Velleta - it depends on how much money you are going to spend on this one violet. If you get access to Forbid - it is sold on ebay- I think the minimum amount about 1/4-1/2 which is more than plenty to cover 1000 plants - and it cost about $27. I think you need 1/8 teaspoon per quart - which is enough to spray probably 30 of them. One spray - tops -bottoms - nooks- crannies - and mites are history.

What I will do - save several medium size good leaves, chuck the violet - start the leaves to get new babies - exactly like the mother plant. To kill the mites - I would soak the leaves in 1/4 solution of Clorox or alcohol for 5 min, get them out - recut - and put them down - in soil, in water - something will definitely give your friend results.

Cost nothing, gives you tons of plants.

Good Luck

I,

Thanks irina I called a farm store and they swore to me I could use Newmectin it is labeled for mites. Forbid I don't think I can get here. They said three different applications wold do it at four days intervals. I think that is her best bet at the moment. She was next to tears when I told her she might have to get rid of it she told me it was her moms and it was the only thing that welcomed her home during the sad days. :). I hope I can help her to save it. It broke my heart to see her so sad and worried. Thanks again. Velleta. I will try to get a pic of it tomorrow so that you can help me to decide if its mites.

She should take some leaf cuttings anyways, for sure!! It's not hard...it's worth trying if the plant was her moms, I can relate to that :)

Hi Irina, becky, this is a pic of what the crown looks like its a bit foggy but I hope you can see it. I am a newby to A.V but from what I have read this looks a lot like mites. I will post another pic in another post( don't know how to send multiple pics) :) velleta

This is another crown. All the crowns look like this and it has about 4-5. The plant outer leaves look fine, just the center. And maybe if I was not snoopy :) I wold not have notice. But I have learnt from all the wonderful growers here that this is one of the first thing you look for on a A.V. A normal crown so I took it on myself to ask my wider family here for advise. So what do yo all think? Velleta

Velleta,

It's a bit difficult to tell from the pictures, but mites produce a crown that is gnarly, hard and twisted and this doesn't look that way. Is the plant blooming? Is she fertilizing? Improper fertilizing can affect the crown-a zinc deficiency will result in smaller leaves in the crown.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Mite damage

Velleta,

Here's a good site for diagnosing problems.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Doctor Optimara

Velletta -

I agree with Linda - it doesn't look like mites. It probably needs to be cleaned, lower leaves removed, repotted into fresh soil - more perlite please. It seems that it is low on fertilizer and light. So=no bugs, just culture issues.
I.

Guys, I am so happy to know no mites. But I ask about the fertilizing and she said yes with each watering using 20-20-20. A little in the water. Could it be caused by using the wrong soil? How do you go about treating a zinc deffency LINDA? And will it grow out after correcting the issues? I know its a lot of question but I am new to violets and would not like these issues developing with mine. Velleta.

Oh sorry Linda, no blooms she said the last bloom was in April of this year. So about 5 months ago, is that normal ? Velleta

Oh sorry Linda, no blooms she said the last bloom was in April of this year. So about 5 months ago, is that normal ? Velleta

Velleta,

First-don't apologize for asking questions!!! It's how we all started with violets-questions, questions, questions!!!

Fertilizer for violets should be: non-urea based nitrogen. It will state on the label if it is or not.
Even numbers of N-P-K. Those are the numbers on the package. (Nitrogen-for foliage growth, Phosphorous for blooming and roots, Potassium for overall health and disease resistance).
Used at about one half of the stated dosage, (Weekly, weakly. Or weakly, weekly whichever you prefer!)
Once a month or so, leach your plants with fresh water. Allow the water to run freely through the pot. This removes fertilizer build-up which can harm plants.
And--make sure your fertilizer has micro-nutrients in addition to N-P-K. Because the other nutrients are called 'micro' some people assume that they are unimportant and therefore not really necessary. This is incorrect: they are needed but in smaller amounts than the macros.
A plant will resume normal growth when fertilizer issues are corrected although the smaller leaves will remain small. You just have to wait until it all grows out.
I agree with Irina-re-potting, (when was the last time this plant was re-potted? Plant need fresh soil to grow well), lighter soil and more light should do wonders.

Linda

Velleta,

If this plant is suffering from fertilizer and light issues, correcting them should get ti blooming again. Again, I agree with Irina-no blooms and bad crowns-culture issues.

Linda

One more question linda. She said she uses 20-20-20 like myself so should she change it or get another to alternate. I am really a person that works with very stright answers I call myself( thick scull) meaning hard to understand. LOL. Or add a bit more of the 20-20-20. How mch would you add to a gallon of water. Or shoud we try to get one that made especially for A.V. Velleta

Velleta,

You do not need to get a fertilizer specifically for African Violets. You just need one that is balanced-10-10-10-for example. It sounds as though your friend is already using a balanced fertilizer. The only advantage to buying a fertilizer made for violets is that it would (hopefully) be a non-urea based nitrogen. Urea is a cheap form of nitrogen and it is used in most fertilizers. It will, however, burn violet's roots so it should be avoided. Jack's African Violet Food and Dyna-Gro are both good AV fertilizers and both are on E-Bay if you can't find them locally. Optimara also makes a good fertilizer. Alternating is also a good practice.
Use about 1/4 strength of the recommended amount for three weeks and then clear water the fourth. Leaching about once a month is also a good practice.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Linda

Thanks Linda, as always your a very big help. Velleta.

Please help I'm not sure if it us mites but the live in the soil about an inch from the surface up and they are so tiny I almost couldn't see them if when I.moved the soil with my finger it looked like it was crawling...ugh! Please help I have not had much luck propagating Av's and do not want to just loose them I have lost one and my mother gave them to me I don't want to disappoint her.

I've had this violet for awhile now, but the leaves were always like this. After reading this thread, it makes me wonder if this may be a sign of mites?

It has been happily blooming, but seems to be growing slowly since I removed a sucker and re-potted it. Any ideas on if this is mites? Are there any organic pesticides that would work to treat and/or prevent mites?

Lun,

I see no trace of mite damage. Check out the site I have posted above. Mite damage is very obvious and will affect your blooms as well.

Linda

LunR,

More than likely if you've had it a while (more than 6 months) it's not mites. Mites will generally kill what they infest if left untreated for more than 3 months. Furthermore mite damage looks much more gnarly, with an event tighter formation in the crown.

This too looks cultural to me. The leaves need washed and groomed, and likely needs repotted in a lighter mix and a smaller pot.

Ouch -
nope - it is culture. Your AV is overpotted, it is sitting too deep, the soil is not light enough - as a result - it behaves like it is overwatered. Roots are distressed - and do not pull enough water to maintain the turgor of leaves. White edges - it is a sign of low nitrogen-- but I am thinking the Ph is off. Something with a soil.

Some varieties are just more sensitive to the non-perfect conditions..

I.

I haven't had it six months yet, maybe two months? I know the pot is too big. I just learned today that the fertilizer I've been using (however weakly and weekly, with occaisional flushes, yay for doing something right before reading it here) is made from urea based nitrogen... Miracle-GRO, fail! I will be looking for a new fertilizer with a non-urea based nitrogen. I'm getting creative to find "pots" that better fit the violet. My collection of plants grew faster than my collection of pots, so I improvised. As I said, the leaves have looked like this since I bought it, and I didn't know it was distressed to begin with, let alone how to help it. As for the soil, more perlite? Would that lighten it up? It's not just this one, but the sucker I need to save.

Lun,

Aim for a soil with one-third soil or peat, one-third perlite and one-third vermiculite.

Linda