Linda - I really do not like your AV potting soil. Seems to have a lot of stuff that doesn't belong. Bark and sphagnum moss in particular. It will be too heavy and will retain a lot of water. The best mix has 1:1:1 peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. If I would be stuck with the AV mixture you have - I would seave it to remove bark and sphagnum as much as possible - and add at least of 1/3 of perlite, preferrably medium coarse.Then you need to add water to it - I probably would put aside a pint of soil, add a cup of boiling water, mix and let it sit overnight. Important - size of the pot shouldn't be more than 1/3 of the leaf span and try to remove as much of the old soil as possible - it is probably way too heavy for AV. You can wash it off in a sink with a lukewarm water - just put something under to catch the dirt before it clogs the drain.

These arrangements often include plants with different growing requirements - so after it starts looking tired - it is a good idea to separate the neighbors.

Good Luck

Irina

Thank you Irina. Yes I am going to transplant all the plants in the planter. I have a fairly green thumb but it has been so many years since I've had an AV so I thought I'd check here for some good advice first before moving it. Of course, I'm kind of puzzled a little. I had read an article saying to use sphagnum instead of the peat. So I purposely got the sphagnum. :-)
Again, thanks for the information !!

I use sphagnum a lot but not on my violets. Whatever gesneriads have tubers or rhizomes - Kohleria, Sinningia - you probably familiar with it as a florist Gloxinia, Achimenes etc - they just love so called "dirty moss" - mix of 1:1:1 plus milled sphagnum.

But for whatever reason - fibrous rooted gesneriads - including AV - do better without it.

I think you will be OK if you really lighten up the soil with perlite. If you have a nursery where they sell perlite for Orchids - they probably have a medium coarse one - I would say the grain size of 1/8". And be careful on the watering - sphagnum can take a lot of water - and violets do not take it well if it is too wet. Second issue = sphagnum and bark can acidify the soil - and it needs to be about 6.5 Ph. With commercial mix - you do not know what the Ph, hopefully neutral, but you wet it, bark and peat and sphagnum start decomposing - and it can go down fast - which is not good.

Linda - green fingers - usually forever - do not let the gift to be wasted! Go for it!

Irina