My Wicking is still too wet!

12 years ago

Ok, last weekend I repotted like half of my 20 some violets. But my wick mix is still too wet! I went to like 4-2-1 perlite, vermiculite, peat.

I sprayed everyone with phyton 27 AND Forbid 4F (probable mites on 2 local nursery bought ones). They all now have individual wicked pots, no community tray for safe keeping.

But I would say that the same 2 or 3 that had botryitis or whatever that white curly mold on the leaves are, still have it a week later

What else can I do to dry up the mix? coarse perlite? The perlite I'm using seems pretty fine, dusty, I can imagine it was beat up pretty good at the store where I got it. Or thinner wick? I'm using a standard mason line, I could break that out into a third of the thickness? Or get a fan blowing better (fan is coming). Temps drop to probably 65 at night and don't come back up until like 70 at 5pm when we get home (too cold?)

I'm hoping too get this under control so I can start enjoying them and stop worrying so much! But all in all they're doing fine, just a few susceptible ones seem to need a little extra care, but that probably means they all could use a bit drier, (warmer?) conditions?

Thanks again, I will put some pics up soon!

Featured Answer

cork_oh

12 years ago

I had the same problem with "too Wet". I talked to Pat Hancock at the Kingwood Gardens show about 2 or 3 months ago about it and she suggested that the wick should be into the bottom of the pot ONLY about 1 inch. I have started to repot my AV's and it seems to be working. I suggest you try it on a few plant.
Cork

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Comments (13)

irina_co
12 years ago
White curly mold on the leaves? Can you post a pic of it?

Whatever is on your leaves (powdery mildew - but it is not curly, foliar mealy bugs???) it is not from the wicks. What is the humidity in your growing area? To have bootrytis - you need to have very high humidity.

I am saying - it is something else. Pics-pics-pics.

Irina
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ocelaris
Original Author
12 years ago
I posted them all on my blog, but I'll post the highlights here:

http://ocelaris.com/?p=1065

Not all of them have the problem, and I just pulled the wick down a good amount, so hopefully that'll dry the mix out a bit. Thanks as always!

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m3rma1d
12 years ago
It looks like your pots are very low in the reservoirs, sitting directly in the water.. That would make your mix too wet.
Also, the white stuff is just powdery mildew. We all get it! I use Lysol to rid it.
ima_digger
12 years ago
It looks like powdery mildew to me. I've read that listerine original mixed with water in a spray bottle can be used. I don't know what the measurments are, so do a search. Also are your pots sitting down in your container? Did you make the holes for them? That may be where your problem is. The water in the containers looks cloudy. The pots may be sitting too low in container and hitting the water.
ima_digger
12 years ago
I forgot to add that your violets are very pretty. Are some of the Russian variety?
ocelaris
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the tips, I repotted them last week into those home made containers. You can't really see from the pictures, but none of them are actually sitting in the water. I specifically made sure of that, it's just the manufacturing process :) I'll have to talk to the maker of those pots! There's the hole the pots sit in, and then there is a smaller air hole for ventilation.

The water is "cloudy" (actually brown) from the phyton 27 that I used last week. I'll probably end up replacing that shortly with generic fertilizer water with Physon. I soaked the entire soil with phyton 27 and then let it run out over time, hence the brown discolored part.

If it's easy enough to use lysol or some spray for touch up, that'd be great, because it seems the same plants are susceptible, phyton 27 worked for a short while, but not for long unfortunately :( But I ordered a little oscillating fan so that should help.

Some are russian, specifically Le Sea of Happiness, Sagitarius Elite, and Amour Elite. They're all from Rob, except two Chimeras I got off ebay, Concord and Yachio Blue (not pictured).

Here's the list of my plants currently:
LE Sea of Happiness
Rob's Fuddy Duddy
Funambule
Sagittarius Elite
Titanic
Rob's Astro Zombie
Concord
Yachiyo Blue

Robs Lucky Penny
Robs Love Bite
Robs Scrumptious
GoldenEye
Amour Elite
Mas Winter Moon
Chicago Flair
irina_co
12 years ago
Ocelaris -

You do not need phyton 27 in your soil. you need somnething on your leaves to deal with Powdery Mildew. If you spray with phyton - you will damage your incredibly beautiful flowers, but it is very effective. Try spraying your plants with physan 20- try 1 tablespoon per gallon of hot distilled water - you do not need a gallon, probably a quart will be enough. You can swab the damaged spots with higher concentration.

You have baby leaves and suckers on your plants - remove them - and root your suckers - I am sure your violet friends will die for some of your varieties.

You have yellow edge on older leaves - it seems that you can make them happier by adding more nitrogen.

First = it is good to flush your pots with a very weak solution of fish emulsion in distilled water. It removes the salts- and the plants get their stimulant. Just be sure this stuff doesn't go in your reservoirs - it stinks. Second - so far the best food is Dyna-gro-1/4 teaspoon per gallon - I was amazed how much better the violets look with it.

Great Collection, very beautiful blossoms.

Thank you for the eye candy.

irina

Here is a link that might be useful: physan
ocelaris
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, I already have Physan-20, so I'll do a light spray with that on the affected plants. Some of these plants I just got a month or two ago, and they already have a bunch of suckers, a bit annoying as I thought I'd get a bit longer before having to repot them, but I guess no complaints as the collection will grow. I started using Dynagro 7-9-5 about a month ago, and some of the plants are older that obviously, so hopefully that will help them.

Thanks again!
irina_co
12 years ago
Ocelaris - you need to take advantage of these suckers. The plant grown from a sucker is as good as grown from a leaf - but faster - and the plants that you grow yourself perform much better than a plant that came from other environment. After a young one starts blooming and you see that it blooms true - you find a new home for the older plant - it makes a great gift, or I sell it at the Show. I just was at the friend's house - and she put a lot of work in repotting her collection in bigger and bigger pots - and I am thinking - I would restart most of them or at least reroot the crown instead of potting these old ones into 6" pots.

Anyway - - good Job!

irina
ocelaris
Original Author
12 years ago
Hey Irina, I took your suggestion and hacked up both "Rob's Astro Zombie" and "Rob's Fuddy Duddy" unfortunately now I don't remember which one was which!!! oh well, once they bloom I'll remember :)

Also, I put an oscillating fan on blowing across them 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off and although my medium seems still on the wet side, it's knocked my powdery mildew down significantly. Thanks again for the suggestions!

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irina_co
12 years ago
Bunch of happy starters!

Yep - they bloom differently - and when they do - you can weed out the ones that do not bloom true to description. My RAZombie gave me first bloom without fanbtasy - but I waited - the next ones have it - puff fantasy -and I love it.

Probably would be right to start a catalog of what you have and write your observations on your plants. They are different, you can decide if you do not like one - and shed it - or if it likes natural light etc. - and if you lose the tag - there are just so many of them in your list if you need to compare. Plus - if you go to the sales - you have your own list - otherwise people get carried away and purchase varieties they already have.
Another info you can take advantage from is - if you going to show - to mark how long it takes them to come into bloom after you disbudded them.

Irina
azpedsrn
12 years ago
Another way to keep the mix from being too wet, if using yarn, is to unravel the yarn a little bit and pull one stand (ply?) out so it isn't as thick and won't wick as much water. I do this in my smaller pots. Just a thought...it has worked for me.

My Wicking is still too wet!

cork_oh

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