Hi,
Whenever I get a new AV I repot it into a clean pot that is 1/3 the size of the crown of the plant into my own potting mix. I use the 1-1-1 formula for my potting mix and it works well for wicking. I remove as much of the old mix from the plant and set it into the clean pot and refill it with my mix.
Fred in NJ

fred, when you say 1-1-1. what is that, other than perlite?? thanks, from one still learning, molly

Also, Molly, don't be afraid to damage the roots. Manipulate them as much as you need to in order to get the old potting mix off. They'll be fine.

1-1-1 means even amounts of commercial AV soil, perlite, and vermiculite.

Molly,
Have you caught the AV bug? LOL :)

When you get the plants from the store, gently pull the plant up and out of the container, use a pair of tweezers or a straw or stick or something and just kind of shake/pick the dirt off from around the root system. I use a large pair of tweezers and poke at the dirt as it comes off.

If the plant is healthy, there will be a lot of white thin roots going any which way. They will be very thin like pieces of one strand embrodiery thread. As Violetta says, don't be afraid to damage the roots, they will recover. If some break (and they will) it will not harm the plants or kill them. I promise.

Once you get that compacted (and probably drenched tight) soil loosened up from around the store root system, you can place it right down into a new container of the correct soil. It isn't necessary that you get "every single bit" of the store soil off...just most of it.

If I'm repotting from any source, I might take a picture of the blooms (especially if it is a NOID)for my own record and then I will remove the blooms before repotting. The reason I do this is because I like a really strong root system and if there are blooms on the plant, then energy is going to the blooms and not the roots. The plant will eventually bloom again but you really need a strong root system from the beginning for a healthy and thriving plant.

I'll put it in my greenhouse bag for about 2 or 3 weeks or at least until I see some new growth in the crown (middle part where new leaves come from). I 'll then open the bag and leave the bag open for 48 hours and then take the plant out of the bag and sit it on my shelf (or wherever the plants are going to go when growing). this is important because the plant needs time to adjust to not being air tight in the greenhouse bag. It's gotta learn to breathe on its own.

Repotting is something that you will feel more comfortable with the more you do it and it is actually something that is very beneficial for your plants (and you, I might add :)I will never forget how I almost shreaked in horror the first time I saw someone chop and repot a beautiful violet. Now I do it without a second thought.

Our local violet society mixes up large amounts of potting soil at a time and we all split the cost of the bags. I keep what I need on hand and use from that. When I get down to only one gallon size zip lock bag, I'll go for more.

There are several websites that I have seen where they give instructions and lessons (either video or still images) on how to repot and many other topics. Perhaps someone reading here can recommend those and if not, I'll go back looking for them to help you out.

I remember when I first started, I felt like I didn't know jack crap about anything that had to do with violets and I felt lost. It didn't take much time before I was feeling confident about repotting and propogating.

I am confident it will be the same for you and you'll be having so much fun that you'll have trouble limiting yourself and the plants.

Hope things are well with you,
Dora

thanks all for the tips and encouragement. i did'nt mean to highjack your post chickenmom, but i think we both have learned something here. yes, yes yes, i have gotten the a.v. bug, big bug.LOL!i do have a violet a friend gave me back in the spring that is just sitting there, [to big a pot ,i'm thinking]i'm going to repot. going to wally's today and pick-up some of the violet mix to go w/ my perlite,or buy vermiculite, if they have it. i'm already limiting myself to plants, but thank goodness its only violet, today. later, molly

Hi Chickenmom,

Don't worry about the roots. You can do a Benihana routine on them and WHACK some of them off at the botton and the plant won't miss a beat. In your case you can probably just massage off the old mix and put the plant into the new mix. The link below has illustrated repotting lessons (look at Violet Necks and Restoring a Violet too).

Here is a link that might be useful: The Violet Barn

Thanks Donna!
That is the link/site that I was thinking about that I mentioned in the above post.

Dora

Thanks very much for the specific suggestions and the links!