Southern Spirit Hunters

Gardening => Houseplants => Topic started by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 12:46:20 AM

Title: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 12:46:20 AM
So, you started an african violet leaf, it rooted, and now you have babies!

First, this is a picture of "mouse ears", a newly emerged baby...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2FAV101041.jpg&hash=2ba468754ee7b059b43fced7e7834821d4441ec5)

Here's one of a little older baby...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2FAV101041.jpg&hash=2ba468754ee7b059b43fced7e7834821d4441ec5)

And a tray full of rooted leaves. Can you spot the babies?

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2FAV101042.jpg&hash=bbbceb20ae34750ecb29adbc768ab037fda273aa)

Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 12:49:57 AM
Now, when the a few of the baby's leaves get AT LEAST the size of a dime, it's time to separate them and give them their own pot.

Here's a pot full of babies...the mother leaf was removed a few weeks ago. You have two choices with the mother leaf...you can either cut it away when the babies are of good size, and let them continue to grow for another week or two, OR you can separate the mother leaf and babies all at the same time, and use the mother leaf again. It's up to you.

Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 12:56:52 AM
(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2FAAA.jpg&hash=47f7e0e37ddc734f880735925b5c300e77a829d6)

Looks like a big clump, right?

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa2.jpg&hash=9e51f88725431ea40b597d71af68ebf8a46235cf)

But, if you slowly start to sort the leaves, and trace them back to where they begin from, you can start to see how many babies you have...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa3.jpg&hash=99a388da8232be685796277b69597ef2e70e4d61)
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 01:01:44 AM
If you start to tug very gently, the baby and it's roots will start to pull away from the rest...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa4.jpg&hash=4a832ab1d1990fc8fb58bf38c4761fae9c5a74db)

Continue separating babies, and tugging them apart...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa5.jpg&hash=c817107896a5738984dc88db180825efc39388a5)

Until you get them all separate...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa6.jpg&hash=2728dfecc56b66ca9427f40a6a6cd584576084d0)
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 01:04:30 AM
Make sure you label and date the pot the baby will be going into, and then plant it...

(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa7.jpg&hash=8e361971b7b0dca19410df26d5c7317e7b6720e9)

The dime is there for leaf size comparisons...


(https://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv177%2Fbarleychown%2FAfrican%2520violets%2Faaa8.jpg&hash=38bb8c24555abcea198e393cbf5bbb45b7fcb88c)

This group of babies is actually a little smaller than I normally separate them, but I needed a model.
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 07, 2007, 01:05:33 AM
All in all, it's a pretty easy process. Any questions?
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: Triss on Dec 07, 2007, 01:17:36 AM
Sarah, your tutorials are great and I can tell you from experience it works!  I have very healthy plants as a result of Sarah's efforts and a few new ones using her techniques on my own.
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: Dianna on Dec 07, 2007, 11:52:50 AM
Sooooo...

A mother leaf can make a lot of babies in just one "sitting"? I figured that it would just put out one baby at a time. I can see I will have to make some room when I start this process. :) Can't be blamed for neglect if I provide them all with their own little "cribs"...
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: jv on Dec 08, 2007, 02:48:51 PM
Thanks to Sarah I now have started my third shelf of AV's on my plant carts.  :Glee: at this rate will have to find more plant light carts and a place for me to live. :BigGrin:
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: duh on Dec 09, 2007, 11:22:58 AM
A friend gave me some "teenage AV's"  you know to big to be babies but not big enough to be mature plants.

And looking at one of them today it seems like maybe their are two plants in one of the pots.  Can it wait until after I move to separate them or should I get right on it?
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: barleychown on Dec 09, 2007, 01:05:02 PM
Sooooo...

A mother leaf can make a lot of babies in just one "sitting"? I figured that it would just put out one baby at a time.

The mother leaf can make just one baby, or up to as many as 10 babies. Every leaf is different.


A friend gave me some "teenage AV's"  you know to big to be babies but not big enough to be mature plants.

And looking at one of them today it seems like maybe their are two plants in one of the pots.  Can it wait until after I move to separate them or should I get right on it?

Let me explain some reasons to have only one per pot, as well as some reasons to have more than one per pot.

First, if you ever plan on showing your violet in competition, there are rules galore to govern how it should look, which include only one crown (plant) per pot.

Second, if you want the look of a traditional african violet, which is symmetrical, and with flat rows of leaves, you must have only one plant per pot.

However, if you are just growing for fun, or growing for gifts, I actually prefer more than one plant in a pot. If you have two or three to a pot, you end up with a full looking mound of a plant, and different plants mean they will bloom at slightly different times, so you will end up with more flowers over a longer period.

All in all, it's up to personal preference. I grow them both ways.
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: duh on Dec 10, 2007, 09:20:47 AM
Thanks Barleychown, I appreciate all the information.  And I'm glad I can leave them together.  I am so overloaded with pots and plants to move to the new place that any savings on room is a good thing.
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: Penny on Dec 12, 2007, 01:56:57 PM
Wow Sarah, you certainly have the knack for growing violets, i have never been able too, not sure if not enough light, too much light, issues with water, i buy them and they never last.
Title: Re: African violets 102
Post by: duh on Dec 18, 2007, 08:43:23 AM
i'm not sure whether I should post this here or somewhere else.  But, I'm really excited the african violet that my neighbor gave is has sent up blooms.  I love having blooms this time of year.  Isn't that great?  They are a pale purple color.
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