Dora, when you are grooming, do you use a brush or other method for cleaning the leaves? I've read everything from makeup brushes to dunking the leaves in water (making sure not to leave spots of water and to keep the crown dry) to using another leaf to groom.

When I refer to grooming, I am mostly speaking to removing older leaves, potting down or repotting and spearating suckers or multiple plants in a cup/pot. The leaves do need to be dusted off and I use a makeup brush for that.

I also give my violets a warm water bath every 4-6 months or so. I put a few of them in my big sink, get the water a warm temp that I like and spray them with my sprayer for a minute or two.

I have been travling so much the past 4 months that my violets are showing signs of neglect. I've been working to get caught up with all of them and get back to where I want to be. Since I'm growing for a sale to be held in late September, I'm working on over 200 plants right now and I am committed to the quality of what I'll be offering.

I've never "dunked" but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done. It just means that I don't do it.

Dora

Filbert "comb" brushes are great for cleaning off AV leaves, removing fuzz, stray pet hairs etc. You can find them at Michaels arts & crafts stores, look for the Royal Soft Grip brand, very cheap. The brush has a rounded dome shape with some hairs extending past the dome, it is used for painting grass and animal fur, but the way the bristles are makes it great for getting stuff off of leaves.

I have found that a handy tool in getting debris and dust off the leaves of violets is a turkey baster. Some folks use it for getting just the right amount of water into the pot, but I have found that you can also use it to lightly blow debris off the leaves especially those small new and hard to get to leaves around the center crown of the plant.

Curtis