AV getting crowded

14 years ago

Hi all, Im fairly new to AV's, I have one. Would like to have more but this is my expermental one to see if I can grow them.

I have had it for about 10 months. When I first got it I repotted it (which ws probably a no no) The new pot is 4" with good drainage (not a AV pot) it is ceramic. The plant is doing wonderful. It is in a bathroom where it gets northern exposure as well as light from a skylight. The leaves are very healthy looking (shinny, firm, and deep green) Every once in awhile I loose a mature leaf due to limp/soggy. I let it dry somewhat between waterings. I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right, as far as what I have read. I don't get water on the leaves or stems either.

The concern I have is. . . there are now two more plants growing in the pot. They are growing quite fast, and filling in around the mother plant. The mother plant has not bloomed yet. It was in bloom when I bought it, but nothing since. Could it be the energy is going to the new plants rather than making flowers? Should I seperate the new ones into their own pots? Or should I just let it go and see if it will eventually bloom? I feed it with Eleanors VF-11 everytime I water. (They claim it will make AV's bloom non-stop. Yes/no?

Thanks to any/all advice.

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Comments (4)

Christine
14 years ago
Hi,

If your AV isn't a trailer then you should remove the new plants. If you want to keep them put them into tiny pots, no bigger than plastic 3 oz. Solo cups. You should go ahead and repot the main plant at the same time since it has been 10 months and bottom leaves have died, probably creating a "neck" that needs to be buried. Your plant wants to reproduce and if you don't let it do so by suckering, it tries another route - blooming. However, with the northern exposure it sounds like the plant may not be getting enough light to bloom. You might try putting the plant on a windowsill with an eastern exposure instead. Or use a southern one with some kind of sheer panel to break up the sun. You'd probably see buds in no time. Good luck!
maidinmontana
Original Author
14 years ago
How do I know if it is a trailer? I didn't keep the tag that came with the plant. Also, I read somewhere on the net that the "neck" should be visible. Actually what I read was if you create a "neck" by removing the lower leaves it will induce blooming. Maybe I misunderstood the read. I didn't do as the info said, as I was thinking part of the reason it wasn't blooming was it was establishing roots to fit the pot since I repotted it. I pretty much left it alone just to see what it would do. Now that there is obvious new growth one would think the roots have established, right? Your advice makes sense, I will get some little cups today and remove the new plants, trying to salvage them as well. Is dropping leaves a sign it needs to be repotted, or is that advice relating more to the "neck"? Should I set the new plants in the same new location (east facing window)?
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Christine
14 years ago
Without the tag you can't be 100% sure, but your plant probably isn't a trailer. I don't know there you got yours, but most AVs sold in local grocery and hardware stores aren't trailers.

Although an AV can live with a long neck, it is considered undesirable because of how it looks and because the plant may eventually quit blooming if the neck gets too long (too much energy is used getting nutrients from the roots to the crown). Here is a web site that gives illustrated potting instructions for getting rid of necks:

http://www.robsviolet.com/repotting_violets.htm

Flowers come with new leaf growth. Removing old leaves that take energy but won't produce more flowers and periodically repotting stimulate new growth and blooms. The new roots that eventually grow out of the buried neck help the plant too.

The link below has lots of great information on getting AVs to bloom. Lack of sufficient light is a major reason for non-blooming - that's why I suggested you put your plant in a different window. I'd put the babies wherever you put the mother.

Here is a link that might be useful: Why Won't My Violet Bloom?
divineappt
14 years ago
The rule of thumb for pot size is 3 to 1. If the plant is 9" across it would go in a 3" pot, if the plant was 12" across it would go into a 4" pot, even if you have to trim the roots and downsize the pot. They bloom better if they are pot bound, so you don't want the pot too large for the plant size.

Depending on how much "neck" your plant has, you will have to trim the bottom of the roots to fit it back in the pot anyway. AV's do better if repotted at least every 6 months.

Most of the "grocery store" AV's that we buy have been put in too large a pot.

AV getting crowded

Comments (4)

Christine

maidinmontana
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divineappt

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AV getting crowded

Comments (4)

Christine

maidinmontanaOriginal Author

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Christine

divineappt

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maidinmontana
Original Author