Hello ...

First, I'd like to thank the very kind and knowledgeable people who
had advised and guided me through the first steps of rooting a baby
African violet from the leaf of a plant that had sentimental value to
me, when the plant itself suddenly went downhill and then continued to
fail.

Now that I have the leaf with the tiny root shoots in a 4-pot with
soil mixture, I wondered if I could revisit the suggestion of some of
you that I cover the potted leaf with a ventillated plastic bag.

Some of you said this would be a good thing to do. Others did not
mention covering the plant with plastic.

Are there pros and cons to this? )For example, someone with
experience in this theorized that it might cause mold or bacteria to
grow.) Have you found it to make a significant different one way or
another?

Also ... if I did cover it in plastic, and put a hole in the plastic
for ventillation -- would I then remove the plastic every few days to
see if the soil has dried out, and then add more water?

I believe it was Phisherman who said I should keep the soil moist but
not wet. So this means it should be damp to the touch all the time?
And I should NOT permit the soil to dry out at all in between
waterings?

I'd be so pleased if this little rooted leaf developed a new plant. I
can certainly cover it with plastic if that's the best idea. I just
wondered if there were pros and cons to doing that, and how often the
plastic should be removed to check the soil, et cetera.

I'll hold off on using the plastic until I see what you African violet
experts might think.

And again -- many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
with me.

Linda W.

On 17 Aug 2003 16:12:31 -0700, (Linda W.) wrote:

Hello ...

First, I'd like to thank the very kind and knowledgeable people who
had advised and guided me through the first steps of rooting a baby
African violet from the leaf of a plant that had sentimental value to
me, when the plant itself suddenly went downhill and then continued to
fail.

Now that I have the leaf with the tiny root shoots in a 4-pot with
soil mixture, I wondered if I could revisit the suggestion of some of
you that I cover the potted leaf with a ventillated plastic bag.

Some of you said this would be a good thing to do. Others did not
mention covering the plant with plastic.

Are there pros and cons to this? )For example, someone with
experience in this theorized that it might cause mold or bacteria to
grow.) Have you found it to make a significant different one way or
another?

Also ... if I did cover it in plastic, and put a hole in the plastic
for ventillation -- would I then remove the plastic every few days to
see if the soil has dried out, and then add more water?

I believe it was Phisherman who said I should keep the soil moist but
not wet. So this means it should be damp to the touch all the time?
And I should NOT permit the soil to dry out at all in between
waterings?

I'd be so pleased if this little rooted leaf developed a new plant. I
can certainly cover it with plastic if that's the best idea. I just
wondered if there were pros and cons to doing that, and how often the
plastic should be removed to check the soil, et cetera.

I'll hold off on using the plastic until I see what you African violet
experts might think.

And again -- many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
with me.

Linda W.

Linda, The plastic bag raises the humidity around the leaf and keeps
the moisture level fairly constant. You could put a pencil in the pot
and put a sandwich bag lossely over it (with the pencil holding the
bag upright so the bag does not touch the leaf.) If the bag touches
the leaf it might rot. Water the vermiculite once, and check if it is
dry in 3 weeks--chances are that it will still be moist exspecially if
you use the bag. The bag will show some condensation telling you
there is water. Starting seeds or cuttings for most plants will
benefit from a greenhouse effect. A north window for your leaf is
ideal. An east window (morning sun) is ideal for adult AFs.

Plastic doesn't appear to be necessary as i have lots of AV's from
cuts. If you try it, i would be concerned with water droplets forming
on the leaves causing brown spots. If this happens, remove the
plastic.




On 17 Aug 2003 16:12:31 -0700, (Linda W.) wrote:

Hello ...

First, I'd like to thank the very kind and knowledgeable people who
had advised and guided me through the first steps of rooting a baby
African violet from the leaf of a plant that had sentimental value to
me, when the plant itself suddenly went downhill and then continued to
fail.

Now that I have the leaf with the tiny root shoots in a 4-pot with
soil mixture, I wondered if I could revisit the suggestion of some of
you that I cover the potted leaf with a ventillated plastic bag.

Some of you said this would be a good thing to do. Others did not
mention covering the plant with plastic.

Are there pros and cons to this? )For example, someone with
experience in this theorized that it might cause mold or bacteria to
grow.) Have you found it to make a significant different one way or
another?

Also ... if I did cover it in plastic, and put a hole in the plastic
for ventillation -- would I then remove the plastic every few days to
see if the soil has dried out, and then add more water?

I believe it was Phisherman who said I should keep the soil moist but
not wet. So this means it should be damp to the touch all the time?
And I should NOT permit the soil to dry out at all in between
waterings?

I'd be so pleased if this little rooted leaf developed a new plant. I
can certainly cover it with plastic if that's the best idea. I just
wondered if there were pros and cons to doing that, and how often the
plastic should be removed to check the soil, et cetera.

I'll hold off on using the plastic until I see what you African violet
experts might think.

And again -- many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
with me.

Linda W.

Plastic doesn't appear to be necessary as i have lots of AV's from
cuts. If you try it, i would be concerned with water droplets forming
on the leaves causing brown spots. If this happens, remove the
plastic.




On 17 Aug 2003 16:12:31 -0700, (Linda W.) wrote:

Hello ...

First, I'd like to thank the very kind and knowledgeable people who
had advised and guided me through the first steps of rooting a baby
African violet from the leaf of a plant that had sentimental value to
me, when the plant itself suddenly went downhill and then continued to
fail.

Now that I have the leaf with the tiny root shoots in a 4-pot with
soil mixture, I wondered if I could revisit the suggestion of some of
you that I cover the potted leaf with a ventillated plastic bag.

Some of you said this would be a good thing to do. Others did not
mention covering the plant with plastic.

Are there pros and cons to this? )For example, someone with
experience in this theorized that it might cause mold or bacteria to
grow.) Have you found it to make a significant different one way or
another?

Also ... if I did cover it in plastic, and put a hole in the plastic
for ventillation -- would I then remove the plastic every few days to
see if the soil has dried out, and then add more water?

I believe it was Phisherman who said I should keep the soil moist but
not wet. So this means it should be damp to the touch all the time?
And I should NOT permit the soil to dry out at all in between
waterings?

I'd be so pleased if this little rooted leaf developed a new plant. I
can certainly cover it with plastic if that's the best idea. I just
wondered if there were pros and cons to doing that, and how often the
plastic should be removed to check the soil, et cetera.

I'll hold off on using the plastic until I see what you African violet
experts might think.

And again -- many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
with me.

Linda W.

Plastic doesn't appear to be necessary as i have lots of AV's from
cuts. If you try it, i would be concerned with water droplets forming
on the leaves causing brown spots. If this happens, remove the
plastic.




On 17 Aug 2003 16:12:31 -0700, (Linda W.) wrote:

Hello ...

First, I'd like to thank the very kind and knowledgeable people who
had advised and guided me through the first steps of rooting a baby
African violet from the leaf of a plant that had sentimental value to
me, when the plant itself suddenly went downhill and then continued to
fail.

Now that I have the leaf with the tiny root shoots in a 4-pot with
soil mixture, I wondered if I could revisit the suggestion of some of
you that I cover the potted leaf with a ventillated plastic bag.

Some of you said this would be a good thing to do. Others did not
mention covering the plant with plastic.

Are there pros and cons to this? )For example, someone with
experience in this theorized that it might cause mold or bacteria to
grow.) Have you found it to make a significant different one way or
another?

Also ... if I did cover it in plastic, and put a hole in the plastic
for ventillation -- would I then remove the plastic every few days to
see if the soil has dried out, and then add more water?

I believe it was Phisherman who said I should keep the soil moist but
not wet. So this means it should be damp to the touch all the time?
And I should NOT permit the soil to dry out at all in between
waterings?

I'd be so pleased if this little rooted leaf developed a new plant. I
can certainly cover it with plastic if that's the best idea. I just
wondered if there were pros and cons to doing that, and how often the
plastic should be removed to check the soil, et cetera.

I'll hold off on using the plastic until I see what you African violet
experts might think.

And again -- many thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience
with me.

Linda W.

"jammer" wrote in message
...


Plastic doesn't appear to be necessary as i have lots of AV's from
cuts. If you try it, i would be concerned with water droplets forming
on the leaves causing brown spots. If this happens, remove the
plastic.

I'm totally with you in this assessment, Jammer. AV's don't need any
covering while rooting. They're easy to root in water, vermiculite, or
potting soil. Covering with plastic only contributes to fungal disease.

John