VioletReflections
         NEWSLETTER  issue #12 August  2001

 An affiliation of AVSA  
    Editor:  Rachel Mayer 
 
The July Vr-Bingo game went to Lynda this month. Her card had won two days previous to the date she called and would have been disqualified, but she was lucky enough to have lost the win to Tina our M.I.T. Lynda's loss came under the rule #4  saying the last number called must be in her bingo.  Tina was playing for the sheer enjoyment of  it  and had no room for the violets so she gave the win to Lynda.  GOOD LUCK in bringing those babies up, Lynda! I am partial to the ACA varieties and have been arranging a swap with another lady who has a few that I don't. She has informed me,  ACA stands for America, Canada and Australia - John Brownlie is from the States, his wife is from Australia and they live in Canada (Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto)   So all the ACA or other Brownlie varieties are  Canadian.

Bio: Jeanette

Hello all, my name is Jeanette and I live close to San Antonio, Texas with my husband and youngest son. We live in a manufactured home on an acre and a half. We just moved here in November of 2000, so we are still in the process of turning scrubland into a nice yard. We have made a lot of progress, but it will be a long term project.
My husband works in San Antonio, TX with an architectural firm. He is a manager/arbritrator for commercial building projects. He is currently overseeing part of the work on the Convention Center remodeling/addition downtown by the Tower of the America's. He is a graduate of Texas A&M ('74). We will be celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary on August 17th.
We have/had three children, a daughter and two sons. Our daughter, Angela was born in 1977 and died in September of 1995 at the age of 18. She died from a seizure disorder (otherwise known as Epilepsy). She had been having seizures since the age of seven, and although we always knew that a seizure could lead to her death, it was still a shock when it happened. She had a seizure one evening and just never woke up. It was a terrible ordeal, but we have received much comfort from the scriptures that assure us that we will see her again after God's Kingdom is re-established on Earth (Matthew 6:9, 10, Acts 24:15, 1 Timothy 2:4, Psalms 37:29). After that event takes place, the scriptures promise us that there will be a resurrection of our loved ones to an Earthly paradise. (John 5:28, 29, Psalms 37:11, Isaiah 45;18). So we have much to look forward to in seeing our daughter whole, and healthy again.
Our boys were born in 1980 and 1990, almost exactly 10 years apart. Jonathan, our oldest, was married to a lovely girl, named Dawn in March of this year. They seem very happy, and we love her a great deal. I consider myself very fortunate to have her as a daughter-in-law.
Our youngest son, Micah will be eleven this month. He was born on our 16th wedding anniversary, which was kind of cool. My husband, Virgil brought me wine in the hospital, but I had to wait a week for my anniversary dinner! 
I am homeschooling Micah. We both really like the flexibility of it, and we both feel less pressured. He will begin sixth grade work this fall. We are both constantly learning - school never really stops when you homeschool. So many things can be used to teach our children what they want and need to know. 
I have been interested in growing things for as long as I can remember. The wonderful woman who cared for my sister and I when we were young had a couple of African Violets, so my love of them goes way back. I finally began growing them myself in the eighties. After a few years I lost interest in them due to family responsibilies, and the fact that I suffer from chronic depression. (That make it difficult to cope and I can get easily overwhelmed when I have too many things that need my attention.) I began growing them again in November of 1999 when I received a leaf order from Travis Violets. (http://www.angelfire.com/ga3/travisviolets). 

I currently have two lighted plant stands in my sewing room, and I hope to add to that before the end of the year. I grow all of my Violets using the Texas Pot Method. I like this method because I am basically a lazy gardener. I have my plants together in trays which makes it very easy to keep up with my watering chores. I have recently switched to Optimara fertilizer and I like it so far. I am also experimenting with my own soil mixture. As soon as I can see if it is going to be beneficial I will post it to the group. I will say this about it - I am using a mix that has several organic soil additives, in the hopes that my plants will be healthier and therefore more resistant to disease and insects. It is a proven fact that plants that are stressed are the ones that will succumb to disease or insect infestation. A healthy plant can usually fight these things off, or at least not be as damaged by them.
So many of us have mineral problems with our water that I thought I would mention a tip that I learned a few months ago. When you prepare water for your plants, draw your water from the Hot water tap and then let it set aside to cool. The hot water line has a filter in it that helps cut way down on hard water deposits. Since I have been using water from the Hot water tap I have not had nearly as much mineral build-up in my trays. It requires having jugs of water sitting around waiting to cool, but it is worth the trouble in the long run. Try it!!
The genetic diversity in the African Violet gene pool has always been fascinating to me. I remember when the first yellows began to be produced on a commercial scale. It was all very exciting! Now we are seeing more and more sports, as well as those intriguing green and gold edges. Chimeras have always held a certain charm, and I suspect we have only just touched the surface of all the wonderful possibilities that are available in the genes of the beautiful African Violet! Some of you may remember my recent search for an African Violet that was a standard and had variegated, girl type foliage. After contacting many growers and commercial vendors it appears that there only three that are listed in the Master Variety List. They are all considered 'vintage' varieties, so I doubt that will be able to find them. What this means is that if I want standard African Violets with variegated, girl type foliage that I will have to begin my own hybridizing program. I have now begun researching suitable varieties that will eventually, (hopefully!) lead to my 'dream' plant. I will keep you posted, and I welcome any suggestions in regard to my endeavor.
I have really enjoyed being part of the Violet Reflections list. I belong to several other lists, but I think this one is the friendliest and most fun! Plants seem to bring out the best in people, and it is nice to be able to share our successes, as well as our failures, with someone else who understands what it is like - 
To Be Addicted To African Violets! 
Happy Growing!
http://homestead.juno.com/kjhveh/JeanetteIndex.html

Chat room Schedule
Chatting is a great way to get to know the other members. Unlike posting messages, you will get real time responses, suggestions and answers to any of your questions or anything you would like to discuss. We do not have any topics set for each chat session, and we just chat whatever members want to talk about. 

You do not have to stay for a full hour. You can drop in and leave whenever convenient for you. What a chat keeper does is to stay in the chat room during the scheduled time to chat with any members who wish to visit the room.

Watch for reminder messages to be sent out 1 day before and 1 hour prior to the chat session. Reminder messages contain times. Keeper's names and a link to the chat room. Please drop by to say "hi"  if you get a chance. It is a lot of fun, and I guarantee you will be back again soon! 

Please look out for reminder messages to be sent out 1 day before and 1 hour prior to the chat session. Reminder messages contain times, keepers, and a link to a chat room.  
Please drop by to say hi if you get a chance. It is a lot of fun, and I guarantee you will be back again!  

We are always looking for new chat keepers, so if you are interested in holding chat sessions please e-mail your desired time schedule to me at wagon@baynet.net . It is fun to be a chat keeper, and one of the great benefits is that you can learn so much from members in each session!

Anyone can call a chat anytime there is not a scheduled one. Just go to one of the rooms and send a message to the list giving your name and chat room location.  If there is a subject you wish to speak on or question you may add that as well.   If you would like to be a chat room keeper on a regular basis contact Rachel while Yoko is away.  
The scheduled chats are listed below. 

Chat with....
Day Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
Keeper Tricky       Nancy   Tina
Time 7-8pm       5-6pm   10-11pm

Chat room locations.

Feel like talking?   Just go to one of  the chat rooms and drop a note to the list telling  them  what chat room you are in waiting for them.   It is great!  I have tried it a couple of times and each time I enjoyed chatting with at least 5 other persons. 

Stop To Smell The Flowers. 
 
Sitting all alone in the dark
Just came home from an hour at the park
Had a great time, just me and a friend
Wrote a note that tomorrow I will send
Addressed to whom I dearly miss
I am pretty sure it went like this
I am missing that day and all those hours
We spent,  sitting and smelling those flowers.
Before I leave, just one thing
A flower I'll pick for remembering.
It's a good thing I did too,
For it was the  last time I saw you.
That night you went away
Found out the very next day
You left without a goodbye hug
Then forgot about me without a shrug
But 'til this day I won't forget
The memories and on my life I'll bet
One spring day you'll return to me
For just one day you'll finally see.
How much you meant and how much I loved you
In vain I wished you loved me too
But it never happened you see
We're too different you and me
It would never work, it will never plan out.
At the realization of this fact I'll pout
With this knowledge life goes on
Make every moment the best before they're all gone
Remember to take a few hours
Stop everything and smell the flowers.
                                                               Jade

Rachel's Rambling's 

Please Note:  I am NOT pointing fingers at anyone in particular, I just like talking.  Lol if you feel like listening that is great but if not I get to say what I want to say and my feelings won't be hurt because I wouldn't know if you don't read it. 

WEEDED DIGESTS

I note there are more and more complaints about our O/T messages as our list is growing.  I had just about decided to open another mailing list for these chatty emails, but since I have always fought for the closeness and friendly flavor on this list it would be defeating my own purpose. So with that in mind I have been stewing for a few days and I have decided I am going to try something .  Beginning now I am going to be weeding the digests and offering them to those who wish to apply for them.  I will do this for the next month, after which time I will expect some indication as to how it is working to satisfy both sides. 

To those of you who wish to apply for the weeded digests I must have you understand you will be getting them when I have  weeded them and not as soon as the regular digest comes out.  I will not be able to give you a specific time of day right now,  but once we see how it is working out we can make adjustments as the issues crop up.  I am hoping at least a few of you will apply for this now and by next month we will know weather we are going to make this a part of VioletReflections or not.   So please try this and PLEASE  let me know what you think of it as we go along.  

 

CULTURE CORNER - August, 2001

This month marks the beginning of a new feature in our Violet Reflections newsletter. It will be called "Culture Corner". In these articles we will discuss common growing problems that you may encounter when growing African Violets.
We hope you will all enjoy this new feature!
********************************************************************************************
Although the African Violet is not a particularly fussy plant, there are certain problems that will be encountered at one time or another if you grow them long enough. Our only hope is to keep any problems to a minimum by learning what conditions our plants like the best. We can keep our plants happy by providing optimum conditions and by using good sanitation practices in our growing areas.

TIGHT CENTERS IN AFRICAN VIOLETS

A problem that has been discussed recently in the Violet Reflections message board is that of 'tight centers' in African Violets. In this article we will list several possible causes of this problem and the solutions that can be used to get your plant to loosen up and grow, as you would expect.

These are the possible causes of 'tight centers' -

1. Plants may have been chilled, or are being grown too cool. 
2. Plants may be growing too close to the lights, or be under the lights for too many hours per day. 
3. It is very easy to over-fertilize houseplants, particularly if you have your plants on a 'constant-feed' schedule. Over-fertilization can be the cause of 'tight centers' in your African Violets. 
4. The last and most dreaded cause of a 'tight center' is a mite infestation. Specifically, the Cyclamen mite. Other mites can also cause symptoms, which include tight centers. It is good to have your plant tested so that you can be absolutely sure what you are dealing with. Your County Extension agent can help you get the testing you need.


We have listed four different conditions that can cause 'tight centers' in your African Violets. Now let's talk about some solutions so that we can get your plant back in good condition, and full of those beautiful blooms.

Since a Mite infestation is what we fear most when we see the centers of our Violets begin to look odd, let's discuss that problem first.
NOTE - Before you convince yourself that mites are the cause of your plants' problems, let us look at the rest of the symptoms of a mite infestation. Unless you see two or more of these symptoms try the other solutions first. Getting rid of any mites, particularly Cyclamen mites require the use of insecticides. Using insecticides does help in getting rid of mites, but it also poisons your little part of the world, and can have long term effects on you and your surroundings.

Signs of a Cyclamen mite infestation
1. Foliage in the center of your plant will look bunched up, or tight. 
2. In addition, you may also see - 
3. Foliage in the center of your plant may look lighter than the rest.
4. Center leaves may appear grayish or yellowed.
5. Buds, blooms, and blossom stems may be distorted. The blossom stems may be thicker than normal and/or be considerably shorter than usual.
6. Growth in general may be dwarfed, which causes the center to be bunched.
7. Occasionally leaves will also turn up and be very brittle, if it is Cyclamen mites. (Leaves may turn down if you have Broad mites.)

Temperature Problems
African Violets prefer temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees. An average temperature of 72 degrees is ideal. Usually, if you are comfortable, so are your Violets. If the plant that has tight centers is being grown on the bottom shelf of your light stand, you might try moving it to the top shelf. Heat rises, so it will be warmer on the top shelf of your plant stand. If you have air conditioning vents, or an air conditioning unit in your plant room you might check that cold air is not blowing directly on your plants. They appreciate the cooler air, but do not like being in a cold draft.

Lighting Problems
Although African Violets require lots of light to bloom well, some varieties are "fussier" than others when it comes to how much light they will tolerate. Generally African Violets like to be between 6 and 10 inches from the lights. This measurement is from the top of the plant, not the pot or shelf. Leaves that are variegated, or are light green usually prefer less light than the darker leafed varieties. Many growers put their variegated and light green varieties toward the ends of the light tubes. Dark green varieties usually do well in the middle of the shelf where the light is a little brighter. 

If you grow your plants on a lighted plant stand, make sure that you don't have the plant with tight centers too close to the lights. If you think this may be the problem, try moving your plant further away from the lights or to the end of your shelf where the light is not as bright. You may also need to check how many hours you are keeping your lights on. Depending upon how 'new' your lights are, what color the surrounding walls or shelves are, and how close your plants are to the lights will depend on how long you need to leave your lights on. You may need to leave them on for only eight hours, or as many as twelve hours. A quick decrease in light should not hurt your plants, but any time you increase the amount of light your plants are getting, you want to do it gradually. 

Too Much Fertilizer
Plants with tight centers can also be suffering from the effects of too much fertilizer. Over fertilization will lead to a pH imbalance and this will eventually cause tight centers in African Violets. Leaching your plants on a regular basis is a good way to prevent this type of problem. 
What is Leaching?
Leaching simply means to run warm water through the soil until the water runs clear. This process removes the build up of salts and fertilizer. 

Many African Violet enthusiasts use a 'constant feed' schedule with their plants. While this is an excellent method, it must be done with a "weak" fertilizer solution to be successful. Depending upon your growing methods, it is recommended to use 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of fertilizer per gallon of water each time you water your plants. 
A discussion of fertilizer would not be complete without a mention of pH. African Violets prefer a slightly acid growing medium with a pH between 6.5 and 6.9. An excess of fertilizer can change the pH of your soil mix over time. That is why leaching is so important, along with a regular schedule of repotting. 
(Water in different areas of the country have different pH values. The water you use on your plants can also be the cause of pH problems.)

What if your plant is already suffering from a tight center and you just don't have the time to repot?
You can add 1/4 teaspoon of Dolomite Lime to a half-gallon of water and then use the solution to water your plant twice. Each watering should be about a week apart. If pH is the cause of a tight center in your African Violet, then you should begin to see a difference within a week. By the end of a month you should see a marked improvement in your plant.

I hope you have enjoyed the first "Culture Corner"!

Jeanette Haygood
Kjhveh@juno.com
Home page URL
http://homestead.juno.com/kjhveh/JeanetteIndex.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The ADDED benefits of growing African Violets”

 

Being new to the African violet world, I have very little information to offer anyone.  I would however like to share what I think is a very important part of this world.  As some of you know, I live in Northwest Iowa, right in the cold belt that sweeps down into the Midwest valley.  Last year was my first year in this state.  We moved here in August and by October, there was snow covering the ground and that is all we saw until late March of this year.

My wonderful new hobby of collecting African violets has a lot to offer me other then just being pretty little flowers.  Many of us have problems in our life that are hard to over come.  I know some a lot worse then mine.  I do have bad depression problem at times.  Winter even makes this worse.

Now that I have collected so many AV’s at different levels of growth, this winter will be entirely different for me.  The lights in our green room will do wonders to keep my mood elevation up.  It has been proven that a bright light in winter keeps depression to a minimum.

The activity of taking care of them on a daily basis will always give me something to eagerly wake up to each day.  I won’t be longing for spring to arrive so I can see green again.  I can go into the green room and see a whole world of beautiful color and light.  I will have the opportunity to care and be responsible for the life of these little plants.  I can even sing to them and they won’t care one bit if I can carry a tune or forget some of the words.

One of the more important parts of this wonderful hobby is finding Violet Reflections, Rachael and all the wonderful friends I’ve found here.  I never feel alone; knowing I can go to the computer and there will be email from you folks.  I have been very lucky in finding some very dear friends in our group.  I know my world is a lot happier now and this will make my below zero, white winter more bearable.

 I would love to hear how others lives are improved by having a wonderful hobby like growing African violets.

Laura Crater

The Kitchen Korner More recipe's  


Here's another recipe I use for marinate any kind of meat:

1 cup Shoyu sauce (I use aloha brand)
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 Tbps minced garlic
1 piece fresh ginger about the size of your thumb (smashed) or
1 tsp  ginger from spice bottle
1/4-1/2 tsb sesame oil

I usually put my meat and marinate sauce in a big baggy..stick in the refrigerator the night before  and keep turning it so often the next morning to make sure the meat is covered with the sauce. Great for BBQ

Shirley/Maui

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CRESCENT CHICKEN SQUARES

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tb margarine, melted
2 c cooked chicken or turkey(cubed)
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
2 tb milk
1 tb chopped chives or onion
8 oz. can Pillsbury Refrigerated
Quick Crescent rolls
3/4 seasoned croutons, crushed

Preheat oven to 350.  In medium bowl,blend cream cheese and 2 tb margarine. Add the next 5 ingredients.  Mix well.  Seperate crescent dough into 4 rectangles; firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon  1/2 c meat mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Pull 4  corners of dough to top center of chicken mixture; twist slightly and seal edges.  Brush tops with reserved 1 tb margarine; dip in crouton crumbs.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 20-25 minutes or until brown.

I make a gravy by using cream of mushroom/diluted with milk and put about a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Pour this over crescent rolls as you serve.

I serve this with rice, a fruit salad, jello salad or for the holidays
cranberry sauce  and of course homemade rolls.

Shirley/Maui


CHOCOLATE DOBASH CAKE

3 eggs, seperated                       3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar                         1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups flour                           1/3 cup canola oil (salad oil)
1/4 tsp baking soda                     1 cup milk

Beat egg whites until frothy, gradually beat in sugar.  beat until stiff.  Sift dry ingredients.  Make a well and add salad oil and half of the milk.  Beat until well blended.  Add remaining milk to batter, and  the egg yolks. beat until smooth.  fold in meringue.  Pour into 2 eight-inch layer pans or one 9x13 pan.  Bake in moderate oven 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  cool.  Slice each layer into half to make 4 layers, if baked in two pans.

FROSTING:

1 1/2 cups water                       1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar                              1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt                               1/2 cup water

Combine first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. combine next 2 ingredients and add to boiling mixture.  Then boil again.  Cool and frost cake.

Shirley/Maui

                             ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 You know you are hooked on violets

#1...You are at a potluck & fish those containers out of the trash that will be "just perfect" for mini greenhouses.  (Janet)

#2...- you reach for a no-name African
Violet at the grocery store even though you have a large collection of named varieties at home! (Jeanette)

Photo Contest winner for July 2001

Optimara Hawaii sent in by Sylvia Leeds

Congratulations Sylvia! 

Upcoming Contest: August 20001 - Variegated Standards 

Judging for Symetry, Color Consistency, Overall Condition.
Please send a top and side view photo for better judging. 
We will be judging on foliage only - so don't worry about the blooms.

Due by August 25. Send pictures to hara@tir.com 

Good luck

VR Members Favorite Tools  (researched and compiled by Tina)

Winette:

Detergent scoops for her soil mix, perlite etc.
Rubber coated baby spoon helps protect tender stems when filling pot with dirt.
Chopstick for poking holes
Ice pick for heating and putting drain holes for containers

Tina H:

A make-up brush set I use for cleaning the leaves
Xacto knife for cutting leaves,etc
Ceramic bisque cleaning tool (used to do ceramics). Use it to pull off
suckers without damaging the rest of the plant.  Can take off the
tiniest of suckers with it.

Sunny:

 Plastic and rubber turkey baster. It holds just enough water to refresh several small plants and 2 squirts from the turkey baster waters a large one. Can get the small nozzle under the leaves and right to the soil without the danger of getting the crown wet.

Sue J:

A Little scalpel that I got from Phyllis and an old fashioned semi sharp darning needle.  All I have to do is thread it, it makes the hole and draws the thread right along with it.  It also makes great holes in Styrofoam cups for Texas watering.

  Joyce:

Magnifying glass  - looking for pests
Ice Pick  - make holes in styrofoam cups
Soldering Iron - make holes in pill/dosage cups or other plastic
Paint can opener - make holes in soil for placement of leaves
Styrofam meat trays - great for shipping (sandwich the plants/leaves between tray pieces cut to the size of your shipping box
Very small plastic shovel for inserting dirt around the edge of the pot
Black water-proof marker - Write down plant name and date potted.
Labels for plants
StPaulia program to keep track of my collection
First Class to check descriptions
Baby yarn for wicking
Acyrlic blanket pieces for use as a capillary mat
A double eye needle I bought from Nancy's Notions. It is about 4" long and works great for placing in the wicking yarn. I can even use it on a 4" pot planted with soil.
Paint can opener to poke holes in the soil and to lift small leaves to check the crown.
Little plastic shovel about the size of an lemon to place soil in the pots.
Ice tea spoon to get into smaller spaces for filling soil and the handle is a plus for everything.
A razor blade to cut stems and leaves.
Pill/dosage cups to start all types of leaves.
An assortment of plastic containers from large to small. You can plant about 10 small leaves in a sub container and  a large deep pretzel container can be used as a terrarium (with a large opening).

Hang on to your hat folks, Tina has a lot more in store for you. So please look for her column in upcoming newsletters.

We can not advertise on the list but we can here.   Please send me your advertisements for your websites.  I will enter them here for you.  FOR FREE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Stpaulia program

With all the new varieties being added to your collections. You may wish for a way to help keep all your information organized. 
    
Our list member Will Cronk has written a fantastic program called "Stpaulia." He offers a full working demo version, for 30 days. Try it you'll like it. When you decide to purchase it tell him you are a member of VioletReflections. We have already met the criteria of the special price so your program would be only $20.00 (USA). 
    
Think about it, it works with the Master Variety List program and is a wonderful way to keep notes and pictures of all your violets. I use both programs,
I would be lost without them.
  

Will Cronk
wcronk@ivs2.com 
    
Orders Sent To:
Wilson Cronk
P.O. BOX 321
Swartz Creek, MI 48473

make money orders or checks payable to
Wilson Cronk
          

Please visit

Laura's World of Love

My Family, Pets, and Flowers

It is a beautiful family site

well written and friendly


I have been running an opening special on my site for the pots and am going
to take down the special in one week.
Any of you who wish to order under the special
 please do so soon or miss out on a good deal.
I will still offer the normal discount to list members in  place of the web
opening special .
Thanks
Pix

 My african violet catalog

Please everyone we need 
vr-bingo game sponsors.
 if you have 35 named african violets and you can spare the leaves please consider sponsoring a game.  The winner pays the postage.
   

on to newsletter 14