Hello ...

I have three African violets. One that I have had for three years is
now suddenly wilted, and the leaves and stems are very soft and limp
to the touch.

This plant has sentimental value for me and I would not like anything
to happen to it.

Might anyone know what is causing this, and what I should do?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks ...

Linda W.

One that I have had for three years is now suddenly
wilted, and the leaves and stems are very soft and limp
to the touch.

I've seemed to have that problem from two different sources.
Either not enough water....or too much. Either way it is,
the stems that are very soft don't recover or at least
they haven't for me. I've had it happen so that there
are *no* leaves/stems left but if I've babied it enough,
it will start growing again, as long as the crown ??
correct terminology?? hasn't rotted also.

Tracey

"Linda W." wrote in message
om...
Hello ...

I have three African violets. One that I have had for three years is
now suddenly wilted, and the leaves and stems are very soft and limp
to the touch.

This plant has sentimental value for me and I would not like anything
to happen to it.

Might anyone know what is causing this, and what I should do?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks ...

Linda W.

AV's are probably one of the easiest plants to grow. My guess is that you
overwatered it because it was flowering and put on a great show.
Unfortunately, AV respond well to a bit of benign neglect, particularly when
it comes to excess watering. They don't like wet feet.

Here are a couple of thoughts that might work to resurrect you plant: l.
Clean off the old soil from the plant and repot in new soil that isn't soggy
and keep the new soil damp but not wet. 2. Break off one of the healthiest
leaves from your plant at the base and put it in water. When roots develop,
plant the leaf in a high humus soil and wait for new plants appear.
Personally, I would repot first and try for a new plant from a leaf as a
backup.

Good luck...

John

"B & J" wrote in message ...
"Linda W." wrote in message
om...
Hello ...

I have three African violets. One that I have had for three years is
now suddenly wilted, and the leaves and stems are very soft and limp
to the touch.

This plant has sentimental value for me and I would not like anything
to happen to it.

Might anyone know what is causing this, and what I should do?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks ...

Linda W.

AV's are probably one of the easiest plants to grow. My guess is that you
overwatered it because it was flowering and put on a great show.
Unfortunately, AV respond well to a bit of benign neglect, particularly when
it comes to excess watering. They don't like wet feet.

Here are a couple of thoughts that might work to resurrect you plant: l.
Clean off the old soil from the plant and repot in new soil that isn't soggy
and keep the new soil damp but not wet. 2. Break off one of the healthiest
leaves from your plant at the base and put it in water. When roots develop,
plant the leaf in a high humus soil and wait for new plants appear.
Personally, I would repot first and try for a new plant from a leaf as a
backup.

Good luck...

John


John and Tracy ...

Thanks so much for your responses.

The soil in the little pot is indeed quite wet, and so I think your
overwatering theory is probably correct. I'm not even sure why I
watered it so much, as I generally tend to let them get dry in between
waterings.

John, the plant wasn't flowering at the time I watered it. In fact,
I've put all three plants out on my balcony rather than in their usual
location inside because I thought perhaps more light out there might
encourage them to flower. The one in question hasn't flowered for
years.

I don't have any extra soil on hand but if the soil the plant is in
doesn't begin to get dryer today, I guess I will purchase some. Any
suggestions on what to purchase? And I'll also see if I can start
rooting a leaf, too.

I hope the plant will be able to dry out. As I said, it has
sentimental value to me.

It would be fun if the plants would also flower (although I'll be
happy if that one just dries out okay), but I'm not sure what else to
do beyond trying to give them more light.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions!

Linda W.

Water from the bottom. Leave in a pan of water until it quits sucking
it up, then remove it. It'll flower.





On 14 Jul 2003 10:34:11 -0700, (Linda W.) wrote:

"B & J" wrote in message ...
"Linda W." wrote in message
om...
Hello ...

I have three African violets. One that I have had for three years is
now suddenly wilted, and the leaves and stems are very soft and limp
to the touch.

This plant has sentimental value for me and I would not like anything
to happen to it.

Might anyone know what is causing this, and what I should do?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Many thanks ...

Linda W.

AV's are probably one of the easiest plants to grow. My guess is that you
overwatered it because it was flowering and put on a great show.
Unfortunately, AV respond well to a bit of benign neglect, particularly when
it comes to excess watering. They don't like wet feet.

Here are a couple of thoughts that might work to resurrect you plant: l.
Clean off the old soil from the plant and repot in new soil that isn't soggy
and keep the new soil damp but not wet. 2. Break off one of the healthiest
leaves from your plant at the base and put it in water. When roots develop,
plant the leaf in a high humus soil and wait for new plants appear.
Personally, I would repot first and try for a new plant from a leaf as a
backup.

Good luck...

John


John and Tracy ...

Thanks so much for your responses.

The soil in the little pot is indeed quite wet, and so I think your
overwatering theory is probably correct. I'm not even sure why I
watered it so much, as I generally tend to let them get dry in between
waterings.

John, the plant wasn't flowering at the time I watered it. In fact,
I've put all three plants out on my balcony rather than in their usual
location inside because I thought perhaps more light out there might
encourage them to flower. The one in question hasn't flowered for
years.

I don't have any extra soil on hand but if the soil the plant is in
doesn't begin to get dryer today, I guess I will purchase some. Any
suggestions on what to purchase? And I'll also see if I can start
rooting a leaf, too.

I hope the plant will be able to dry out. As I said, it has
sentimental value to me.

It would be fun if the plants would also flower (although I'll be
happy if that one just dries out okay), but I'm not sure what else to
do beyond trying to give them more light.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions!

Linda W.

"Linda W." wrote in message

AV's are probably one of the easiest plants to grow. My guess is that
you
overwatered it because it was flowering and put on a great show.
Unfortunately, AV respond well to a bit of benign neglect, particularly
when
it comes to excess watering. They don't like wet feet.

Here are a couple of thoughts that might work to resurrect you plant: l.
Clean off the old soil from the plant and repot in new soil that isn't
soggy
and keep the new soil damp but not wet. 2. Break off one of the
healthiest
leaves from your plant at the base and put it in water. When roots
develop,
plant the leaf in a high humus soil and wait for new plants appear.
Personally, I would repot first and try for a new plant from a leaf as a
backup.

Good luck...

John


John and Tracy ...

Thanks so much for your responses.

The soil in the little pot is indeed quite wet, and so I think your
overwatering theory is probably correct. I'm not even sure why I
watered it so much, as I generally tend to let them get dry in between
waterings.

John, the plant wasn't flowering at the time I watered it. In fact,
I've put all three plants out on my balcony rather than in their usual
location inside because I thought perhaps more light out there might
encourage them to flower. The one in question hasn't flowered for
years.

Linda W.

AV's with proper soil, warm temperatures, fertilizer, light and water should
have flushes of blooms every four to five months. Have you ever repotted
them into high humus soils such as the types sold by Schultz or MiracleGro?
In fact, most garden centers carry potting mixtures specifically designated
for AV's. AV's like bright light but little sunlight, particularly in the
summer. An east window in the winter is fine. They will also grow and bloom
well under eight to ten hours of flourescent light a day if placed four to
six inches beneath the light. Fertilize with a low nitrogen such as Schultz
Bloom Plus (10-60-10) at half strength every other time you water. With this
type of regimen your plants should thrive. It's also better to place a
saucer underneath and water from the blottom. They develop water spots on
the leaves if they become wet. BTW, I had a sad looking specimen, an
Oprimara, thrust at me two months ago. It's now blossoming. I also have a
leaf from it sending up plantlets.

John

"Linda W." wrote in message

Thanks so much for all this great detailed information. I haven't
repotted the AVs. I'll look for the soil you mention.

Oops! I made a typo when I spelled Optimara, which is the correct spelling.
BTW, AV's should be divided, if they develop more than one crown, and
repotted every yearly. They respond well to fresh growing medium and you
don't have to be too careful when you remove the old soil. Just be sure most
of it is gone. I wash it off outside with a stream of water and repot
immediately.

Right now, I have the three AVs out on my balcony, which has a
generally eastern exposure -- morning sunlight. I have them to the
side of a lounge chair, so that they are mostly shaded even when the
sun is shining on the balcony in the morning. They may be getting a
little bit of direct sunlight, though. Is it all right for them to be
outside in the summer?

Outside with no hot sun should be okay for the time being, providing night
temperatures don't drop down into the fifties or low sixties at night. I
have the leaf outside on the front porch, which faces north, and it's really
beginning to grow.

Inside, I have had them in a window with mostly western explosure. I
don't have a lot of natural light because there are trees close to my
windows. Do they need intense light?

That shouldn't be a problem as long as they get at least 8-10 hours of light
each day. Bright light is a plus, but they really don't need intense light.
Remember that they will also grow and bloom well under flourescent lights. I
have the blooming one in a south window in our sun room at the moment, where
it has warm temperatures and is getting very bright light but no sunlight at
the moment because of an overhang. When the sun begins hitting it later in
the season, I'll move it to an east window.

As for the plant I originally posted about -- I dried out the soil and
now I'm waiting to see how it does. The leaves are still
wilted-looking, but otherwise, it looks all right, I think. I did cut
off a leaf and put it in water, too. I guess I will leave the plant
until I am sure that the soil is very dry before watering again.

Don't go overboard on keeping the plants excessively dry. That's almost as
bad, but not quite as bad, as keeping them too wet. The leaves will let you
know by becoming very tightly bunched, curly on the edges, and a dark,
unhealthy green color. The optimum is moist, but not wet. You can tell by
sticking your finger into the soil or do what I've learned to do when
watering plants. If the pot is light when I pick up, it needs water. If it
isn't, wait a couple days and check again.

Does that sound okay?

That's about as much as I can tell you.

And it would be lovely to have one bloom, too.

Good luck! :-) John
Thanks again -- very much!

Linda W.

and repotted every yearly.

But repotting doesn't mean going up a pot size every
year.

Tracey

"Tracey" wrote in message
...
and repotted every year.

But repotting doesn't mean going up a pot size every
year.

Tracey

Definitely not. I prefer a 5" pot, but a 4" pot is perfectly fine. AV's
reach an optimum size and usually begin to deteriorate by a decrease in
blooming, developing multiple crowns or developing long, leafless, ugly
stems. That's the time to use a sharp knife to cut apart multiple crowns and
replant each separately with some roots attached and planting the long, ugly
stem into the soil down to crown level.

The renewal of the plants by repotting in fresh soil is a definite plus. I
should amend the repotting sequence to recommend that it occur whenever the
above conditions becoming quite evident.

John

"Tracey" wrote in message
...
and repotted every year.

But repotting doesn't mean going up a pot size every
year.

Tracey

Definitely not. I prefer a 5" pot, but a 4" pot is perfectly fine. AV's
reach an optimum size and usually begin to deteriorate by a decrease in
blooming, developing multiple crowns or developing long, leafless, ugly
stems. That's the time to use a sharp knife to cut apart multiple crowns and
replant each separately with some roots attached and planting the long, ugly
stem into the soil down to crown level.

The renewal of the plants by repotting in fresh soil is a definite plus. I
should amend the repotting sequence to recommend that it occur whenever the
above conditions becoming quite evident.

John

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 19:59:15 GMT, Tracey wrote:

and repotted every yearly.

But repotting doesn't mean going up a pot size every
year.

Tracey


AFs might go up to a 3.5 maybe 4" pot max, then that's it. They like
a little more watering than most other plants. Sometimes you can get
insect damage. The cyclamin mite is a tough one to deal with and
usually means throwing out the plant to prevent spreading the disease.

"Linda W." wrote in message



John and Tracy ...

Thanks so much for your responses.

The soil in the little pot is indeed quite wet, and so I think your
overwatering theory is probably correct. I'm not even sure why I
watered it so much, as I generally tend to let them get dry in between
waterings.

John, the plant wasn't flowering at the time I watered it. In fact,
I've put all three plants out on my balcony rather than in their usual
location inside because I thought perhaps more light out there might
encourage them to flower. The one in question hasn't flowered for
years.

Linda W.

AV's with proper soil, warm temperatures, fertilizer, light and water should
have flushes of blooms every four to five months. Have you ever repotted
them into high humus soils such as the types sold by Schultz or MiracleGro?
In fact, most garden centers carry potting mixtures specifically designated
for AV's. AV's like bright light but little sunlight, particularly in the
summer. An east window in the winter is fine. They will also grow and bloom
well under eight to ten hours of flourescent light a day if placed four to
six inches beneath the light. Fertilize with a low nitrogen such as Schultz
Bloom Plus (10-60-10) at half strength every other time you water. With this
type of regimen your plants should thrive. It's also better to place a
saucer underneath and water from the blottom. They develop water spots on
the leaves if they become wet. BTW, I had a sad looking specimen, an
Oprimara, thrust at me two months ago. It's now blossoming. I also have a
leaf from it sending up plantlets.

John

Thanks so much for all this great detailed information. I haven't
repotted the AVs. I'll look for the soil you mention.

Right now, I have the three AVs out on my balcony, which has a
generally eastern exposure -- morning sunlight. I have them to the
side of a lounge chair, so that they are mostly shaded even when the
sun is shining on the balcony in the morning. They may be getting a
little bit of direct sunlight, though. Is it all right for them to be
outside in the summer?

Inside, I have had them in a window with mostly western explosure. I
don't have a lot of natural light because there are trees close to my
windows. Do they need intense light?

As for the plant I originally posted about -- I dried out the soil and
now I'm waiting to see how it does. The leaves are still
wilted-looking, but otherwise, it looks all right, I think. I did cut
off a leaf and put it in water, too. I guess I will leave the plant
until I am sure that the soil is very dry before watering again.

Does that sound okay?

And it would be lovely to have one bloom, too.

Thanks again -- very much!

Linda W.