Hi Korina,

It doesn't sound good! :(

I would pull the leaf, and check the roots, and the bottom of the leaf stem to see if it's rotting. If it is, you can still cut the bottom of the stem off and put the leaf down again, and usually it will root faster the second time.

The culprit is one of three things, or maybe all three:
1. too moist or humidity too high
2. too cool
These are interelated though, the cooler you keep it, the dryer it needs to be.
3. too much fertilizer.

If you can salvage any of the babies, now is the time to do it, remove the brown leaves, pot it up, and keep it warm until it greens up. Cut back on the fertilizer until the plant seems established. Mix your normal fertilizer solution with 3 parts distilled water.

If you have to reroot the leaf, follow the same perscription: warmer, dryer, dilute fertilization.

I hope they make it.
Russell

Eep. I have 7 or 8 teeny preemies; we'll see if any of them survive. It was probably too much humidity in my prop box. I haven't fed anything in there; should I?

Cross your fingers.

Korina

Hi Korina,

My fingers are crossed for your plants. I usually use the diluted fertilzer (above) as a foliar spray, after the leaves have been down for two weeks.

If you have seperated the preemies from the leaf, then you can use the foliar spray as well, but be extra careful about the moisture.

They need roots and nutrients to grow. Babies like these may need nutrients to grow roots!, foliar feeding works in this situation, but apply it slow and easy. Less is more. Don't let them be to wet for too long.

Russell

Thanks for your kind thoughts Russell. I repotted the babies in a drier mix, in a seperate box. Each has a teeny root attached. I just checked and all seven are still alive! Amazing how tough these 'finicky' plants are.

Of course, if they survive the question then becomes, what to do with them? (The perennial question, I know.)

Korina

Hi Korina,

:)

For starters, after about two months, you will know which 'one' of the babies you want to keep for your collection.

The true joy in this hobby is in the growing.

Your friends will see your well grown plants and you will have some to give them. People love AV's. Be creative. Those you give to, will come back to you for growing advice much like we do here; and then you will have a personal impromptu AV club.

Do like I do, and grow your babies until they bloom, and then if you still can't give them away, sell them to a florist or garden center in your area for $1. I guarantee they'll go fast, and whomever you sold them to will want more faster than you can provide them, and you will have a hobby that pays, or even a business.

Do you know why? Because a properly grown AV shines more than a mass produced one. They shine more, and people love them and want them. When a florist places a well grown AV with three bloom on a shelf, it makes the optimaras and anthoflores with 10 blooms in the store look like weeds!

sorry, i'm ranting.... but you will also be providing varieties, to people.

Don't forget my tip about folair feeding your babies. They'll grow more roots and bigger leaves faster!

Russell

Thought I'd update. Five survivors, all green and/or white, no brown! Still tiny, but much happier looking.

Could someone please explain the intricacies of foliar feeding? Thanks.

Korina

Hi Korina,

Congradulations! I'm happy they're doing well.

Foliar feeding, is fertilizing your plants throught the leaves. African Violets can receive a much higher percentage of nutruients through their leaves than they do through their roots...so, when you use foliar feeding there is always a much higher risk of over fertilizing. But sometimes, when you want your babies to establish themselves, or when you want to boost the growth of a plant or even force it to bloom, foliar feeding works if you are careful.

It amounts to putting a very dilute fertilizer solution into a spray bottle, and misting your plants with it once every two weeks.

It is very effective to speed up the growth of newly potted babies. Even though they need fertilizer, they don't really have the roots to absorb it, so bottom feeding can result in a build up of fertilizer in the soil.

The thing you have to becareful with, is to make sure your fertilizer is safe for foliar feeding. I usually use peter's specialties for african violets, I mix 1/4 tsp. to a gallon of water in my regular water bottle. Then I fill my spray bottle to 1/4 with the fertilizer solution and the rest of the way with distilled water. Make sure it's a tad warmer than room temp. and mist your plants with it every other week.

They'll grow roots faster, bigger leaves faster, and bloom sooner.

I suggest you experiment on two or three of your babies, if they're already seperated from the leaf to find out what works for you, and also so that you can compare them to their siblings that you don't foliar feed.

good growing,

Russell

Thanks Russell; I wish I could get Peter's--around here there's Schultz and MiracleGro, both with urea, and until recently Optimara. I currently have the Optimara diluted to recommended strentgh. So I should mix that 1:3 with water? I can do that.

Korina (TGIF x 6)

Hi Korina,

Again, I am no expert, but yes, I would recommend diluting for foliar feeding, it works for me. Think about it this way, when a well established plant with a good root system is fertilized from the bottom by watering, the roots can only absorb about 10% of the nutrients. When you foliar feed, the leaves absorb 95% of the nutrients. That's why I recommend the 1:3 dilution and only mist them every two weeks. You have to be really careful not to over fertilize.

If you see tiny orangeish accumulation on the leaf hairs, that's too much fertilzer, and you should spray them heavily with pure water to wash that down.

Also, I don't know which Optimara you are using. The reason I use Peters on the babies is because of the high phosphorus, the middle number in 12-36-14. The thing babies need to grow fast imo are more roots, and phosphorus is what encourages root growth.

I know shipping charges are a bummer, but you can probably order some Peters from Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses (lyndonlyon.com). I drove up there last weekend and the shelves were well stocked with it.

Russell

My Optimara's is the little pre-measured packets and are 14-12-14. My MiracleGro AV food is liquid and 7-7-7. I'll figure something out. Thanks again.

Korina

Hi Korina,

I would use the Optimara's, but maybe not for two months. Try it for a month, and then stop for a month and see what happens.

Russell

Thanks Russell; I'll try that.

Korina

Well, I gave them their first spritz this morning. They may not need it, as they are all noticibly larger and greener since my last update. Anywho, I'm pleased.

Korina