Rainy Day Fun!

The North Stars are putting on "Violets Celebrate Our Family" today and tomorrow only at the Northtown Shopping Center.

Come on by and see the show! There are lots of beautiful plants in all the prettiest spring colors to brighten up the rainy weekend the weather folks are sending our way. Hope to see you there!

Remember, Friday and Saturday only!!!

So, What Happened to Fe Fi?

Our meetings generally start by checking out the host’s plant room. It’s a lot of fun, but the host is usually answering questions from three or four different directions. One member noticed the brown markings on a couple of my mini/semis and asked what I thought caused that. However, we never really had the chance to discuss it.

Here are some pictures. What are your thoughts? The first picture (which isn’t very clear) points out the brown marks on a leaf.

The second picture points the marks on three separate leaves. Note that they are all on the same row. The marks are not on higher or lower rows.

Notice also in the third picture that the older leaves have a much wider span and from the marked leaves on, the plant seems smaller.

Upon checking, I see this same condition on three of my 50 mini/semis. I attribute it to repotting stress. These plants are repotted every three months, the last time being November. That looks appropriate for the amount of growth. Often, when repotting in the summer when it is very hot, this condition will show up on many of the mini/semis. Occasionally, it will even appear on standards, but not too often. How can this be avoided? I don’t have a clue. Possibly the plant was treated too roughly when being transplanted.

Many thanks to Barb W. for the excellent article and photos!

Even More Violets!

The North Star African Violet Council is putting on their spring show at Northtown this weekend on March 30th and 31st!

The NSAVC will be presenting "Violets Celebrate Our Family" Friday 10:00am to 9:00 pm and Saturday 9:30 am to 8:00 pm.

You didn't know what could be even better than the lovely 70 degree F. weather we've been having??? Well, some lovely weather together with beautiful, blooming African violets and gesneriads will make anyone's week just about perfect!

Please come and join in the fun. See the flowers, chat with friends, get a new soil recipe or two to try at home! We invite everyone to come and enjoy! See you there.

"It's Raining Vi-o-lets"

It's Raining Vi-0-lets at Linder's!!! Show and sale today and tomorrow only! See you there!

Check Out Chiritas

Chiritas are becoming very popular here among violet growers. Here’s a little information on them.

Chiritas are mostly herbs which grow from 6 inches to 3 feet. They are found in the Himalayas from Malaysia to Indonesia, in southern China, and in Sri Lanka. There are upwards of 100 species and more of them are coming into cultivation in this country all the time. New hybrids are appearing in our shows each year.

The perennial species and hybrids can be propagated from leaves and suckers the same as Saintpaulia. When using a leaf, choose one that is not old or very large. A large leaf can be cut into sections and then potted. The annual species grow quickly from seed.

All of the species seem to prefer cool growing conditions. Temperatures down to 55 degrees are tolerated while temps. Over 80 degrees may be harmful. Keep them in your coolest locations. All require high humidity but cannot tolerate over watering. Too much water will cause the leaf tips to brown. They need a very light soil mix that drains well. A mix of equal parts peat moss, vermiculite and perlite works well. Chiritas grow well under fluorescent lights, needing about 500 foot-candles, or about the same as recommended for Saintpaulia. Growing them near the ends of 40 watt fluorescent lights up to 14 hours a day works well. They will also grow well in bright reflected window light. In a greenhouse, some shade must be provided, especially in hot weather. Purplish brown edges on leaves may be caused by the potting medium becoming to acidic, over fertilization (repot), or too much light. When leaves yellow, repot. Remove some, but not all, of the old growing medium and add fresh. Do not set much deeper than it was to prevent suckering. Most take large amounts of water but prefer to dry out slightly between watering. If wick watering, use only one strand of wicking and coil it at the bottom of the pot rather than bringing it up through the soil. Disbudding is generally not recommended because the buds take upwards of two months to open after taking a long time to form. However, they will bloom at least twice a year.

Up until now, the most popular plants have been the sinensis species and their hybrids. These come in an all green form and with varying amounts of silver veining on the leaves. The all green varieties are believed to be easier to bring into bloom but the silver veined plants are preferred for their beautiful foliage. Varieties such as C. sinensis and C. sinensis ‘Hisaka’ grow in a rosette form with lavender flowers. C. lutea and ‘Aiko’ have yellow

flowers and seem to need more water. C. micromosa and lavendulacea are annual species which grow easily from seed which the plants form readily. C. micromosa is also known as “little banana” because of its seed pods. C. lavendulacea grows very quickly and is noted for its heavy blooming.

Some of the foliage is very striking when used in design. It can be conditioned by cutting the leaf with as much petiole as possible and setting it in warm fertilized water. (1/8 tsp. of fertilizer to 1 gallon of water to which 10 drops of Superthrive have been added.) Allow the leaf to absorb moisture for a couple of hours before using.

Chiritas grow very well along side of our Saintpaulia, so give them a try! Another special thanks to Jude N. for giving us this post!!!! Be sure to go and enjoy the show at Linder's!!!

Show Me The Violets!

Show, show, show time! What is coming up in only one week and has everything you need to think spring? It is the Lakes Area Violet Grower's show! Please stop by and enjoy the beauty of the displays, appreciate the skill and the art that it takes to grow a show plant to such perfection and catch up with all our friends and other fellow violet enthusiasts!

We're a very lucky community to have so many opportunities to be involved with the plants that we love. Let's all make the effort to come together, visit all three of the upcoming shows (more of which will be posted about each of them as the time is nearer,) and bring some friends and neighbors so that we get even more people interested in African violets and their horticulture!


The Lakes Area Violet Growers will host their spring show March 23rd and 24th, 2007. It will be held at Linder's Greenhouse 270 Larpenteur Ave. W. St. Paul, MN. The hours will be from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm both days.

Drying African Violets!

What a great way to start thinking about spring! The newest trend this spring is to use dried blooms and blossoms in decorating things like your Easter baskets and table adornments. With the spring shows coming up and plenty of blossoms that would otherwise get tossed away after the show here's an idea that sure to please! This article is sent to us today with many thanks by Kathy Lahti!

Silica Gel is a granular material used by many professional florists, and it’s easy to use. The purpose of the drying material is to take all the moisture out of the blossoms. Use a large plastic food container at least four inches deep with a tight fitting cover. Put an inch of the silica gel in the bottom. Then very carefully lay the blossoms on the drying material. Next take a small plastic measuring cup with a spout and very carefully pour the drying material over the blossoms. Carefully pour the drying material around the flower until it is completely covered. Never lay flowers on top of each other.

This cute photo is an example idea of how the dried blossoms from African violets or gesneriads could be used on your Easter table. The picture is from a Williams-Sonoma add advertising their store.

Single blossoms take about four days to dry, semidoubles and doubles about a week.

When the blossoms are thoroughly dry, they are very fragile and must be handled very carefully. Use a plastic fork or large plastic spoon and gently lift the blossom from the silica gel. If part of the stem is left on the blossom, it will be easier to handle. The blossoms can be picked up by their stem with a tweezers. Use a small soft brush to remove any excess silica gel granules.

The double blossoms dry beautifully if you lay them flat and pour the drying material very carefully into and around all the petals. Your flowers should be as natural looking as possible, for this is the way they will dry.

African violets blossoms will change color and fade slightly. White African violets will turn cream color and not be stark white. Blues, and especially dark blues, will turn darker. An interesting thing: a white blossom with a green edge is very pretty because it comes out cream color with a green edge. So don’t be shy about using your white blossoms, because they are very beautiful.

By Kathy Lahti – Reference Material Used - Floral Design Concepts by Ruth Jo McCoy and the March 1979 AVM. Thanks again to Kathy for this post!!! Please leave comments too!

Questions for the Experts!!!

One of our actual club members wrote in asking for some advice today.... Let's all share some of the experiences that we've had to help answer this problem!!! M.K.F. writes:

I thought I'd send this out to any and all who could help with some suggestions on modifying my African Violet potting mix. I started making my own mix a couple of months ago with a soiless mix recipe I found on the AVSA website which primarily calls for a 1-1-1 mix of sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite and perlite with some dolomite lime and charcoal mixed in as well.

I'm finding that it is quite dense and I'm having trouble not only getting the wicking to start but also to keep it going as the mix dries out very quickly or it is not absorbing water very efficiently. Could you suggest an adjustment to the recipe or

suggest a different recipe mix that would be lighter and would absorb water better.

Thanks for your help with this!

Please leave comments for her! Check the post about leaving comments if you have any problems. Remember to ignore the "blogger, and password" part and just indicate either anon. or other user when replying!!! Feb. 18th's post has the directions to comment.

The Nautilocalyx!

I'm very excited to welcome a new contributor to the blog today! Jude not only grows beautiful African violets but has an extensive collection of very interesting, gorgeously grown gesneriads! She's agreed, from time to time, to share some of the lesser known and quite fascinating gesneriads and their culture with us! Enjoy!

I've become interested in the gesneriad Nautilocalyx over the past year. My first one was Nautilocalyx pemphidius, well actually it was my third. The first and second I accidentally allowed to dry out. Never, ever allow a Nautilocalyx to dry out. They die immediately, they don't even say good bye, they just leave! Nautilocalyx pemphidius, affectionately called "Naughty Little Pimp", is a small growing plant. At present, mine is seven inches high by seven inches wide. It grows by sending out side shoots and I expect it will soon fill out the twelve inch shallow bowl that it's planted in. The Plant was growing in a very porous medium. I took it out of it's pot and placed it in the domed bowl and filled in around it with long fibered sphagnum moss which I keep damp at all times. The plant has small, pebbled, strappy leaves in a bronzy green. It blooms easily and quite heavily but the flowers are very small. They look like little white stars against the dark foliage.

My next variety was Nautilocalyx forgettii. This is a larger growing plant with pebbly emerald green leaves with a red center and fuzzy red stems. I'm told that it will have small yellow flowers but I would grow it just for the lovely foliage. This plant is also growing in a very porous medium. I propagated it from cuttings that Bill Price was giving away at the '06 AVSA Convention. I asked if I should plant the whole cutting or take off leaves to plant. He said "Do both" so I did. Every piece grew. This one is growing in a large plastic open topped box to give it plenty of humidity.

I have now started seeds of Nautilocalyx Burle Marx and I have no idea what this one will look like. But I do know not to let it dry out.

I'm told that these plants may or may not form tubers. So far I have not found any in the pemphidius but the forgettii seems to be producing tubers. With tubers I always feel that I have a second chance if something goes wrong.

Many thanks to Jude Neumann for writing this entry today. Please leave comments and questions about the plants and their culture for us! We all learn from the exchange of ideas.

"Secrets"

"Pssssst, have I got something for you!" Here are a couple of tips that will make your life easier and your plants prettier! I'd like to thank Sharon J. for sharing this article with us!!!

Ah, yes, we all have secrets. What prompted my writing about secrets is that at our last local club meeting Barb told us a few things that she does with her plants.

Use straws to move the leaves into position.

Lift the leaves rather than a bloom stalk to raise it above the foliage because bloom stalks break off easier than leaves.

Mark the pots with different colored labels so that you know when they need to be replanted rather than having to look for a date written on the label.

Use Yard Glove on your hands to act a a "glove" before working with a lot of soil. Use it under your finger nails too.

Use cheap acrylic blankets as "mats" for mat watering. Wash them several times to remove sizing and cut them to fit the trays.

Here are some of the things that I like to do and use:

Use beverage straws to make which plants are for sale. It's a constant reminder of which ones I want to sell.

Use old pantyhose to tie up plants. I bring the string around the back of the stake, then to the front and cross over to the plant. Bring the string around the back of the plant and cross over again before going to the back of the stake where it is tied in a know. It forms a "T" between the stake and the plant. I do this in the garden too. The plant never rests on the stake that way.

Use hairpins to hold down suckers when they are removed from the parent plant. It helps to get it rooted. And yes, they are still available in the stores.

I use many thing to clean my hands including denture cleaners, make-up remover and lemon juice.

Use landscape fabric on the top of the blanket mating. Put the "hole" side down on the fabric and be sure to cut it a tiny bit larger than the mat. It prevents algae from forming on the mat. When it gets dirty, just throw it in the washer. This was a suggestion in the AVM by Bill Pawee.

These are just some of the secrets that we have. They are now no longer "secrets" but simple things that we can do to make growing easier. Do you have any "secrets" to share??? Leave them in the comment section!