Begonias vs. African Violets
aviolet6
11 years ago
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aegis1000
11 years agowendycoo
11 years agoRelated Discussions
African Violets in Gritty Mix or 5:1:1
Comments (49)Hi Al/plantcrazed/et. al., I thought I should come back and share some results from my "experiment" that I started at the end of April. The controls in my little trial were almost non-existent, but I think that actually makes the results more relevant to me and my growing conditions (and hopefully others will get something from this too). Back in April I got an order of leaves of 19 varieties of AVs. 14 came as pairs of leaves, so I decided to try growing them in different media. As I described in my post in mid-May, 14 leaves went in 100% vermiculite and 19 leaves in 100% turface fines (the smaller stuff left over after sifting for other mixes). The planting tray is an old kit I had leftover from years ago that has a clear cover for germinating/propagating. I had grand plans to carefully measure watering, leaf condition, first sign of roots/new leaves, etc. (like a good experimenter would), but the same day I planted the leaves my toddler ended up in the ER, kicking off several weeks of stress and doctor's visits, not to mention usual life events and adventures when working full time and caring for a small child. My plant care regimen settled in to, basically, watering when I noticed they looked dry. After the plantlets started to appear I took the covers off the trays, but otherwise I've just watered and left them under fluorescent lights and hoped for the best. Here are my results. Vermiculite 4 have plantlets, all of which seem to be growing alright 5 are mostly-dead or all-dead 1 formed a nice-looking plantlet that subsequently died, tho the leaf is still there and has roots 4 have roots but no sign of new leaves (yet?) Turface fines all 19 leaves are still alive 16 have multi-leaf plantlets 1 has a new leaf just beginning to appear 2 are strongly rooted and some gentle investigation revealed new leaves that just haven't broken the surface yet (I had just finished watering when I took this photo, which is why the turface shows wet and dry spots. This is what my usual watering of this tray looks like) A few other observations: the leaves of the new plants in the vermiculite are larger than any in the turface the leaves of the new plants in the turface are much smaller, but there are many of them, they are a strong green colour, and have a vital appearance (my experience tells me these are stronger plants than in the vermiculite) one variety was not in very good shape when it arrived. I considered complaining to the store owner about the quality, but see above re: bigger life priorities right now. That variety didn't survive more than a few days in the vermiculite. The leaf just rotted away. In the turface, it slowly rotted up the stem towards the leaf, but then rooted from the remaining piece of leaf and now has a lovely little plant growing: What these results say to me is that, for my horrible, neglectful treatment of these leaves, the turface was a better growing medium. I'm sure Al or Kevin/ewwmayo would have the correct terms for the properties of the two media, but I would say it seemed like the vermiculite contributed to a less stable environment - it went from a soggy mess when I watered to very dry, very quickly - and the turface was much more stable and allowed these poor things to survive despite my neglect. I've read some of the very lengthy threads about the properties of the various gritty mix ingredients and it makes sense to me that a plant like an AV that doesn't like to dry out but also hates being soggy would appreciate the turface's qualities of holding water but allowing for drainage and air movement through the medium. I think from now on the turface fines will be my preferred method for starting AV leaves (and likely other similar plants like episcias or begonias). I also moved two other AVs (a standard and a mini) into a modified gritty mix (1:1:1, but perlite in place of bark). So far nothing meaningful to report, though neither plant has bloomed and the mini seems to be happier than the standard. But with my neglect of the plants lately I don't think these results are meaningful, beyond saying that AVs can actually survive in the gritty mix even with an inconsistent and sub-optimal care routine. If there's anything interesting to report as these AVs continue to grow and I pot them up (likely into a gritty mix of some sort), I'll be sure to come back with an update. I would happily accept comments/questions/criticisms of my results, but please be kind in your criticisms of my care routine. I might be bad with my plants, but this little one is thriving: Thanks everyone, Melanie...See MoreAfrican Violets in Florida
Comments (25)I am new to violets. At a thrift store some came in half dead. I got them for free. Came home replanted and they are all doing beautiful in a south-east morning sun window, constantly blooming. I do not know the names of them and would like to find out. I would also like to get some fancy ruffled flower ones. I live in FL. Walmart, garden shops all have purple or none, I want more color than that. Please let me know a good place to buy on line from a grower any place. Thank you....See MoreIs this an African Violet?
Comments (3)Steve - it was a begonia. I think there is a forum on begonias - so if you inquire there - you'd be told what begonia is it. Good Luck Irina...See MoreGrowing African Violets Outdoors.
Comments (23)â¢Posted by froeschli Meh, at risk for theft is anything that strikes someone's fancy, be it sparkly, colorful or valuable... I'd have to agree. In large part, know your neighborhood. If theft is not an uncommon thing, then why risk it? If it is rare to unheard of, that is another story. â¢Posted by froeschli yes, an african violet will grow outdoors, more likely in your climate than mine, but it will not "live up to its full potential"... I have to disagree with Karin, here. While that might be the case, with most plants it is just the opposite -- assuming your outdoor environmental conditions are conducive to their growth. The pink coloration you witnessed was due to the increased light levels in all likelihood. Temperature may have also been a factor. In any event, it posed no danger to the health of your AV. Having said that, I believe I would still recommend growing this one indoors for the nonce. As Karin noted, doing so would enable you to maintain greater control over environmental factors ... most notably pests. (While is just a "hunch", I suspect that the large black slugs -- Veronicella leydigi -- would wipe your plant out in no time should they find it.) Should the plant sucker at some point or should you propagate it via leaf cutting, then I most certainly would try the new plant(s) thus obtained outside once they had become established. (A friend of mine in Florida kept one I sent her out on her lanai and it did wonderfully.) At that point, I would still not recommend planting said extras in the ground unless you had lots of them. Having them in pots off the ground should make them less accessible to the local slug population. Btw, out of curiosity, which island are you on? I used to live on Oahu when I was in high school....See Morepetrushka (7b)
11 years agoirina_co
11 years agoaviolet6
11 years agoterrilou
11 years agoirina_co
11 years agoJay Gadsdon
3 years agoRosie1949
3 years agoaviolet6
3 years agoaviolet6
3 years agoRosie1949
3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agoRosie1949
3 years agopetrushka (7b)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRosie1949
3 years ago
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