Pretty patterns

Here's a shot of some very handsome leaves! This photo, shared by S. J., comes from the national show in Tucson in 2004.

Variegation in African Violet plants comes from some interesting sources. Traditional breeding using the natural variation that exists among members of a wild population will produce offspring that show differences. Depending on the type of organism involved, these "differences" can be very slight or quite noticeable. All natural populations that use cell division to reproduce will occasionally have mutations occur.

According to Gerald Klingaman, it is estimated that one in approximately a million cell divisions will produce a mutation. This means that something has gone wrong with the division process and an identical copy of the parent 's genes has not been produced. Most of these mutations have no effect, some are detrimental, but once in a great while you'll get one that's beneficial. One person's beneficial might not be another person's idea of a good mutation but in the case of the African Violet these mutations will be valued if they produce changes in patterns and colors.

Besides traditional breeding, violets can be induced to "change" when their genetic numbers are doubled, tripled or quadrupled. This condition is called polyploidy. Variations can also be produced with interspecific breeding, or crossing species that are within the same genus. And, you can get a whole exciting range of possibilities with "mutation breeding".

Mutation breeding involves deliberately trying to change the genetic structure of an organism by exposing it to things like chemicals or radiation. In the 1920's x-rays were used to change plant material and people liked the interesting effects that were turning up. Then chemicals were shown to cause genetic changes and even today people are very cautious about what they're exposed to because chemicals can indeed cause genetic changes like cancer or birth defects. Then in 1945 nuclear radiation was found to make all sorts of genetic changes! Gamma rays were used - people could even send in their seedlings or seeds to the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reactor in Tennessee to have their plant material zapped. The changes that were produced were interesting but tended to be unstable.

All of these methods of changing the look of a plant have given the African Violet we see today tremendous possibilities for interesting flowers and foliage. What sorts of violets are you most fond of? Variegates, doubles, crinkled leaves? Let us know what you think would make a good looking plant if you could pick all the traits!

Pretty colors

Here's a shot of a handsome 'Party Boy'! Did you know that streps are primarily found in Africa and Madagascar? It will be interesting to see where hybridizing takes the Streptocarpus in the near future because of all the variation in the species plants.

Some of the species streps are unifoliate, or have only one leaf. Some are very similar and tend to grow one to three leaves, but unlike the former, these will be perennials and continue to grow even after flowering and fruiting.

A third form of Streptocarpus is called rosulate. This is the one we might be most fimiliar with because many of the modern hybrids come from stock that includes S. rexii.

Although Streptocarpus don't "branch" as we tend to think of it, there is a fourth sort of strep that produces multiple leaves from a lengthened central base that is capable of producing "secondary" leaves that also are able to bloom. It's sort of intermediate between what we think of as a strep with no "stems" and a regular vegetative plant that develops a branching habit.

The subgenus of Streptocarpus, called Streptocarpella, display yet another form of growth from the one cotyledon which continues to grow, a characteristic feature of the entire genus. (One cotyledon grows while the other withers and dies shortly after germination although it is a fully dicotyledenous plant.) Streptocarpella leaves start as a vegetative bud on the root system and branches in the normal way. In other words, we have everything from rosette plants with no obvious stems to regular branching herb-type plants with more normal leaves. This leaves a great deal of interesting possibilities for hybridization.

Does anyone want to try some strep hybridizing? What would you use for parent plants? What traits would you like to see expressed in future flowers??? Let us know.

Holiday stress!

Think that you're having some holiday stress??? Look at this Eucodonia 'Adele'. Notice at the center of the picture there is a green structure right at the base of the spent blossom stalks that looks like a rhizome. It's the little green pine cone shaped thing. That's a propagule.

The Biology Online.org site tells us that a propagule is a structure with the capacity to give rise to a new plant, for example a seed, a spore, or a part of the vegetative body capable of independent growth if detached from the parent.

If that little pine cone shaped structure was taken off of the stem of the plant and put into some potting mix it would grow just like a rhizome and produce another plant. It's not exactly like a seed, it would produce an identical copy of the parent plant. And, it's not exactly like a rhizome because they are produced underground. These propagules are usually made by the plant when times are tough and the plant feels environmental stresses. Sometimes they might just show up on a plant that otherwise doesn't outwardly seem to be in difficulty, but in this poor Eucodonia's case it thinks that the holidays might be better if they were to bring the gift of repotting and reliable moisture.

What plants have you ever seen this happen on? Have you tried planting the propagule? Has anyone else enjoyed the Eucodonias? I happen to think that they're a very easy and interesting plant to grow. Pretty forgiving of inconsistent horticultural practices too! As always, send a photo in so that we can talk about it!

Sphagnum moss

Are you sometimes just "hanging around" thinking about sphagnum moss? Our friend here is deciding whether it's good to go forward and learn about how useful long fiber sphagnum can be (coming from wetlands something a little like this) or whether it's a better idea to just go and find some lunch back in the house.

Long fiber sphagnum moss is really quite an interesting product. It can hold up to 20 times it's weight in water. This means that one pound of dry moss could hold up to two gallons of water. That's why many people that enjoy preparing their own hanging baskets always use the long fiber moss in the containers. It isn't just because the moss makes an attractive outer covering that gives a pleasing natural look, it's also because even the amount used as the decorative covering holds a good deal of water which is readily available for the plants.

Many people like the New Zealand sphagnum which is Sphagnum christatum. It's primarily grown on the Western coast of New Zealand and is a renewable resource that's able to regenerate itself in two to four years after it's harvested. There are actually many species of sphagnum. It was feared that harvesting it would ruin the wetlands where it grows and destroy delicate and very important ecosystems. Depending on the particular species and location, it can indeed be grown as a crop that replenishes itself if the farmer is careful. Did you know that they also harvest sphagnum a little closer to home in Wisconsin?

This sphagnum is different from sphagnum peat moss. Sphagnum peat is a product that has long been dead. Thousands of years ago sphagnum plants thrived in marshland similar to where it still grows currently but after it died and was covered by more layers of living moss the old moss decomposed and compressed into the peat moss that we typically use in our potting mixes today. To collect most of the peat moss that we use it has to be dug up out of the ground. Long fiber sphagnum is not "mined" but cut off at ground level by people who typically use hand tools for the job.

Besides the benefit of water retention, sphagnum has a natural antibiotic agent in it called Tropolene. It kills viruses, bacteria and other micro organisms. This is a wonderful attribute for those wishing to start new cuttings or seeds. It helps keep the plants free from disease and pests. If you chop up the long fiber moss or "mill" it into a powdery form it is a useful soil covering after seeding especially on tiny seeds. Many of the gesneriads have particularly small seeds.

What do you use as a seed starter? Is there a particular brand of sphagnum that you prefer? Would the water holding properties be suitable in your potting mix or is it better used for orchids? Let us know what you think.

Wind Chills

As I was just waking up to the radio this morning I heard that there was an -18 below zero F. wind chill this morning. We were supposed to bundle up for work and keep the kids warm at the bus stops too. I was thinking back to when the weather was a little more favorable and I thought maybe a pretty picture of one of the winning violets from the National Show that was held here in Bloomington, Mn would be a good way to bring a little "sunshine" into an otherwise chilly winter day.

I don't know which entry this was, but if anyone would like to let me know I would be happy to give this grower some well deserved credit for such a lovely entry.

The questions for the day are: What are your show plants looking like today, right now? Are they disbudded? Are you keeping them actively growing and fertilizing heavily to increase size, are they on a break? I would appreciate a photo or two of someone's prospective show plant for next spring show as it appears today. Send me an email and I'll put it up as soon as I get it. Think warm thoughts today!

Books, books and more books

This lovely design done by Barb W. started an interesting search for books. I'd happened upon a title called Floral Design Concepts with African Violets and Other Gesneriads by Ruth J. McCoy copyright 1985. I wondered if I could find this book that was probably out of print. After a lucky bit of looking, I found the usual sites available to purchase used books and I found a site by Nancy Robitaille that lists a lovely variety of African Violet related books, some of which I didn't know about. http://www.africanvioletfun.com/bookpoll/index.html (Please click on the highlighted title of this post Books, books and more books to automatically get this link.)

Nancy's site asks viewers to select the books that they've read and give them a rating. There will be a Gesneriad book poll as well. You might enjoy this site if you are interested in books related to growing, showing and designing with AV's.

What design books have you thought useful or valuable for designing? Let us know. (Thanks to Sandy O. for the great photo.)

Frozen Flamingos

Brrrr. It's cold out there for those poor flamingos that forgot to migrate! Some of the more genteel ones have chosen quarters indoors to keep their feet warm and their favorite snacks (streps) growing. Today's Problems and Solutions query: What indoor home temperatures seem to work best for winter growing? Is warmer better? Or, is keeping things on the cool side preferred by your plants? Let us know what's working for you.

African violets are quite adaptable to ordinary home conditions but what is ordinary? Some homes have a much more stable temperature environment, some vary from warmer in the day to cooler overnight. Some folks grow them in the basement under lights which may always run towards being cooler. Is the temperature as much of a factor of vigorous growth as perhaps humidity, proper nutrition or factors like soil consistency? In other words, does the temperature really matter much?

(Thanks to the festive holidays flamingos that were willing to dress up in their best bows for the photo op.)

Optimara Glossary

Here's a handy link to Optimara's web pages. Some of us were lucky enough to go to the presentation at the 2006 National African Violet Convention in Minnesota given by the Holtkamp Greenhouses of Nashville, Tennessee. We got to hear first hand about the production and history of the Optimara violet. For everyone else this web site will be an enjoyable and educational resource to use not only when considering the Optimara violets, but anytime you're looking for information about your plants.

http://optimara.com/optimaraglossary/a-amm.html

This link jumps to the middle of their site and gives you the complete glossary of violet terms. I started at the beginning with the letter "A", of course, but scroll to the 10th entry for example: African Violet, and you'll find a whole host of information with just that one entry. Try some more of the letters and there's an entire college course worth of material right at your fingertips.

The rest of their site is interesting and very well done too. After you're done looking at the glossary drop down to the bottom one of their pages and hit "Optimara Home Page" for the rest of your tour!

Cat-astrophic Plant Pathogen?

Catchy title aside, let's look at this catagory of plant pests. Today's Problems and Solutions question: Is a capering cat a catalyst for plant room cataclysm? Or is this calm kitten only considering catching up on a much needed catnap?

What do you do to keep pets away from plant room shelves and show plants? Do your pets cause you any problems? How do you remove pet hair from the delicate leaves of your plants? -No catty comments now... (Many thanks to our most handsome volunteer, Hoover, whose photo was submitted by S.J.)

Does anyone have any interesting links to sites relating to violets and gesneriads that they would like to share? Send us an email with the link information and we'll post it for everyone to take a look at.

Wild Streps?

Well this strep "went wild" and decided to grow right out of its own pot! In this photo sent in by Sharon, we see a potentially tricky situation. For today's Problems and Solutions question: What is the best method for getting the "baby streps" off of the wick and separated from the parent plant? Should the grower leave the leaflets grow to a larger size or would that make more of a problem to separate the root systems? Has anyone else had experience with rooting taking place along the wicking system in a strep or other plant that was wick watered? Let us know what you think!