Hi New2,

First of all welcome. Yes, they are suckers alright. Suckers are basically extra crowns. You will need to remove those. You can either try to save them and make another violet or just cut them out and throw them away. Since you're a newbie I would imagine that you would want to try to propagate another violet with them. lol if you are going to save the sucker you will need something like a small penknife. The gear out where the mother plant in this in the sucker begins. That can a little difficult if you have never dealt with suckers. There is no better time than the present as they say. Now cut the little plantlet (which is what a sucker is) out.

The new plantlet can be rooted. It is best to have a potting medium for the next step. Or you could take a regular African violet soil and mix it 1:1 perlite. Wet the soil, but not to wet. You should not be able to squeeze any water out of the soil if you put it in your hand. If you don't have any perlite just make sure the soil is not soggy. Fill the flowerpot with soil and make a small indentation in the top of the soil. Lay the sucker in that indentation. I always like to stabilize the sucker with something so that it doesn't work its way out of the indentation. I take paper clips and opened them up so that they are in a U-shape. I've then pin down a couple of leaves to keep the plantlet stable. Now put the flowerpot and plantlet into a gallon sized clear plastic bag. Put the bag in a well lit area, but for goodness sakes not in any direct sunlight. It will cook the little plant. Leave it in a bag for about a month. That is how long it takes for a root system to develop. When a month is up opened the bag slightly for 24 hours and then take the plant out the next day. You will have a new violet.

I hope this helps,

Larry

Hello Larry,

Thank you so much for the advice. :) It does help a whole lot. One other question I have though is how do I tell suckers apart from normal growing leaves? How do I know which to cut? Also, some are larger, and I am not sure if these are suckers as well. Lastly, how far would I cut it down? I'm assuming at the point of growth? I do plan to propagate other violets. :) Just need a little boost, lol.

Also, is there any way to "fix" a violet that is growing upwards a bit? (this is explained in my above post why)

Thank you again so much. This is the first plant I've ever really taken interest to and hope to have it for many more years!

Thanks,
Brittney

Hi Brittney,

How do you tell we're a sucker begins? That isn't real easy. The leaves around the sucker should all be spiraling around a center of small leaves. It will very much look like the main crown of the plant.

Some what are larger? Do me the leaves around the sucker or do you mean the sucker itself? I'm assuming you're talking about the sucker itself. They can get quite large, as large as the original plant.

The depth that you cut should be just enough so that you get at least three or four of the leaves of the sucker. Any less than that and you will not have a viable plantlet to propagate.

As far as the leaves that are sticking up, they should come back down again when the sucker is gone. The sucker is what is pushing the leaves up. If the sucker is big enough the leaves may never come down. That is why it is important to get rid of sucker's early. It can really wreck the symmetry of the mother plant.

Larry

Hello again Larry : ),

I think I may just be having trouble understanding. This is all new to me. What I meant was some of the leaves that may or may not be part of the sucker, are larger than the smaller leaves but still small in size. (if that makes sense?) In other words, the leaves I am speaking of are about medium in size and I am unsure if they are normal growths. I also don't notice them having their own crown, though I do notice the smaller leaves in a group. They just appear to me to be a part of the mother plant's crown. I think I may be seeing it wrong. I just don't wanna start cutting and be cutting away from my main plant's crown. Maybe have a site that shows a deminstration of cutting of suckers? Or maybe a good picture of the crown of a sucker?

Thank you again.

Brittney

Hi Brittney,

I am also having a little trouble figuring out what you are trying to convey. If I understand you correctly you are talking about an odd sized leaf here and there that is not the same size as the one next to it. Even if that isn't what you're talking about, my same answer would still be that African violets don't necessarily produce the same size leaves all the time. Even healthy ones. Throw in the fact that you have suckers that are contributing to the size of the leaves. Your plant looks very healthy. I wouldn't worry about the general health of the plant or about a few leaves that don't seem to belong. The next thing you need to do is get rid of those extra crowns. You will find the mother plant becoming more symmetrical after that happens.

The fact that you have so many suckers forming may mean that your plant just has a propensity for producing them. After you have propagated a couple of these plantlets, for fun, you should be on the lookout for more suckers forming. Then I would suggest that you take tweezers and nip them in the bud, no pun intended (well maybe a little). If you have any other questions or don't understand by all means don't be shy. Ask away.

In the meantime, good luck with your project.

Larry

PS - Unfortunately I don't know of a web site that has a good picture of a sucker. Maybe someone else does. If I had a violet that had a sucker I could take a picture, but I don't have one in the time. Identifying where a sucker stops in the mother plant begins is almost an art. You will get better at it as time goes on.

Alright, I did some test snipping and am so hoping I did not mess it up. (it's not noticable, but if I missed the suckers that means more trimming, lol) I am so greatful that you have been taking so much time to help me out. I am just having so much trouble understanding. I did find a picture of suckers on the AVSA website, and I think I have an idea. I still cannot see the conecting area(crown) for these suckers. I am so angry at myself because I cannot get this. :(

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Chin_gal/IM000096Custom.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Chin_gal/IM000098Custom.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Chin_gal/IM000101Custom.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/Chin_gal/IM000103Custom.jpg

Hi Brittney,

You are welcome. That is part of the fun of belonging to these forums. :o) Don't feel bad that you are having trouble with this. Suckers not easy to deal with. Maybe when you get a few more violets and have one to experiment with you can let a violet with multiple crowns to fully develop. That way you can see a little better about what's going on.

In the meantime enjoy your violet. You did a very nice job of cleaning it up. The plant looks good. I see a few leaves that are pointing in the wrong direction. I.e. They are interfering with the symmetry of the rosette that standard violets have. Feel free to remove those leaves that are pointed in the wrong direction. They are leftovers from the suckers you have done such a good job removing.

Congratulations,

Larry

Brittney, here's a link to a neat web site; this is a photo of a sucker. Hope it helps.

Korina
PS Rachel's site is *well* worth bookmarking; lots of cultural info, with pics!

Here is a link that might be useful: Rachel's Reflections -- sucker

Thanks Korina,

I looked on Rachel's site, but couldn't find that picture. Yes, Rachel's Reflections is a very good site for newbies and anyone else for that matter.

Larry

Larry, if you scroll down Rachel's main page, in the far right column is a link labeled, "sucker" picture. That's it.

Korina
Embrace the confusion.

Thank you so much you two! :)

Sorry I haven't been on. I have been very busy. My african violet is doing great. ;)Thank you so much for the site, it does help a whole lot. :)

Thanks again!
Brittney

So is this link to Rachel's Reflections still there? Everytime I try to go to it when someone mentions it...all I get is a site where they list dealers for violets and all sorts of other stuff.

Hey Jen, I was having same problem till I read IS IT A GONER posted by bunnygurl, June 10. In Fred Hill's response just click on his Violet Reflections. It should take you there. Good luck.