> As for Dyna Gro, I used it successfully for a while > until the liquid started to crystalize and then I realized > it was not the same strength as the original bottle. > There was no way of reconstituting it to its original > strength as far as I know. I called Dynagro about this. If it's in fact a crystal, that's normal for a saturated solution when temperatures drop. The crystals will dissolve when diluted in water. Be sure to shake the solution before you measure it out. But in old liquid fertilizers, if you see flakes in the solution, it could be precipitates. If that's the case, it will not dilute. They told me that Dyna Gro is made to avoid this situation, but I should generally avoid old mixes. cheers, shireen

If this is one of your first AV's, please take note of the following ... AV blooms do not last forever, usually only a few days to a few weeks, depending on the variety. After this, they brown and dry up. At this point, you should remove the bloom stalks. So ... for future notice, let's go through the steps of successful African Violet care ... 1.) Have a suitable spot selected for the plant(s). This spot needs to be well lighted (either from a window or household fluorescent lighting), and the temperature in the area should be steady. In other words, don't place the violet(s) in spots which will experience temperatures which are too hot ... or too cold. The good thing about African Violets is that they like the same temperature range which is comfortable for people (70-85 F). The (natural or fluorescent) light that your plant receives should be enough to cast a shadow if a white piece of paper is held behind them. This level of light will be necessary to ensure that your plant will bloom. 2.) Determine whether or not you can water your plant with household water. Some city/metropolitan water systems add chemicals (Chloramines) to their supplied water which, unfortunately, will harm/kill your African Violets. I would start by purchasing a gallon jug of spring water from the grocery and use that to water your Violet(s) until you determine whether or not Chloramines are in your water supply. You can also use rain water, if it's available. 3.) Shop for your African Violet (if necessary). We've all seen the bright and colorful displays of African Violets at the grocery and/or big box hardware stores. These plants are ideal to cut one's teeth on in learning to successfully grow African Violets ... with one caveat. These plants will almost always come with insect pests (thrips and/or others) which will ultimately begin to rob you of the beauty of your African Violet blossoms, unless you take the necessary steps to stop them. The alternative to buying African Violets at retail outlets ... is to buy them through mail order. There are a number of reputable mail-order African Violet vendors which will supply you with healthy African Violet plants which, in most cases, will not be carrying insect pests (thrips and/or others). Some of these vendors are Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses (website), PJ's Violets (ebay) or Jack's Violets (ebay). But, in general, pick plants that look healthy (not droopy) and which have a nice spiral type leaf pattern, where you can clearly see the center (crown) of the plant. Avoid plants that look jumbled ... or full of leaves, because that indicates that there is more than one plant in the pot, ... and you will have to separate the plants to have your best success. 4.) Once you have your plants, the most important to do is to NOT OVER-WATER them. The easiest way to kill your violets is to over-water them. Violets only need to be watered when the soil is very nearly dry. And when watering them, you need to allow the excess water to drain out of the pot's drainage holes ... to be discarded. A violet which is allowed to remain in a pot which is saturated with water will quickly die of root rot. 5.) Make sure that the AV pot is not too big ... and that it has drainage holes. An AV should be in a pot no bigger than 1/3 of the plant's width. So the leaves should stick over the sides of the pot, so that the plant looks like it has wings. I've included a photo for comparison. The easiest pots to use are like the plastic one shown in the photo, though, in time, you can graduate to using other types of planters. (Or you can set the plastic pot inside of a more decorative planter). These tips should set you well on your way to successful AV growing. And please, come back to Gardenweb with any other questions.

elongated petioles indicate not enough light and/or too much fertilizer. Refer to for a chart at the end of the article with common problems and descriptions. Cultural Guidelines for Commercial Production of African Violets (Saintpaulia ionantha)1https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu J. Chen and R. J. Henny2 African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) are consumer favorites and have been enjoyed as flowering houseplants since their introduction into the United States in 1894. They readily adapt to interior conditions and are commonly seen as specimen plants, in dish gardens, and in terrarium plantings. This article is intended to provide guidelines for the commercial production of African violets including propagation, cultural requirements, and common physiological problems.

Joanne, i actually happened upon that grid thing by accident, at value village - it looked the right size for my plant tray, so i spent a whole dollar on it ;-p it's 1/5" thick and about 1" short of filling the tray on either side, but works like a charm... there is no brand name on it, even though it came packaged. I was debating checking the hydroponics store, there are a few things i am putting on a list to buy from there, that way, if they don't have something, i am still not entirely wasting their time. i've checked and the grids everybody else appears to be using are available at places like lowes etc. they are named something different in each store, egg crate, light grid, etc. the ones i found are made by plaskolite and come in 2x4' sheets. online typically in the ceiling panel section, and $15CAD, so probably about ten USD. There are various versions, so you need to read the descriptions to find the ones that actually are a grid. I have yet to find it in store though - i have strolled through on numerous occasions, but never come prepared with product # (or money - i leave my wallet in the car so i have to think twice before buying stuff i don't actually need). I'll post some pics of the show last weekend - i took lots of pictures of the dish gardens and designs. never noticed them last year....