Probably you are watering with cold water. Your dark leaf violet is seriously overpotted - and - what do you use for soil? or it is just a top dressing?

Different violet cultivars requirements are a bit different and some plants keep leaves more upright than others. It is easier to control if you have a fluorescent light setup - some grow better at the center of the shelf , some like it on the end. On the windowsill - it is very variable - and I would think that in Scotland in winter - the natural light is a bit on a low side just because of the season, clouds etc.

Besides the "mechanichal" damage your violets look healthy and happy. Would youu have an INSV virus - you would see a lot of distorted leaves and blooms.

I love your blooms!

Thank you for sharing them with us.

irina

That's a very pretty blue bloom, although I love most of them :).

I presume you're familiar with powdery mildew? I can't tell if there's something going on with the small plant's leaves, but I have to watch them like a hawk around this time of year.

Sometimes a plant will just need a bit more light to bloom. You might try raising them up a little since it appears as though the window frame may be blocking some of the light. I have some of mine raised on all kinds of things from oatmeal cans to overturned flowerpots. Some solutions are more attractive than others. Plants with girl leaves generally will grow and bloom in lower light levels.

Good luck solving the problems. They look healthy.

Diana

Thank you both for the speedy replies!

Irina:
I'd guess at some points in winter the water probably was pretty chilly, even after sitting out to let the chlorine dissipate. What sort of temperature range of water do they prefer? Just 'room' temperature or even higher?

I'll try and find a new pot for the top violet! The soil for all my violets is a commercial mix with some extra vermiculite. The stuff on top is just a thin layer of grit - I was aiming to try and discourage things growing in the open soil but that shouldn't be a problem in a smaller pot, I guess =)

Diana:
I'm pretty sure the little one doesn't have powdery mildew - I think it's just my bad photography on a bright windowsill making it look a little pale =) I'm keeping a good eye on them but (cross fingers) I've never had a problem with mildew on my violets.

I'll give a shot at your suggestion to raise them up - I was feeling like they might be a little too low below the window - though anything I put them on has to be cat-proof as Sam-the-cat has a habit of brushing against things when he's jumping onto the sill - don't want my violets all over the floor =)

Time to go get busy in the shed!

I am with you on a cat issue - mine just dropped 2 pots. Even if I left him a good chunk of a sill free of stuff.

I read that your water shouldn't be more than several degrees higher or lower than the room temeprature. Since it is winter - i would tend to up it a bit - so when your water is sitting for 24 hours to release the chlorine - let's say your room gets to be 18C in the night time - and in a morning you just finished your tea and you are ready to water - you can add a bit of boiling water to make it lets say 22C.

Irina

HI,
I agree with Irina, your plants look like they have been watered with too chilly water. As for the light issue, you could try adding a little more light with a lamp. I grew some plants at my Mother's house years ago and they were on a table about two feet from the window. They bloomed very nicely simply because she had a table lamp on them in the evening.
Fred in NJ

@Irina At least my cat doesn't eat my AVs (he's tried just about everything else, maybe he doesn't like the fuzzyness of the leaves!).

I'll try your suggestions next time I water - I have a thermometer in the fridge I can appropriate to check water temperature. Although my AVs are just all little NOIDs and will never see a show (and wouldn't even if they were named varieties) I still want them all to be nice and well cared for.

@Fred - I think I have a little lamp I could sit by them to pep them up until we start getting sunnier evenings =) Will give it a shot.

Thank you all for taking the time to check out my wee problem and help me. I'm so glad they're not all dying of something horrid!

A. -

My cats do not eat my plants - and I have too many plants (and 2 cats) - so some reduction wouldn't hurt. We have a Show in 2 weeks - I am dreaming on selling everything that blooms and leaving myself only starters and leaves and most of the trailers - because it takes long time to get them to the size. The cat damage is mechanichal - fly in the window - all bets are out - everything is flying. Or they decide to walk through the lower light shelf.

Regarding names and unnamed - and to show or not to show - you probably have green fingers, you can grow plants so they are looking great and blooming great - at some point you will want to try more elaborate varieties, something different - so going to the Shows, seeing what other people grow and may be bringing a starter or 2 is part of developing your hobby. Association with people with the same interests is enjoyable and useful - so joining the club can be attractive at some point. And how did it start - you got a NOID violet or 2 - and they did great for you.

Regarding the lamp - you can get a skinny fluorescent fixture to fit your growing place - and you can hang it from the ceiling above your violets - and turn it on in the evenings. Depends how handy you are - you can figure out some inconspicuous support for T8 or T5 fixture - like they sell for above the kitchen counters - light stick or some similar name.

Good Luck

Irina

The first thing I noticed was the open window. Violets do not like cold drafts, and do best at warmer temperatures. A good rule of thumb is if you are comfortable, they are comfortable. Ranges would be about 80 on the high side, maybe 68 on the low side. They can survive at higher or lower but probably not flourish.

From what I can tell in the picture, the plant appears to be planted a little too deep. That combined with a dressing of grit (non-yielding) and a little less light than what it would prefer, may all be factors. Additionally, the darker the leaf, the more light the plant needs. As you can see, the two plants on the sill are two shades of green.

To summarize, repot into a pot 1/3 the size of the diameter of the plant, don't plant quite so deep, skip the grit, and maybe close that window. Provide more light (indirect) if possible.

By the way, those temps are F.

Good luck, and I loved your country!

Barbara

@Irina - unfortunately I don't think there are any clubs or societies for AV in Scotland (I'd love to be proved wrong here, might be my googling has just not been good enough or I'm not looking in the right places!). That's the problem with living in a teeny country - the whole of Scotland has fewer people than the population of D.C. alone ;) I used to be part of the local royal horticultural society when I was younger but there doesn't even seem to be one of those in the area I've moved to =(

I can't even seem to find sources for buying named varieties other than ebay (and those I'm terrified of after reading up on INSV) named plants here! All of the big sites that people recommend are US only (understandably, they don't seem to ship internationally).

@Barbara - The little dark plant doesn't normally stay on the window, but I'll remember to move them a little further back when I open it for airing as they do sit close by. Maybe I need to make a wee scarf for my AVs, haha

On the above advice I've already potted it into a smaller pot and I planted it a little higher, too. Now babying it until it settles into the new pot. I always worry when I re-pot plants - it seems such a rough thing to do to them.

Here are a couple of resources that may lead to a club near you:
African Violet Society of America (AVSA) has a great website. Click on 'affilliates' on the left side, scroll to the bottom, and the European clubs are shown. There is a club in London, and they should have a list of the clubs in the UK.

For vendors, google Dibleys Gesneriads. They are in Wales. They will do mail order in the UK, and have quite a few offerings under 'Saintpaulia' (scientific name of AV's). Now spend the rest of the day drooling over their website.

The Chelsea Flower Show in London has marvelous displays of AVs, and Dibleys displays there, and probably sells too. When I visited the UK in 1997, I started in Glasgow, spent 2 weeks there, and flew out of London. I took the metro and it was very crowded with people, many of whom carried plants. They had been to the show! I wasn't into AVs at the time, or I would have certainly made a trek to Dibleys, and wouldn't have missed the show on my life!!! It is usually in May, so maybe it could be in your future.

Good luck with your plants.

Barbara

Here is a link that might be useful: African Violet Society of America

Thank you so much Barbara!

I'd loooove to go to the Chelsea flower show even just once - I always end up just watching snippets of it on tv. I'll see what I can find out via the London society.

I don't think my wallet will thank you for finding the welsh grower but you have my utmost gratitude =) Hopefully I'll be here showing off some pretty wee plants soon ;)