Question: I am new to the African violet world and would like to know more about variegation. What is ‘Tommi-Lou’ and ‘Champion’ variegation? Do I care for and feed variegates the same as nonvariegates? Answer: Variegation is simply white, beige, or pink coloring in the foliage. ‘Tommi-Lou’ variegation will normally appear on the edges of the […]
Question: I have a violet that, about a year ago, developed a variegated leaf, then another, until all were variegated. I started new plants from those leaves, but they all grew green leaves. The variegated suckers also didn’t seem to produce much variegation when rooted. Do you have any ideas? Answer: Our guess is that this is […]
Question: Seemingly overnight, two of my repotted plants leaves have turned a light yellowish-green in the center growth. Answer: When we got this question, we immediately thought back to one of our local club meetings the week before. A member brought in a “problem plant”, whose outer rows of leaves were its usual shade of green, […]
Question: Our club is growing ‘Rob’s Sunspot’ as our project plant. Many members are experiencing “red staining” on the plant leaves, though the variety description doesn’t mention this. Is this a genetic condition? Answer: Yes, this is a genetic condition. This registered variety is described as a “double white star with bright red mottling”. Multicolored varieties, such […]
Question: The lower leaves of one of my violets curl down over the rim of its pot. They seem quite healthy, not limp. The plant seems almost to push itself out of its pot at times. Answer: It’s quite likely that the cause of this is genetic and not cultural. It’s a trait especially common among varieties […]
Question: I’ve had problems with compound crowns in trailers, also occasionally a compound crown sucker in a miniature. This occurs even in plants that haven’t been subjected to any unusual stress. Also, leaves from these plants will produce offspring with this same habit. Answer: “Crown-suckers” can be very frustrating, particularly since they are difficult to remove without […]
Question: I have a couple of violets that always seem to get extra sets of leaves growing from the center of the plant. Eventually, I have to divide these plants when they get bigger but the problem will reappear. What can I do? Answer: Unfortunately, “double crowning” (suckering in the plant center) is a genetic condition that […]
Question: I have brown scarring on the backs of my lower leaves. Why? Answer: This is a question we received by phone. We didn’t immediately have an answer until he happened to mention that he grew in clay pots, and also wondered why the bottom row of leaves was bent over the pot rims. The culprits, of […]
Question: The leaves of my violets are curling downward and center growth appears very crowded. There is no evidence of mite, and I suspect it may be the cold temperature in my growing area. Answer: Yes, the problem is likely the cold growing environment. When grown in very cool conditions, many violets will exhibit symptoms similar […]
Question: I’m growing a number of violets, most of them in a couple of windows in my kitchen. One of them has very “spooned” leaves. The outer edges are curved upwards, and the foliage is very thick and brittle. Is this normal? I’ve had mites on my violets before–is it possible that I’ve got them again? […]
