Saintpaulia rupicola

Click on the photo to see it larger!


Here are a couple of shots of a species violet called S. rupicola. The second photo shows what I hope is a healthy seed pod forming on the plant. Seed pods usually take about 6 months ON the plant to mature, dry and turn a darker color. Gesneriad seeds, and this includes African violet seeds, are very tiny and look almost like specks of dust when ripe.

Easy Growers!

Here's something to try when you want interesting plants with plenty of flowers. The gesneriad list frequently has members give knowledgeable replies to inquiries, one of which asked which Sinningias were good for growing in average home conditions. I copied the reply so that I can share it in the blog:

Sinningias are a good choice for a beginner with warm conditions. Mini
Sinningia hybrids are good for growing under lights, since they can
thrive and bloom with less intense light. Most will flower when they're young
plants. The micro mini species, such as Sinningia pusilla, S. pusilla
'White Sprite', and S. sp. "Rio das Pedras" should be grown in a terrarium
under lights to maintain the higher humidity levels they need.

Many of the larger species Sinningias will be happy growing on a warm
sunny windowsill or under fluorescent lights. I would recommend S. cardinalis,
S. iarae, S. eumorpha varieties, S. lineata, or S. leucotricha as easy long
lived plants for a beginner. These species may not flower as immature
seedlings, but will produce blooms easily after a couple of growth cycles or
when they have developed a good tuber.

Please consider being a member of the gesneriad society. Membership has many benefits, one of which is access to the seed fund where very wonderful and rare seed can be attained for next to nothing.

Experiments.

Some of the results are in! Club members experimented with a variety of components regarding violet growth and vigor.

The photos show a short and easy experiment resulting in some obvious change from the control plant to the experimental plant. Plant number one was watered with plain tap water for nearly two months with no additional supplements added. Plant number two was watered once a week with water and a water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Grow. In only a short amount of time the fertilized plant was already showing improved growth and bloom. It was approximately 50% larger in only 8 weeks of growth.

Other more interesting experiments were done. One member watered with vitamin C added to the water. Although vitamin C is water soluble, and it would seem that it would not be able to "build up" in the soil, the plant with extra C did less well that a plant without.

Many people are somewhat confused about what size pot to use at what stage of a violet's life. It turns out that with two similar size and variety "babies", the plant started in the 2" pot grew much faster and was much larger than the plant started in a 4" pot filled with the same potting soil and grown in the same conditions.

The plants that were grown in natural window light and under fluorescent light showed some differences also. The plants that were of similar size and identical variety were placed in a bright window and under plant stand lights. The plants both looked good, were healthy and had a considerable flowers but the one in the natural light was a much more "open" plant. That is to say the leaves were spread out more and less compact. The blooms were somewhat shorter but spread out in a pleasing way across more of the plant. The violet grown under the lights was "tighter", more compact and the blooms stood a little taller and were grouped into the center of the plant in a more circular pattern. Both plants had a good healthy color and leaf size.

Someone tried growing plants and adding Epsom salts, which is magnesium sulfate, to the water. The plants, which were pale to start with and lacking some of the expected green pigment, greened up considerably. Magnesium is an essential element in the chlorophyll molecule. The advantage of magnesium sulfate over other magnesium soil supplements such as dolomitic lime is its very high solubility.

Other people tried manipulating plants by adding a natural "stress" to their lives to simulate wind moving the leaves. Although not conclusive, the plants that were wiggled and moved as if they were being gently blown in the wind seemed to grow more vigorously and had more sturdy leaf structures.

It would be interesting to take these rather unscientific test results and see if the same results would occur under laboratory conditions with control populations and more individual plants for comparison. What should we experiment on this year?

What's Blooming This Morning

Streptocarpus 'Party Girl" and Kohleria 'Marquis de Sade' are blooming on a -15 degree below zero January morning.

When looking through the plants this morning to see if any needed water, there was some powdery mildew on a couple of the violet's leaves. It's a good time of year to check your collection for problems or pests and take action right away to prevent any further problems.

Fertilizer is important this time of year too... some of the plants that winter indoors and summer outside are looking a little "light green" in the leaves. Remember to feed them so they are in great shape to go back outside when spring finally comes.

Gesneriad Field Trip

The Gesneriad Club went to the Como Conservatory this past weekend to see the annual poinsettia show. There were thousands of blooming poinsettias featuring the Famous Artists varieties. The tropical rain forest room is the newest feature with displays that allow you to get a close-up view of various fish, turtles, birds, insects and animals. The main conservatory dome has the palm display which has over a hundred varieties of palm plants. The most interesting room though, in my opinion, is the agriculturally useful room. This has various plants that are grown for harvest including chocolate, star fruit, black pepper, coffee, fig, papaya, sugar cane and many more. What a fabulous way to get out of the cold and get the feeling of summer right here in MN in January.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Note the lovely "crown" these rare birds have? They are perhaps related to the Crowned Cranes of Africa. These would be Crowned Flamingos though.

This year promises to be a very good "plant" year. I would ask members of the club, and anyone else who likes to participate in plant related chat, discussion and information gathering to really make the effort to help with the blog.

As the blog "care taker" I haven't made many entries for a while, considering if this was a good media to exchange ideas and get participation from folks. I think that it's probably better and more cost effective than paper news letters, and it's got the potential to be much more fun and interactive. What I would like to know is what form this should take to be of service to our club and other violet/gesneriad liking people. I can make entries about most plant topics, but it is the participation that is important. Ideas???? nsavctc@gmail.com Let us know.

Have a most delightful New Year. Let the plants grow!!!!

Frosty

Guttation

Guttation is a secretion of fluid from a plant's leaf that comes onto the surface of the leaf out of specialized pores called hydrathodes.

This process happens when the surrounding humidity in the air is high, the soil moisture is high and the rate of transpiration (evaporation) is low. Plants enclosed in a terrarium will sometimes exhibit this phenomenon.

When the water being secreted contains minerals in the solution, like calcium, it will leave a whitish crust on the surface of the leaf when it dries.

Something Different

Look what's blooming! Right after the first big snow of the season there is a bit of exciting and exotic color right among the usual greenery. This is an Impatiens niamniamensis, commonly known as a Congo Cockatoo. It's a very young plant but it looks like it will be easy to keep in bloom.

Remember to try out some new and different plants to keep things interesting! If there is always a surprise waiting in the plant room, more time will be spent tending and enjoying the plants. Many plant families do as well under fluorescents as the violets do.

Peloric Flowers

Here are some photos of a peloric flower and the attempt to see if the trait will carry over in its offspring from seed.

The first two photos are of a normal strep blossom. It has a "pansy" shape and the throat decorations are on the bottom three petals. This is a nice size flower.

The next photo is of the peloric flower. A radially symmetric flower with all petals even and the throat decoration on all petals. The next photo shows the flower being self pollinated.

The seed pods are formed .... and the last photo shows that this is a generously sized pod. I can't wait for the seeds to ripen.