Question: What size pot sould I use for my Sinningia? Answer: The rule of thumb is much the same as for other plants. Determin pot size by the size of the root system, not the plant. Unlike violets, sinningia are tuberous, meaning the growth is produced from a potato-like tuber beneath (or at) the soil level. Use […]
Question: I have a Gloxinia erinoides ‘Polo Polo’ which I planted in a terrarium. It has only one leaf left alive and tiny green and white things on the otherwise naked upright stems. One stem has nothing left at all. Do you think the plant will come back from its roots? It seems barely alive. Answer: The […]
Question: I have a Sinningia that is getting a bit tall. I raise Kohleria as well, so when they get long, I cut the top of the plant off at a leaf node and stick it back into moist soil. No problems. Can I do this with this Sinningia? Answer: Yes. You can treat it the same was as a Kohleria, or as […]
Question: How to I get Columnea ‘Light Prince’ to be full? I have a pot from a previous order that actually has some buds, but is long and ‘spindly’. Answer: C. ‘Light Prince’ is a beautiful plant, and can bloom quite heavily, but it tends to be more seasonal in nature than some of the other Columnea. We find that […]
Question: I’ve recently received some Streptocarpus from you. These are younger plants in 2″ pots. They are ready for a larger pot. I’d like to use the self-watering “violet” pots. Would they do well in these? Answer: Streptocarpus easily grow and bloom. They’ll grow and bloom nearly constantly in most home environments, in natural or artificial light. They’re […]
Question: I know very little about African violets, so this question might seem silly. Recently, I started a plant from a normal-looking, green, leaf. When the plantlet appeared, all of its leaves were white in color. How common is an African violet with white leaves? Answer: This isn’t a silly question at all, especially from someone still […]
Question: What is a “chimera”, and why are they so much more expensive? Are they more difficult to grow? Answer: A chimera is a plant, due to its genetic make-up, which can be propagated only by suckers to produce an identical (in foliage and blossom) plant. In the violet hobby, the term usually refers to varieties […]
Question: My species plant of S. orbicularis purperea is growing well, but has begun to sucker heavily. Is it best to grow single-crowned, or am I better off letting is sucker naturally? Answer: Unlike our modern hybrids, which are developed to grow best in a specific form, the Saintpauliaspecies plants can be successfully grown either single nor multi-crowned. The AVSA Master […]
Question: What is the maximum number of rows of leaves a violet should have? Answer: This is really a matter of personal preference. When exhibited, good symmetry (or form) is rewarded, not quantity of foliage. The number of rows necessary to achieve good symmetry usually depends upon the size of the leave blade relative to the length […]
Question: I’ve seen trailers described as pendulous, spreading, naturally trailing, and semitrailing. Could you tell me the difference? How should they be grown? Answer: These are terms adopted by some hybridizers and growers to describe the growth habits of trailing varieties. Unfortunately, these will differ somewhat amongst growers and catalog listings. This is partly because hybridizers don’t […]
