Question: After repotting, some of my miniature violets will begin to grow smaller than normal leaves in the plant’s center. Any explanation? Answer: We find that this is sometimes the case with some of the heavier blooming varieties. To start with, prolonged, heavy, blooming seems to divert the plant’s energies away from foliage growth. This is […]
Question: In the last couple of months, on e-Bay, I saw a chimera (‘Rob’s Lucky Penny’) that had normal (not striped) flowers, but a stread of white on the sides of all of its leaves. But, the auctioner of this plant made the point that the variegation was from chimeralism, and that the leaves wouldn’t lose […]
Question: The crown of my plant stops growing and divides into 3-4 little sucker-crowns. The plant seems to be dividing at the crown and I can’t seem to distinguish which one is the true crown. I had a plant do this previously, and when the two crowns were large enough, I split them and got two […]
Question: I’d like to know why some of my violets grow by spreading out and others are growing upright like trees. These drop their bottom leaves and grow taller. Is there anything that I need to do to look after them? Answer: There are a few possibilities. If “spreading out” means that the plant is becoming wider […]
Question: I have a variety with “girl” foliage and would like to enter it in our local show. I’ve been told that this foliage can be difficult to grow. Can you explain? Answer: “Girl” foliage is described as “deeply scalloped, with white to yellow markings at the base of each leaf”. It has nothing to do with […]
Question: I purchased ‘Rob’s Whippoorwill’, which originally had variegation on the outermost ring of leaves, but it has now started to turn all green. I feed all of my violets with ‘Miracle-Gro African Violet Food’ (7-7-7 formula), every time I water, 10 drops per quart. Am I feeding too heavily for a variegate? Do they require […]
Question: I’m a bit confused about the use of urea, and wonder if you can help me. I was told sometime agao that we should not use any fertilizer with urea listed in the ingredients. I’ve used fertilizers containing urea in my garden and it looked great! Should I use my old fertilizer or toss it? […]
Question: You’ve discussed the “wicking method” for watering plants before. Besides using a “lighter” soil, should I change how my violets are fertilized? Answer: Yes. Unlike watering from the top, or by saucer, at regular intervals, the soil is nearly always moist when wick watered. Though a wicked plant won’t require any more nutrients, a greater volume […]
Question: What fertilizer do you use? I have only been able to locate Miracle Gro for African Violets and it is 7-7-7. I have found no 15-15-15 or 20-20-20. Do you have any suggestions? At this time I am doubling-up onthe Miracle Gro. Answer: The numbers you are referring to represent the percentage of the three major nutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus, […]
Question: What do the numbers on a fertilizer mean? For example, a 12-36-14 formula? Answer: The three numbers appearing on a fertilizer’s label represent the percentage contained of the three major elements” nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, most fertilizers contain various secondary and trace elements, which may or may not be listed on the package. […]
