every single African violet in the house!  :)  Two weeks ago, I repotted the geraniums, and other outdoor plants that I bring indoors for the winter.  Last week, I began on the violets.
They had been semi-loved all summer.... and only half of my heart just isn't what they wanted.
Don't tell anyone, but violets get jealous!  :)  At least, I have found they sulk when most of my attention is focused on something else! :)
Here are my keepers, the plants I want to keep for myself.  They were drastically groomed, and repotted in fresh soil.

Just took a photo of Grandmother's Halo... How could a variety get to my 'Top Ten' List and I not have a photo of it????!!!!!!   Just a reminder that we TAKE LOVED ONES FOR GRANTED!!!
This plant is about 5 years old itself... and had been growing in an east window until a few weeks ago.  I trimmed off a row of older leaves and repotted it with fresh mix.  It is now under my lights.. awaiting  the upcoming houseplant class.

I have FINALLY organized my Top Ten and Keeper lists!
They are available online at:  http://photobucket.com/MyFavoriteViolets

It's been FOREVER since I have posted something about African violets!!!!  Well, 12 + months to be exact!
The truth is, my violets have suffered from neglect.  My mind and efforts have been elsewhere.
July 1st, I had three AV plants... THREE!!!  Shocking!
I ordered a few leaves, and several plants.... so now have 10 plants and 30 leaves... looking nice and healthy.  By the end of August, I may see little babies!
My camera is 'on the fritz', so here comes the tease!!!
Here is a photo of my African violets.....
..... in July 2009!!!!   That's the tease!!!
I'll be back with violet photos, I promise!!!