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whitelacey1

Playful Spectrum

Whitelacey
11 years ago

Has anyone had their 'Playful Spectrum' develop a mind of its own? Every time mine blooms, the color is different. I love this variety, free-blooming and foliage that shapes itself nicely; I just never know what to expect, color-wise. Anyone else have this experience?

Linda

Comments (41)

  • aegis1000
    11 years ago

    Yup ...

    It's not very stable. I wasn't thrilled about mine.

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I guess it's just living up to its name. :)

  • lilypad22
    11 years ago

    I never had one that stayed true to its description.

  • irina_co
    11 years ago

    If you get lucky and see somebody showing PS with good
    colors - try to get a starter from this person. Generally - this one needs to be propagated from suckers, not leaves - and if you put a leaf - keep all your babies to choose the best.

    irina

  • aiharang
    11 years ago

    Hello Irina,

    May I know if playful spectrum is actually a class of av or a particular named av ?

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Playful Spectrum is the name of a variety of African Violet. It is not a class.

    Linda

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Irina,
    If I kept all my babies from a leaf to choose the best, is there a time period to wait to see if it will keep blooming true? The plant I have is a couple of years old and, at first, it bloomed as it should and then it went off on its own. Also, if I were to take a sucker from this plant, as it was originally blooming true, would it be likely to bloom true or revert?
    Linda

  • aiharang
    11 years ago

    Hi Linda,

    Thank you :) that's so interesting. Does this mean the playful spectrum has many many spots then?

    Ben

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Ben,
    Here is the official description of Play Spectrum: Playful Spectrum (P. Sorano) Single-semidouble white fluted star/blue fantasy, wide lavender-pink band. Medium green. Standard. The first picturebelow is what the plant should look like..
    The second picture is the same plant in a different bloom cycle. See how some of the blooms have changed?
    My P.S. is now blooming all pink. The plant is genetically unstable which is frustrating to some who want the plant to be exactly what it is supposed to be and very exciting for others.who enjoy the fun of waiting to see what color it will revert to this time!
    If you google P.S. images, you will see many color variations of the same variety.

    Linda

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Note how some blooms are the original color and some have changed due to genetic instability. Growing conditions are an influence as well.

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Ben,
    Check this out.

    Linda

    Here is a link that might be useful: AVSE Forum

  • aiharang
    11 years ago

    Wow !! Thanks Linda!!! It's soon amazing!!! How I wish I could have one of it hahhaaaa!! Amazing amazing!
    I am now setting up some light stand using LED. Hope to start a three next month when I am ready

    Ben

  • irina_co
    11 years ago

    Linda - if your first -second blooms look right on a young plant - keep it. Usually the older tired plants - even matching the description in the very beginning - start sporting after a year year and half. If you see it is sporting- you can sometimes lop the sporting top - and the suckers undel will have a chance to come right - or take an older leaf which produced a flower that bloomed true - and put it down.
    The changes in blossoms match to changes in a stem tissue - so if you manage to produce progeny form the older part of stem you will recover the true blooming plant material.

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Irina. It sounds like a fun experiment: I might try removing the crown as well as taking a few older leaves and see what happens.
    Linda

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Irina,
    Just a thought: if one wanted to have a Playful Spectrum which bloomed true in their collection at all times, you would have to continually take leaves (or suckers) and start them to ensure this? Is it just taken for granted that P.S. will always sport?
    Linda

  • irina_co
    11 years ago

    Suckers. I would take suckers all the time and root them - it is good plant to have and to share. Same is with Chimeras - I would never kill a sucker of it - I will wait until it is big enough to be rooted.

    It is a good idea not to keep plants over 1.5-2 years old. You can top it and reroot the crown - or restart from a leaf. They just do not bloom that well and susceptible to rot, sporting and they look tired.

    I.

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    All varieties or just Playful Spectrum?

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Reviving this thread here, have you tried Amour Elite, a
    similar patterned and colored Russian variety? Wonder
    if that is more stable? I have had chimeras
    revert to one or the other of the parent colors, as well
    as fantasies having fewer speckles with successive
    blooming cycles. Also, blossoms that were supposed to have hints of other colors revert to solids. And blooms
    that were originally tightly curled and double revert
    to flat, single stars. Most of these have come from the
    same grower. But perhaps it can happen with any
    hybrid from any grower. It just makes me think of genetics
    when one never knows what or who one's human offspring
    will resemble. When you think of all the
    generations of violets that preceded the creation of
    this complicated pattern, I suppose, "anything goes."
    Maybe it should be called "Simply Shocking."
    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Joanne,

    I do think the instability is due to all the hybridizing that has occurred with this plant. When I started growing in the olden days, I never heard the word 'sport' in reference to AV's. Now they are popping up everywhere.

    I have Amour Elite and have not had it revert or sport.

    Linda

  • wendycoo
    10 years ago

    Is there any growing techniques that can minimize sporting? How do the commercial growers keep their collection true?
    Wendy/sk

  • irina_co
    10 years ago

    Probably chuck the sports the moment they see them.
    The best way to prevent sports - is to maintain consistent good culture. Any kind of stress promotes sporting. Old age - promotes sporting. So - every so often you need to restart your plant from a leaf - or sucker - for chimeras - keep several of them until they bloom - and select the best most typical one. Every so often you get a super sport - worth keeping and naming - like the fantasy turns chimera. The ones that are not conforming - should become presents to "lay" people. I put them on a separate shelf, grow to good size - and they go to my Mom's friends in Senior apartments.

    I.

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Hi Linda
    Thanks for the tip on Amour Elite. There was a time
    when I simply could not make up my mind which one
    to choose. So you have answered my question!
    I prefer the AVs to bloom as true as possible.

    Irina, you crack me up, "lay people." Indeed!
    We have all joined the brotherhood/sisterhood of
    the Alchemical Chimericals! Because I seem to
    prefer the more predictable, less fantastical varieties,
    perhaps there is a subset of newer converts, the
    Orthodox Violet Growers Sect.

    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Joanne,

    Perhaps the 'Hippy Dippy Violet Growers Sect" for those of us that like our violets a bit on the unpredictable side???

    Linda ;)

  • bragu_DSM 5
    10 years ago

    hippy ... dippy ...doodle ... 'MOB'

    or ... for Irina ... MOG.... mine was ... FOG ... in May ...

    bwah ha ha!

    dave (FOG)

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    I get it, Tie-dyed violets.
    Doesn't Ionantha mean "fairy-like?"
    I think I read that somewhere.
    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ionantha means 'violet like' hence the common name of African Violet.

    Linda

  • irina_co
    10 years ago

    Dave ...with your creative use of acronyms...you get me confused - and it is not TGIF yet.

    MOB - Mail Order Bride
    FOG - Frigging Opportunity for Growth
    MOG - Messenger of God - is it you, Dave?

    Irina, totally tie-dyed

  • bragu_DSM 5
    10 years ago

    MOB => Mother of Bride
    MOG => Mother of Groom
    FOG => Father of Groom
    FOB => the thing one's pocket watch hangs from

    and then there's the princess bride acronym

    ROUS => rodents of unusual size ....

    seems many of us are having or will have had experiences in this realm this year.

    dave (in a perpetual state of fog ...not the groom type)

    I really like the playful spectrum thread name

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Please tell me MOG is not Dave. Please...

    Linda, totally dazed and confused

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Laffin' out loud, LOL or is it ROFL? truly!

    Hey, Linda, have you done any hybridizing?!
    Irina? Dave?

    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I have a daughter. Does that count? heeheehee

    Linda

  • bragu_DSM 5
    10 years ago

    yes, we breed for ... world domination

    but it skips a generation

    dave (a.k.a. 'skippy')

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I believe that goes without saying....

    Linda WDIT

  • irina_co
    10 years ago

    Somebody hybridized this double blossomed triple charging lawyer of Dave...Sounds like an intergeneric cross.

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    or intergalactic curse ... as this conversation is over my
    head! way over ...
    Yes, Linda, daughters count, for sure!
    We're empty nesters (ENs) here, not home enough
    for dogs, developed allergy to cats (sad, I know), hence
    the indulgence in violet frenzy.
    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    EN here, as well. Addicted to plants, dogs, travel and red sports cars.

    Linda

  • 1beautylover2012
    10 years ago

    Linda, enjoy photos of Playful Spectrum that I took at Cincinnati show this year. It's the best Playful Spectrum I've seen

    {{gwi:359384}}

    This post was edited by 1beautylover2012 on Sat, Oct 26, 13 at 22:55

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    1BL
    LOVE IT! I will try to print a copy from my screen one
    of these days. Changes my entire attitude towards
    chimeras/fantasies.
    I have one labelled "Kohleria HCY's Jardin de Monet 02/03/10 bf" from Violet Barn that is the same color
    combination as the pic above and triple petals, but more speckled than swirls as in the photo. It is an AV, not a
    kohleria (I think). I don't recall ordering it specifically,
    but I must have.

    There is an LLG called Bold Party Girl, I don't have it,
    they are out of stock. However, if I recall, it has a similar color pattern.

    Linda
    Wow, red sports car!!! Life in the fun lane! My travel is more
    prosaic, visiting the kids and grands. Guess I should check to weather in "Chicagoland" as Annie on the podcasts refers to it. It is probably brrrr!
    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Lina,

    Beautiful pictures! Your photography is awesome. That PS is very different from any I have seen. I wonder if it blooms this way every time. I missed the CIncy show this year as I was still recovering but I'm looking forward to next year.

    Joanne,

    Make that 2 red sports cars! ;)

    Linda

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Linda, Of course, one must always have a "spare,"
    just like a back-up violet! One never knows when
    one's red car might "sport!"

    I saw in LLG on-line catalog an AV same color scheme as the PS above, called "Grandpa's Smile." That must be for FOG.

    Joanne

  • irina_co
    10 years ago

    Polina posted a gorgeous pic of Playful Spectrum SPORT.

    Playful Spectrum (P. Sorano) Single-semidouble white fluted star/blue fantasy, wide lavender-pink band. Medium green.

    I would move this plant to the sport category - and gave it the best.

    Irina

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