I haven't seen Ron's starting mix, so I don't know what is in it. I use Jiffy peat pellets. Soak them until thoroughly expanded, squeeze as much water out as you can, cut off the mesh, and crumble it into a fine, fluffy peat. I put this in a lidded plastic deli container about 1 inch deep, and sow the seeds directly on top. Close the lid and you have a mini greenhouse. Put in bright light and wait. And wait. And wait. In 2-3 weeks you should start to see some tiny leaves. Keep the peat damp but not wet. Good luck. Barbara

If this is one of your first AV's, please take note of the following ... AV blooms do not last forever, usually only a few days to a few weeks, depending on the variety. After this, they brown and dry up. At this point, you should remove the bloom stalks. So ... for future notice, let's go through the steps of successful African Violet care ... 1.) Have a suitable spot selected for the plant(s). This spot needs to be well lighted (either from a window or household fluorescent lighting), and the temperature in the area should be steady. In other words, don't place the violet(s) in spots which will experience temperatures which are too hot ... or too cold. The good thing about African Violets is that they like the same temperature range which is comfortable for people (70-85 F). The (natural or fluorescent) light that your plant receives should be enough to cast a shadow if a white piece of paper is held behind them. This level of light will be necessary to ensure that your plant will bloom. 2.) Determine whether or not you can water your plant with household water. Some city/metropolitan water systems add chemicals (Chloramines) to their supplied water which, unfortunately, will harm/kill your African Violets. I would start by purchasing a gallon jug of spring water from the grocery and use that to water your Violet(s) until you determine whether or not Chloramines are in your water supply. You can also use rain water, if it's available. 3.) Shop for your African Violet (if necessary). We've all seen the bright and colorful displays of African Violets at the grocery and/or big box hardware stores. These plants are ideal to cut one's teeth on in learning to successfully grow African Violets ... with one caveat. These plants will almost always come with insect pests (thrips and/or others) which will ultimately begin to rob you of the beauty of your African Violet blossoms, unless you take the necessary steps to stop them. The alternative to buying African Violets at retail outlets ... is to buy them through mail order. There are a number of reputable mail-order African Violet vendors which will supply you with healthy African Violet plants which, in most cases, will not be carrying insect pests (thrips and/or others). Some of these vendors are Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses (website), PJ's Violets (ebay) or Jack's Violets (ebay). But, in general, pick plants that look healthy (not droopy) and which have a nice spiral type leaf pattern, where you can clearly see the center (crown) of the plant. Avoid plants that look jumbled ... or full of leaves, because that indicates that there is more than one plant in the pot, ... and you will have to separate the plants to have your best success. 4.) Once you have your plants, the most important to do is to NOT OVER-WATER them. The easiest way to kill your violets is to over-water them. Violets only need to be watered when the soil is very nearly dry. And when watering them, you need to allow the excess water to drain out of the pot's drainage holes ... to be discarded. A violet which is allowed to remain in a pot which is saturated with water will quickly die of root rot. 5.) Make sure that the AV pot is not too big ... and that it has drainage holes. An AV should be in a pot no bigger than 1/3 of the plant's width. So the leaves should stick over the sides of the pot, so that the plant looks like it has wings. I've included a photo for comparison. The easiest pots to use are like the plastic one shown in the photo, though, in time, you can graduate to using other types of planters. (Or you can set the plastic pot inside of a more decorative planter). These tips should set you well on your way to successful AV growing. And please, come back to Gardenweb with any other questions.

Empress - the fungicide which always works is called "Topas" and it is not sold in US. The rest of the methods are less efficient, but much more user friendly. There is a Green Cure - it is potassium bicarbonate - I think you can purchase it online - you can spray every day until you will be done with it - potassium (K) is used by the plants - while baking soda - sodium bicarbonate - overloads plants with sodium - which can be too much. Neem oil is an excellent preventative - but if PM is in a full blast - it is not that efficient - the same is Lysol - yes - you interpreted it right. If you spray directly - it will leave cold spots on the leaves and the flowers will burn, fine mist is less damaging. I would remove all affected leaves and blossoms - the fungus is already in a tissue - and spray with whatever home remedy you will find - soda or neem oil or Lysol. The PM is a disease of fall and spring - warm days - cold nights - so if you can adjust your thermostat to reduce the difference and make sure that there is an air movement in a room = it will most possibly go down on its own. Good luck I

Angela - i grew different gesneriads from seeds - and their seeds are so miniscule, you wouldn't see roots. The best approach is to have your seeds sprinkled on a surface of the soil in a transparent covered container in a warm spot with good light and get some patience. Timing can be from 1 week to 6 months until you see green growth. Since your seeds are fresh - should be in a month. Good Luck irina