A. - My cats do not eat my plants - and I have too many plants (and 2 cats) - so some reduction wouldn't hurt. We have a Show in 2 weeks - I am dreaming on selling everything that blooms and leaving myself only starters and leaves and most of the trailers - because it takes long time to get them to the size. The cat damage is mechanichal - fly in the window - all bets are out - everything is flying. Or they decide to walk through the lower light shelf. Regarding names and unnamed - and to show or not to show - you probably have green fingers, you can grow plants so they are looking great and blooming great - at some point you will want to try more elaborate varieties, something different - so going to the Shows, seeing what other people grow and may be bringing a starter or 2 is part of developing your hobby. Association with people with the same interests is enjoyable and useful - so joining the club can be attractive at some point. And how did it start - you got a NOID violet or 2 - and they did great for you. Regarding the lamp - you can get a skinny fluorescent fixture to fit your growing place - and you can hang it from the ceiling above your violets - and turn it on in the evenings. Depends how handy you are - you can figure out some inconspicuous support for T8 or T5 fixture - like they sell for above the kitchen counters - light stick or some similar name. Good Luck Irina

Fred--- I actually have no intention of showing it , Im not that much into avs. I just like growing them for the fun of it. I took this up as a kind of a dare to see if I could do it. I have learned a lot from all of the more scholarly experts on this forum and have enjoyed it greatly. I dont have very many avs but the ones I have look decent.

Cindeea, seems to me that you can use a tripod. You would be amazed how much better your closeups would be. Our cameras can do it - but we just cannot stop moving... Like sharpshooters - they catch the time not only between the breaths - but between the heartbeats... Happy reblooming to your Mustang Irina

Kim, Do you have Pauline Bartholomew's book, "Growing to Show?" It might be helpful. I have an older version and hadn't read much of it until recently. I hated to disagree with such an expert but when she wrote that "it is almost sure death to pot them in a standard pot...the inch or so of space at the bottom...is unused by the roots, the soil stays wet and soggy," I think I yelled BS! I grew mine in standard pots for years and had no sure deaths and still use a standard pot once in awhile. When I take the plant out, there are roots at the bottom. However, further along in the book, she started talking about 6" and even 7" and 8" pots. Okay. I've never put a violet in a pot that big and I agreed that it would be too deep. Since you seem to gravitate toward somewhat larger pots, you might find some useful tips there. (I have that original pot in white and it is way too big for a violet if it's the same size as mine. I can grow a big coleus in it.) I think your pots around 5"-6" and very nice but not as easy for violets, especially when a plant doesn't have a large root system. Another way to get a bigger plant is to let them get suckers, but I have always grown single crowned plants. County fairs would often have a huge multi-crowned african violet sporting a blue ribbon :). Diana