A. - do not go for more violets yet. The first one usually is doomed to die - because it is a part of a learning curve. Even African Violet Master judges have their first violet killed 30 some years before. Double ceramic self watering pots killed more violets than all diseases, pests and Roundup together. Some people manage to use them successfully - but it is not easy. And IMHO - it is counterproductive. You potted your plant too deep - you buried leaf petioles - and you overpotted it. I would take the plant out, remove outside circle of leaves - you still have some damaged ones - and pot it in a cheap plastic pot with a diameter 1/3 of a leaf span. Orchid growers have perlite handy - I would put a half inch layer of perlite on the bottom of the pot to increase aeration, water poor thing - and let it be. The soil should be humid - but no water in a saucer. The idea is to maintain high humidity of the air and barely humid soil - I bet in your orchid room there is plenty of humidity. High light - it is either orchids or pot - and pot seems more like work to me - while orchids are definitely passionate hobby. Good Luck - and I am sure in no time you will think that violets are just way too easy. irina PS you can use a small plastic orchid pot with slits - works even better. Here is a link that might be useful: Everything you need to know right now

Hi Seth, Heres some info on the basic care of AV's, If you have any questions you can ask them here or email me privately. Fred in NJ Some basic African violet care 1. African violets are very much like human beings. They prefer growing in similar conditions. The plants prefer temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of approximately 50%. They enjoy bright indirect light as opposed to direct sunlight. 2. African violets grow well in light airy soil less mixes. The mix should be one that allows the roots to penetrate to the edge of the pot. It should not be so heavy that it retains so much water to make the mix soggy. More African violets are killed by over watering than any other method. A simple recipe that many growers use is equal parts of peat moss (or potting soil without any fertilizer), coarse vermiculite and coarse perlite. A handful of horticultural charcoal may be added to sweeten the mix if desired. 3. Light plays an important part in violet culture. Plants need between 10 and 12 hours of indirect light a day. This may be obtained either naturally or by artificial means. East or west exposures are good. Northern windows frequently are not strong enough but can be adequate if some artificial light is added to extend the light period. Southern exposures are much too hot in the summer and tend to burn leaves unless the are shaded by a sheer curtain or dappled light from an outside source. Fluorescent lights are ideal. Plants should be approximately 12 inches from the top of their crown to the light bulbs. Cool white, Gro Lux, Gro Lux WS, Vari Lux and combinations of cool and warm bulbs make plants grow beautifully 4. African violets need a constant source of food since they are potted in a soil less mixture that has little or no nutrient value. Most growers keep their plants on a constant feed system. They fertilize every time they water with a dilute mixture of fertilizer usually about half the manufacturer recommendation. The fertilizers use a three number system. The first number is for nitrogen, which promotes leaf and plant growth. Second is phosphorous which helps promote bloom and the final number is potassium which is included for general health. 5. Standard size violets should be repotted every 9 months to a year while semis and minis every 4 to 6 months. The rule of thumb for pot size is to go up a size when the crown of the plant is more than three times the size of the rim of the pot. So if the crown is 9 inches across it can go into a 3-inch pot. A large 18-inch plant can be put into a 6-inch pot. Most minis and semis do best in 2 to 2 inch pots. Since violets have shallow root systems, squat pot or azalea pots are ideal. 6. There are some diseases that can give a grower problems so it is always advisable when bringing a new plant into your home to ISOLATE the plant for at least a month before putting it with any of your other plants. Some of the problems that can occur are thrips, soil and foliar mealy bugs, cyclamen mites and powdery mildew. Each problem has its own cure from spraying to a systemic.

excessfroufrou!! Hi there! Miss Frou Frou is still in a prime spot on my bookshelf. :) Pretty as ever! Please do take a picture. I know what you mean about feeling like a LOL. When I was about 20 we rented a house from this "old" lady and she had gorgeous African Violets. We had to go to her house once a month to pay rent and she'd go on and on about them. I was really into plants back then. She was also one of the very few female attorneys in Oklahoma..when she got her degree. If I can grow the four I ordered, I'm thinking about getting a tiered stand for them. We have so many trees around our acre and I may not have much direct sunlight come spring and summer. My only east window gets sun all year long except there's a floor vent close to the area. Not sure if that'd be good or not. I'm going to Walmart in the morning to scope out their plants, IF they have any. Can't wait for the pics!

its so interestimg to read all these different recipes that WORK! and people say that african violets are picky?? :-P I do the exact same mix that harawlins uses.. 1 part peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite. i used to use equal parts of peat, vermiculite, reg. soil and the violets that havent been repotted yet are doing ok, but i felt like that mix was too heavy. i like the idea of miracle grow and perlite... but that would be considerably more expensive than my big bagged bales of peat and vermiculite! :-P i rather enjoy the mixing process. i also fertilize every time i water. i use miracle grow AV fertilizer. it must be working! ;) i do not have any of the standards on wicking. i plan to have all my minis on wick watering.. but for the standards... i just dont like the way the plastic wicking stuff looks and i'm too cheap to try the expensive ceramic ones! someone mentioned lime? what would be the benefits of lime?