Grasshopper, patience is the vine upon which the fruit of accomplishment hangs.

Or something like that. Join the club. I have leaves from April that haven't popped any babies yet. Some possibilities for delay: Just the way it is, too large a pot, inadequate light.

Korina

I put down leaves in early May, and have just started to see babies on most of them in the last couple of weeks.

Waiting sucks.

depends on the leaf. i had some take exactly 6 weeks, some took a couple-three months.

I've got that beat!!! I put down two leaves for "Sashay" on July 26, 2004 and I am still waiting. Both leaves are looking good, green and healthy, but no babies.

I showed this leaf to my friend Elaine who suggested we cut the top of the leaf off, scrap the stem and repot, which we did a few months ago. Still no Luck!

I'll keep you all posted.

Cork

How long is the leaf stem and how deep did you plant them? I cut my stems no longer than an inch or so and just deep enough so the bottom of the leaf blade is touching the soil...I get babies starting in about a month with this method....hope this helps, Brent :)

I root in a nutrient poor mix--i.e. perlite and vermiculite. If I don't fertilize after the roots start to grow, the process of getting plants takes a lot longer. So, I suggest that for those whose leaves are not sprouting, to consider a very light feeding. If the pots are enclosed, as I always do, then the excess water should be drained off--I sometimes use a turkey baster to get excess water out of enclosed trays, terrariums, etc.

Jon, waiting on dozens of tiny petrocosmea leaves and sections of larger chirita leaves. "Come on guys !"

Okay, after my long delay after my whinging (and my way too busy life...anyone looking for an inexpensive place to live in the East Bay Area?), I must say that I did plant some in some AV potting mix, longer stems than an inch, and the rest of the plant's leaves (yes I killed my AV from the ground up) into vermiculite according to the Rachel's Reflections MO. I planted the first guys into little cocktail cups from solo that are wider at the brim and then the other, younger leaves a few weeks later into a larger, salad tray from Quiznos, with holes punched in the bottom and pure vermiculite. I've not seen anything, but I'm patient :-) I just wanted to kvetch (is that the correct spelling?) and groan about my stupid wait. I placed the solo cups in a salad container from Costco which keeps them rather moist. The others (in the salad container from Q-nos) is in a pyrex without water in the bottom, but I did punch holes in it so that they may take whatever as they need. Humidity seems rather high as they all have a lot of dew on the tops when I look at them. I'm figuring to lose a few leaves, but I'm just dying to see that I'm a success :-) Impatience is not a virtue!!

I did have success a while back with a leaf I placed in a mini violet, self-watering pot (1"). It sprouted little leaves so fast! I'm thinking that Rachel is right to keep the container small! Of course it was not in a place I looked often and I don't remember caring for it much (since I still had the mother plant and it was just a leaf that I took off), so the baby/babies was/were dead from neglect by my own hand.

Ah well, live and learn, but I'm still impatient by nature, especially when it's been over a month!! :-) I'll keep watch and care, take care all and thanks for your responses! I hope to report success someday! Sorry for any and all typos and misspellings, just that I'm way too busy these days with finding a new housemate to care!

minibot!

I've never waited so long for a leaf to sprout babies, I don't think I've ever waited for more than a month. Maybe it's because i plant mine shallow.

I think shallow/small containers and then feeding must be the trick. I'll try feeding them. I saw one little leaf popping up last night! Finally! I'm not used to having to wait for things :-)

minibot

Tonight I cleaned up my neglected African violet shelf, and moved the plants down one shelf, so they can sit next to the leaves that have been in a 'greenhouse' since about May. Then moved the flourescent light down, so everybody will get more light. Not only will it be better for the plants, but it looks better in my living room too.

Thanks for pointing out the lighting factor in why leaves take so long to sprout babies. Mine where two shelves down from the light, about 20-24 inches, now they are only one shelf under the light, which is about 10-12 inches :-) Now I have to fertilize a bit more...

Jean

New to AVs. I have 2, one blooming, one not. So, what I should do is cut a leaf off and put it in a little pot and hope for the best? Then I'll have more AVs?

it takes how long for the leaves like a month or two for them to have baby sprouts? *sigh* ok.

Announcing... a bouncing baby African Violet!! I have my first baby today!! I put the leaves in the 'mini-greenhouse in May,' but didn't have them close enough to the light. Thanks to all you, I corrected things, and we have a baby!! Thanks so much :-)

Jean

Yippee for Jean!!!!

It's so cool when the first little mouse ears appear. It sure makes all the wait worth it. Congrats on the baby, may you have many more!!!

Elaine

Me too, they're finally here after three months of waiting. At least they all survived amazingly enough. I guess it's not the most expeditious way of getting plantlets, but at least I made it work! Thanks all! Now what do I do with plants off of at least 16 leaves?? :-) I just was trying to save a plant I lost to rot and all of the leaves survived.

minibot

My mouse ears are finally starting to reach some size. Just a little bit longer....

I'd been thinking about propogating my collection. I'm considering just beheading them in turns. It goes a lot quicker. And I'm impatient.

~Brambles

plant on the right is the first baby from a variegated NOID leaf i laid down in april of this year. plant on the left is the first baby from one of two Optimara Rhapsodie 'Cora' leaves i laid down in march of this year. the cora leaves sprouted babies in 6 wks; the NOID took at least 12. both plants are in yogurt cups.

i am now hip deep in optimara babies. they're starting to scare me.

{{gwi:368665}}

Those are two fine looking plants and look very happy. I guess "everything in its own time" could be the theme song for growing babies. Your "Cora" violet looks to be a nice strong bloomer. Thanks for sharing your pics. Keep those wading boots on, too!!!

Elaine

suspect i will be giving away a lotta yogurt cups with leaves sticking out of 'em. ;-)

i've got one cora baby in the office--the first person who says "oh what a nice plant!" is getting it. next time my landlady shows up she's getting one too.

the first leaf died finally, but the second one is still growing babies. i guess we should be happy those optimara folks didn't send kudzu or bamboo seeds up in that satellite....

Trade your babies.. go to the Exchange page and see if there is anyone who will trade baby for baby.. this way you can increase your collection.. get rid of some and add some new ones!! It is exciting..!! If you do not want more.. just do not put down any leaves.. but it is so nice to see the young ones coming up.. and especially to share with others!!

Good Luck
Tea

my problem is low expectations: i never expect anything to grow. the NOID was a plant i saw in a window of an office down by where i work; i stuck my head in and asked if i could have a leaf. they thought i was crazy but let me take one. the cora was a plant i bought on impulse, and it got some sort of fungus and started to die so i put two leaves down. i thought "i will be happy if i get one plant out of each of these leaves."

well, i'm probably going to get three out of the NOID, and the cora... well, it's an optimara. you know what they're like. once the rest of the babies start to bloom i'll just hand them out to my family and coworkers. :-)

i've already got 2 dozen orchids; i can't let the AV's get equally out of hand. :-)

Would people really want a NoID AV? Well then I'm off to the trading post to get rid of these babies! :-) I really do love the flowers and the leaves of this NoID that I have. It was a supermarket violet, and I think an Optimara, but I have no way of IDing it as it's so hard to navigate that darned Optimara website! (you can see a not-so-great scan of its flowers and leaves if you do a search here for "scanner" in the AV forum). I'd love to get my hands on a mini or micro mini to grow in an old self watering 1" pot I've had. I wish they'd sell minis at the local nursery.

minibot (whose name has nothing to do with miniatures, just a small botanist :-))

Jill, why didn't you ask?? What variety would you like? I have a bunch of minis and a few micros (they're the ones that would be happy in 1" pots). Check my page for names.

I'd be more than happy to send you some leaves (or a plant?) for postage.

Korina

Why that's mighty kind of you Korina! You will have a Private email soon...notice I've ammended my zonage, until further notice that I'm off a bit :-)

minibot

heh. just gave the first cora baby away.

:-)

I am still waiting on my leaves. I planted them on April 3rd. Still now sign of any babies.

"I am still waiting on my leaves. I planted them on April 3rd. Still now sign of any babies."

Don't start fretting yet--that's really not very long at all.

Sometimes for no known reason, they CAN grow fast--I had mouse ears 11 days after putting a leaf down a few months back, but that was pretty much just a freakout type of occurance... Here's the thread about it

Yannow what they say: "A watched pot never boils."
Find some good TV shows or a nice book to keep you occupied for a while :-)