Hello:

The difference is the size additted for show. A semi miniature can not be over 8 inches across. A miniature should not be over 6 inches across. There is no rule for the size of a micro miniature but it can be anything below 6 inches but is usually about 3 inches across.

Some miniature plants can be made into micro miniatures. I did this with a plant once. The tiny plant grew right along with the larger miniature. The miniature bloomed twice before the micro miniature did and they were the same variety. When the micro miniature finally bloomed it gave only three blooms.

Micro miniatures will dry out very fast so you have to give them a peek each day or so.

I have some now known as miniature but they grow naturally within the pot, 3 inches across: Baby Dear, Baby White, Skagit Lil Pepperpot, Tamsen and Toronto Belle can be easily miniaturized.

They do take a little more care, especially with watering and you should repot very often, about 3 or 4 times per year.

Some growers pot up minis and semis into small, small containers, like coffee creamers. I usually put everything into a 2 1/4 pot.
Nancy

Hoo boy [rubs hands], Mary Beth you are talkin' my language! Like Nancy said, micro minis get to about 3" across. There is a difference between a micro miniature and a mini grown small; micros are *genetically* smaller. The smallest one I know is a trailer, Fruit Fly; look for pics of it on eBay.

The Optimara Little Gem series was created for 1" pots; they do grow larger in larger pots, but they don't look as good. Being Optimara, they're nice, sturdy growers.

Some other micro minis: Amoeba, Teeny Bopper (trailer), Pip Squeak (trailer) Misty Miss, Little Jayhawker, Lil Thornbird, Rob's Twinkle Pink and Rob's Twinkle Blue, Tiny Moon Goddess (the best, funnest, toughest old broad around!), Rob's Voodoo Blue, three of Ethel Champion's Midget series (Bon Bon, Lillian, and Gumdrop).

MOre later.

Korina

Korina,
Going to show next week. Of course I'll be buying av. would like to purchase some mini's ( maybe even micro mini). Any suggestions? Which are fairly hardy, good boomers etc. I know
Lyndon Lyon is one of the vendors. First plunge into minis. Counting the days hours minutes till the show. HEE-HEE!
Mary Beth

Sorry for yesterday's abrupt stop -- someone came from Admin to spend the morning fiddling with the computer. Joy for him.

Mary Beth (you lucky dog), anything from Rob or Optimara is likely to be easy to grow.

What I did with my teeny guys was wick them in 1 oz. portion cups on a gang reservoir (usually 4-5). This way you don't have to worry about them drying out six times a day. Just keep a casual eye on them to make sure everything's working.

Also, repotting should be every two to three months, as the little guys have so much less soil. Oh, and they usually want more light than the standards. And just an FYI, the AVSA doesn't recognize micros as a class; they're lumped in with minis.

Good luck and have fun at the show. Oh, word of advice; only take the amount of cash you're willing to spend. LEAVE THE CREDIT CARDS AT HOME!!!

Korina

Korina! That's a great tip re: cash vs. credit cards. There's a show coming up next Saturday that I'm going to go to - my first! - and I'm sure I'm going to go hog wild. :0)

If this show is anything like the quilting shows I go to I'M IN BIG TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the advise. I'll let you know how many and what kind I buy!!
MB

Wahhhhhhhhhhh I wanna go to a show but there is none near me. I'm dying to take a road trip to one, but can't find one within decent driving distance anytime soon.

Where are you guys going?

Belinda

Belinda,
Going to MAAVS in York, Pa. About 2 hr from home. Thinking about swinging over to Phila. show if time allows.
Mary Beth

Hi all,
As far as Micro-minis go, AVSA had no designation for them. AVSA recognizes only miniatures and if you put them into a show, they will be judged as miniatures.
Yes, its true, Philadelphia AVS is holding their show on Saturday Oct. 13th. It's being held at the Lighthouse Fellowship United Methodist Church,, formerly Glenside-Abington United Methodist Church. Their address is:
137 North Easton Road in Glenside. I will be there at 9AM since I have been invited to help judge the show. If you go to MAAVS say hello to George McDonald our local affiliate president and hybridizer of the Mac series of plants.
Fred in NJ

Belinda - I misspoke, I'm going to a sale, not a show. It's held by the Portlandia Violet Club twice a year. Should be fun. :0)

Two micro-mini's I recently acquired.
I really love the leaf coloring of the Tiny Moon Goddess!

{{gwi:356733}}

Congratulations Ruby! Be aware, Tiny Moon Goddess (aka TMG) has what some call a charming eccentricity and others call an annoying habit; when she blooms, all her leaves twist to one side. It's harmless, but odd-looking.

Also, I would stay away from terra cotta for AVs. Solo cups or anything plastic works fine, as long as it has good drainage and is small enough for these tiny wonders. I use 2 oz. condiment cups, or whatever you can drill a hole through.

Good luck and have fun!!

Korina, firmly in the 'charming eccentricity' camp

Thanks, Korina!

why is terra cotta bad?

Because terra cotta holds in some moisture, there is the chance that any leaves laying on the sides of the pot will rot. I have had this happen, so I too have switched to little white solo/dixie cups made of plastic. If you like the look of the terra cotta, you could always use it as a cache pot, slip the little solo cups into it and voila, you get the pot and the AV gets the plastic.