North Star African Violet Council Twin Cities

Unusual Streptocarpus Reproduction

2012-01-16T10:10:00.000-06:00

Streptocarpus are a fiberous rooted member of the Gesneriad family. They usually reproduce by rather conventional means such as seeds and the occasional leaf cutting. But here are two very different methods that the strep has chosen to ensure that it's DNA isn't lost. In the first photo a very distressed strep is trying to think of anything it can to keep alive. You can see from the poor leaf quality and the darkened base that this plant was probably severely over watered and was just hanging on by a thread.You will note in the above photo that the center leaf is starting to produce new leaves. These are NOT flower buds. Normally, a strep will make a row of buds running up the leaf starting at the base, but these are new leaves trying to form. The front leaf to the left side of center has more of the baby leaves that are a bit larger. It's definitely a last ditch effort to reproduce before dying.

This photo also shows an unusual method for a strep to reproduce, but it's the opposite of the top photo. It's living conditions are so very favorable that it's sending out babies along the roots that were in the wick-watering pot. In this case, the plant is already doing so well it's figuring that it should just keep on sending out bits of itself to grow since it's life is so easy and everything is provided.

It would be an interesting experiment to see if the baby plants along the roots were able to be potted up. As far as I know it wasn't tried with this plant. Thanks to Sharon for providing this happy plant for us to look at!

Comments???? Leave some, it makes us happy.

Streptocarpus! By Neil's Streps and Others!

2012-01-13T09:38:00.000-06:00

WOW!!!!!!!

Here's a post for everyone needing a little color in January!

My first entry is a soothing blue flower called Inky Frills. The center throat lines are nearly black and the contrast is amazing.

This is one from Neil's Streps. It's Neil's Maverick. It's personally one of my favorites with the really fuchsia coloration in the lower three petals and the veining and the ruffles in the upper petals.

It was a very happy hybridizer's day when this one bloomed for the first time! An excellent plant and great color.

Another offering from Neil's Streps. This is Neil's Darkest Night. It appears a bit light in this photo but when you are looking at this picture the bottom flower shows a more representative look at what the flowers look like in general. Very velvety and dark.

This is Silvia! For the longest time it was quite rare to see yellow in a strep flower. This one has a dynamic contrast between the bright, sunshine yellow and the upper purple petals. It makes a very good show plant!

This is Neil's Requiem.

Another bright fantasy bloom with good color contrast and large blooms.

This is Neil's Blizzard. As I'm typing this this morning, I'm seeing it snowing and slowly covering the neighbor's yard. Not quite a blizzard, but I like looking at this much better!

A very lovely flower with a soft blend of pastel colors.

Ok, WAKE UP NOW!

This is Hot Time Tonight! There isn't much more to day except WOW.

A very bright and cheerful fuchsia, another one of my favorites.

This is Azure Giant. The flowers are FOUR inches across and wildly huge. It's a Dave Thompson offering. The photos don't give you a notion of the size of the flower until you scroll down a little further and check out this next one.........

Which is Azure Giant next to one of Dale Martens' recent introductions called Heartland's Baby Starfish. The size difference is startling to say the least.

This is my personal favorite flower amongst all the lovely flowers. This is Stroke of Luck. This flower has an incredible dusty purple/blue veining that simply jumps off of the bright white background. The hint of yellow at the center sets off the colors even more. This one is a must have in my humble opinion!!!!!

And finally, here's Neil's Plum Puddin. A very pretty plum color plant that produces a heavy bloom count.

All of our day-brightening blooms come from our friend Sharon - who is the lucky one. She gets to see all these incredible plants every day.

Streps like the cooler weather and sometimes bloom their best when kept slightly cooler than normal house temps.

Thanks again, to Sharon for sharing these lovely blooms!

Saintpaulia Hybrid Roots, A Look at What's Under the Soil.

2012-01-05T11:35:00.003-06:00

A young Ness' Crinkle Blue suffered for this post. Here are some of it's roots washed off for the most part and exposed for your viewing enjoyment!

The following photos are somewhat similar but interesting in that you usually don't get to see how the roots of your plant branch and attach themselves into the soil.

Wikipedia describes the basics of roots in their article, which is one of many about the subject.

Roots preform a multitude of tasks for the plant including: "The four major functions of roots which are 1) absorption of water and inorganic nutrients, 2) anchoring of the plant body to the ground and 3) storage of food and nutrients and 4) to prevent soil erosion."

Here is a root hair, which is also like the hair that sometimes occur on plant leaves. It's function is to increase the surface area of the roots for nutrient absorption.

The roots grow from the tips, or the region known as the apical meristem. It elongates the root. Wikianswers describes it thusly: "An apical meristem is of each root tip a dividing zone that forms new cells in two directions. The meristem produces new cells in front of itself that become a loose fitting rootcap. Layers of cells in this cap are continually brushed off as the root elongates between soil particles. The cap is perpetually renewed by tiers old cells being formed and pushed down from the meristem.

Another shot of the cool root hair which are usually single cells that become elongated and rarely branched.

Here is the transition between the roots and the stem.

And finally, where the nutrients and water go after they are extracted from the soil.

Comments???

Violet Grooming for the Non-Violet Grower

2011-12-14T17:47:00.001-06:00

At first glance most people would be pretty happy to have this violet on the coffee table. It's got nice shiny leaves and plenty of flowers. But, after a closer inspection, you'll see that there are a few grooming needs that will make this violet much more attractive and improve it's growth and overall health in time.

I'm going to say right now that for a serious violet grower/shower this plant would never have made it onto their shelves for starters and if such a plant was in their collection they would strip it down to about three leaves and start it all over again. This tutorial is for the person who doesn't want to start their plant all over again but just wants to spruce it up and see that it's healthy and will continue to provide pretty bloom and enjoyment at home for a long time to come.

When you peak under the leaves you see all sorts of tiny (baby) leaves. Ideally, a violet should have the largest of its leaves in the outer most row and then have them decrease proportionally with the smallest leaves in the center.

In the very center of this picture besides the small leaves you will note the two leaves that are close together but not in the center. This is called a sucker and needs to be removed so that the parent plant will not create a twin plant side by side and ruin the round "rosette" shape that violets are grown for. This is the very start of another new plant.

Here you see some spent blossoms that are dead. It's a must to remove these and keep your violet clean so that bugs and pests don't have a place to hide and make your plant sick over time.

Besides, fresh flowers are lovely to look at, dead ones just look like the plant is neglected.

You can see some of the larger leaves twisting and bending instead of being straight. This problem is a little harder to fix but there are things to try besides taking off that outer leaf.

Ideally, these twisted leaves probably be removed but sometimes you really don't want to make your plant into a tiny "starter plant" because it's looking good otherwise. So... you can try gently moving the leaf into the position you want it to be in and inserting a straw, coffee stir stick or toothpick next to the leaf stem and holding it in the place that you wish it to grow.

If you look closely you will see that the main stem of this violet is not in the center of it's pot. This won't hurt the plant persay, but it looks so much better if you have it centered.

Take the plant gently out of it's pot, loosen a little of the dirt in the root ball and place the violet back in the center, filling in any extra soil you might need to fill the pot again properly.

Here's the plant with some of the extra leaves removed and the dead flowers taken off. There are gaps and holes where leaves should go but with time and placing the plant in even lighting these issues will right themselves for the most part.

You can see the stake moving one of the rouge leaves into a more desirable position. A couple more well placed sticks and soon the violet will be much more symmetrical. Remember to occasionally turn the violet so that it gets the same light on all sides and doesn't tend to grow to one side like this one did.

This violet also shows that it perhaps had a little less light than is optimal, the petioles (stems) of the leaves are longer than they could be. More light will make them grow shorter and make the plant appear rounder.

By taking the time to tend to your violet now and then, you get a plant that uses it's energy to grow proportionally, bloom more regularly and make a more pleasing display. It' well worth the effort!

We'll see if our grooming helps this plant make some pleasant improvements in a few weeks. Stay tuned for future photos.....
Comments??? Questions??? Disagree???? Tap the comment button and let's hear what you wish to tell us!

What's Bloomin' Today

2011-11-27T17:44:00.001-06:00

Isn't this a pretty bloom? This is Saintpaulia 'Amy Lackner'. Amy is a member of the AVSM and long time grower and this plant was named after her.

This is 'Emerald City'. It's a nice chimera with a delicate blue streek with the green highlights.

This is a Chirita tamiana. It's a really pretty little plant that is about the size of a semi miniature with the blooms that stand up above the foliage. It's an easy plant to grow.

How about this one? A Streptocarpus that was unnamed but looks a whole lot like 'Purple Panda'. Really eye catching with the clear white upper petals with just a hint of webbing on the tips.

A Domed Terrarium

2011-11-27T17:35:00.001-06:00

I found the big bubble-bowl terrarium up on the shelf and thought that it was a great day to think about making a terrarium.

It's cold outside, gray and cloudy... what better activity than putting together a little something for the show.

It turns out that finding just the right materials that fit into the bowl purr-fectly, getting something that doesn't mind the humidity is all part of the art of design.

This display won a best container garden ribbon!!!!

The trouble with this terrarium though is it seems cranky. When I tried to move it to the shelf, it protests. I tied to slide it to the end of the work table so I could continue to work on other projects and it makes funny noises. Apparently, it demands to take up the exact center of the work space so that it's visible from all angles. *Sigh.

39,700 LED Lights

2011-11-26T10:28:00.001-06:00

That's right! Thirty nine thousand, seven hundred LED lights on an immense oak tree.

If you can see the house in the back ground you will get an idea of just how huge this tree is.... it's a monster.

Located right by Cedar Avenue and Old Shakopee it's been a holiday tradition for years now. The owner just upgraded to LED lights instead of the traditional style this year. It took a boom truck and three and a half weeks of labor (8 hours a day) to get the tree ready for the season.

WOW!

Fall Bloom Highlights!

2011-10-23T17:31:00.001-06:00

Here are a few photos of some of the flowers seen at the show at Bachman's this weekend.

If a picture says 1000 words, these should be saying a lot!

Everything was bright and colorful!

If you missed this show be sure to mark off the last week of March on your calendar for coming to see the Spring Show at Har Mar Mall.

FALL SHOWS!

2011-10-17T13:35:00.001-06:00

It's time again for the African violet societies to have their fall Show and Sale at both Northtown Mall on October 21-22, 2011 and Bachman's Heritage Room October 22-23, 2011 on Lyndale in Minneapolis!

Come and see African violets and other Gesneriads in bloom and looking stunning!

Bachman's Heritage Room is at the main Bachman's store location at 6010 Lyndale Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota!

We always have knowledgeable folks with growing advice and answers to all those violet questions you might have!

Semi-minniature violets for sale - for those of you will limited space! Come by and say "hi"!

Making a Natural Garden for a Show, Part 1

2011-10-16T08:49:00.001-06:00

Before beginning a natural garden, you have to select the proper plant material. Although it's not recommended, sometimes tasting it helps the "artist" get the feel for his masterpiece.

Inspecting the plants sometimes includes checking if there are other interesting features about the plant, such as rhizomes.

Selecting the natural item for the base is important. Does it have pockets and spaces to plant in? Is it good looking? Is it something that you can "really get into"???

Are there any mice in the crevices?

When in doubt, check all the holes thoroughly, with both hands.

Chew the extra bits off the back so that it will look good from all angles.

And finally, if you can really get into your work, it's probably going to look "smashing" at the show.

Stay tuned for planting the natural garden in part 2 of our series, and transporting it to show in part 3.

Special thanks to Walter for modeling and technical support.

Spilled Pollen

2011-10-05T15:53:00.001-06:00

Here's a very pretty African violet flower. This is actually a "grocery store" plant but it shows some pretty nice characteristics such as strong peduncles (the stalk holding up the flower cluster) and large, long lasting flowers.

In this picture you can see the center of the flower. It looks like there are some little "dusty" bits of something on the right hand side of the stamen. Most people won't be looking closely at this feature, but if you are adding plants to your collection you might want to know about this. This "pollen spill" might be caused by thrips.

Thrips are small insects that hide and breed and feed in the center of the flower. They eat pollen and to get at it they will rip open the pollen sac and some of the pollen grains will spill onto the petals near the center of the flower. This might be caused by the owner bumping the flower, or it might be caused by other pollinators like bees coming to flowers on a plant that's grown outdoors, but for the indoor grower, this should be a warning sign to check your plant a bit closer.

If you are checking your own plants at home, look for little torpedo shaped insects quickly moving about on the petals. Using a hand lens is also helpful to see the bugs (they are quite small). As you might have guessed, a dark flower shows up the pollen spill and the insects much more easily than a white or light colored flower. Insecticides aren't usually very effective for a thrip infestation. Disbudding the plant and then keeping the plant disbudded (which means pulling off all flower stalks and blooms) for a period of 6 months usually takes care of the problem! Questions???? Leave a comment please.

Fantasy Flower Problems

2011-03-04T11:33:00.000-06:00

I have always enjoyed fantasy flowers but sometimes they do not come in "true". I recently got Neil's Beetle Juice. The first bloom came in solid pink. As you can see it is pretty but not a fantasy. When I saw Dennis Miller, the hybridizer of the plant, I asked him and he said to let it bloom again and it might come in "true"

This is what the second bloom looks like. Totally different isn't it?

This particular flower is not a real large marked fantasy, but it is a fantasy. I have seen this happen with violets when the first flower is different than it should be. So if you get a plant, be patient. I don't know why this happens but it does.

Rob's 'Slap Happy' African violet!

2011-02-26T19:57:00.000-06:00

WHOOPS! I finally get a nearly perfect violet, in glorious bloom and in technicolor too and it's one month and two days till the spring show.

The next time you are at a flower show, whether violet or other flowers, remember that it takes quite a lot of planning and not just a little talent to get the entries to the show looking fresh and magnificent and like they just came out of a painting. I get to tip my hat once again to the rest of my club's members that have the skills I still lack in planning and timing. Sometimes the plant just defies all your best efforts, but I think I better study up on my "efforts". Remember, to see things like (but NOT) this one, the show starts April 1, 2011!

Violets In Windows!!!

2011-02-05T14:42:00.001-06:00

I found this old picture of my mothers' violets growing on shelves on windows. It was taken before 1954 because she moved away that year. Note how all the plants are in clay pots, which is the way they grew them back then.

As I recall when she watered the plants some water would spill on the shelves so she would have to wipe up the water but it was not a problem since it was glass. Once in awhile she would take all the plants off the shelves and clean the glass. A big job indeed.

The window faced the south. She would close the blinds when it got real hot. Windows at that time were not E windows so how they never burned was a surprise, or maybe they did but I don't remember.

The lowest shelf always fascinated me because the supporting bracket pulled up and away. Kids liked things that moved. The shelves and brackets are no longer around.

I thought you might like to see how violets were grown many years ago …or maybe some still do it that way.

Chimera Violet Seeds

2011-01-16T10:48:00.000-06:00

Well..... this is what a year and a few months of experimentation are starting to look like.

Last year seeds were set on a green chimera violet. Do chimeras pass that trait down in seeds? Can you get a chimera from seed?

I guess we'll see.

This is my first bud on my first baby to produce a plant from seed.

Violets need to leave the pod ON the plant to ripen for approximately six months. Then it takes a while after sowing to get the plantlets, and of course waiting enough months for a first bloom takes patience.

Other gesneriads do not take quite so long from pollination to plant, but African violets do.

This is the bud on it's very, very first day trying to open. It's not a large bloom, and I'm not sure if it will have any sort of striping on the flower, but it is green and shows a lively amount of fuzziness.

More photos when it and it's companions open up a little and we can see what sort of blooms might actually be represented. It does look like it has pollen though......

January Meeting Minutes!

2011-01-12T10:35:00.002-06:00

President Gail P. called the meeting to order 1:02 PM. at Davannis restaurant. Fifteen members and 2 guests were present. The November 2010 minutes had a typo which needed to be corrected, third paragraph, from "makes some" to read "make some". The treasurer's report was distributed. Mary E also reported a loss from the show at Bachmans. There is still one bill for the ribbons that has not been paid.

Carol S. and Jim G. seconded to raise the dues to $15 for individual, and $10 for second person in the same household. The membership voted and approved it. The increase will be effective March 1, 2011.

Gerten's Greenhouse is having a Plant Society day March 26 from 1PM to 4PM. Volunteers are needed to be there. Steve asked for some logos for signs.

The Feb. 12 meeting has been changed to Gail P. house. It will be a DVD on trailers by Bill Price.

The March 12 meeting will be at Davannis in Bloomington at noon, with a program about orchids by Steve and Jim.

The meeting April 20th, Wed. 6PM at Old Country Buffet.

There will not be a meeting in May.

June 15th Potluck 6 PM at Patty and Steves.

The club voted the slate of officers.

Announcement: Orchid Show at the McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul, Jan 29 and 30th.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:28 PM.

Following the meeting was the Jeopardy game presented by J.S.

Respectfully,

Sharon J

November Meeting Minutes!

2010-11-19T08:57:00.003-06:00

President Gail P. called the meeting to order 9:03 PM. at Paul's home. Fourteen members were present. The Secretaries report was distributed. No vote was taken on it.

The Treasurers report was read. No vote was taken. The report from September had a minor correction showing interest income from a CD. The results of the show are not known since all the bills are not paid. The club purchased 135 plants from Lyons, sold 108 including 15 to members leaving 27 plants unsold.

The show at Bachmans' had poor public traffic, partly due to Hwy. 62 closed for the weekend. We could use some posters in the store but the cost of $40 for one is to be decided whether we need to makes some. More publicity is needed.

J.S. is going to contact Bachmans' to make a reservation for a show next year in early October 2011.

Gail received a request from the national convention to be held next year in Philadelphia for a contribution for the "goodie bag". Terry L. made a motion of $25 contribution and the club voted to approve it.

The slate of officers was presented. Next meeting the club will vote.

President: Gail P
VP: Brenda

Secretary: Carol S

Treasurer: Mary E

Membership: Jim G

Publicity: Steve G

Directors: Paul H., Sandy M., J. S.

There were suggestions by the membership for future meetings: They included DVDs on growing trailers by Bill Price, Species to Spectacular by Pat Hancock, speaker Dennis Miller about streps or Sharon J., hybridizing by Barb, etc. J. S. also told how successful the Skype meeting was with Dale Martens and it is would be a way of getting speakers from around the world without much cost other than giving a nominal speaker fee.

The time for the next meeting has been changed to noon, January 8th at Davanni's. A notice will be sent to members before the meeting. The February meeting will be either at Jims G. or Gail P. Again, notices will be sent out. J. S. provided some delicious treats.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:34 PM

Respectfully,

Sharon J

Mark Armstead from Linders Garden Center gave a very informative talk about the needs of houseplants in the winter. Members seemed very fascinated with the new LED lights that are coming in the future. I think everyone learned a great deal.

October Show

2010-10-17T17:24:00.000-06:00

A beautiful fall show was held at Bachman's on Lyndale. The winning entries were spectacular.

Rows of violets lined the tables.

A couple of memorable plants entered were this Streptocarpus "Silvia".

There are too many lovely plants to show them all but here's one that will impress!

Many beautiful plants were exhibited by club members. New members are always welcome to stop by, join the club or come to a meeting to see what they're all about!

Welcome.

NSAVC Minutes 09 15 10

2010-09-17T08:31:00.000-06:00

President Gail P. called the meeting to order 7:10 PM. at her home. Fourteen members were present. The Secretaries and Treasurers report were read and approved.

Fall show discussion: Set up is Friday Oct. 1 at noon.

Email entries to Mary E. by Sept. 27,

Exhibits must be entered before 3 PM. Judging begins at 4PM

Need help with sales. A paper was passed around for signing up to volunteer.

Board meeting is Sunday Oct. 3 at 1 PM.

Members may donate money or gifts towards special awards if they would like to.

A new schedule of awards was distributed and voted and approved by the membership.

Members are asked to donate leaves to sell.

Grocery bags are need for the sales.

Hopefully Jim can bring boxes for sales.

Other items of interest: The treasurer has not received the insurance bill for the club. She will check with Jim if he knows anything about it.

The audit still has not been completed. The committee needs to schedule a time to do it.

A new sheet was distributed asking for hosts/hostesses and treats for upcoming meetings.

Any unsold sale plants can be sold to members at the end of the show at the cost to the club. Roughly the cost is $4.75 for standards, and $12.00 for chimeras. Any plants unsold will be donated to Bachman employees.

Mary K. F. volunteered to make new nametags.

I am not sure if the meeting was actually adjourned. It seemed to slide into Gail and Carol grooming plants.

Carol brought some very delicious treats.

Respectfully,
SJ

Flower Pollination

2010-09-06T15:48:00.000-06:00

The flowers aren't African violets unfortunately, but this is how the seeds are made, whether in violet or any other plant that makes seeds. See the cool orange sacks on the bee's back legs? One on each side. The bee picked up this pollen at a flower somewhere and in its travels will perhaps pollinate a flower it will soon visit.

Click on the photos, they will enlarge somewhat.... See the powder/dust on the bee's eyes and wing base and legs? All that is pollen too.

How about a comment?

From Store to Show Violets

2010-09-02T20:58:00.001-06:00

The upcoming show has a new category. The GROCERY STORE violet. What do you do with what you typically get at the store?

This one is from the home improvement store actually, but you see a bunch of stuff wrong with it.

It has baby leaves, broken leaves, spent flowers, suckers, what doesn't it have wrong?

First, the baby leaves come off.

Look for the small leaves that are directly under the largest outer row of leaves. The outer row should logically have the biggest, oldest leaves. When they are little you know that they are from the starter plant and they are babies.

Take off all the spent blossoms, the broken stuff etc.

Look deeper under some of the leaves. See the small plantlet that is starting in the center. It's the little thing with three leaves and it is NOT the center of the plant, as you can see the center is further back not in focus right now.

Here is that small three leaved sucker removed. You could plant up that portion to make a baby plant.

One of the lower leaves is rotated to the right. If we reposition it, it might straighten up in a couple of weeks and fill in the gap.

Toothpicks work nicely to gently move the leaf into the position you want it to be in.

Now the cleaned up, and groomed plant is under lights and we'll see if it can be taken to the show as an example of what you can do with a plant you just purchased from a regular store but want to look like a "show plant"

Please feel free to comment.

June 16, 2010 Meeting Minutes

2010-08-31T11:58:00.000-06:00

Ten members showed up for our fun potluck supper. Sandy took the time and gave us a tour of their beautiful garden. It is nice to see spectacular plants especially the Martagon lilies. Her daughter and only grandson were staying at her house so we finally met them after knowing Sandy all these years. The grandson is great, a very busy cute boy!

The potluck turned out nicely. It was a nice combination of appetizers, main courses and deserts all, which was very good.

The club decided to donate $15 each to the Boyce Edens fund, AVSA Building fund, and the AVSA booster fund. The next bank CD is coming due in June but with such a low interest rate of 1% we decided it is not worth the effort to renew it but put the funds in the checking account.

A lot of time was spent revising the fall schedule omitting edged and geneva edges and putting the trailers in a separate section. We may not be asking members for donations and may not give any cash awards, just ribbon awards.

Respectfully,

SJ

After the Flower

2010-08-22T06:59:00.000-06:00

Perry's flower is now dried and done... the next phase of Perry's intriguing life will having a single leaf (that looks somewhat like the leaf of the little plant sitting to the left of Perry) start to grow. Believe it or not, if you examine the plant next to Perry closely, it has just the one large, compound leaf. The plant goes through it's life like this till it's time for that leaf to die, after hopefully providing the underground corm with lots of energy for the next round of flowering. Stay tuned.

PERRY!

2010-07-24T22:09:00.001-06:00

PERRY IS BLOOMING!!!!!

Perry the Titan arum is blooming at Gustavus. The live webcam feed can be seen here. http://gustavus.edu/biology/titanarum/ How awesome to be able to see the bloom of the plant that produces the world's largest flower right here within an hour of the Twin Cities?

Perry is a youngster at only age 17. Sprouted from a seed, the now approximately 200 pound Perry is blooming for the second time in about three years.

Titans either put up one single leaf a year or one single flower then followed by the single leaf. The dead material you can see displayed on the right side of the photo is Perry's SINGLE leaf from last year.

This is Perry's primary enthusiast. Dr. O'Brien of Gustavus. This isn't a short plant folks.

Leave comments at the bottom here, and remember to click on the link for the web feed.

REMINDER! Get that violet now!

2010-07-14T14:29:00.000-06:00

Now is the time to get that "grocery store" violet! This October's Fall Show has a whole class for violets that have not been owned over three months! This sort of display is supposed to show the public what can be done to display and enjoy a "regular," "run of the mill" violet that a person could pick up at any retail location that carries plants.

Grab a good one, groom it up..... check very carefully for insects and get it ready for the show... Can you believe it is only 2 and 1/2 months away???

Let us know how it's coming along. Please make comments, just hit the comment button below with the cursor and leave a message for the gang.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-05T18:18:00.000-06:00

Boom

Always a pleasure to see the fireworks and enjoy a nice summer evening.

Ker-boom!

How are the violets growing in the hot weather???

Make a comment and share how yours are doing....

Martagons and Meetings

2010-06-20T08:28:00.000-06:00

The June meeting was held at a wonderful home! Here there are Martagon lilies of all sorts and colors. One of the leading hybridizers of Martagons has spent years creating the most lovely and newest forms of this lily! Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Martagons come in whites, yellows, oranges and, as you will see, some stunning reds.

Aren't these cool?

These lilies can do well with a touch more shade than some of the other sorts of lilies that you might be familiar with.

They are upright growers and certain ones get quite tall and majestic.

They do well growing with hostas, as you can glimpse in this photo.

This is the greatest part. To keep the pollen from a random source off of a flower that is due to be crossed with another particularly chosen flower, a little bag made of bridal tulle is placed over it. It's very light weight and lets in sun and air, but keeps out bees and insects that may come to pollinate it. This flower will be hand pollinated and labeled and the resulting seed with be harvested and grown out to see what the new hybrid will look like. It can take nature up to 7 years till the newly seeded plants will be mature enough to produce the first blooms. Patience is golden in hybridization! For more information on Martagon lilies email the blog at nsavctc@gmail.com and you can privately be put in touch with the hybridizer.

May Meeting Minutes

2010-06-08T18:33:00.001-06:00

We had a fun meeting at the Old Country Buffet in Fridley. Nine members and two guests were welcomed to the evening's get together. We all chatted and talked about various things including the lady at the convention that uses bleach to disinfect her plants. No one can believe that such a strong alkaline solution would not harm delicate plant tissue.

The meeting started at 7:00 pm. and there were no changes to last month's minutes. We talked about the upcoming Pot Luck Picnic at S. O.'s house on June 16th, 2010. Everyone brings a dish to pass.

We will try to have the new show schedule ready for the meeting to introduce a couple of new categories and give everyone enough time to prepare their plants for the show.

B. W. asked about who else to send publicity information to regarding the fall show. The AV magazine needs to get the notice by June 1st. Everyone is asked to give B. W. contact ideas.

M. E. took care of the tax exempt materials and it was noted that this needs to be done by January of each year now. Rules have changed in the past couple of years regarding club's status with the IRS. The end of the club's fiscal year is the end of Feb. We need an audit this summer. Our club CD matures and the club will decide what to do.

It was noted that the dues are current. There may be a club matching idea for fall awards. The club will match the amount donated by individual members for awards to be given out at the fall show. This will reduce the financial burden on the treasury. The meeting ended at 7:25 pm.

One member brought a really LOVELY 'Artic Frost' with huge blooms (look back a couple of blog posts) and a problematic baby plant. Discussion was focused on what the problem might be and solutions to make it grow in a more robust manner. Many idea were brought up and it was a good time to learn about different aspects of growing.

A clear deli-style container was passed out with leaves from the leaf exchange being used for the next club contest. The first member to get their leaf to BLOOM will get a ten dollar prize. Other members that didn't get a leaf at the last meeting will get a chance to get one at the Pot Luck.

Hope to see EVERYONE at the next meeting and picnic. Submitted by J.S.

Test Puzzle

2010-06-03T21:56:00.002-06:00

Online jigsaw puzzles from JigsawSite.com

Pretty in White

2010-06-01T21:17:00.000-06:00

Out at the U of M Landscape Arboretum Monday there were some pretty cool sights. One of them was the spider you can barely see on the lower left of the peony.

If it weren't for the bee the spider caught you almost couldn't see it. That's pretty awesome camouflage

Here it is larger. Look at the perfect color match except for the red "v" on it's abdomen. I'm feeling sorry for the bee though.

Artic Frost

2010-05-20T18:54:00.000-06:00

This is a violet grown by Terri. Note the giant flowers! The hand in the shot is for comparison purposes and those blooms are over three inches across.

Nice plant!!!

TASTY and Fun Too!

2010-05-17T08:02:00.001-06:00

WEDNESDAY MAY 19th, 2010 Starting at 5:30 PM

Supper and meeting at the OLD COUNTRY BUFFET in FRIDLEY, MN.

This will be the leaf exchange and general good time get together. A nice meeting to come to if you are thinking of joining or want to check out the club. Everyone is welcome to bring a leaf or two to exchange and we're going to start a club experiment to see who can take a leaf from May, 19th and be the first to get it to bloom. We'll discuss starting techniques and culture at a meeting next fall/winter. Ten dollar prize for the winner!!!!

Email nasvctc@gmail.com for info, questions, directions, miscellaneous comments, etc.

How to Plant African Violet Seeds

2010-05-08T10:44:00.000-06:00

Here's a "how to do it" for planting African Violet seeds. This is a seed pod from a "chimera" violet called Emerald City. It's got a green and white "chimera" or pinwheel pattern. Here's a visual set of photos about how to get the seed planted.

Take a clear container from the deli and put in pre-moistened soil mix. Make super sure the mix is only moist, not soggy, drippy, sloppy or soaking.

Gently pat the soil mix in place, but do not pack it down. A smoother surface makes finding the baby plants a little easier.

Some people say that powered sphagnum moss will inhibit some fungal problems. It can't hurt and might help, so... rub some long fiber moss between your hands and make a powder out of it.

Sprinkle the sphagnum moss lightly over the surface of the soil mix.

This is a seed pod from 'Emerald City' African violet.

Note how small the seeds are when spilled from the open seed pod.

This is an ordinary pencil and it is magnified SO much that you can see the wood fibers of the pencil clearly and yet the seed is still so tiny. Gesneriad seed is very, very small.

Using a sheet of white paper (so you can see the seed as it falls) place seed onto the SURFACE of the moistened soil-dusted-with-sphagnum mix in the container. The seed needs light to germinate, so do not cover it or bury it.

Cover the deli box with it's lid. Label and date the box with a Sharpie marker. Put a couple of small air holes into the container. Small holes will allow air to be exchanged, but it won't allow the soil to dry out too fast.

The last photo is a shot of the seed as it looks sitting in it's pod. Think of how peas lay inside their pea-pod. These are just a ga-billion times littler.

Comment on this article please.

Violet Extraordinaire

2010-04-28T08:07:00.000-06:00

How about this violet??? Violet enthusiast, Leah, took a regular "store" violet and turned it into a show plant! Excellent flat leaves and symmetry, really lovely blooms!

Nicely done! Can't wait to see this (and more of it's friends) in the October show!

Before and After...

2010-04-22T08:57:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I had to include the "after photo" from the previous situation.

I thought they made a lovely display. : )

Whoops

2010-04-14T20:35:00.000-06:00

Whoops..... well, this is what happens when you leave the straw ON the winter hardy banana like they tell you to. "Don't uncover the banana till the last chance of frost is over."... "Don't freeze the crown of the banana in the spring."... blah, blah, blah.....

I guess the tulips thought they were planted extra deep. The are not planted in the straw.

Well, you may as well comment.

A "Crown" fit for a King.

2010-04-13T15:33:00.004-06:00

How about these two lovely violets??? The bright coral pink of Kate's Rendezvous is highlighted by the pink variegation in the center of the plant. The purple fantasy, called Festival on Ice, also shows the dark outer leaves and the nicely contrasting inner leaves. This type of plant patterning, generously allowed to be photographed from Sharon's collection, is called "crown variegation".

According to the fine folks at Optimara, the crown variegation is defined as:
Crown Variegation: Characteristic of African Violets which develop variegated leaves on the crown. While all variegated cultivars will normally have crown variegation, the term most often applies to those African Violets which have crown variegation only, while the rest of the leaves remain completely green.

Variegated plants usually show the coloration better when grown in a cooler than average environment. Do you find this to be true? What about variegation do you like? Leave a comment.

Not Really a Plant but Where Interesting Plants Are...

2010-04-07T20:31:00.001-06:00

Ok, so there isn't any chlorophyll involved with these two photos generally speaking, but while I was out looking for chlorophyll containing things to photograph FOR the blog this fine fellow was sitting about 10 feet away from us at the park. Note it's daytime and actually a little before supper time....

Quiz time, .... do you know what sort of owl this is? Make a comment. It's easy and the link is directly after this post. Just click on the word "comment". Photos enlarge by clicking on them also.

What's in Bloom Today

2010-04-04T08:03:00.001-06:00

I thought it was a nice coincidence that the hibiscus that's been suffering from light deprivation for the last 7 months (since being brought in in late September) had five open double orange blooms on Easter morning!

Hopefully when it goes outside for the summer it won't sunburn too much. They have to have some time to adjust to the brighter outdoor light, or just like your skin, the leaves will burn - sometimes to the point of being so damaged that they will fall off. The plant has to send out new leaves then which takes energy from producing flowers.

A Closer Look

2010-03-31T20:48:00.001-06:00

Have a little look at the picture.... Something seems out of proportion, a bit giant sized....

We've talked about dish gardens.... this one is just a little more complicated and it comes with it's own wildlife too.

2010-03-30T07:38:00.000-06:00

One more shot of something really lovely from the Har Mar Spring Show. This is the tricolor winning plant grown by KL. It's 'Von Mariner'.

A Little Spring!

2010-03-23T09:49:00.003-06:00

Here we have just a sample of the loveliness that was displayed at the AVSM spring show at Har Mar Mall. It's hard to capture the full effect of a show with over 325 entries with only these few shots. But, it was certainly fun to see so many really outstanding plants all in one place!

The violets displayed were:

Sacajawea

Smooch Me

Emergency

Painted Desert

Ness' Spring Blush

Little Ebony

Ahhh, The Sweet Smell of Spring!

2010-03-16T10:22:00.004-06:00

This is the our harbinger of spring! When the voodoos are out you can soon find robins and spring peepers. (I made that up)

This is the handsome maroon of the bloom.

Here we have a look into it's secret nougat center. I'm still wondering if the whole thing is heating itself up like the Titan Arums do when they start to have their fragrance.

The Milwaukee Public Museum says this about the Titan Arum (which is a close cousin, I'm thinking that my voodoo is doing about the same things for the same reasons.) The Milwaukee Public Museum: "Flower odor is strongest the first night after opening. Sulfur compounds, similar to those responsible for the smell of rotten eggs, give the flower its putrid odor. The smell (similar to rotting fish according to some) comes in waves and attracts carrion beetles and sweat bees in its native habitat. Since flowers are few and far between in the wild, the plant needs to disperse its odor to attract pollinators. It is able to do this by generating heat, up to about 10 °F above the surrounding air, which volatilizes the chemicals. The spathe closes after this first period trapping the pollinators within. When it opens the next day, the male flowers are shedding their pollen and the insects must crawl over the flowers picking up pollen on their way out. If fertilization occurs, numerous fruit the size of olives will develop over the next 6 months, turning bright red when ripe."

This is how it's gotta be for the next couple of days around here. Whew.....

Click on the photos to make them larger.

Show Show Show

2010-03-15T07:57:00.002-06:00

The African Violet Society of Minnesota is proud to present "Minnesota Spring"

AVSA Spring Show and Sale March 19-20, 2010. Har Mar Mall @ Co. Road B and Snelling.
Fri. Mar. 19th 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sat. Mar. 20th, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Join the fun and visit the spring show and sale this week! Lots of plants, lots of color.... lots of "spring" just when we need it!

Dish-eveled Dish

2010-03-11T09:16:00.002-06:00

So, this is a four year old dish garden from the national AV convention in 2006. It's almost all original materials except for the tallest element in the back of the garden. It's so tall that it makes the dish out of balance.

It seems like a good time to see what's going on with the plantings and refresh it for spring!

Ahhhh, when I pull the back edge out of the pot it has a massive amount of roots and everything is quite tightly packed together. I want to take the Aralia out of the pot because it's grown too tall and doesn't have enough lower branches to fit into the "landscape" without looking lanky and out of place.

See the larger white roots by my thumb? I have to extract the tall Aralia's roots from the rest of the soil ball. Note the whole thing came out of the pot like it was a sponge not loose soil. Maybe a tad overgrown? I have to insert a "Lemon Cyprus" in a very small space. It's hard to get a fresh plant's roots tucked into this mess.

As you can see, the final dish is still quite full but it's cleaned up and good looking again. The "spider" plant came out because it was too large, and the fern got cut back more than it might appear. The new tall element in the back (a Lemon Cyprus) is nice and fluffy (and considering how the roots were disturbed, let's hope it continues to stay nice and fluffy) and a couple of bird-embellishments for some fun and we're set! It could also have a bit of Easter decoration inserted and it could easily be seasonal decoration in any room.

Click on the photos to make them larger.

It's A-LIVE!!!! (sinister laugh in background)

2010-03-10T09:22:00.000-06:00

The voodoo is growing many inches a day! This thing is so much fun I should have more of them potted up.

The bloom portion is starting to reveal itself.

Voodoo is BACK!

2010-03-07T09:06:00.003-06:00

Ahhhh, think spring again! What could be more charming and full of the seasonal spirit than a voodoo lily? The bloom is bigger than any you can get at the florist and the fragrance is.... well, quite indescribable! (And that is putting it "mildly".)

We're just a wee stem here....

Now we are growing up towards the top of the table.

And here we are starting to see the first signs of the flower opening up a little.

These two corms broke dormancy in the dark in the basement, but most of the rest are still dormant when they go out into the vegetable garden in May. These two just decided to be fancy and start early!

This is the same corm that grew a bloom stem over six feet in height last year. I do not know why the bloom is going to be smaller in size this year. Comment on how much you would like one of your very own voodoo lilies!

It's a Keeper

2010-03-03T09:30:00.001-06:00

This is Neil's 'Wham Bam'! Not bad, eh?

SJ is growing this rather stunning hybrid. I couldn't help but notice the unusual color combination with this flower. It seems like a good strong grower also. The hybridizer that uses the "Neil's" name can also be found selling other lovely hybrids on ebay periodically. I've always been happy with the plants I've gotten from that source.

Anyone else a fan of the fantasy flowers??? Click on the photo to enlarge it.

This and That

2010-03-02T09:16:00.000-06:00

†

I was so excited to get the Cymbidium to bloom with my "living room" conditions and temperatures that a few posts ago I showed the buds forming along with the little drops of liquid (guttation). Well, here are the blooms now opening. I think it's a grand success considering some of my other attempts at orchids are..... uh.... shall we say...... not as grand!

Sinningia Seed Surprise

2010-02-21T17:14:00.003-06:00

It may sound like a new "hot dish" (as opposed to casserole, for us Minnesotans) but it is what happens when you go to clean your plant shelves. You find that your inattentiveness has made the Sinningia flowers you hand-pollinated form seed, ripen and then spill out from the pod and land on the Sinningia's leaf. All this without the benefit of even an email to let you know it's happening. Surprise!

The photos show the pods, the fact that the pods sprung open and let the seed fall, the leaf that the seed dropped onto and the actual seed itself.
I wish I had the proper equipment to take the photos correctly with the use of the microscope. As it is, this is an attempt at a little more magnification. Gesneriad seeds are supposed to be tiny; smaller than a fleck of pepper. I've always been trying to see just what the seeds look like though. What color are they, what shape are they.... Well, in this case, this Sinningia's seed is orange and long and sort of shaped like a narrowed Christmas bulb. I'm going to see if some of them will germinate after taking them to the Twin Cities Gesneriad Society's meeting next Tuesday. Guests are always welcome to come to a gesneriad club meeting and join in.

How Cool Is That?

2010-02-17T10:13:00.002-06:00

This violet decided to try something new and novel. If you look closely at the photos, the leaf produced the "baby" plants NOT from the end of the petiole (stem) but from right in the middle of the leaf. In one photo you can see the small roots from the babies starting out up on the "mother" leaf, not down at the bottom part of the stem that would be buried in the soil. (You can click on the photos to enlarge the view.)

This was sent in for us by Patty. We'll ask her to send in another photo as these new plants progress through their growth. I'm very interested to see what the babies will look like when they are ready to be separated and put in their own individual pots. I'm also curious to know if, like other "mother" leaves, will it continue to grow on even after the "babies" are separated from it.

Please comment on whether you have ever seen this happen when starting leaves before. The violet is called Persian Lace.

The Strep Results!

2010-02-15T13:14:00.001-06:00

Last year at the February meeting, strep seeds of some self-pollinated pods were passed out. It was a club experiment to see if we could grow streps from seed and to see if there was anything interesting with the offspring... if they all would look like their parents or if with the hybrids there would be quite a bit of variation in the offspring. Sandy kindly sent a couple of photos of a few of the babies. You can see that there are not only some really, really pretty flowers from this planting, there are really quite striking differences in the various blooms.

I am especially fond of the light color one with the yellow middles. The yellow color is being bred for in streps like it was for in the African violets about 10 years ago. There are now a couple of (mostly) all yellow strep flowers like Alisa on the market.

Thanks Sandy for the photos!!

Just an update.

2010-02-15T08:22:00.001-06:00

Thought it would be nice to show the terrarium after it started to fill out a little more. The violets in here are a bit of a nice surprise. "Why?" You ask. Well, let me tell you.... Violets in terrariums are a bit hard to grow long term because they stay much too wet usually. Or at least for me they do. I think I found a small trick that seems to be working to keep the African violets watered but not too wet.

I have been using an all long-fiber sphagnum moss in the bottom of the terrarium as the "dirt" part. In other words I didn't put in soil this time, just the moss. It holds many times its weight in water and looks nice from the outside too. Then I wicked the little violets before putting them in the terrarium. That's putting in a small string into the soil and letting the end of the string hang out of the end of the pot. IF the violets start out moist, the wick will "wick" (or pull up) water to the soil in the violet pot when it starts to be less moist than the surroundings.

Since the violets stay in their pots and are "buried" in the sphagnum with the pot still there (which is against the rules for an AVSA show, but not against the rules in my living room,) they self-water AND because they are planted in a very, very light violet soil, they stay moist but not soaking wet.

So, I accidentally stumbled on a nice way to show off the little violets that doesn't result in their death in two weeks. Yay.

2010-02-08T07:19:00.001-06:00

The Roulette Azure Streptocarpus has a rather interesting pistal. All the rest of the middle of the flower is white. The stamens are white, the throat of the flower is white, but the end of the pistal is a lovely shade of purple. I would suppose that a pollinator would find the flower more enticing this way. The blooms have a rather interesting color pattern also.

Guttation

2010-02-01T11:09:00.001-06:00

Here is MY Cymbidium orchid with the drops of liquid on the bloom stem. This is called guttation. I'll copy and paste the Wikipedia definition and a couple of their photos to explain what this phenomena is all about.

I am actually very excited about the orchid because it's the first time I've gotten it to rebloom. This type likes a cooler growing area and a distinct drop in the temp at night. So, I'm actually very pleased and surprised that it's going to bloom for me!

Guttation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Guttation on Equisetum

Guttation on a strawberry leaf

Guttation is the appearance of drops of xylem sap on the tips or edges of leaves of some vascular plants, such as grasses. Guttation is not to be confused with dew, which condenses from the atmosphere onto the plant surface.Process

At night, transpiration usually does not occur because most plants have their stomata closed. When there is a high soil moisture level, water will enter plant roots, because the water potential of the roots is lower than in the soil solution. The water will accumulate in the plant, creating a slight root pressure. The root pressure forces some water to exude through special leaf tip or edge structures, hydathodes, forming drops. Root pressure provides the impetus for this flow, rather than transpirational pull.

What's In My Toolbox?

2010-01-28T11:29:00.003-06:00

Funny you should ask, or maybe it is not funny. Having grown violets for many years I now have quite a few things that seem to work well for me. When I first started growing and showing violets I used a #2 pencil and frankly that does work nicely removing blossoms that are just starting to form.

Then I discovered the sucker plucker. It can be purchased through many of the AVSA commercial businesses. As you can see it has a scooped pointed end and a sharp end. I use the scooped end to remove suckers and blossoms and the sharp end to dig out suckers, cut leaves, trimming and a variety of things that need to be removed. The sharp end can easily cut a hole in a leaf so I am very careful using it.

My grooming tools took quite awhile to find them. They are brushes I found in stores and make-up cabinet. Q-tips are really great grooming minis and semiminis because they will remove dust but not leave any residue. I always take the brushes and small scissors to groom the plants before the show begins.

At the far right of the picture is a knife that Jung Seed Company sent me. It has a nice thing blade and not too big. I also found one at a Coast to Coast store. I use it to trim the roots off a plant. Scrapbooking companies sell serrated scissors that I use to trim strep leaves. It leaves a leaf with a similar design that is natural looking.

And last, but not least, are electrical tape and a permanent maker that I use to label plants. The tape does NOT leave any residue on the pot. I always use permanent markers because any other pens will fade with time being exposed to water. Thanks Sharon J. for the scoop!

"I'm a doctor, not a horticulturist, Jim!"

2010-01-27T09:48:00.002-06:00

For all those Star Trek fans out there.... What? Am I the only one who watched? This is a question of diagnosis. Just what is going on in this photo?

There are a few things to notice in the picture. First, what are the enlarged green objects in the middle of the flower?

These are pollinated blossoms that are making seeds for this plant. The green pod starts swelling and getting large. These will get just a bit larger and turn a nice shade of tan. The bloom stem won't wither and die back like it usually would after the flowers fade. It will continue to remain upright and not shriveled even though all that's left is a stem with little brown pods.

A violet keeps it's seed head ON the plant and continues ripening for as much as 6 months till the seed is mature and viable. Sometimes it's hard to not accidentally groom off the seed pods, or knock into them when watering or caring for the plant. But, if you want to try to plant the seed it has to be ripened on the mother plant.

Another thing you'll notice about the photo is the damage to the petals of the flower. What's all this about?? It's thrip damage and perhaps a bit of a watering issue with the plant. Thrips are hard to see on light colored blossoms when they are moving about but the damage that they do shows up more readily on the light blossoms. Disbudding and continuing to keep the plant flower-free for a period of months will take care of the problem, as well as the use of some pesticides.

The flowers on this plant were likely pollinated by the insects. Usually a violet doesn't self pollinate. One more interesting thing about this particular plant is that it's a chimera. Will chimera seeds produce baby chimeras???? WHAT DO YOU THINK??? Leave a comment please.

A Big Violet Flower!

2010-01-24T07:40:00.002-06:00

This is Arctic Frost growing in it's "baby" pot.... the flowers are in some cases fully three inches across.... I can't wait to see if most of the flowers cover the top in a big white puff of flower fabulousness.

Also.... if this plant were hybridized or crossed back with itself, would the flowers still be as large? My guess is that it would produce the majority of young with normal size flowers.... comment on this!

What is Wrong With My Strep?

2010-01-22T09:15:00.001-06:00

I got a small Neil's "Canada" last summer. It was planted in a very light mostly perlite mix. I repotted it immediately scraping off some of the perlite. I use a 3 parts milled sphagnum peat moss, 2 parts vermiculite, and 2 parts perlite for my streps.

The plant seemed happy at first and then the burned leaves appeared. More leaves formed and the burning continued on the old and new leaves. I finally sent Dale Martens a picture and asked her what she thought the problem could be. She said "It looks like necrotic tissue from drying out once too often. But if that were not the case, if it were mine, I'd get rid of it. Sometimes due to the genetics of a strep, it doesn't cooperate in whatever conditions are ok for the other streps that grow near it."

I really like the plant and would hate to throw it out so I wicked it and now new leaves are forming and only one tip of a leaf has any burned tip. Apparently, that particular plant doesn't like to dry out.

Article and photo done by Sharon J. Thanks and please comment on the post!

Refresh that Terrarium! HOW TO DO IT.

2010-01-18T11:06:00.001-06:00

Winter getting a little boring? How about getting some of the violets that are blooming on display? A terrarium is a nice way to give the plants a little more humidity in the middle of the heating season when house moisture is usually very low.

Take a glass enclosure (which are very popular currently and can be found at places like Pottery Barn etc.) and line the edges with some long fiber sphagnum moss. The main interior space may be filled with a light weight soil mix or more sphagnum moss.

Make sure the potting medium in the container is nicely moist. It is very easy to over-water a terrarium, so use some good judgment on this. No standing water in the bottom of the bowl, no musty odor coming from the soil mix.....

Get some miniature or semi-miniature violets and put in a yarn/string wick. We are leaving the violets in the pots and not "planting" them directly in the bowl's medium. This way we can remove them quickly to freshen them and get them groomed and looking lovely.

Continue planting the potted violets and any other plants that fit nicely into your "landscape plan". The planting should look like a small scene from nature, not just a bunch of plants stuck hastily into a bowl.

Finish off with some accessories. Remember to think "in scale" when choosing accessories, rocks, pieces of wood and decorations. Don't go for huge when small will do nicely.

What's Bloomin' in the plant room now...

2009-12-11T17:03:00.000-06:00

Lookie what is blooming in the plant room today. A Kohleria is putting on a little show to brighten up the rather dreary winter days we're having.

Click on the photo to make it larger.

2009-11-30T07:20:00.002-06:00

Soil mixes 101

I have been making my own soil mixes when I found that almost all ready made mixes contain dolomite lime. This makes the soil more alkaline but my water has a high ph so adding more could make plants struggling to grow. It is always a good idea to check with your local water source and see what the ph is in your area's water before adding any lime.

I use a basic mix of 3 parts sphagnum peat moss, 2 parts vermiculite, and one part perlite. The brand of Sunshine Peat Moss is getting harder to find because there are newer suppliers and the quality is not as good as the Sunshine brand. It is not as fine and has twigs in it. I have found the Sunshine brand at a few garden centers and many times in a hardware store.

I like the coarse vermiculite. Again it is difficult to find. Most stores carry the horticulture vermiculite and it is very fine. I found it held more water and kept the soil too soggy. You should try and see what works for you.

Perlite does not seem to have many grades of sizes so it is easy to find. Once I get all the ingredients I put them in an ice cream bucket and water them well so the peat and vermiculite soak up the water. It takes about a day for it to get saturated.

The most important thing after I get it all soaked up is to mix it well getting every bit of the peat mixed in. The peat can end up in the bottom of the container with the perlite floating on top. This is the most important step to do. If you don't mix it thoroughly you will have a very loose mix on top, and a soggy mix on the bottom of the bucket.

I have never bothered to figure out the cost of making my own mixes, but I do know that what is in my mix. Each grower is different, as we have different living areas and different size plants we like to grow but this is a basic start of making your own mix. If you find you think the mix is not working well, then try different size vermiculite. Try not to add too many variables at one time because you may not know what worked well or not well.

The November/December 2009 issue of the AVSA African violet magazine has an article "Everyone's mix is different". It is a list from well-known growers and as you will see they are all different, yet the same using peat moss, vermiculite and perlite.

Blushing Flamingo

2009-11-25T17:16:00.002-06:00

Lookie what we got with some of our hybridizing? A mottled flower with a great pink throat. Let's see if it will continue to bloom with the patterning on it's flower petals!

That's what some of the offspring looked like. We got one interesting cross that gave us flower color that ranged from purple, through light purple, bluish, pinkish, darker pink and mauve. The throat color wasn't all that interesting but the variation was really quite amazing. PS: See the side bar entitled Beautiful Blossoms. These are just three of the colors we got.

Streptocarpus: Sex

2009-02-22T10:47:00.010-06:00

This is a pictorial commentary on how to pollinate a Streptocarpus flower. I purposely took most of the color out of the photos to highlight some of the specific details of the photo. Please CLICK ON THE PHOTO to enlarge it and get a better look at what we're talking about.

The first photo shows a strep flower cut open. The male parts of the flower, the anthers (or pollen sacs) and the filaments are shown. They are attached directly to the lower lobes of the strep flower petals or corolla. They grow right out of the pretty colored petals.

The second photo shows a tweezers holding the joined pollen sacs of the same strep flower. The pollen sacs are whole and unbroken in the photo. The pollen is inside and it would look like dust to the person looking at it if they weren't using a magnifier or microscope.

The third photo is of the female parts of the strep flower. The roundish end part is the stigma which the pollen sticks to and where the process of fertilization begins. The stigma is part of the female portion of the flower called the pistil. The stigma is sort of fuzzy and sticky and that helps keep the pollen in contact with it.

The fourth photo shows the tweezers that are holding the pollen sacs coming into contact with the stigma. The pollen sacs need to be "ripe" or mature and broken open so the dusty pollen grains inside can come into direct contact with the female parts. When the pollen grain comes into contact, a whole process of chemical changes take place. A small tube (a pollen tube) is grown down the length of the pistil all the way to the ovary (at the base of the flower where the flower petals join the green calyx and the pedicil or stem of the blossom). The male genetic material then joins the female genetic material in the flower and the flower is "fertilized". Seeds can now form. If the male DNA isn't allowed to contact the female flower in a reasonable amount of time the flower fades and dies and no seeds or fruits are formed.

As an example of this, you will probably recall that some years there is an abundant crop of apples and some years the crop is very sparse. One of the possible reasons for this happening is that the weather is so cold some springs that the insects that normally pollinate the apple tree are not flying about because of the cold temperature. The apple trees bloom because they are genetically programed to do so, but there are very few pollinators to carry the pollen to the stigmas of waiting flowers.... the flowers fade and drop off and only a tiny fraction of the possible flowers have been pollinated. There will be very few apples forming on the tree that season.

The last photo is is of a newly forming seed pod (or developing ovary). You will notice the twisting nature of the pod (that's the reason why they are called streptocarpus - strep meaning twisted). The flower right next to it has had the petals removed to show the contrast between a non fertilized flower and the newly maturing fertilized one.

Like the apple example discussed above, the strep seed pod is comparable to the apple forming on the tree with the seeds inside it. When it's ripe, the apple seeds will be ready to come out of the apple and grow new apple trees and when the strep seed pod is ripe, the seeds in the cutely twisted pod will be ready to come out and form new streptocarpus plants.

All of the seeds will have unique genetics, just like each child born is unique (unless you consider identical twins which came from one egg that doubled itself). So, all the strep babies that you grow out have the potential to be interesting and unique. Many will look like the parents, but some will not.

Streptocarpus Seeds: How to Plant Seeds

2009-02-03T10:23:00.014-06:00

Here is one way to start some seedlings of your own. Take a deli-type tray with an attached cover. Clean it up and then put down a layer of a porous starter mix.

Sprinkle some powdered sphagnum moss on the surface. This does a couple of things. One is that the sphagnum will hold a little bit of moisture around the VERY tiny seedlings. The second thing is that the sphagnum is supposed to prevent fungal problems and "damping-off" of the seedlings. At any rate, it can't hurt.

Dampen the surface of the mix slightly. The mix in the container is DAMP, but not wet, leaky, dripping, standing in water or otherwise soaked.

Put dividers in the container if you intend to try more than one variety of seed.

Since the cover is attached to the box, you won't accidently mix up the orientation of the cover. What you write on it will reflect what sort of seed is directly underneath.

Take some white smooth paper like the sort that comes in the computer tray. Cut it generously and leave some room so that you can handle it without trouble. Fold it so that the seed will fall into the crease and line up so that you can gently tap them off where you wish to put them on the soil's surface.

This is what a small seed pod looks like. Gently twist to get the TINY seeds to fall onto the paper. Gesneriads produce copious amounts of minute seeds. Don't use too many, you don't want to grow out hundreds of the same variety of seed. Besides if something happens to this batch, you will have another chance to use more of the seed in the pod to try another time.

CLICK ON THE PHOTO to see the size of the tiny seed on this paper. The pointer is showing you the small black spots on the white paper. These are SEEDS not dirt.

After each different seed you put on the soil, write the information on the attached cover. The type, date, notes you might want to remember.....

This is what a tray with six types of seed looks like. It's very inexpensive to do (free containers), easy and it doesn't take more than about 15 minutes to get the job done. Put the box under your plant lights or in a bright spot and check every couple of days. You will see green in probably a week to 10 days. Then we'll talk about what to do with the newest baby gesneriads.

Poll Results

2009-02-03T10:19:00.002-06:00

The last poll asked what other plants you like to grow along with your gesneriads. Perhaps you like the fact that they need similar conditions, or you find that they just compliment what you already like. The answers were interesting..... people liked things that vine or trail along with bonsai type plants. Also mentioned were tropical plants with fragrance.

Now that we're talking about propagation of gesneriads from seed and hybridizing, take a moment to answer the next poll question.... What about seeds?????

Streptocarpus Seedlings: How They Do It

2009-01-30T11:00:00.018-06:00

This is how it's done! You take your clear seed starting container and your plant-room helper and you get down to work.

Take some time to get the proper gear together such as your tools, potting mix, markers and pots and watering container. Make sure everything is clean.

Label the containers - in this case 3 oz Dixie Cups - with a permanent marker. State the variety and the plant's name, the date and what ever information you want to remember. In two weeks you won't have a clue what plant was what, so ALWAYS label everything.

Make holes in the pots. An easy way to do that is to take an awl and push it through two or three cups at the same time. Make holes in the sides also for best drainage and aeration.

Now if the seed-started plants are fairly mature as these in the picture are, lift up the plants carefully and take them out of their starter container.

Select one baby plant and carefully separate it from the bunch.

Put it in a separate labeled pot.

Gently put some extra soil around the roots and settle the soil down carefully.

Now you will note that your plant-room helper has some commentary on your job but the babies in the pots are ready to be put under some grow lights. See that the newly moved young plants are moist but not drowning and place them in a clean tray under the grow lights. Watch the plants carefully and don't let them dry and wilt. Now you have 48 new streps from seed, all with the potential to be "that one new, exciting, sensational new hybrid introduction" that now bears your name! Happy Growing.

ORCHIDS!!!

2009-01-24T22:20:00.013-06:00

Here are some of the sights and colors from the Como Conservatory field trip today. The club had 13 folks come to enjoy the trip to St. Paul. Please click on the photos to make the large!

Como Conservatory

2009-01-23T17:33:00.002-06:00

Did you know that the next event will be Jan. 24th, 2009????? The North Stars are getting together and inviting violet and gesneriad fans to join them at the Como Conservatory in St. Paul tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 pm at the information desk right outside the snack shop/gift area.

The Winter Carnival ORCHID show is also going on at this time so there are many good things to see. There is a $5.00 fee for the orchid show but entrance to the conservatory is on a donation basis. Come for the warm air and blooming flowers, and come for some fun talking plants with the rest of the plant people..... see you there.

Planting Strep Seeds

2009-01-12T10:13:00.010-06:00

My first experience planting strep seeds was interesting. Dale Martens was kind to give me all sorts of information and most of it I followed. I was shocked that they germinated in one week. I wiggled the roots per her advice and finally transplanted them three months later into dixie cups using 3 plants in each cup. It took about four months or more for them to bloom. Obviously I was doing something wrong. She said I should have potted up the babies immediately after they germinated. This is a picture of the plants now.

When the second set of seeds germinated, I transplanted them again into dixie cups, three to a cup. Every two weeks I wiggled the roots. They are now getting ready to bloom after only 5 months. That is quite a difference, although Dale is able to get them to bloom in 4 months.
The second sets of plants are much smaller than the first set, although it doesn't matter since all I am looking for is to see the blossom. I think next time I will transplant them into something shorter than a dixie cup and see if that will speed up the blooming process.
I did not plant all the new babies and as you can see, they look leggy and none have bloomed. I did wiggle the roots for awhile but now not very often. Obviously transplanting is the secret to growth and blooms. Click on photos to enlarge the view. Article by Blogger S.J. Please comment on your experiences with starting streps!!!!

Poll results

2009-01-11T21:18:00.002-06:00

Here's a short poll update. The last poll asked what January problems were in the plant room. Most answers went for it being too dry. Mildew, keeping the growing area warm and grooming came up also. No one was mentioning insect problems, the low light or the option of having absolutely nothing wrong. I think that January is a challenging month right after the busy and sometimes too hectic holidays. Personally, everything in the plant room might like a good going over. Repotting, grooming, watering perhaps???? What about your plants??? COMMENT.

Other Gesneriads

2009-01-05T17:32:00.007-06:00

Ok, these are pretty cool looking. This is a Seemania purpurascens.
The photos are from someone (who takes a lovely photo) on the gesneriad list. The question is..... there is a small debate.... if this is actually the flower of the S. purpurascens. There are reports that it could have a someone different look to it, and perhaps be more pinkish. Have you grown this? Do you have a photo of it???? Have you seen any good photos of this on the web?

Let us know..... comment on the post or write to nsavctc@gmail.com ... that will do it!

CLEANER Air for the Home!

2009-01-01T09:20:00.006-06:00

TOP 16 plants most effective in removing:
Formaldehyde, Benzene, TCE and Carbon Monoxide from the air.

Bamboo palm Chamaedorea seifritzii
Chinese evergreen Aglaonema modestum
English ivy Hedera helix
Gerbera daisy Gerbera jamesonii
Janet Craig Dracaena “Janet Craig”
Dracaena marginata Dracaena marginata
Corn plant Dracaena massangeana
Snake plant Sansevieria trifasciata
Pot mum Chrysanthemum
Peace lily Spathiphyllum “Mauna Loa”
Warneckii Dracaena “Warneckii”
Boston fern Nephrolepis exaltata
Spider plant Chlorophytum comosum
Golden pothos Epipiremnum aureum
Heart leaf philodendron Philodendron scandens
Weeping fig Ficus benjamina

Did you know that indoor air always has pollutants? Plant people are lucky because plants really help take out some of the bad things that are all around us in such a variety of products and situations. For instance.....

A NASA study found that plants help remove many toxic elements from the indoor environment.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a commercial product found in a wide variety of industrial uses. Over 90 percent of the TCE produced is used in the metal degreasing and dry cleaning industries. In addition, it is used in printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes, and adhesives.

Benzene is a very commonly used solvent and is also present in many common items including gasoline, inks, oils, paints, plastics, and rubber. In addition it is used in the manufacture of detergents, explosives, pharmaceuticals, and dyes.

Formaldehyde is a ubiquitous chemical found in virtually all-indoor environments. The major sources that have been reported and publicized include urea-formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) and particleboard or pressed wood products used in manufacturing of the office furniture bought today. It is used in consumer paper products that have been treated with UF resins, including grocery bags, waxed papers, facial tissues and paper towels. Many common household cleaning agents contain formaldehyde. UF resins are used as stiffeners, wrinkle resisters, water repellents, fire retardants and adhesive binders in floor coverings, carpet backings and permanent-press clothes. Other sources of formaldehyde include heating and cooking fuels like natural gas, kerosene, and cigarette smoke.

See??? Here we have more reasons to add to the collection and grow a couple more plant varieties! Has anyone tried some new Sinningias lately?

Check out Bachman's bachmans.com for more information about this and a whole ton of indoor plant care information... they have an online sign-up that sends coupons out periodically too..... and who doesn't need a few bucks off sometimes? You can sign up for the e-club by looking at the lower left hand home page of Bachmans.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T09:11:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year to all.

The poll's are in.... out of the people responding to the last poll a majority of folks liked the cool white fluorescent bulbs better than warm white, specialty or other. The only other opinion expressed was the vote for Grow Lux bulbs.

Last month's AV magazine had a nice article on the differences in bulbs... anyone want a recap for the blog?

An awesome way to display plants

2008-12-21T16:48:00.006-06:00

Here's a wonderful way to display some of the lovely gesneriads that you grow. Try something a little different to really make a statement. Look around at shops and antique stores for interesting plant accessories to really "show off" your collection. Our guest contributor found this treasure at .... well, you'll see....
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My mother used to grow African violets in the window on glass shelves. My brother gave her a wrought iron plant stand. She was extremely happy with it and it stood filled with violets. The year was 1954.

She moved to a smaller home that had shelves right along the window so she put her plants on the shelves and moved the stand to the garage. It has been there for well over 20 years. I had looked at it several times wondering if I should bring it to my home but I wasn't ready to do it. A friend was visiting and spotted it and insisted that I bring it back. She said that if I didn't want it she would pay me a mega amount of money to buy it. (Or possibly run off with it some dark night.)

It was rusted, especially in the holders, and it had lots of dust and I think even mold on the legs. I used wire brushes and then used a rust remover and conditioner and then spray painted it with Rustoleum. It turned out lovely.

I was a little apprehensive putting it in my living room, but I did and filled it with violets, streps, and even a trailer. I enjoy looking at it as it sits proudly in my house. What wonderful memories I have of her violets and the stand.

Guest Hybridizer!!!!!

2008-12-20T10:07:00.012-06:00

This cross was made last winter and seed was sown in late May. The first seedlings started blooming in October. The seed was ready earlier, but I had to wait until my annuals, perennials, and vegetable transplants were outside before I had the time and shelf space. Anyways, it is a cross between Bristol's Party Boy and Inky Frills, two of my favorites. Many of the seedlings are similar to each other, some look almost identical to Inky Frills which seems a little unusual since it was the pollen parent. Several have yellow throats. Not all of the seedlings from this cross have bloomed. So far one seedling is showing fantasy. According to Dale Marten's Hybridizing Notes, fantasy seedlings are very difficult to get. Once the fantasy seedling gets a little bigger, I plan on selfing it to see if the fantasy improves any. I don't think there is anything too unusual about the seedlings so I am not planning on naming any, but I will keep a few of my favorites.

Photo "B-Strep cross BPBxIF Grouping" shows a grouping of some of the seedlings from this cross and all of the blooms in this photo are from different plants.

Shown in photos "D-Strep cross BPBxIF Seedling", Z1 and Z2, is probably my favorite so far. In person it is very brightly colored with a white throat and dark lines.

M. Wheeler

**I would like to welcome and thank M. Wheeler for sharing these photos and crosses with this blog!!!! How exciting to see what different traits and characteristics are passed along to the offspring.

*** NOTE click on the photo to make it full size for a closer view.

Some Results???

2008-12-04T07:08:00.006-06:00

Here is the original plant that had perhaps the best of the flowers. There are six petals which is the interesting part of this strep.

But..... but it produced photo #2. A peloric flower with five very even petals with markings evenly spaced throughout the flower. I pollinated this particular flower.

The first baby that grew out of the cross was five petaled, but marked more like the original plant.

The second baby is also five petaled, but lighter in the throat. It's also a bit more fringed. So, we seem to be getting the five petal trait coming through. Is the six petal original more desirable, because it is the most different look considering most strep flowers? Is the perfectly even markings and five petals from the "peloric" flower the cool part? Although the babies aren't new and different, they are VERY interesting to see what is coming through with the self pollination! Comments???

2008-11-22T16:48:00.003-06:00

This is our second baby!!! Perhaps to be named something like Fluffy Flamingo! Gott'a love the nice ruffles and the color. The petals are a pinkish red with darker veining, the throat is red with darker wine color lines. I should also add that this is a seed from a DIFFERENT pod than the photo just prior to this that is claimed as our first seedling.

This one is the second one that we got from the two pods that were put down in March of 08'. We perhaps could have had blooms faster, but this has been quite the experiment to see what does and what does not work when trying to get streptocarpus seeds to grow.

We would like to try several more crosses in the near future and see for ourselves which of the various traits are the most likely to be dominate. This just gets more and more fun as the babies are starting to produce their first flowers. Would anyone like to see (with photos) how to pollinate a streptocarpus flower?

First Seedling!

2008-11-09T06:33:00.003-06:00

This is the very first baby from the self-crossing of the peloric strep flower.

The flower is quite large (although it is the very first time the plant bloomed) and it's quite symetric, but it's not the same as the parent flower. The "mother" flower had all petals the same with the pink striping coming out from the center equally on all petals. This included the upper petals which on this flower don't have the colored striping.

It's a thrill to see the first of any experiment though. I can't wait to show you more.

Back Again

2008-09-22T09:45:00.003-06:00

Isn't this a good looking gesneriad. It's a Drymonia pendulina which was on display at the Shelby Gardens in Tampa. The photo is from the gesneriphile list which you can suscribe to. What a wonderful plant to have in a hanging basket.

Time for the summer doldrums to be over and everyone to get excited about their indoor light/window gardening again.

The blog is back and this season we'll try to have more tips on growing and keeping the plants that you have looking good. Plus, more photos of interesting gesneriads for you to check out, perhaps order and grow in your own home.

The first of the events for the year will be at Bachman's on Lyndale on Saturday October 25, 2008 during store hours. Come and see our display and plan on having some fun chatting about violets and gesneriads.

Sail On

2008-08-01T10:48:00.006-06:00

The Niagara and the Pride of Baltimore! Both of these tall ships are right out of the days long past. With real working cannons and just the right wind, these historical ships made history come back alive as they sailed within 30 feet of the expectant crowds in Duluth.

Awesome!

The streps that are outside are actually not suffering too much in the days of 90+ degree heat. Perhaps that there has been enough of a breeze to keep the air flowing. The Sinningia 'Apricot Bouquet' might get big enough to see without a magnifying glass by the time it has to go back inside for the summer, and to my absolute horror..... I found out that chipmunks actually are very fond of digging up and EATING florist's Gloxinias. My double-flowering tuber is no more, along with about 4 others. Sigh.

Summer Streps

2008-07-21T21:41:00.004-06:00

This is where the streptocarpus plants are living outside for the summer. Most are putting out a few blooms although I am not so sure that there is really enough bright light to get them to bloom well.

Direct sun seems to burn mine, but this works to get them growing and filling out. There aren't many insect problems this way either. I will however, spray them with the Imidacloprid before they come inside for the winter.

July in the Garden

2008-07-21T21:32:00.004-06:00

Stuff has really grown. The tomatoes are showing just a little pink. The kale you see in the front of the bed is more than knee high.

The lettuce is about done for the spring crop, but the zinnias are at their best and the chard is wild. Now if the bunnies would leave the beans alone, things would be great.

The gesneriad are also doing well this summer. The streps are enjoying their time outside under the trees but, the chipmunks dug up all three of the gloxinia bulbs and made them disappear. The two sinningias were also dumped out of their pots and flung to the ground. The interesting thing is that the streps and the orchids are all being left entirely alone.

July First

2008-07-01T12:47:00.006-06:00

Wow, what a change a couple of weeks brings. As you can see, the grass in the background is very dry. We could use some more rain for more favorable conditions, but the gardens are being watered and even on the 90 degree F. days, the vegetables and flowers don't suffer too much wilting.

The streps are all outside under a big, dense maple tree and hoping for cool breezes. With some regular fertilization, they should grow well for the summer out under the shade of the trees.

The flowers in the photos from the community garden are zinnias. Magellan series.

More on the Garden

2008-06-20T18:10:00.004-06:00

Wow... a little sun and the things grow. Who knew????

The streps are outside and the orchids too. One of the semi-dormant larger sinningias is starting to show some growth too. Let's hope we don't get any hail to spoil the pretty, lush growth.

Growth

2008-05-31T20:25:00.003-06:00

Nothing has been growing as fast as it should for a typical year. The cold spring weather and sporadic rains have made planting tricky but finally I'm not the only one to put out their vegetables. The garden will be fun this year if the peas and beans grow up the trellises like they are supposed to. The front flowers are all zinnias! I can only hope that they are a huge success and I get enough for cut flowers.

The streps at my house are now outside on shelves and looking a little bewildered. Hopefully, they will start to actually grow. There have been quite a few garden centers that have featured streptocarpus as hanging baskets and single plants as fillers for containers. Go streps!!!!

The sinningias are also outside, but only recently. They need a few days to get used to the brighter light and perhaps then they can go out in some partial sun. I'm going to put some kohleria out as an experiment too.... something has to make them stay a little shorter and not so leggy.

What are YOU going to plant outside from the ye 'ole gesneriad collection???? Send a photo and we'll compare outdoor growing to indoor culture in a couple of months.

Spring.... finally.

2008-05-22T19:20:00.004-06:00

Finally, a little spring to add to the blog. Not much going on with the gesneriads right now. With the unusually cold spring it was time to focus on getting outside and really trying to get the annual plants in and the perennial gardens cleaned and ready for the season.

I'm thinking of putting some of the sinningias outside this year to see if more light will make them grow well.

I put out 5 kinds of voo doo lilies this year and we'll see how they do. The rabbit ate the top off the bud coming out of the one mellon size corm that I have. I suspect that the plants are poisonous.... and since they only produce ONE leaf.... I suspect mine will be sort of mutated. Oh well..... Happy May.

OOOOOH, It's Finally Time Again....

2008-05-10T07:50:00.009-06:00

Ahh, finally time for the community gardening to begin. This ought to make someone wonder about my sanity, but .... come on, it's more fun this way. Last year I had more comments about why anyone would want to put "flowers" in with their boring rows of vegetables. Well, besides aesthetics, flowers help bring pollinators to the garden. This year after the gardens were tilled, I added 2 cu/ft of peat for its moisture and nutrient holding ability. Then came some 10-10-10 granulated fertilizer. I raked all that in and smoothed it out, after filling the planters. I am envisioning the pole beans on the trellises, the larger greens and chard to the back fence line.... the lettuces by the stepping stones.... I have some cilantro and parsely on the side along with some of that sweet Steveia. I hope to try a little lemonade this year sweetened with Steveia. There will be two heirloom tomatoes in the corners with some onions (I think). The small areas to the side will be for a short row of beans and the front will be filled with flowers. That ought to make everyone "happy".

What to do with that Kitty Litter....

2008-04-21T16:17:00.004-06:00

The Gesneriad list once again gives us something interesting to think about. The topic relates to passive hydroponic growing of your violets and gesneriads by placing them in a truly soil-less mix thats only purpose is to hold the plant's roots in place. This could be an item such as perlite or clay pellets which act to support the plant while it gets all it's nutrients from the enriched water that gets passed over its' root system. The fact that the kitty litter is Diatomaceous Earth is important because DE powder is used to KILL pests and insects mechanically by making cuts and abrasions on the pest as it comes into contact with the "sharp" qualities of the DE. Diatomaceous Earth is mined from "glass-like" sea creatures, diatoms, made of mostly silicon dioxide. Passive hydroponic growing is a very interesting topic and one respondent, BF, commented about it:

I'm using a product I read about on the Bonsai4Me website: http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm I got my big bag of DE gravel at my local NAPA auto parts place, "part" number 8822 for $7.99 plus tax. The grains are up to 1/4" (.5 cm). It looks just like the photo on the website. So far, so good. The only plant I've lost has been an adoptee Wisdom violet that was sick from soil mealies when I rescued it. Its soul mate has put out a new leaf since I treated and potted them into DE. The only red bag of Wal-Mart cat litter I found was the old style clay that melts right away rather than "Special Kitty® Natural" that the article says is actually DE. The Wal-Mart clay litter has the words "Absorbs odors naturally" in small print, so shoppers really need to check the ingredients info.

As you know, it's questionable as to whether DE works to kill critters when it's wet, but I'm hoping to find a side benefit is that thrips larvae, gnats, and any soil mealies are eliminated. And I hope it reduces the frequent repotting peat moss mixes require. As a plant grows and becomes root bound, the roots grasp and hold the gravel in place. The plant can be simply repotted into a larger pot with additional DE or clay granules. There's no waste and no brushing the old soil away from the roots. An additional quality is that the granules are washable and re-useable.

The African Violet Magazine carried an interesting article in the March-April 2006 issue, "Wicks and Rocks" by Irving Tashlick who uses clay pellets, reservoirs, and the wicking system. He comments, "I think the reasons the [passive hydroponics] methods....are successful in growing African violets and other gesneriads are that there is a great similarity to the conditions achieved with 'Texas Style' cultures. There are many air spaces to allow free gas exchange at root tips, the roots have free access to moisture and nutrients and the system depends on capillary action."

A Closer Look

2008-04-13T20:20:00.001-06:00

Isn't this a lovely flower? Sinningia eumorpha....

You Voted!

2008-04-13T06:29:00.003-06:00

More votes are in and the results were quite interesting. Two polls ago the question was raised about what was the biggest challenge to the violet grower in their situation. Of the possible answers, getting rid of BUGS was the most voted for answer followed by challenges with watering properly and having the correct house temperature. Coming in last with the votes were wilting the violets and sunburning them. No one chose fertilizing challenges, keeping them too wet (which surprised me) and "other problem" for answers.

So..... we took that information and asked this question: Which PEST problem was the most difficult to deal with and Cyclamen mites topped the charts with 40% of the votes. Foliar mealy bugs and nematodes got 20% of the votes with thrips and red spider mite getting 10% each.

All in all I think that it's an interesting outcome to the questions. Insect/pest problems are more challenging to folks than other horticultural issues like moisture, temperature and lighting. Now, what do you think that most people will say about what they DO to correct the problems? That will be the next poll question, so please cast your votes!

What's new!

2008-04-09T06:38:00.005-06:00

Dale Martens is once again a very happy hybridizer! She has graciously shared some photos with the blog that show three of her newest violet hybrids. Here are the descriptions: 1) Yuk x HHLace6858s.jpg is a photo of my newest seedling:

Yukako x (Emerald City x Louisiana Lagniappe)

2) The second shows 3 live flowers with Yukako in the middle and its selfings on each side of it. Only one out of 10 seedlings was purple showing that the green center stripe is the dominant color.

3) Yukako x self with a bell/cupped flower. I'm thinking of naming this one 'Heartland's Lime Bubbles'

Thanks again to Dale for sharing!

Edged....

2008-04-07T17:01:00.002-06:00

Now this is a proper edge on a violet. How come they all don't look like this one?

Show Me The Violets!

2008-04-05T07:28:00.018-06:00

Here are a few of the exciting plants and designs that you'll see at the Spring Show sponsored by the AVSM. Still going on today, be sure to stop by Har Mar Mall on the corner of Snelling and CR-C to check out the blooms.

Happy April Fool's Day to YOU!

2008-04-01T08:13:00.003-06:00

The Boys of Summer are simply aghast at what they found this morning in their pool.... Is this a joke???? Is this some sort of twisted April Fool's shenanigan? Or is it really all a spoof featuring a photo taken in January????

YOU be the judge!!!!

PS: You get the most points if you vote for "Twisted April Fool's Shenanigan especially made for Minnesota Seasonal Depressives".

Field Trip

2008-03-31T09:28:00.006-06:00

The Gesneriad Society's chapter here in the Twin Cities took a very interesting field trip to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Biological Control Laboratory on Sunday the 30Th. The facility sounds very interesting for the person wishing to learn more about how to take care of pest problems using a more "green" approach. A guest blogger was there to fill us in on more of the details.

The Twin Cities Chapter of the Gesneriad Society toured the Mn Department of Agriculture's Biological Control Program. Neil Cunningham discussed the various common bug problems and ways to control or get rid of them. He had an interesting talk that included putting petri dishes under a projection microscope with the bugs still crawling around! The microscope was attached to a computer, which in turn was put on a screen for everyone to see. He showed very large pictures of blossom thrips, red spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, fungus gnats and scale. He explained how the use of predacious insects would be useful in controlling pest insects. The predators eat bugs but will only live on the "bad" bugs or their eggs. The predators will not do any damage to the plants. To learn more, go to the Department of Agriculture's website that is at MN Department of Agriculture They order their supplies from the Green Methods company. This site if full of interesting information about "good bugs" and how to use them for control of plant pests whether in the home, garden or for agricultural situations.

He also took us into the greenhouse and gave a demonstration of applying the predators to a plant infested with aphids. It was an exciting afternoon. As we see that we are having more and more impact on the environment around us, it's good to find new and effective ways to deal with pests with less use of toxic substances!

I'm excited to have this for a resource and I thank the Gesneriad Club for giving us the contact information. I personally intend to use more biological control in the flower beds this year because I'm encouraging bees and butterflies to the yard and I don't want to harm them after working hard to attract them. Besides anything you put on your yard comes into contact with your pets, children and ultimately runs off into the water system. I don't want to drink some of that stuff......

Another Surprise

2008-03-30T06:39:00.003-06:00

Here's one for you... This is "Jealous Heart". Most blooms are like the bottom one, clear light pink on the petals with a distinctive patch of magenta in the throat. Why are some of the blooms coming out with the mottling and splotchy coloration on the petals? This has happened on more than one of the blooms recently. Not much has changed about the plants care and culture.

Give us an opinion or guess... nsavctc@gmail.com and we'll share with everyone if we get a few comments.

Party Boy

2008-03-25T21:21:00.002-06:00

A lovely fantasy bloom on a streptocarpus.

The Votes Are In!

2008-03-25T21:02:00.002-06:00

What do most people say about why they grow violets? When asked the question, 42% of our votes came in with folks growing violets because they have "pretty flowers". Twenty eight percent said that "their mother or grandmother grew violets". Fourteen percent grew violets because they "could sell them", they "liked to show them" or they "thought it was relaxing". No one answered that they grew the African violet because other plants such as "begonias died when they tried those". But most people, a whopping 57%, said that they grow violets because "it is a CHALLENGE."

What are the challenges you face when you grow? TELL US. nsavctc@gmail.com

Happy Easter?????

2008-03-19T12:26:00.003-06:00

Frogs really hate snow, and snow a couple of days before Easter just isn't right!

No egg hunt in the yard this year.