| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Too Wet | 7/18/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have the self watering pots but some of my violets are getting too wet and are dying. Should I ...
A: Because the soil is always in contact with water with this type of pot you need to add a hand full ...
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| African violet propagation | 7/4/2008 | Nancy |
Q: .. I'm going to start propagating African violets... I have access to a greenhouse... I wanted to ...
A: If you take an old leaf from the last row of a plant, the time will be much longer than if you take ...
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| african violets | 7/2/2008 | Nancy |
Q: sure hope u can help me with this small problem i have..i have had my av for many yrs.they are doing ...
A: I can't imagine what this could be! It might be eggs left by any number of insects but usually eggs ...
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| white cottony material on violets | 6/11/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have three little violet plants that have been doing quite well. I just noticed today that there ...
A: This sound very much like foliar mealy bugs. Take a Q-Tip, dip it in rubbing alcohol and scrape off ...
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| two colors on one plant | 6/3/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I am new to AV. I bought some tiny starter about quarter size and one is now blooming. the plant has ...
A: A fantasy violet has a solid color with lines, dots, splashes of a different color on the flower. ...
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| two colors on one plant | 6/2/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I am new to AV. I bought some tiny starter about quarter size and one is now blooming. the plant has ...
A: Your plant is a fantasy. Probably the plant is supposed to be pink with dark purple fantasy spots. ...
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| Gloxinia | 6/1/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have had a gloxinia for several years. Every year before it flowers the stem seems to weaken and ...
A: Gloxinia are not my area of expertise although I have grown a few. I suggest you pinch off all ...
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| blooms are drying & dying | 5/30/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I recently took over my Mother in law's African Violet. It had not been watered hardly at all & the ...
A: It sounds like the peat moss in the soil never really got damp. I would take a knife and cut off ...
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| African Violet care when away | 5/22/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I am going to be away for 3 weeks. I want to put dry cleaner plastic bags around my plants. Should I ...
A: You can cut 6X1 inch long strips from old pantyhose or you can use knitting yarn. Stick the wick up ...
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| African Violet care when away | 5/22/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I am going to be away for 3 weeks. I want to put dry cleaner plastic bags around my plants. Should I ...
A: Make a tent so the plastic doesn't contact the plants. That should be all right if you have a ...
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| African Violets | 5/19/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have African Violets that are at least 15 years old!! When they start outgrowing their pots, I ...
A: To begin with, I would take a leaf and start a fresh plant. With the older plant, it can be ...
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| NEW to AVs - pinch off dead blooms? | 5/17/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I received a beautiful trio of AVs as a gift and I've never cared for them before. Is it proper to ...
A: African violets bloom all year long provided they get a good amount of light (no direct sun) water, ...
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| Violet Fertilizers | 5/17/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have used Peter's A.V. Food for years, and my Violets LOVED it!! I ran out awhile back and I ...
A: Peter's Fertilizer Brand was sold. He has now come out with Jack's fertilizer. I have grown AVs ...
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| African Violets | 5/6/2008 | Nancy |
Q: The bottom leaves on several of my plants are turning white. They are flowering and the leaves feel ...
A: This is the natural way for African violets. The last row of leaves will either dry up or rot off ...
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| black specks on african violet | 5/2/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have tiny black specks on my violet, what could this be?
A: This is somewhat hard to answer without seeing the plant. 1. Are the black specks movable? It ...
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| African Violets | 4/30/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have two beautiful African Violets. Can I give these to my daughter for her to plant OUTDOORS.
A: It is possible to grow African violets outside if the weather is not too cool or too hot. Room ...
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| Repotting African Violets | 4/28/2008 | Nancy |
Q: Is it okay to repot my African Violet when it is in full bloom?
A: Yes, you can repot even though the violet is blooming. We prefer to take off blooms after repotting ...
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| droopy leaves | 4/17/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have a wonderful purple/blue violet that blooms its little heart out about this time every year. ...
A: Cathy, Sorry for the delay in answering. It seems my answer did not go through to the end and was ...
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| persian violets | 4/12/2008 | Nancy |
Q: i think i already e-mailed you a question, but put my wrong address. i"m asking about how long ...
A: Persian violets (Exactum) should be kept as annual plants. You can keep them over the winter but a ...
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| persian violets | 4/12/2008 | Nancy |
Q: i buy a persian violet every year when they are available. are they seasonable, or am i doing ...
A: Persian violets should be treated as annuals, that is, once they have lost their vigor, buy a new ...
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| white spots on my AV flowers | 4/4/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have one AV here at work. It is in a north-facing window and has been thriving until recently. ...
A: White spots may be one of three things. Powder mildew: Most often on foliage only. Paint with a ...
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| Avs flowers wilt before blooming | 3/24/2008 | Nancy |
Q: Why my avs's flowers buds wilt before blooming ?
A: Flower buds that wilt before blooming is usually caused because of dry air. The plant needs more ...
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| leaves turning black | 2/26/2008 | Nancy |
Q: . The leaves look strong initially but gradually they turn black and the stem of the leaf has no ...
A: This sounds like a soil problem. Most growers of African violets use a soil less mix on one third ...
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| Potting Soil | 2/26/2008 | Nancy |
Q: .. In a place where we do not get vermiculite and perlite what do you think is the best soil that we ...
A: Vermiculite and perlite lighten the soil. If you can not get this, this is what I suggest: Can you ...
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| Long curly stems - repotting | 2/24/2008 | Nancy |
Q: My African violets are seriously overgrown and threatening to just fall out of their pots. There's ...
A: More than likely you have several crowns, or starts of plants in the one pot. If you let the soil ...
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| Curled up leaves | 2/23/2008 | Nancy |
Q: . I am from India. I have not been able to find anyone here who could help me with my AVs that I am ...
A: Short leaf stems is a genetic problem and can not be "fixed." But you can try a few things to see ...
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| violet pots | 2/22/2008 | Nancy |
Q: How do I clean my pots, I have the self watering kind where one sits in another? They were my ...
A: I recently cleaned one of my self-watering pots, the kind with the ceramic insert. It was stained ...
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| Violets seem to be escaping their pot! | 1/26/2008 | Nancy |
Q: I have six violets that I have managed to keep alive since my mom passed away in 1987. I love them ...
A: Diane, African violets prefer to be repotted about twice a year. This provides fresh soil and ...
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| Propagating AV's, peduncles, and removing old leaves | 1/13/2008 | Nancy |
Q: Hey! 1) I have successfully propagated an African violet leaf. It has roots and new baby leaf growth ...
A: Congrats! You're a new mother! Wait until you see tiny leaves about the size of your fingernail or ...
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| broken stem | 1/11/2008 | Nancy |
Q: My "darling" cat accidentally broke off the entire top part of one of my violets. It was one that I ...
A: This is fairly easy to remedy. Do you have about one inch of trunk where leaves have broken off? ...
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| Repotting african violets | 10/18/2007 | Nancy |
Q: Please give me some information on repotting African violets. I have some that have not been ...
A: African violets should be repotted about twice a year when soil is depleted of nutrients. You can ...
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| Broken stem | 10/5/2007 | Nancy |
Q: I was cleaning off the dead leaves and flowers from one of my plants and the stem broke. Is there a ...
A: Is the stem healthy? If so, you can trim off where it broke off. Some growers perfer to cut the ...
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| Soggy leaves | 10/4/2007 | Nancy |
Q: Ihave two african violets that are developing soggy/water filled leaves on the bottom near the pot. ...
A: These were probably over watered at some time. Just remove the leaves. Repotting will not help ...
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| African violets | 9/5/2007 | Nancy |
Q: Ihave had my AV for 2 years or more, they have NEVER bloomed. I have a grow light on most of them. I ...
A: African violets need a few things before they will agree to bloom for you. First thing is ...
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| Soil mealy mites discovered! | 8/31/2007 | Nancy |
Q: I also have some whitish looking areas on the soil. I brought in a sample to work and looked under ...
A: Suzanne, It's always a relief, isn't it, when we find out exactly which pest we are dealing with. ...
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| AVS Stopped flowering | 8/30/2007 | Nancy |
Q: I have 12 AVs, each a different variety. They have always bloomed prolifically, but about 6-8 weeks ...
A: AVs must have sufficient light, water and fertilizer to bloom. It looks like you have been doing ...
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| heat stress | 8/27/2007 | Nancy |
Q: I wrote a question last week about my drooping AVs. I had mentioned there was new growth in the ...
A: I believe you said the plant was not overly wet? Soggy soil is one of the first symptoms of soil ...
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| droopy leaves due to heat stress? | 8/23/2007 | Nancy |
Q: This summer 3 out of my 4 AV developed droopy leaves. It was quite hot in the house-so heat stress ...
A: It sounds like heat stress on the plants. I would have mentioned soil mealy bugs when you said ...
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| light tan around edge of leaves | 8/16/2007 | Nancy |
Q: some of my african violets leaves have changed color. it starts as a thin line of light tan around a ...
A: Celeste, It is very difficult to diagnose a plant just by description. I have never experienced ...
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| Self-watering pots | 8/11/2007 | Nancy |
Q: My African violets are in self-watering pots for AV's. Recently the plants began wilting and I found ...
A: You must adjust your soil to the new watering conditions. This means using at least one third ...
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