|
| Hi, I have several AVs and I want to get them in shape. Other than watering I've never really done much with them and they are getting out of control. Several are 3 sided and while they look lovely in bloom I would like to see them shape up. I posted pics of my babies in the gallery and I hope you enjoy them, but I need good advice before I start butchering healthy plants!
Thanks,
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by organic_bandit (My Page) on Sun, Jun 24, 07 at 12:29
| We are going to go out and get all new pots for the babies since they all need smaller pots and new soil though I'll have a problem asking for that. Wish me luck. The larger plants I'm going to divide and attempt to create several plants. I know I'll end up with good leaves left over and I'd like to send those to my mom, best ways to ship them? My idea is to wrap them in damp paper towel, stick in ziplock and post them off, will that work? This would be international. My poor babies, stuck in potting soil and lost in huge pots, they bloom nice though :) |
|
- Posted by fred_hill (fredchill@worldnet.att.net) on Sun, Jun 24, 07 at 18:36
| Hi OB, When you are repotting keep in mind that the pot should be about 1/3 the size of the crown of the plant. Since AV's like a light loose soil, I mix 1 part AV soil, 1 part coarse vermiculite and 1 part coarse perlite. i put the plant in the pot and cover the neck completely. I do not pack the soil down, I simply tap the pot on the surface of the table to settle it. Remember that the crown of the plant when properly groomed should look like the spokes on a bicycle. If the plant is tiny with just a few leaves I use 3oz. plastic cups to put them in. I snip off two pieces of plastic at the bottom for drainage. Hope this helps. Fred in NJ |
|
- Posted by organic_bandit (My Page) on Mon, Jun 25, 07 at 5:45
| Thank you Fred, I know this sounds REALLY silly, but do you know where I can find pictures of the av soil, perlite and vermiculite? I have no idea what it looks like so I don't know if what I get will be right - I live in The Netherlands and my dutch is AWFUL! I'll be dealing with clueless teenagers as well, if the joy of shopping wasn't great enough... *Think possitive* they will probably have AVs in colors I don't have - more chimeras yay! and the prices of AVs are way way better here so as long as I don't bring hubby I could go stupid with 20 bucks and planting them in MUCH smaller pots means more room for bloomin' babies :D I'm also trying to make baby chimeras from the bloom stalks, do I just shove them in the ground and keep moist same as the leaves? |
|
| here' s a pic of perlite: http://www.online-hydroponics.com/perlite.html, and here's vermiculite: http://www.online-hydroponics.com/vermiculite.html |
|
- Posted by organic_bandit (My Page) on Mon, Jun 25, 07 at 17:01
| Thank you Alenka :) After looking it up online I found that its sold almost the same as in english so I am in luck there. Now I just need to know the difference between AV soil and potting soil? There there a difference and would it matter if I used regular potting soil in the mix? I think that alone would be a big improvement for them - Heather |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the African Violets Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.