Saturday, December 21, 2024

Crown suckers

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 […]

Crown suckers

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 […]

Tight centers, hairy leaves

Question:  Several of my violets have tight centers and hairy leaves.  I may have overfertilized when I switched fertilizers.  But when I read my magazine, the description of tight centers and hairy leaves seems to come up when describing cyclamen mites.  How do I tell the difference?  I do have misshapen blossoms on some plants, but […]

Lost center on plant

Question:  Recently, I have experienced a problem with the center growth on some of my violets.  On some otherwise healthy plants, the center growth has disappeared.  The plant would remain healthy, then eventually sprout suckers from the center. Answer:  Though there might be another explanation, this seems to happen to us most commonly on certain varieties, suggesting […]