The experts on this list will know better info than I do, but the pot looks too big to me. If it were my plant, I would try taking a leaf and put it in water to see what happens, it might perk up. And if it does I would try it in some soil in a solo cup and at least try to save the plant that way. Leaves curling under can sometimes mean too much light. I have had that happen and then moved them and they recovered from that.

What kind of AV soil did you put it in? Was it from a big box store and had plant food in it? If it was, it could be suffering from plant food overload. What kind of plant food did you use and what amount? I agree that it looks over potted. If it were me, I'd take it out of that pot, take off many of the outer droopy leaves, and re-start it in a very small cup, like a solo cup.

Thank you for your help!

Here is the soil I used: http://compare.ebay.com/like/170797274251?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar.

Is it ok if I end up taking off some of the root? I'm afraid it wont fit into a solo cup because the root-ball is too big. The soil I've added hasn't hardly touched the root because the original ball is still in tact and the two haven't really conjoined.

1) Yes I agree with Perle_de_Or, that pot looks a little large. Did you re-pot into a larger pot.
2)The soil mix looks a little dense, I would add perlite to the soil mix (one half perlite and one half of your current soil mix). Dont add water if the soil your using is still damp, only add more water if the soil is really dry. Keep the soil mix Iyour soil + perlite) moist but not wet.
3)As suggested by maguiretrots, I would remove the outer set of droopy leaves and repot in a smaller pot with the new perlite added soil mix and then place the plant in a ziploc bag and see whether it perks up in the next 2-3 weeks.
4) If it looks good, then I would open up the ziploc bag and let it get used to the outside temp/atmosphere for another week and then remove the plant from the ziploc.

Hope this helps,
BabyViolets

This is a larger pot than the original it came in. I will down size today and see if that helps.

Can anyone tell me if it's necessary to mess with the root-ball as it is right now? I wonder if taking off some of the outer layer will help it expand. I dont think it's waterlogged at all but I'm wondering if this might promote root growth?

Once again, thank you all for your prompt assistance!! I appreciate it so much.

R. -

as the previous advice stated - you used the waterlogged soil and too big of a pot. Your roots did catch rot - that's why your 2 plants in one pot are droopy.

If the roots are rotting - you need to get rod of the infection - and reroot the plants. I would just cut your 2 plantlets off the main stem at your current soil level, make sure that there is no black rot left on the stem - cut more if necessary - remove a row of lower leaves, stick plants in your new lighter soil and cover them with a baggie. They root in 2 weeks.
Look at the rachelsreflections.org - long neck treatment - and there pics on how to proceed. You can put the removed leaves in a water and try to root them too.

Good Luck and do not get stressed - violets are tough - unless waterlogged.

Irina

Yup ... it's classically waterlogged droopy, though not the worst I've seen (or dealt with).

The pot is way too big ... and you need to make sure that whatever pot you pot a violet into ... has drainage holes.

If there is too much moisture in the soil, your violet cannot get much-needed air to the roots, ... and rot will start.

I agree that the plant(s) look salvageable. You've got to get them out of that pot, remove any damaged roots, and repot them into much smaller pots with drainage holes.

Keep the soil barely moist and wait for your rescued plants to root.

I've cut off part of the root "tree" to re-root in a smaller pot with no problem. I would also suggest adding extra perlite to your mix to keep it light.

Wooo hooo!!! learning so much.
I have already killed 3 of what I bought so I'm realy paying attention.
carmen

this is good. I'm going to apply all this to my AV and see if it works too....the leaves are droopy, curled in and the flowers are severely dried out. Any further advice regarding this.?

If this is one of your first AV's, please take note of the following ...

AV blooms do not last forever, usually only a few days to a few weeks, depending on the variety. After this, they brown and dry up. At this point, you should remove the bloom stalks.

So ... for future notice, let's go through the steps of successful African Violet care ...

1.) Have a suitable spot selected for the plant(s). This spot needs to be well lighted (either from a window or household fluorescent lighting), and the temperature in the area should be steady. In other words, don't place the violet(s) in spots which will experience temperatures which are too hot ... or too cold. The good thing about African Violets is that they like the same temperature range which is comfortable for people (70-85 F).

The (natural or fluorescent) light that your plant receives should be enough to cast a shadow if a white piece of paper is held behind them. This level of light will be necessary to ensure that your plant will bloom.

2.) Determine whether or not you can water your plant with household water.

Some city/metropolitan water systems add chemicals (Chloramines) to their supplied water which, unfortunately, will harm/kill your African Violets. I would start by purchasing a gallon jug of spring water from the grocery and use that to water your Violet(s) until you determine whether or not Chloramines are in your water supply. You can also use rain water, if it's available.

3.) Shop for your African Violet (if necessary).

We've all seen the bright and colorful displays of African Violets at the grocery and/or big box hardware stores. These plants are ideal to cut one's teeth on in learning to successfully grow African Violets ... with one caveat. These plants will almost always come with insect pests (thrips and/or others) which will ultimately begin to rob you of the beauty of your African Violet blossoms, unless you take the necessary steps to stop them.

The alternative to buying African Violets at retail outlets ... is to buy them through mail order. There are a number of reputable mail-order African Violet vendors which will supply you with healthy African Violet plants which, in most cases, will not be carrying insect pests (thrips and/or others).

Some of these vendors are Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses (website), PJ's Violets (ebay) or Jack's Violets (ebay).

But, in general, pick plants that look healthy (not droopy) and which have a nice spiral type leaf pattern, where you can clearly see the center (crown) of the plant. Avoid plants that look jumbled ... or full of leaves, because that indicates that there is more than one plant in the pot, ... and you will have to separate the plants to have your best success.

4.) Once you have your plants, the most important to do is to NOT OVER-WATER them. The easiest way to kill your violets is to over-water them.

Violets only need to be watered when the soil is very nearly dry. And when watering them, you need to allow the excess water to drain out of the pot's drainage holes ... to be discarded. A violet which is allowed to remain in a pot which is saturated with water will quickly die of root rot.

5.) Make sure that the AV pot is not too big ... and that it has drainage holes.

An AV should be in a pot no bigger than 1/3 of the plant's width. So the leaves should stick over the sides of the pot, so that the plant looks like it has wings. I've included a photo for comparison.

The easiest pots to use are like the plastic one shown in the photo, though, in time, you can graduate to using other types of planters. (Or you can set the plastic pot inside of a more decorative planter).

These tips should set you well on your way to successful AV growing.

And please, come back to Gardenweb with any other questions.

When you repot, you should remove as much of the soil around the roots as possible. I use a toothpick to loosen it up. The soil loses its nutrients over time and it gets harder to absorb water. You should replace the soil in your plants about once a year.