4 - 6 weeks. mine took about 5 weeks, but then, i have another leaf that's been down for at least a month and is clearly growing roots, but i see no other leaflets.

Furious, there are many factors that determine how quickly (or slowly) a leaf will put up babies. Basically, as long as it's healthy and rooted, it's doing fine and it'll make babies when it's good and ready. The hardest part is waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

Korina

So I'm going to have to go out and find somewhere that I can buy some patience then huh? *sigh* Waiting has never been one of my strong points. Oh well.

Thanks,
Bill

I have had leaves that produced babies in just over four weeks and I set leaves last August that are putting up babies now. I really think spring time is the best time to set leaves but as long as they stay healthy they are worth the wait. Bonny

Bonnylynn is so right! I have two leaves I put down in November that just showed babies last week. Then I have 40 leaves I put down December 11 which have babies that should have been potted up a month or so ago (Bad, Mommy!).

The soil and lights are the same; only difference is the ones just now putting up babies weren't under deli tray domes and the ones that produced babies so fast were. They were all on the same stand.

Try doming them. You can use any clear plastic container. I use deli trays and cake domes.

Linda

I generally like to cut the peripheral edge off mine. Otherwise, the leaves grow and grow and you don't get babies. And if you use a leaf that is too old, it will take longer.

-Mo (WV)

It depends...everything seems to be relative. I'm new to African Violets too. My November planting of leaves went through so much with me...I decided to wick the leaves because I knew I had to be gone for a couple weeks. About half the leaves took six weeks to have babies, some a little longer and some a lot longer. My first flower appeared just recently. At one point I decided to dome half the leaves and noticed a big improvement with the doomed leaves and babies. What Montezuma suggested about cutting the peripheral edge--that's so true. I experimented with two of the same kind of leaves and same size, and the leaf I trimmed rooted and had a baby much faster than the leaf that didn't get trimmed.

Just want to add, I purchased a Pow Wow plant and planted a few of its leaves. Those leaves had babies within about three weeks--much faster than all the other leaves that I had received in the mail.
Pat

I've never done this. Can you please tell me how! thanks.

My experience is that if it's a plant you really like, it will take forever. If it's a plant you don't care about, it'll make babies in 2.5 weeks.

On 7-26-04 I put down 40 different AV leaves from two different growers. Two of each leaf. They were in a dome and they all started EXCEPT one leaf. It is still in the domed container that the rest of them started in and it is as green as grass, BUT no signs of babies.

What does Motezume mean "Cut the Peripheral edge"? Can I try is at this late date, (almost a year later)?

Cork

Cork, I turn the leaf upside down on a cutting board and use an exacto knife to trim it into a circle about the size of a dime. So when you are done, you have a little circle with the petiole sticking out. Since there's no outside edge, the leaf can't grow bigger.

I can't advise whether you should do this now, or not. I wonder if leaves can get too old to prop? I mean, they'll just sit there forever... In which case, you won't get babies even if you trim it. So... when you look at it that way, you have nothing to lose if you try it. It might jump start the leaf to try to save itself. Let us know what happens.

-Mo (WV)

have you tried a rooting compond. I used Green Light Rooting Harmone for the first time today. So I will post in a couple of weeks and tell you how it is doing.

I tried a rooting hormone the first time I planted leaves and didn't notice a difference between them and the ones with no hormone. Thanks for the tips about the domes (would glass work, too?) and cutting the edges. I'm going to have to go try that now! So far my average is probably 6-8 weeks for babies-- similar to other people's answers, but I do have one that took about seven or eight months!

Sorry, Have been away from a computer for a little while. The leaf is in a freezer bag and is pretty humid in there. Didn't use rooting hormone. I'm starting to wonder if the potting soil I used is too heavy. I put this leaf down before I really got hot and heavy into my research on AV's and didn't mix any pearlite into the soil before planting the leaf. The main reason I started it was that my Grandma grew it before she passed away, and when I got it home it wasn't looking very good so I did some quick searching to see if there was a way that I could keep the plant alive in a way. The mother plant is doing good now and blooming more then I have seen it since I got it after repotting with a lighter soil mix and smaller pot. Thank you all for your replies!!!