Hi Judy, From Lyndon Lyon's, or LLG, I get consistently large plants, often in bloom, in 2 1/2 in square pots in a good potting mix that does not have to be changed for at least six months. They come with plastic stakes that have the plant name printed on them so I can move them when I repot. The plants grow rapidly and do not sucker. The company has excellent customer service and ships promptly. For me, it is worth it to pay slightly more to get consistently larger, premium quality plants. For all the trouble of ordering live plant material across country, I want to get the best I can for my money. They have good quality control and accurately label the plants. They are my first choice. I only go elsewhere if there is something I want that they don't carry. They also keep their web catalogue updated, so if they are out of stock, they won't list the item. So, no surprises and no substitutions. They usually have enough of a particular type to choose from. For example, they will offer five different reds or five different whites or more. Their own hybrids are exceptional, vigorous and strong. I primarily raise Lyon 's own hybrids. They also have a wide selection of many other hybridizers. They are a large enough company to be able to introduce new hybridizers. They first opened up the Russian market and offer a wide range. They seem to pick the best choices of other hybridizers, so if they offer a plant , I feel it has been preselected for good performance. If something is new in the plant world, chances are they developed it. They are consistent in what they offer, it is usually possible to find the same plant year after year, plus new ones. I like to be a loyal customer and give them my business. They have been at this for sixty years, I appreciate they are still in this business. I feel they are excellent, so why not do business with them? When I place an order with them, I already know what to expect, so I can safely order a dozen. But they will accept an order of any size. When I want to try out a new grower, I place a small order. Usually, about four. Joanne This post was edited by fortyseven on Tue, Aug 12, 14 at 10:56

It has been about a month... did you take any before and after pictures to see any differences? It's hard to see changes when something is growing fairly slowly and there are lots of leaves to notice. Here is my AV (i took a lot of leaf cuttings from it, so it's regrowing). The first pic was the day I put it under lights, and the second pic is 16 days later... yes, there has been a color change, I guess from the different kind of light. It used to be in a south-west facing window. I use the Schultz AV food you describe everytime I water. I think it ends up being about 3-4 drops in a standard size water bottle. I mix it up and have that bottle on hand anytime I need to water.

I have a few Aerogarden 3's and I think the light would be fine for AVs. I'd place the AV pot(s) on the top of the tray, not IN the water. Maybe keep the light 8-9 inches above the leaves. Of coarse you'd need to keep water in the tank and cover the pod holes to prevent splashing.

â¢Posted by froeschli Meh, at risk for theft is anything that strikes someone's fancy, be it sparkly, colorful or valuable... I'd have to agree. In large part, know your neighborhood. If theft is not an uncommon thing, then why risk it? If it is rare to unheard of, that is another story. â¢Posted by froeschli yes, an african violet will grow outdoors, more likely in your climate than mine, but it will not "live up to its full potential"... I have to disagree with Karin, here. While that might be the case, with most plants it is just the opposite -- assuming your outdoor environmental conditions are conducive to their growth. The pink coloration you witnessed was due to the increased light levels in all likelihood. Temperature may have also been a factor. In any event, it posed no danger to the health of your AV. Having said that, I believe I would still recommend growing this one indoors for the nonce. As Karin noted, doing so would enable you to maintain greater control over environmental factors ... most notably pests. (While is just a "hunch", I suspect that the large black slugs -- Veronicella leydigi -- would wipe your plant out in no time should they find it.) Should the plant sucker at some point or should you propagate it via leaf cutting, then I most certainly would try the new plant(s) thus obtained outside once they had become established. (A friend of mine in Florida kept one I sent her out on her lanai and it did wonderfully.) At that point, I would still not recommend planting said extras in the ground unless you had lots of them. Having them in pots off the ground should make them less accessible to the local slug population. Btw, out of curiosity, which island are you on? I used to live on Oahu when I was in high school.