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African Violets FAQ

What to do when your African violet gets a long stem or neck

12 years ago

Scrape the neck with a sharp blade or your fingernail to expose the tissue underneath. Dust the neck lightly with rooting hormone. You must now 'bury' the neck in the soil. You will probably have to cut off some (or even all) of the rootball, but don't worry. The buried and scraped portion of the neck will produce new root.

Your plant now needs to spend all of its energy on new roots so remove any blossoms. To prevent the plant from wilting or going into shock from losing part of its root system, place the plant under a dome or inside a Ziploc bag to create added humidity. This acts like an ICU.

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what's your largest african violet?
Q
Comments (17)
My largest? Rob's Slap Happy at a whopping 4.25" in diameter. LOL I don't do the large AVs. I have too many other plants -- orchids, carnivorous plants, cacti/succulents, et cetera -- to have the space for the big AVs. Did have one years back that was about 12" or more in diameter when I got rid of it. Was a deathrow rescue from Lowes ... possibly about 5" in diameter then. Put it in one of my terrariums. Kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally ripped it out as it was muscling out the terr's other inhabitants. Sent it down to a forum friend in Florida who wanted it for her lanai.
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Fern, you attached to an old post. A pix would have been nice so we could see your lovely plant. Yes they are still lovely with only leaves! Anyway,,,,,to answer your question. If you go back and read not only this thread but some of the older ones ALL of your questions will be answered! And then some you never thought of yet! Just a quick answer though. Usually a plant that is thriving and not blooming has to do with fertilizer. Again,,,,,read the threads to be sure. Post a pix of the "before" and repost with the "after." We would love to see the results! Rosie
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Something else I did was put my alcohol in a sprayer bottle. Properly labeled of course! That can really get where no Qtip can reach sometimes. If you have an infestation that has turned your plant mostly white with mealy then toss it. But for light infestations,,,,,try alcohol first. I have saved many plants over the years. I don't get it often. Once every few years if that. BUT I will always try to "alcohol" it first and I have never had a "spread" thru my collection. Let us know what happens! Rosie
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Just remember, peat moss holds water but once it dries out it is hard to remoisten. I don't add anything to my MiracleGro except the extra perlite. There is peat in the MiracleGro so I don't feel the need to add more. BUT I wick water so somehow this works for me. If your new mix works for you by all means stick with it. Don't worry about "pruning" off leaves. That is a continuous process sometimes. It is called Grooming!!!!! There are so many mixes one can use for plants,,,,so if you find what works for you than life is good!!!! Wishing you success! Rosie in Michigan
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