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Violet ReflectionsNewsletter - Issue 17 March 2002
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Rachel's RamblingsOur second anniversary is coming soon. Last year a few members got together to celebrate the day by sharing the joy and spreading the joy of African violets. Last May 2nd we gave extra plants out to friends, relatives and complete strangers. The look of pleasure, surprise on their faces, and the ooh's and ahhh's told me then that I would continue giving on future anniversary's. You need only one plant to join in the fun of the day, but there is no limit to how many you wish to give. I take that opportunity to make room for the new plants I had acquired over the previous summer. I was so pleased to read all the "sharing messages" posted that day, describing the adventures and unique ways every one had of presenting their plants to their new mama's! I do hope some of you will join me again this year. If you can't, surely you will enjoy reading the messages of those who did as much as I. Last year I found shiny paper sheets and wrapped the pot with it. Securing it with thin, violet and green ribbons. I also printed out a "care sheet" for each plant. If you wish to see or use the "care sheet" here is the link for you. http://www.geocities.com/violetreflections/May2_2001.htm Our goal is to introduce as many people as we can to the wonderful, soothing world of African violets. Share the Joy by spreading the joy. What a wonderful way to make new friends and to keep our collections under control! BUT, please don't forget to save a few plants or leaves to be a Leaf Mama in our wonderful Share the Joy program our moderator Kay is handling. KayRob55@aol.com Have a great day everyone! Rachel |
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Ander Afrikaan Viooltjie(Another African Violet in
Afrikaans language)
Edited by: Laura Crater
When Chameleon first bloomed for me, I was a bit disappointed. The description said that it was a fantasy and when I looked at it, I just saw a generic blue/purple violet like so many others. After ignoring it for several days, I was having lunch and glanced out the window at my bird feeder to see who was visiting and just as I did, a beam of sunlight hit Chameleon. It looked different than it had, so I looked closer. And there in the sunlight, the darker fantasy swirls were highly visible and the quilted foliage was just outstanding. Since then, I learned that subtle is just as important as flashy in bloom coloration. This plant is frequently in bloom and the blooms are absolutely stunning when the plant is in full bloom. Thank you Nancy, Great plant and photo. - Laura Crater |
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Pleased To Meet You…
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Culture Corner Edited by Jeanette Haygood Texas "Style" Potting |
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To prepare for using this method of growing African Violets you will need plastic pots (or plastic or Styrofoam cups), plenty of Perlite, a light African Violet potting mix and plastic trays or saucers to set your newly potted plants in. The tray or saucer should be at least an 1½ inch deep. You will also need some sort of instrument to poke holes in your plastic pots. I use an old barbecue fork that I heat up and use to melt the holes in my pots or cups. Others have used a drill, a heated soldering iron or iced pick. It should be noted that if you are using a heated tool to put holes in your pots/cups you will need to be in a well-ventilated area. Melting plastic & Styrofoam puts off nasty smelling fumes. You can also set up a fan to help blow the fumes away from you. I usually prepare a few pots/cups at a time and then plant them up before I do the next few pots/cups. That way I do not smell the fumes for more than a few minutes at a time. Once you have your supplies gathered you are ready to begin preparing your pots for planting. In the picture you can see that holes have been made around the bottom of the cup. The first set of holes should be very near the bottom and the next set should be about one inch above that. Now add a layer of Perlite until it reaches the top set of holes in your pot/cup. Then fill your cup with a very light African Violet soil mix. The mix you use needs to be light and porous since the plant will be sitting in water most of the time. If you mix is too heavy your plants will smother from lack of oxygen or you may have problems with your plants or leaves rotting. Whatever soil mix you use it is good to add a small amount of horticultural charcoal. The charcoal helps prevent the water and soil from getting ‘sour’ and smelly. The brand I use is made by "Schultz" and is usually easy to find at most nurseries, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s or Home Depot. I have recently begun using "Miracle Gro Moisture Control" potting soil. It is too early to tell whether or not it will be successful with the Texas "style" potting method, but I really like the texture of the mix and seems as though it will be light enough. If it proves to be too heavy for your growing conditions you could mix it with additional Perlite. As with any ‘new’ growing method you may need to make slight alterations depending upon your individual growing conditions. Once you place your African Violet in its Texas "style" pot all you need to do is water it gently from the top and set it aside. When you are done repotting the rest of your plants, set them in a tray or saucer that is at least an 1½ inch deep. Add water to the tray until it reaches the top set of holes in your pot/cup. You will not need to water again until the tray is empty and has just begun to look dry. You can use a "constant feed" fertilizer with the Texas "style" potting method. Mix 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon of African Violet fertilizer with one gallon of room temperature water and use this to add water to your trays. The Texas "Style" Potting method is also useful in rooting African Violet leaves since it provide a constant source of moisture and humidity. I find that using an 8 ounce Styrofoam cup with the sides partially cut away is good to root leaves in. First you need to prepare them like you did the pots/cups as described above. Then cut away about ¾ of the sides, leaving about two inches in depth at the bottom of the cup. By making the depth of the growing area shallower you don’t need to wait so long for the root to fill the growing medium. The cut away sides also provide a place for the leaf to rest, so they don’t fall over. Once you have your leaves planted in their Styrofoam cups you need to water them gently before putting them in the tray or saucer. This is an important step since Styrofoam is so lightweight. When you add water to the planted leaf you also add weight that will prevent the cup from trying to float the first time you put water in the tray. Here is what a tray of leaves that are planted Texas "style" looks like. Before the water is added. After water has been added to the level of the top set of holes. I hope you will give the Texas "Style" Potting method a try. It is especially useful if you live in area that experiences extreme heat in the summer or if your air if very dry. Until next time! Jeanette |
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Edited by Kimberly in MD Share the Joy Participant: Sandy in East TX... I was a new member back in April last year, I think. At that time I only had 9 unnamed plants. Joyce was kind enough to adopt me and sent a very nice selection of leaves and plants. One of the leaves has only now put up babies, but they were worth waiting for. Candy Crystals has produced either 6 or 8 babies. Now if they will only hurry and get big enough to separate. I started out trying to root the leaves in a mixture of vermiculite and perlite. That did not seem to work well for me so now I root all leaves in water with a scant drop of Super Thrive in each container. As soon as they root, I transfer the leaves to a mixture of 1/2 vermiculite and 1/2 perlite. My local weather conditions are high in humidity so I do not cover the leaves (they will rot). I do put them under my lights. When I separate babies, I pot in Scott's Potting Soil for African Violets with added perlite, probably 2 quarts perlite to 4 quarts potting soil. I immediately put them on mat watering with fertilized water. Because of the concern and care of Joyce (and so many others on this list) I now have over 100 named plants. I'm really looking forward to being a part of someone else's JOY this spring by being able to adopt them. Sandy in East TX |
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The drink cup reservoirs are made from the party cup clear plastic cups. They also come in a taller size. You can use any container as a reservoir.  
One club member uses all one color (blue) for her reservoirs and her stands look nice. The rings are made from Styrofoam plates or saucers with center cut out to size to fit on 2", 2 1/2", or whatever size pot. The lids of coffee cans, margarine containers -- just about anything, can also be used. These are perfect for the minis and semis and starter plants. Marjorie in Corpus Christi TX |
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Contributing Editors: Special thank to Original
Country Clipart by Lisa, Anne's
Place, Hobo's
Country Graphics, Pat's
Web Graphics, Dizz.com, and Web
Design Studio for the use of their graphics. |
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