Question: I’ve been told that my violets shouldn’t be brushed, as this might scar the leaves, and that I should wash them instead. I’ve seen others brushing the leaves of their plants, though. Answer: It’s all right to brush your violet’s leaves. We’re big believers in regular brushing. A clean plant is a healthy plant. Why wait […]
Question: I am new to taking care of African violets. I don’t know the correct way to “snip” spent or dead flowers. I looked it up on the internet but they just said “cut them off”. But, just where–on the petal stem or do I take off the entire stem? Answer: Though the answer may seem obvious […]
Question: I couldn’t find any information regarding dusting of leaves of an African violet? Is it okay to wash dust off of leaves with water? Answer: African violets can be washed, but it’s always a better practice to keep them clean enough that they’ll never require it. Grow them in a clean environment, though this is sometimes […]
Question: What’s the best remedy for suckers? Answer: A simple question with a simple answer–blooming! A sucker, of course, is an extra growing point (crown), usually appearing as a pair (or pairs) or leaves within the leaf axils beneath the original growing point in the uppermost, center of the plant. Unless this is a trailing variety, on […]
Question: I have many miniature violets that I purchased from you last year, and they could use a little repotting. I’ve improved their appearance by removing the lower leaves that were no longer attractive and was wondering at what point can I cover this bare stem/trunk with soil? Can I cover the bare stem with soil […]
Question: I’ve notice that when repotting, you will remove a lot of the plant’s leaves as well as roots. Do I need to do this, and if so, how can I tell how much of each to remove? Answer: There’s no need to do this, especially when potting into a larger size pot. When repotting into the […]
Question: I just acquired a violet from a relative that had not been repotted in quite some time. As a result, it has developed a very long and twisted stem. is it possible to get rid of this awful looking stem and save the plant? Answer: Yes. Normally we eliminate a violet’s “neck” by repotting and covering […]
Question: What size pot should I grow my Episcia in? Can I grow more than one plant in a pot? Answer: Episcias, like African violets and most gesneriads, are relatively shallow-rooted plants that don’t need a very deep pot. As your plant grows, you can repot it into a larger diameter, but not much deeper, pot. This means that “azalea” […]
Question: Do you grow “gold fish plants” or “lipstick vines”? Answer: We do, but that’s not the reason we’ve chose this question to answer. This is a very frequently asked question, both at the shop and by those calling us. We’ve chose this to illustrate the importance of using the botanical names of plants. It’s true that […]
Question: My Columnea are never as beautiful as yours. My conditions are good, but they always look weedy and don’t bloom very heavily. What am I doing differently? Answer: Like violets and most other plants, Columnea nearly always bloom from the newest growth. This means that the more new, healthy growth there is, the more potential there is for blooming. Assuming […]
