I've been browsing this forum all day and its been a wealth of information.

I just want to say how excited I am to have found African Violets. I'm very new to the gardening (Coleus was my first love) and have absolutely fallen in love with the African Violet.

I ordered 4, 1 plant and 3 leaves.
Rainy Day Lovin
Summer Comfort
Solemn Promise
Cranberry Crush

I have a couple days to get pots and stuff together. I can't wait!

I have a quick question. I've done so much reading that I'm getting confused. Some websites say to root your leaves in water and then move them to potting mix, other say directly into potting mix.

Once I get my leaves, what should I put them in? Also, if I put them in a dome like tray for humidity should I open every couple days to refresh the oxygen? Oh and if I do go directly to potting mix should I wick them?

I'm sorry if these are silly questions. I'm very new to all things plants.

Rosie -

I use soil, not water. Your potting mix for the leaves should be very light. You can use Promix BX or Promix HP or seed starter mix or rehydrate a Jiffy pellet and fluff it up. I use 1:1:1 general Cornell mix (peat-perlite-vermiculite) - works too.

The trick is to have the soil barely wet and air very humid. Dome is good and no, you do not need to let the extra oxygen in. I usually throw a piece of a wet acrylic blanket on the bottom of the tray, put all my cuttings in solo cups with wicks and close the dome. I open it every 2 weeks to add water to the blanket and it works as a charm - they all root and give me more babies than I need.

But I think the factor is how fresh leaves are - the sent leaves take longer and do not give that many babies. A friend of mine makes a bowl of tepid water with a pinch of sugar and gives the leaves she got from the mail a 20-30 minutes soak to rehydrate them. Than you recut the stem with a razor blade - and stick it in the soil.

Regarding different methods - there is more ways than one, you try them and choose what you like.

Irina

This is ridiculous. I'm chomping at the bit waiting for my plants and leaves to come and I'm already shopping for more.
I suppose its cheaper that a jewelry addiction.

Rosie

:D

(I'm also new to AVs and am also waiting impatiently for my first two mail-order plants to arrive)

you actually need both and a good size basement.

At some point you figure out that the best AVs only can be grown under the lights. Here comes the basement - because all the stands are not fitting into the living place upstairs and family complains that the light from the plant stands interferes with the ball game watching... The next thing you realize that there are plenty of AV gesneriad cousins you want to grow too and they are too tall to grow on shelves plus you need to hang some - like 15-20 baskets with columneas and other gessie vines and you need good windows for it. Sunroom will work too. That's how the hobby takes over...

Irina

What she said -- Andrew