I often use a LEE Valley seed starter box for leaf propagation. Mine works great for that purpose. Larger leaves will require a bit of trimming but I halve mine anyway. Mine has a mat system that can get too wet if you don't watch it. Additionally, the clear plastic top has no vent holes so condensation can be a problem. I have modified and perfected mine to a sort of Ron Popeil plant em and forget em project. I like mine.

Hi, I read alot on this forum, but don't post often. I, too, have been very interested in using an Aerogarden for leaf starting or suckers. So I have been reading like mad, any article I can find.

So far all the information has not been very encouraging. Most of the material I have found has been on blogs, where people tried this and most was a failure, actually all. They said the leaves died before they rooted.

They said they would start off looking great, but just withered away. I wondered if the water level got low and no roots had formed, as most veggies and herbs root fast. Violets take awhile.

i hope you do great at your trial, that you prove it can be done. I picked a 3 pod up at Goodwill. Right now its growing Tom Thumb tomatoes very nicely, but my hope is to start some violets in it, also from leaves, because I too think that they should develop very quickly. But its not sounding promising and I have scoured the internet.

Alot have also said they also had bunched centers from such a close light source, if they grew a plant under the lights. Will be waiting for your success story.

Well I am going to plant 1 leaf, in my NEW garden, it has 6 growplug holes.

It has the LED lights, and put petunia seeds in the other 5 grow sponges, to have a garden,i have to try this new garden.

So I'll find out if the leaf will root or not. The only thing i can think of that might be a problem is the hole in the 'grow sponge', has a very tiny hole to put the leaf in. I will cut the sponge in half, so there is plenty of room for the leaf to go into the sponge, and if it sprouts they have a way to get out of the sponge, and get to he light. It is the light that makes them grow so much!!!

Thats why you get so many babies, when growing violets under the AeroGrow regular fluorescent lights, mine grow much faster, and give tons of blooms. Where did you find any information about this idea Sue?

Sorry, been busy with Christmas. I just kept searching the internet for blogs of many different people, putting in keywords, like aerogarden, (couldn't find as much as I thought I would) african violets in aerogardens, etc.

Alot of them started growing them and posted pictures, but didn't follow through and tell you how it was going a few months later or whatever. Most just said the leaves failed.

One lady's husband built her a homemade one, big flat of growing spaces with holes, water underneath, pumps, aeration, LED grow lights panel, etc. She didn't report alot of success either. I can't remember the blogger now, and she dwindled off and stopped writing too. I seem to remember she mainly went with other plants.

I think my biggest worry, I guess, is there isn't much space. I want to grow more than a few leaves. Lol.

But we can start out small and see how it goes. Please let me know how it goes for you. In theory, it should be so much quicker, no waiting forever for those little mouse ears. Ha!

I think, if you cut the grow sponge like you said, then even score it some for roots to be able to break out the sides easier might help.

I was thinking you'd have to plant it about the time the plantlets start showing so they get light, but they grow under water if started in a glass, but they do get light.

Quite a dilemma to think about, as you said the light is the main factor in their growing so quickly. The Aerogrow tries to keep that light away from the water to keep algae down, so it sure won't reach the plantlets Hmmmm...

IMHO Aerogrow is a very expensive way to accommodate not that many AVs. Poohbearlover managed to achieve very decent results with this contraption but he owns several of them so he has more space to play.

So far - the more economical and practical solution is to purchase a 4 feet wide shelving unit and shoplights. With 2 T12 fluorescents per shelf - you can grow on 4 shelves. If you use 2 T8s - you need to give more height - so 3 shelves, not 4, but then you can observe your plants better. You spend as much money as for 1 Aerogrow unit - to outfit the shelving unit - but you get 12-16 times more space.

Chip-chip-chip Irina

Irina, I agree 100%. I do have three shelving units with good ole cheap, cheap florescent lights. Warm white and cool white bulbs in each lamp.

But, I picked up one at Goodwill, a sprouter, only three pods, for $8.

It works great, light is new, and am raising Tom Thumb tomatoes in it now.

But my first love is violets, has been since 1980's. So, of course, I started checking out why couldn't I start a leaf in there instead of herbs or whatever.

I was and am so amazed at how good the tomato plants look, and grew so stocky. Mine is the old version, isn't even LED. When I grow tomatoes under lights or in windows. They are usually spindly.

Also, they grew fast, and , so anyway just thought I could try it and get plantlets faster, as I lost all my collection of violets and streps.

I miss their perky little blooms so much. Trying to rebuild slowly with leaves. again.Lol.

But haven't tried it yet, as the tomatoes are coming along so well.

Stay warm, and Happy New Year!!

My 3 very old AeroGrow gardens are the big ones, with fluorescent lights, and NEW bulbs. This is the small harvest one, with the LED. I am growing a flower garden in it now, by seed, to see how they grow under the LEDS, but with all the LED grow-light spilling over the sides, I have many of my small violets around the sides of the unit. To see if it will make them grow, and bloom. Like my fluorescent ones do. the grow-lights are just that, grow-lights. I have yet to figure out how plain old tube fluorescent lights make plants grow, let alone violet grow, and bloom...but it seems everyones does this, yet I dont see how that light can give it the right light spectrum to grow/bloom. I don't have the room to put this kind of set up in, i would have to get rid of a dresser to put a 'unit' in. and i have very little space as it is.

That does make it tough, to not have any room. I really hope it works out, keep me posted.

I've read that actually the warm white and the cool white bulbs do provide the correct mixture of colors from the light spectrum to cause violets to flourish. But grow lights seem to promote more blooms, better foliage color.

Violets grow in the wild, lightly shaded from trees, and the fluorescents provide this light.

Vegetables, herbs and most garden plants require very bright light and will be spindly under indoor light.

Thats a very basic answer. I'm sure Irina or others can give you more details.

I think you covered it.