Hi Al/plantcrazed/et. al., I thought I should come back and share some results from my "experiment" that I started at the end of April. The controls in my little trial were almost non-existent, but I think that actually makes the results more relevant to me and my growing conditions (and hopefully others will get something from this too). Back in April I got an order of leaves of 19 varieties of AVs. 14 came as pairs of leaves, so I decided to try growing them in different media. As I described in my post in mid-May, 14 leaves went in 100% vermiculite and 19 leaves in 100% turface fines (the smaller stuff left over after sifting for other mixes). The planting tray is an old kit I had leftover from years ago that has a clear cover for germinating/propagating. I had grand plans to carefully measure watering, leaf condition, first sign of roots/new leaves, etc. (like a good experimenter would), but the same day I planted the leaves my toddler ended up in the ER, kicking off several weeks of stress and doctor's visits, not to mention usual life events and adventures when working full time and caring for a small child. My plant care regimen settled in to, basically, watering when I noticed they looked dry. After the plantlets started to appear I took the covers off the trays, but otherwise I've just watered and left them under fluorescent lights and hoped for the best. Here are my results. Vermiculite 4 have plantlets, all of which seem to be growing alright 5 are mostly-dead or all-dead 1 formed a nice-looking plantlet that subsequently died, tho the leaf is still there and has roots 4 have roots but no sign of new leaves (yet?) Turface fines all 19 leaves are still alive 16 have multi-leaf plantlets 1 has a new leaf just beginning to appear 2 are strongly rooted and some gentle investigation revealed new leaves that just haven't broken the surface yet (I had just finished watering when I took this photo, which is why the turface shows wet and dry spots. This is what my usual watering of this tray looks like) A few other observations: the leaves of the new plants in the vermiculite are larger than any in the turface the leaves of the new plants in the turface are much smaller, but there are many of them, they are a strong green colour, and have a vital appearance (my experience tells me these are stronger plants than in the vermiculite) one variety was not in very good shape when it arrived. I considered complaining to the store owner about the quality, but see above re: bigger life priorities right now. That variety didn't survive more than a few days in the vermiculite. The leaf just rotted away. In the turface, it slowly rotted up the stem towards the leaf, but then rooted from the remaining piece of leaf and now has a lovely little plant growing: What these results say to me is that, for my horrible, neglectful treatment of these leaves, the turface was a better growing medium. I'm sure Al or Kevin/ewwmayo would have the correct terms for the properties of the two media, but I would say it seemed like the vermiculite contributed to a less stable environment - it went from a soggy mess when I watered to very dry, very quickly - and the turface was much more stable and allowed these poor things to survive despite my neglect. I've read some of the very lengthy threads about the properties of the various gritty mix ingredients and it makes sense to me that a plant like an AV that doesn't like to dry out but also hates being soggy would appreciate the turface's qualities of holding water but allowing for drainage and air movement through the medium. I think from now on the turface fines will be my preferred method for starting AV leaves (and likely other similar plants like episcias or begonias). I also moved two other AVs (a standard and a mini) into a modified gritty mix (1:1:1, but perlite in place of bark). So far nothing meaningful to report, though neither plant has bloomed and the mini seems to be happier than the standard. But with my neglect of the plants lately I don't think these results are meaningful, beyond saying that AVs can actually survive in the gritty mix even with an inconsistent and sub-optimal care routine. If there's anything interesting to report as these AVs continue to grow and I pot them up (likely into a gritty mix of some sort), I'll be sure to come back with an update. I would happily accept comments/questions/criticisms of my results, but please be kind in your criticisms of my care routine. I might be bad with my plants, but this little one is thriving: Thanks everyone, Melanie

twobit, don't worry, you did nothing wrong. You have to remember, that poor plant had been taken from a very controlled greenhouse, shipped in a dark truck, stuck in a too dark too dry store, and then to your house. The poor thing is just in shock. It's had a radical change in its environment, and dropping the flowers is a survival mechanism. Remember also, plants flower for two reasons; either they're happy, or they're stressed and trying to reproduce before they die. It's generally pretty easy to tell the difference. So, check out the FAQ on the main forum page, because you *will* want to transplant it out of that peat. Give it a couple of months after that and it'll probably start blooming for you. Also, check the link below; Rachel has lots of useful cultural info, with pictures! Good luck and keep asking questions. Korina PS If you overwater (or underwater), you might consider switching to wick watering. It simplifies everything. Here is a link that might be useful: Rachel's Reflections

Lucky, the 1/3 is given as a rule of thumb, it refers to the width, however, I think it refers to the depth as well as the height. The smallest and most shallow I have used is a small condiment cup. They work very well for very small plant lets that have come from leaves or suckers. Now, there are plastic saucers you can get in a plant store at times that are quite tall. They are very thin plastic. You can also use those Keurig style coffee cups if you know of anyone who uses those machines, ask them to save the cups for you. I am sticking to my belief that a clay saucer is going to be too shallow and not the right material. Unless you are going to watch very closely and as soon as the plant begins to grow, move it to a solo cup. But then that means a lot of unnecessary moving of the plant. Of course, others suggest you try it out and find out for yourself if it works or not. I have used cardboard seed trays I got at the hardware/plant store. They did not work. The leaves and small plants dried out too quickly. The plastic seed trays,on the other hand, work great. I have looked at egg cartons and thought the styrofoam ones might work well. The roots are like hairs on your head. There are just a few of them per the proportion of leaves, and they are quite delicate. It is because of this root system that AVs are thought to be hard to raise. Optimara have different roots,stronger and thicker and longer, but even those plants can't take too much repotting. More of my plants die from repotting than from anything else. At first, I tired using all sorts of materials that were not meant for raising violets, such as tea cups, or plastic containers that were too wide. Reading this forum and getting advice from others, once I started doing what was best for the plants, using the right size and height of pot, the plants did well. Because it takes nearly a year to go from a plucked leaf to a blooming plant, with all the hovering and concern, why not just start out with what the plant will thrive in from the get-go! The plants need monitoring. The red one that I am so proud of has another that I moved out of the dome and into a window a few months ago. It is very unhappy. The leaves got dull and the crown got miniscule. Now, I have to research throughout this forum to find out what caused that. Perhaps the low light. I hope, nothing more sinister. When a plant is thriving, it is hard to realize how sensitive it really can be if its environment is changed, even a little. Diana, Very nice photo essay! Thank you for taking the time to do that. This is a post to clip for future reference. I just moved two plants from 2 1/2" to 3". Their leaf span was wide but their roots were small. I don't have anything between 3 and 4 at this time. I moved them because it has been a year and they are not blooming. Sticking to the proportion of 1/3, a 4 inch would be too large. By the way, the Jean Pierre Croteau you advised I move to a 4" pot, I did. It is doing fine. It is now blooming. This brings up a question, I might have to do research. I understand that plants bloom from the crown, under the crown leaves only. So if I were to pinch off the blooms, would the plant never again bloom from that leaf, but only from the new crown leaves that are growing out? I decided to leave the blooms on. I might not show it, after all. And just bring plants to sell for the club instead. It is hard to juggle both, and the show has a theme that many are struggling to come up with ideas. I am thinking just to have a great display and sales area instead with colorful signs of AV. I will post my signs when they are finished for Karin's artistic input, if you are also reading this,Karin. Best to all, Happy and PeacefulSunday, Joanne

KeOsika ... I'll just kind of reinforce what has already been said ... Your pot is too big and you need to separate the multiple crowns you have into multiple plants in separate pots. Your pots should be fairly small ... African Violets do better with smaller pots. I doubt that you have bugs either. And you will, likely, have to get some artificial light for your plant(s). A few hours from the window isn't going to cut it (and there's the risk of that draft). Consider putting one of the new CFL fluorescent bulbs in a desk or floor lamp where you can focus the light on your violets. Hold off on the fertilizer for awhile after you've transplanted them. BTW, if you have no roots on your crowns, just stick them down into the dirt in their new pots. That (and adequate) dampness) should help them to re-root. While ypur plants are getting readjusted to their new settings, find some water-soluble African Violet fertilizer, ... and begin to feed your plants with a very light solution (1/4 tsp. to a gallon of water). You can keep your leftover solution for future watering. Once your plants are 9 inches across, you can put them in a 3" diameter pot (with drainage). Once they get a foot across, you can pot them up to a 4" diameter pot. Unless you grow your plants wery large (18-24 inches across), you'll never need to put them in anything bigger than a 4" diameter pot.