This looks like fertilizer burn. Do you top water your plants? I have found that bottom watering prevents fertilizer salts from building up on the crown and the top of the soil.

Wash the salts off according to the instructions in the attached link. If any crowns end up dying, the plant will start growing suckers. You can choose one to be the new crown or wait until the suckers are all big enough to be potted on their own and have a bunch of new plants!

Here is a link that might be useful: Fertilizer Burn info and photo

Hi mooseblossoms,
Thanks for the reply.
I top water but I make sure I don't get water in the crown.
I'll look at the link. I didn't think I over fertilized. I just used 7 drops in a quart of water.
Maybe the grower over fertilized?
I sure hope that my violets are ok....

I second that idea. Did you plant in a bagged soil mix? Some of them come with fertilizer added.

Linda

Hi Linda,
No I don't use that. I just have the plain African violet mix.
Maybe the grower uses that kind.? My other violets don't have the burned leaves.
I have not repotted yet. I have to wait, since all the violets are new arrivals.
I'll rinse off Halo's Aglitter's leaves tomorrow.
Thank you both for the help.
(Now I'm wondering what is chewing on the leaves of some other violets. I've seen a few gnats, so probably those are the culprits.)

G -

Gnats do not chew leaves. Thrips do. Cats do too. Caterpillars do, miice do chew.

You need to leach your pots - just run plain lukewarm water in a sink through the pots until the water runs clear. Blot the leaves with a paper towel and let them dry before exposing them to the light.

Watering from the top or watering from the bottom... no matter what you need to wash and leach them every so often., They like the shower - don't you too? Removes the dust and gives them a fresh feeling ;-)).

Your plain African violet mix - did you mix it yourself or bought it? if you bought it - it is preloaded with fert. And it needs perlite to be added.

Anyway - you do not have virus - and the plant will grow out of this burn no problem.

Your plant looks quite healthy - it is just to young to consume all the goodies. Altrernate your fertilizer with plain water for now.

Good Luck

Irina

If you just got these violets, ... you should wait a month or two before fertilizing.

You can run water through the potted soil ... to wash out excessive fertilizer, but I don't know if your crown is going to make it, ... so you might want to remove a peripheral leaf to propagate a new plant.

I have experience with overfertilized plants. I don't know that many of these recover.

Jenn,

What fertilizer are you using? Also, even though your culture will affect your violets over-all in the same manner, remember that each plant is an individual. So, while most of your violets will respond in a certain way, there will always be that one that doesn't-ex. only one of your violets is showing odd symptoms while the rest are fine. This knowledge, I think, saves a lot of 'head banging on the wall, what am I doing wrong'. Sometimes you do everything correctly and you have a plant that never is, and never will be, happy. (I give mine to my mother-in-law. Hee-hee-hee).
Can you give us a better picture of the holes in the leaves?

Linda

It looks just like the ones I had fertilzer burn on. I was also very careful, but still had the problem on a few. Take a Q-tip and dip it in warm water and gently rub the rusty areas. You should see a yellowish or rusty coloration come off on the Q-tip. I also think your plant will outgrow this. If your African Violet soil is the Miracle Gro brand, it has fert in it.

I'm having trouble downloading the photo of the other violet's leaf damage. I'll try again.
I'll try the q tip method on Halo. The violet looks a lot better now, but still some "stuff" there .
I'm aware that the Miracle Gro brand has fertilizer in it.
gesjenn

Wash me, wash me!

The leaves are so dirty - it just tells me that this plant took a tumble at some point. It is a mechanical damage on leaves... Ignore them and with time remove old and tired lower leaves.

Put this baby in a sink and give it a lukewarm shower. Some people even spray them with a very weak solution of Dawn soap and then rinse them. Blot the water and let it dry before returning to the light. It will be so happy!

Irina

HI
LOL, I know.
I tried to rinse it earlier, but the dirt wasn't coming off very well. I didn't want to disturb the new plant
I'll do that now.
I guess i'm having the new violet "jitters"....
gesjenn

I think the reality of INVS has us all a little jittery...

Linda

Buy an inexpensive facial brush and brush the dirt off, then wash the plants.

It is not INSV. The virus damage is first seen on the flowers - they get distorted, the colors are off, then you get distorted leaves with blotches of light green on the dark green. It is so disfiguring - there is no guessing about it.

Irina