Steve - I am sorry, I didn't want to imply that you do not know what minis are.I am sure you know. I copied this info just for reference. What I was saying - is the way the industry grows the plants for WM - is to grow a young plant in a very controlled environment very fast, force them all to first bloom at the same moment and sell them now. They are immature plants, plus they are jeopardised by this forcing - I presume by temperature and hi phosphorus fertilizer - that's why they have trouble adjusting afterwards. Whatever is sold in 4 inch pots - they are all standards, I am quite sure. At the same time they sell small pots (2 1/4") with minis and semis - I bought Rob's Boondoggle in Lowe's once - but again - you never know without a label - but the bloom on this variety is quite typical. Another thing I would look for - is the size of the leaf. Even if it is a young plant - the leaves on standards are ... standard size. Since WM is not known to be a super nursery - I think they can actually stick any plant into any pot and believe that it is all cabbage and roses. So - let's not argue about what they sell - they themselves do not know... Again - my apologies irina

Hi, Is the sucker attached to a leaf stem? No, the sucker is attached to the stem of the violet. The only way to get rid of the sucker is to either cut it out (assuming you want to save it) or pull off all of its leaves and take a sharp instrument and scratch a little bit in the very center or crown of the sucker as Nancy suggested. I have looked at your two pictures and will comment on the top picture. I suspect that there is a sucker behind the leaf pointed to by the blue arrow. On a standard African violet all of the leaves grow out from the center or crown of the violet in a Rosetta pattern. The leaf that is pointed to by the white arrow is growing in the opposite direction from the crown of the mother plant. That is why I suspect that there is a sucker behind the leaf pointed to by the blue arrow. Suckers will have its own crown and its own Rosetta pattern. On the second picture I suspect that there is at least one sucker if not two, but I could be wrong. The problem is that the picture is too close and I am having a little trouble seeing the whole plant. If you are able to see the sucker on the top plant you probably will be able to figure out if there are any on the bottom plant. If you still can't see the sucker just let the plant grow larger and the sucker will develop into its own plantlet attached to the stem of the mother plant and then you will be able to see it. I hope this helps, Larry

Hi Judy, From Lyndon Lyon's, or LLG, I get consistently large plants, often in bloom, in 2 1/2 in square pots in a good potting mix that does not have to be changed for at least six months. They come with plastic stakes that have the plant name printed on them so I can move them when I repot. The plants grow rapidly and do not sucker. The company has excellent customer service and ships promptly. For me, it is worth it to pay slightly more to get consistently larger, premium quality plants. For all the trouble of ordering live plant material across country, I want to get the best I can for my money. They have good quality control and accurately label the plants. They are my first choice. I only go elsewhere if there is something I want that they don't carry. They also keep their web catalogue updated, so if they are out of stock, they won't list the item. So, no surprises and no substitutions. They usually have enough of a particular type to choose from. For example, they will offer five different reds or five different whites or more. Their own hybrids are exceptional, vigorous and strong. I primarily raise Lyon 's own hybrids. They also have a wide selection of many other hybridizers. They are a large enough company to be able to introduce new hybridizers. They first opened up the Russian market and offer a wide range. They seem to pick the best choices of other hybridizers, so if they offer a plant , I feel it has been preselected for good performance. If something is new in the plant world, chances are they developed it. They are consistent in what they offer, it is usually possible to find the same plant year after year, plus new ones. I like to be a loyal customer and give them my business. They have been at this for sixty years, I appreciate they are still in this business. I feel they are excellent, so why not do business with them? When I place an order with them, I already know what to expect, so I can safely order a dozen. But they will accept an order of any size. When I want to try out a new grower, I place a small order. Usually, about four. Joanne This post was edited by fortyseven on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 10:56

Terri - was nice to meet you in person - Conventions are wonderful! And AV people are the best! 1. the most brutal stripping of leaves is actually done to the trailers. It opens them up and creates a light access to the stem - that stimulates secondary crowns, shaping of the plant, new fresh leaves and bloomstalks. If you plan ever to show trailers - or just interested how to make them grow the best - purchase a DVD from AVSA store - African Violet Trailers by Bill Price this is so good - you will always have the best trailers in a Show. 2. When you grow a rosette for a show - you need to disbud it for months and let it grow large and full of energy. When the plant matures - the leaves increase in size, you will need to get rid of lower row of leaves that are not so large - they are leftovers from the time when plant was younger. Yes - I would agree that you shouldn't remove them all at once - may be a row in 2 weeks. If the plant throws a row of baby leaves - they should be removed as soon as you can see them - so the plant will fill the gaps. AT the very end - when you are ready to take your plant to a how - you will look at it again - and may be remove the bottom row - or not - your call. If it is semi-mini or mini - you will need to comply with the size - minis - less than 6", semi - less than 8" - so if it is bigger - remove a row of leaves. During the growing for show - you break off bloomstalks, suckers, baby leaves - so plant gets enough growth hormons from this damage. When you start your growing for show - you strip the bottom tired row or 2 of leaves and repot the plant. Your experienced grower was right. After that - only if needed. It takes long time to grow a large leaf and it will feed the flowers - so you do not want to close the factory just because. 3. When I start leaves - standards or larg semis - I cut the tip of teh leaf off - stilumates growth of teh babies instead of growth of the mama leaf to the size of rhubarb. 4. When you get plants from a seller - and see the stubs of the removed leaves - most of the time these leaves end in a trash. The large stiff outer leaves do not pack very well. There is a reason why you cannot buy show plants and ship them across the country to arrive in pristine condition with flowers intact. That's why sellers send you starters, not blooming plants. You will get an AV coleslaw in a box. So - the theory about a greedy seller taking leaves of my plant so he can resell them - it is an urban legend. Good sellers keep mother plants. They select the best of the best, blooming to the description - and propagate only off this one. If you propagate off the leaf of the sale plant to sell again - very soon you will get a genetic drift to the point - it is not a sort, it is a sport. You can do it to the species - or you take tip cuttings of the trailer - but off the leaf - watch out.