Monday, August 30, 2010

Back from Vacation....I think the plants liked being neglected

Ever feel like you hawk over your AVs? Sometimes too much attention is a bad thing. I went away last week to Florida (Disneyworld with the family) and left my plants all to themselves. I'll say that when I returned my plants looked okay. First, some were starting to lean towards the light (those at the end of the stand) because I was not there to turn them. However, once I got them turned the problem was easily fixed. Another not so good outcome was that my plant of Leading Lady is starting to bleach and yellow in the new growth. It has been growing on the bottom shelf of my light cart and since I wick the plant has been growing at about 5-6" away from the lights. This distance would be fine for semiminis or minis but not standards. The typical distance from the top of the pot and the light should be 10-12" for standards. I have moved the plant to the top shelf and it is now about 10" away from the tubes and I also moved it to the end of the stand so that the light intensity is not so strong. Some positive things that happened while I was away include my plant of S. Tongwensis, which is starting to come into bloom as well as the plantlets that I potted up before I left have started to root and seem to be growing well. I'll have more posts this week and hopefully pictures as well as an update on my showplants. Right now my eyes are burning so I need to get some sleep. Goodnight all!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Potting up those Babies






Back in April I ordered some beautiful semi and mini leaves from Andrea Worrell of The Franklinhouse. Well, babies came and came and they were finally ready to pot up this month. Last week I set everything up and went to town potting up the babies. I'm excited because I really like semis and minis and haven't grown any in about a year. Now I have about 5o plantlets wicked and ready to grow for show in the coming months.

Like any plantlets I pot up I start them in solo cups and write the name and date on the pot. I insert a wick through the bottom of the pot and fill the bottom of the pot with about 1" of perlite and then my regular potting mix on top. I wrap the wick around the pot so that there is even distribution of water through the soil and make a hole in the top of the soil and insert the baby in the mix. I water with a gallon of water with 10 drops of Superthrive and 1 tsp of Physan 20. It is best to not fertilize right away because the roots are so tender and you dont want to burn them. The plants are then put into their own greenhouses (ziploc sandwich bags--blown up) and set aside for about a month to root. They are then ready to be placed on their own reservoirs but a dilute fertilizer solution. As some of you know Andrea is an amazing grower and I hope to grow these semis and minis just as beautifully as hers. Here are a few pics showing me repotting the plantlets and then in their greenhouses under lights. ENJOY!!!

6 Weeks Til SHOWTIME!!!!









Ahhhh, the show is approaching very fast. My local club, the African Violet Society of Philadelphia, is scheduled to have their show on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Unfortunately, our show is only one day this year as opposed to two but if you are in the area we would love for you to stop by and see our plants. The show will be held at Cathedral Hall, Cathedral Village Retirement Community, 600 East Cathedral Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19128. This will be the first year in about 5 years that I plant to exhibit plants. As I mentioned before while in college I grew plants in my dorm but was in another part of the state and could not enter in shows the from 2004-2008. Also, the last 2 years I haven't devoted as much time to my plants so they were never ready for show. Now I am getting my act together and plan on taking at least 2 decent plants to the show. One is Looking Glass, which I am hoping will bring me home a big award. I have been babying it for a while now and if I can get a good head of blooms on it I think it will be an impressive plant.

I have been following our show schedule and my plant timers are now on 14 hours a day. At si weeks before the show it tells me to disbud single blossoms for the last time, check for suckers, and wash the foliage. Yesterday I washed the foliage on a few plants. I use distilled water because there are no minerals in the water that will leave marks on the foliage when it dries. It works well and you can dab the water drops that form at the base of the leaf and then put the plants right back under the lights. I know I love getting a shower and feeling fresh and clean so I can imagine the plants are happy and can "breath" easier now that their pores are clean. Here are a few pics of my show plant progress. Please let me know what you think.