Question: How can I maximize the number of babies that I get from a single leaf? Sometimes I have only one to spare. Answer: This is a problem most of us in this hobby don’t have. It was years before we realized that we didn’t need to root every leaf ever removed from our violets. Not to […]
Question: I root my leaf cuttings in water. The leaf will produce a plantlet, but when I pot it into soil, it dies. Should I remove the mother leaf when I do this? Answer: Though leaves may be rooted in water, there are disadvantages to this method. The root system that develops is one that is best […]
Question: I am new to propagating African violets. My question is: how long does it take for them to sprout? The leaves aren’t dying or anything, just sitting there. Answer: How many plantlets a leaf produces, and how quickly it does so, depends upon a number of things. First, the age of the leaf. It’s best to […]
Question: I’ve heard that it’s difficult to propagate a variegated leaf if it is mostly white. Is there anything that can be done to help or encourage the leaf to propagate more easily? Answer: Heavily variegated leaves can often be more difficult to successfully propagate, though some varieties are prolific propagators. The best advice is to first […]
Question: Some of the leaves that I have rooted aren’t producing babies. The rooted leaf seems to be healthy. In fact, it seems to be growing. Answer: When selecting leaves to propagate, it’s best to use those that are fully mature, but not old. The usual advice is to use a leaf from a middle row, but […]
Question: Can I reuse a leaf cutting? Answer: Sure. After removing and potting plantlets, the “mother” leaf can be rerooted. It will still be capable of producing more plantlets, though it may not produce as many the next time around. Usually, it’s more productive to simply wait until the plantlets grow large enough to have their […]
Question: I started a leaf cutting at the beginning of the year, and exactly 10 weeks after sticking the leaf, the first plantlet appeard. The rosette is now about the size of a quarter. Many weeks later the cutting gave me three more plantlets, which are much smaller. The parent (rooted) leaf isn’t shading the new […]
Question: You’ve told me that you can ship plant crowns into my country with no roots or soil. How can I successfully rot these? Answer: For many countries, such as Russia, most in Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean, it is not possible to send potted plants. Only cuttings, or the plant crowns (the top of the violet […]
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 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 […]
