I am guessing that you would plant the mother leaf face down on top of your potting mix of 60:40 perlite:vermiculite. Allow the mother leaf to be just barely buried, with the sprouts above ground. Then cut off the stem. But let's wait until Linda weighs in. Take more photos, it would be something for the AVSA mag

Sue,

I have one that is doing the same thing except it is where the petiole meets the leaf toward the front. It happens.

Can you get a clearer picture? Then I would be able to tell you how to manage this renegade.

Linda

Is this better? I'll try a couple different angles. Thanks. Sue

One more shot.

Again.

Was it very humid where it was growing? That might have accounted for it.

No, I've never had it happen. I'd probably just try to move it around so they got some light.

Diana

Sue,

When it is big enough to handle, remove it and root as you would a sucker. You can put the leaf back and see if it will grow more babies. Sometimes there is a nick or a break in the leaf and the babies will grow there. I have also had them grow on the petiole.

Linda

Thank you Ladies! It doesn't show on these pics, but the mother seems to be drying up. I have 2 leaves from this violet, but the other one is normal. It may be interesting to see how the babies compare. This mother looked like she was sunburned in the spot where the leaves are, but since she was rooted, I went ahead and planted her.
Diane, are you not supposed to keep them in a humid place when you try this? I thought it was important to do so.
Thanks for the advice.
Sue

Humidity is a good thing when rooting leaves. It keeps them from drying out as well as eliminating the need to water frequently. They have no roots to sustain them so too much water loss is a serious problem. It is one of the reasons leaves are bagged or put under a dome.

Have you rooted suckers in the past?

Linda

Yes, the humidity is a good thing, Sue. However high humidity occasionally results in things like roots forming along the stem of a plant (well that's what the vendor called it).

I thought it might also account for the babies coming on the leaf instead of up from the stem. I had thought the same as Linda that there was probably an injury there.

You are right, Mama doesn't look good. Are the babies attached to healthy tissue? If so, I would probably try to trim the dying tissue off if it wouldn't hurt the babies.

I have a pot full of suckers from a chimera that has gone "off." Some of them have only two leaves and they are hanging in there so far. They're under a plastic bag.

Another idea to try would be to trim the bad, cut mom off so the part with the plantlets can touch the rooting mix and then cover. I think I'd try that unless the part of the leaf the plantlets are on is dying.

Diana in PA

Thanks so much for the ideas. I have the little cup sitting in a clear plastic box with a lid, with several other cups. Sometimes I take the lid off and let them breathe a bit. I think I'll see if this baby will grow just a little before I change it, unless the mother rots quickly. Unless I get too impatient.....

Yes, Linda, I have rooted a few suckers. Do you have a great method? I've learned a lot from all of you. I'm so glad I found this forum!

Thinking further along the injury line-is the leaf rotting where the babies are? If so, there probably was a nick or slice there which encouraged the babies and the rot.

Leave them on the leaf as long as you can and as long as they are growing well. As Diana says, since the leaf is dying off, you could probably bury the petiole up to the crown of the baby and it should root the same as if you had separated it from the mother leaf. This would be good as there would be no trauma of separation.

If you have rooted suckers before just follow what you have done in the past. No secrets-I just use my regular soil and dome it as I would leaves.

What variety is this troublemaker?

Linda

OK. I hope this will meet with your approval. I used the yogurt cups I've had good results with. I made sure there was soil up against the baby, and I'll cover it with the dome and see what happens.

Ummm...it's a noid from a friend...would you like a leaf? Giggle

Thanks again. Sue

How interesting! I have never seen one do that before! Neato!

Yes, it certainly looked like the mother leaf has had it and won't hang on much longer. So glad you planted it. (And so glad it was not a leaf I sent you!) The mother leaf was deteriorated. Sometimes that happens after they reproduce. Do keep us posted and let us know if it "takes." Joanne

You did say the leaf was rooted, didn't you? That should help a bit. Make sure your little plant is pushed into the soil just a bit so proper roots can form. Too deep and your crown could rot.

It looks good, though! Aren't violets interesting? Make sure you keep us up-dated.

Linda

Here's an update on my renegade.:) I think it's doing quite well, all things considered. In the foreground, there's a new tiny cluster of leaves sprouting from the roots of the mother leaf. I'm amazed that she looks good, and has such energy to put into reproduction.
Sue

Excellent!

Awesome! Good job!

Linda

Here's an update on my renegade.:) I think it's doing quite well, all things considered. In the foreground, there's a new tiny cluster of leaves sprouting from the roots of the mother leaf. I'm amazed that she looks good, and has such energy to put into reproduction.
Sue

{{!gwi}}

Don't know how this got posted twice. Picture isn't showing on my screen. Strange.

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by SueOK on Thu, Jul 24, 14 at 14:30