How my AV has survived my kids....

14 years ago

This was a big, beautiful AV with great scalloped, fucsia*sp blooms! This is it after "Tough Guy" thought he needed to grab it from a plant stand on a counter AND then accidentally knocked it over just a week ago.

I should probably explain the pot: it's in another pot on some marbles and anchored with some bamboo sticks so the pot doesn't wabble around. I wanted it in a pretty pot. It's not for anything technical.

Here's what's left.

What should I do? Transplant yay? nay? I keep watering it to keep it happy. I gave it some Schultz AV fertilizer yesterday. It's in a bright light - no direct sun area.

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Comments (7)

dragonfly2008
14 years ago
I think there is hope here. I would take what's left out of that big pot and then trim away a lot of any roots that are left. Put it in a solo cup with a light potting mix (lots of perlite)then cover with a plastic baggie for a couple weeks or so. Keep the baggie out of direct sunlight. I think you will be surprised how quicky this plant can recover. Good luck and let us know what happens!
nwgatreasures
14 years ago
I agree w/ dragonfly.
Your plant will recover and thrive when placed in a small solo cup so the roots can be hugged and expand.

We can't wait to see pics in a week or two.

I can empathize with the kids and the plants...I've shared many a saga of my 4 year old "helping" me with my flowers. :)

Welcome aboard!
Dora
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hort_lvr_4life
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks a lot for the help! I'm going to try to use what I already have: moisture mix (some commercial stuff I bought because life is hectic right now and I don't have the time to mix) and perlite. I probably don't have super large, but I'll try to choose the largest. What about a 50% mix of each?

Do I seal the bag or let it breath? How about a north wall in a south facing room with plenty of light?

I forgot to mention before that it was making a good recovery from the first fall, but we moved in the cold and it got too cold and lost some leaves. THEN "Tough Guy" knocked it over breaking off the only older leaf and one of the newer leaves...then there were three....
korina
14 years ago
*Don't* use moisture mix -- your plant will rot. Give it barely damp (like a wrung out sponge) soil mix and close the bag. Give it plenty of light, but not direct (unless you want it to cook). Check it occasionally and if you see lots of condensation open the bag until it evaporates. In that kind of greenhouse environment you won't really need to water it very often. If you treat it like this, you won't have to trim the roots.

Also, get "Tough Guy" a leash. ;-)

Good luck,

Korina
hort_lvr_4life
Original Author
14 years ago
Okay, how about Spag & Perlite (barely wet, of course) and a 2" terra cotta pot (brand new)? I know I'm probably being silly by asking for such specifics, but I don't want to do this wrong. AVs & I have a "love/hate" relationship: I love them, they hate me.
hort_lvr_4life
Original Author
14 years ago
Okay here's what I did:

{{gwi:361540}}

The root ball was pretty tight so I wasn't able to break off all the old soil. The soil was still pretty moist (not overly) so I didn't add any water once I put it in the pot. It's in a ziploc back now. The pot is a 2" pot and it's never been used. Oh, how I hope it'll happily regenerate....
nwgatreasures
14 years ago
It will generate and be healthier.

One thing for future reference (and you didn't do anything wrong) but it is OK to remove part of the fine haired root system when repotting. Sometimes, you may even have to cut/chop/slice the stem or root right off of the plant in order to repot and when done correctly - can be very beneficial for the plant.

If you have a lot of soil in the root system next time, it is ok to pull that apart, shake the dirt from the system or even cut the system down.

There are some fabulous video trainings of repotting and cutting violets down to size online.

This is just the beginning for you and great things/plants/experiences are sure to come....lots of learning and growing too :)

Dora

PS..keep track and we'd love to see pics in about 2 weeks.

How my AV has survived my kids....

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dragonfly2008

nwgatreasures

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How my AV has survived my kids....

Comments (7)

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