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stonesriver_gw

When to Fertilize?

stonesriver
12 years ago

Hi, Everyone:

I know to not fertilize leaves I put down. But do I start fertilizing weakly when the babies form and are still on the mother leaf? Do I wait until transplanted and how soon afterward? Despite growing for 25+ years I am not a "leaf" person...as you can tell. :-0

Thanks,

Linda

Comments (12)

  • User
    12 years ago

    Linda, continue to fertilize weakly while they are on the mother leaf. Once you seperate them and transplant them I wait for two weeks before resuming fertilizer weakly. This gives them to get over transplant shock and let them establish themselves. This works for me but others may do it differently.

    Once a mother leaf is rooted, I start to fertilize at very dilute rate. You are correct in not fertilizing once a leaf is put down as the leaf can not utilize any fertilizer until there are roots.

    Dave

  • stonesriver
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you, Dave.

    I just received two leaves of Willodene, the first non-store boughten' (i.e., non-Optimara) AV I ever grew. Don't want to mess them up.

    Linda

  • User
    12 years ago

    Linda, even the best growers occasionally will have a leaf or plantlet go to plant heaven for whatever reason. What you are doing is giving any leaf the best possible chance of succeeding.

    Dave

  • irina_co
    12 years ago

    Love this plant. Pale pale pink - and gorgeous variegation.

    Hope your leaf is not overly variegated. I would keep it covered in a barely moist soil. If the soil is too wet - the variegated leaves rot.

    I would definitely listen to Dave and keep them fertilized. The variegated leaves sometimes produce pure white babies that are good for nothing. Fertilizer helps.

    I.

  • stonesriver
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Well, Irina, if they produce I can send you one. Leaves aren't over-variegated.

    Dave of Blue Mountain Violets send me these leaves as gifts when I bought some AVs on eBay. He didn't know my Willodene story. Love his plants!!!

    Linda

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Hi
    Responding to a post from 2011, is Dave of Blue Mountain Violets the same person as Dave Violet Man? I saw
    a vintage AV I would like to get that was sold on EBay
    recently by Blue Mountain Violets.
    I wanted to ask if any others of that variety might be available.
    (It was also interesting to see the post by a member
    getting a non-Optimara violet!! Due to space limitations,
    I have
    given away ALL of my Optimara's.
    I want to focus on the unique, smaller
    hybridizers. Now that I see Holtkamp is sponsoring
    the 2014 convention, I feel as though I have "jilted
    my first love!" Oh, well, I probably won't go to the Conv.
    I will wait until it comes back to Calif.
    Or, I would go to NY. Some place I can get to easily
    by plane.
    By the way, the
    AVSA website seems to be down tonight ;(

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    I don't know if they are the same person but Dave of BMV sells beautiful plants. If he was selling one you did not get, there should be another coming along soon. Or e-mail him. He always responds.

    I'm curious-why are you surprised someone here bought a non-Optimara?

    Linda

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Hi Linda, I think I should have referenced better the
    previous post I was referring to. I don't recall
    it now! I think the person may have written about the
    first time she bought a non-Optimara. I was probably
    relating to when I first went through that experience
    myself. I was very happy with Optimara's for years
    and had not known there were anything else.
    Until an office colleague shared some, to my mind,
    "exotic" plants from Lyon's and a stack of AVSA magazines.

    Optimara's are plentiful where I live. I give them for
    gifts often as they bloom so well and easy to find.
    I respect and admire what
    Holtkamp has done in making the plants so available
    and easy to grow. Just for myself, I now prefer
    the unusual, rare AVs from the other hybridizers.

    I appreciate the information about Blue Mountain Violets.
    Would you know if there are any hybridizers or growers
    on the West Coast?
    Joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Joanne,

    Many years ago there were many growers and many AV greenhouses. When the energy crunch hit, most of these greenhouses closed. The ones that stayed open switched to other plants. I find today that there are few options and without E Bay, most of us would be at a loss for adding to our collection. In New York, there is Lyndon Lyon and Rob's and those are rally the only biggies that I can think of off-hand. There are, however many hobbyists who sell great plants on E Bay.
    Also, try your local clubs. They usually have vendors at their shows and you can see what you are buying. I am going next week to the Ohio State AV show and sale and it is one of the highlights of my growing year. And get there early.

    Linda

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Hi Linda,
    Thanks, great advice, once again! So THAT explains
    why those other growers disappeared that I used to
    see on the web a few years ago. I do order from
    Lyon's and Rob's, mostly from Lyon's. As you say,
    they are the biggies. I did try several times to order
    from other hybridizers, but never got follow-through
    to determine if they had in stock what I wanted.
    Some did not respond to emails. I know it is a busy
    time now with people heading to Ohio, maybe that is
    why. Donna of Fancy-bloomers suggested Jo's
    Violets, so I placed an order and am awaiting it.
    Also awaiting a first order from Bluebird's.

    There was a branch of an AV club right in the little
    town where I live, but I cannot find out anything about
    it. The person who started it was well into her 90's
    and finally passed on. I never met her, but heard
    she had quite a vast collection that her family
    quickly dispersed to various friends and neighbors
    as they sold the house.

    There is an AV show in San Francisco on Sat.,
    but I have to work and cannot make it.
    (I am sending some of my small plants
    ahead of time.)

    The only other local show/convention/
    sale is in Sacramento, CA, not close enough to
    me to make the trip, at least not this year.

    I suspect that there are some local wholesalers
    who sell more locally grown violets .... I will
    try to do more research.
    joanne

  • PRO
    Whitelacey
    10 years ago

    Joanne,

    If you want to find out about a local club, go to the AVSA site and click on 'affiliates'. There you will find listed all the clubs in the US and links to their web-sites.

    Linda

  • fortyseven_gw
    10 years ago

    Linda, thanks!
    Joanne

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