Try watering your soil mix before using it. Just enough so if you squeezed a handful it would form a ball but falls apart easily when you squish it between your fingers. After that don't let plant dry out quite that much. For the ones not taking water from the bottom, water a little bit from the top at a time until it starts to sink in and then add more, a little to a time until it's not all running down the sides of the pot and straight out the bottom.

Welcome to the forum! If you plan to wick water, it is really important to have a potting medium that is very light, meaning there is a lot of air spaces in the mix. This is what the perlite and vermiculite do for you. Commercial African violet mixes such as MiracleGro, Black Orchid, etc. are almost all peat moss. This will hold waaaay too much water when wicking, and you will have root rot in a NY minute. By using Dora's 1-1-1 mix for wicking, you will have more success. If you have an AV club in your area, I encourage you to attend the meetings. You'll meet a great group of people that love to share their knowledge with you, and they are very generous in sharing plants or leaves also. You can find clubs listed on the AVSA website. There is also a lot of growing info. If no clubs, read everything you can get your hands on about AV's. 'Growing to Show' by Pauline Bartholomew is jam-packed with info that is as relevant to the hobby grower as the show grower. And, of course, your friendly forum members will help you too! Barbara Here is a link that might be useful: AVSA website

Thank you! It's addicting, isn't it? I can already see myself going crazy. I had the cuttings on the back of the sink and forgot about them. I should have known better. That cat will chew on anything he can reach.

yep, tally is right... it all depends on so many factors. Directly on the sill with no curtain works for me, but I'm way up north in central NY. Right up against the window can be too cold in the middle of winter however! Some of my AVs are interior and at least a few feet away from a window, but I usually won't leave them with so little light for more than a few months and then I'll rearrange things. You have to judge based on the appearance of the AV and how it changes with locations. For example, - if the petioles (leaf stems) seem too long, the plant probably needs stronger light - if the crown (central) leaves are too small, the plant could be too cold, getting too much light, or could have mites or other problem - if the leaves look pale, the plant could need nutrients or more light - if the leaves are limp, the plant could need water or it could be over-watered and rotting. :p Nice purples!!! This is probably my best purple bloomer... I think I originally got this in the 80s and it was marked Optimara Sequoia. This plant is less than 6 months old... they all bloom with perfect high clusters of flowers: This isn't a great pic, but how about this nice pink baby of 'Sheer Romance' from Lyndon Lyons... I just love the green ruffled edge. :)