Irina, I don't think any of my violets are truly valuable, cost-wise, however, my plants are dear to me, sentimentally. You know? Especially older plants..A couple were purchased in 1072/3, others, 1982, and so on. Not violets.

Yeah, I sprayed and dabbed w/vinegar(several times) but it didn't work. Of all insects, Mealy is the only pest I can't rid..Scale, mites, no problem, but Mealy!!
Quite a few people have been complaining about Mealy this year..I wonder if eggs are in plants bought at big box stores.. Brought home...the start of disaster.
Come to think of it, I bought two violets at our local grocery store, autumn of 2010. Months before Mealy were visible. Hmmm.

Irina, beat ya to it..I already took leaves, but don't know if they'll root. It's been a long time since I rooted a violet leaf..
Do you root in soil or water?

Actually, I'm to blame. Not the Perlite, or surgery.. I normally spray w/home-made insecticide, every other wk. Since August 2010, plants were sprayed once. Plus letting soil dry too much.

Another thing..during winter, once a month my AV's are soaked in warm water, in the kitchen sink..even though leaves got wet, they never marred. It's something I've been doing for years.
After soaking, violets were set aside until leaves dried, then placed back on the shelf.

Like watering, I neglected to soak them this winter.
This might sound trivial, but believe me, I KNOW my poor plants have/d Mealy because of my negligence.

Last..Years ago, 1980's, I'd top-water. Violets would die. Somewhere along the line, 'probably read' I started bottom-watering..The only time they'd get watered on top of soil was when fertilized. Violets did fine.
Instead of following this procedure, I got lazy and top watered.

Irina, I pray my Clivia lives. I started the oldest Clivia from seed in 1982. It's a monster. Over the years, it's been insect-free, and flowers anytime after February until July.

Yes, I have Hoyas (35-40)..They're in the upstairs bedroom..I've inspected each, so far no insects. In fact, my Multiflora just finished blooming, and two others have buds. I pray my Indoor-Garden-Angel keeps bugs away. :)

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about this Toni :( poor little guys...

I will for sure donate leaves to the "Help Toni Rebuild Her Collection" fund as well. I have Robs: combustible pigeon and cotton ball and I also have Irish Flirt and just brought home my first standard, a $4 Optimara called Maui. If you like any or all of these I will give you a few leaves :)

Mojave..thanks..Last night another violet went in the trash. It was so bad, I couldn't recognize what it was..:(

Mojave, thanks, but please no cuttings. Really. I appreciate it, but for now, I'm going to hold off on violets until I'm sure Mealy are gone.
Plus, there's plants to take outside, and gardening, so I'll be super busy..'if the temps ever warm up, and rain ends lol.'

I really thought about getting Happy Harold and a couple others, but common sense tells me to wait..If my remaining violets have mealy eggs, it's best to hold off..

But Mojave and Irina I really do appreciate your offer..Toni

Toni -

Mealies are infectious - and vinegar is not going to help. It is not about top watering and bottom watering - it is culture and yes - if you neglect them it weakens the plants and makes them more susceptible.
The culprit is probably plants from the store.

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and find Bayer's Tree and lawn care spray, go for concentrate. You need the one that has Imidacloprid as an active ingredient. Make a solution according to the instruction and water every plant in your house. It is a systemic and it will kill any mealy bug as soon as it will start feeding. I would try on one plant of the kind first - to see if it makes any damage - but it shouldn't. It will last in a plant for a month or more - so new hatches will die too. You can repeat it in a month. It is not a strong poison, it is a synthetic tobacco, but still work in gloves and do your watering so you do not spill anything.

I do not do any rooting in water, I do it in a loose soil mix under the domes and 95 percent of the leaves root. What you can do - get a Jiffy starter kit - tray, pellets and dome, water and fluff pellets with a fork and stick 2 leaves from each violet for rooting. Water so the pellets are barely barely humid, and keep the cover on. Keep it close to the window but not in a sun - and in a month or so you will have mouse ears poking.

I would give my prayers not for Clivia, but for Toni - so she will stop getting desperate, relaxes, gets organized and does what needs to be done. It is hobby, it is fun, do not make it a punishment.
I do not soak all my plants in warm water every month. I try to repot them more often so I do not accumulate too much salts.

Nothing will happen to your Clivias, to kill them you need to freeze them or boil. Foliar mealies do not kill plants, root mealies promote root rot. Foliars are mostly unsightly and very contagious.

If you are anxious to use the spray - spray an alcohol solution. Just try on 1 leaf first, as far as I know Streptocarpus cannot takealcohol, I do not know what else. Violets are OK - I would mix 1 part of rubbing alcohol with 3 cups of hot water - and spray. Mealies cannot stand it. You need to soak all nooks and crannies and wipe the shelves and pots and saucers - foliars leave eggs everywhere.

Irina

Irina, I responded to your last post, accidently hit a button, and lost the entire page. Sheesh.

I keep saying vinegar when I mean Rubbing Alcohol. Vinegar was stated numerous times. AGE!!!
I've sprayed and swiped with alcohol. Rubbing Alcohol. 91%.
Last night, we went to Walgreen's...remember RA was about .79 a bottle? The least expensive, Walgreen's brand is now 2.99..

Anyway, I did NOT use vinegar for mealy..lol.

I'll have to check HD for Bayer's Tree & Lawn. 'no nearby Lowes.'
What's the difference between concentrate and ???
Irina, we don't use chemicals, so when it comes to none-organic products, I'm clueless.
What exactly is Bayer's Tree & Lawn used for? What does it do?
Before purchasing, I'll have to read all ingredients. With birds, dogs and an iguana, we must be extra careful.
A loud noise startles birds, next thing they're off and flying, sometimes landing on plants..Our little dog, Coco, finds everything interesting, and iguanas LOVE plants. Especially munching leaves.

How do you determine dossage using Bayer's on indoor plants?

Also, this spring I'm repotting or refreshing soils/mediums in all plants. I started this project about a month ago.
If I decide to use Bayer's, it's best I wait until plants are potted in their new homes.

Irina, I have Peat Pellets/Pots, and a little seedling green house with dome and vents..Includes heating pad.

Four of the violet leaves rooted. They're small, too tiny to set in pots.

Do you think my violets had soil or foliar Mealy? When violets were unpotted, I didn't see pests. However, violets that once had a healthy root were gone, like something devoured them. Mealy was on foliage.

It was this forum I learned of soil mealy. Before reading threads here on African Violet Forum, I didn't know soil mealy existed.

Irina, I soak plants in winter out of love. lol. It's a lot of work, but afterwards, tropicals look like they just came from Fl. Succulents are only soaked once during winter. It's relaxing, and IMO, plants enjoy it.
It might not be something that needs to be done, but I feel better after their bath and shower.

Thanks for the prayers..We can all use them. You'll be in mine, too..

Thanks again for all your help, Irina. I swear, you're a Saintpaulia encyclopedia..lol. hugs, Toni

Toni, I'm so sorry you're losing your AV collection.:(
Let me know when and if you want more to get you started again. I have plenty of leaves down now which will be making babies soon. By the time you're ready, the babies should be big enough to send on.

Hugs,
Shanika

hear hear. You tell us when you ready to accept the new ones. i really need to lighten my shelves.'

irina

Shanika!! Hello. How are you?

As I explained in my other thread, we've been very busy gardening..Really busy..Today is the first day I'm sitting on my B***..lol..after the aspirin kicks in, got to start digging again...sigh..Tomorrow we're going to buy pre-started veggies and a few annuals. I also have seeds, Castor Bean, Morning Glory and Sunflower, that need sowing, directly in the front garden.

Shanika, thanks for the offer, but as I explained, 'as much as I'd like new violets, a few I saw online in particular,' I have to hold off.

Those Mealy are little trouble-makers, lol. I can rid other insects, but when it comes to Mealy, forget it!
But thanks for the offer.

In the future, when I'm 100% positive every Mealy egg is gone, there are a few violets I saw online I'd like to 'buy.' lol. I can't accept others' leaves/plants..if something were to go wrong, I'd feel terrible.

I started 8 violet leaves to see if they rooted. 4 died, 4 rooted.
The sad thing is, although I like the violets I rooted, they aren't my favorites..lol..none are variegated. It was an experiment to see if they'd root..50% made it..

Now is the hard part..they're in water..the problem is, transferring to soil, and LIVING. lol. I've done it in the past, but that was long ago..back in the mid-90's.

Shanika and Irina, thanks for your offers anyway. hugs, Toni

Shanika!! Hello. How are you?

As I explained in my other thread, we've been very busy gardening..Really busy..Today is the first day I'm sitting on my B***..lol..after the aspirin kicks in, got to start digging again...sigh..Tomorrow we're going to buy pre-started veggies and a few annuals. I also have seeds, Castor Bean, Morning Glory and Sunflower, that need sowing, directly in the front garden.

Shanika, thanks for the offer, but as I explained, 'as much as I'd like new violets, a few I saw online in particular,' I have to hold off.

Those Mealy are little trouble-makers, lol. I can rid other insects, but when it comes to Mealy, forget it!
But thanks for the offer.

In the future, when I'm 100% positive every Mealy egg is gone, there are a few violets I saw online I'd like to 'buy.' lol. I can't accept others' leaves/plants..if something were to go wrong, I'd feel terrible.

I started 8 violet leaves to see if they rooted. 4 died, 4 rooted.
The sad thing is, although I like the violets I rooted, they aren't my favorites..lol..none are variegated. It was an experiment to see if they'd root..50% made it..

Now is the hard part..they're in water..the problem is, transferring to soil, and LIVING. lol. I've done it in the past, but that was long ago..back in the mid-90's.

Shanika and Irina, thanks for your offers anyway. hugs, Toni

Toni -

you need to transfer your leaves now, before they grow too big roots.
Just pot them in a very light soil and put your new transplants under cover - put baggie on the top or something. Variegated leaves are always harder to start. You pick the mostly green leaves off your variegated plant - and plant them immediately, do not let them sit. And keep them under cover.

Good Luck

irina

Advil works better on my muscles.And it is usually not my behind, it is my back that hurts.

Irina..yep, my back and knees are causing pain. Getting old isn't fun..and times goes fast.

Don't think I can take Advil. I can't recall if it's Advil or Alieve, sp, but I'm on a medication. The directions on Advil or Alieve states not to take if on this medication.

Yesterday we went garden shopping. Jewel, 'grocery store,' had violets on sale. Flowers are beautiful. Although I vowed not to buy any, I decided to add three.
For the time being, 'since most house plants are outside,' I'll place the new violets in a different window.
So far, I haven't seen Mealy on the old violets, so I'm praying they're gone. Wishful thinking,,,lol.

I also want a violet from, either Violet Barn or Violet Gallary. But, before purchasing, I want to finish hauling plants outside and planting annuals/perrenials. And make sure the Mealy are gone.

Would Peat Pots work for the rooted violets? Or should I place in plastic. The Peat Pots are 2.5". Toni

Probably they will...kinda - the roots will get attached. It is just for me easier to transplant afterwards from plastic - just shake them out.

I.

Irina...What do you think about potting each rooted leaf in the same container? Think it'd work? Toni

Toni - I usually put 2 leaves of the same variety in the same solo cup just in case 1 will rot. If you have space - you can go in a separate solo cups - just be sure that the conatainer is on a small side.

Irina