How do you get your standards to grow huge?

12 years ago

Hi Everyone,

First off, thank you so much for all the great advice and kind contact you've given me on this forum in the past months. I appreciate it a lot, have learned a ton and my plants are growing better because of it.

Question: I've been told I "over pot" and I think that's correct. How do I get the plants to grow really big? I see your big standards, a bustin' out of their pots, and I want big plants like that. I'm willing to "pot down" my current plants if that is what I have to do to get them big some day. I am patient, just made bad decisions. Looking forward to your advice. How do you make AV standards get huge?

I am feeding and using SuperThrive when I water. I don't feed too much btw.

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Comments (3)

irina_co
12 years ago
Jerome -

1. get the book "Growing to Show" by Pauline Bartolomew - AVSA sells it on line.

2. Be patient - when you fine tune your growing skills - they will start growing big and beautiful for you anyway.

3. You do not feed too much? You need to feed just right - not too much, not too little. If it is DynaGro - it is 1/4 teaspoon per gallon, if it is Plant Marvel - it is 1/8th etc. If you starve them - they will stop growing and turn pale, if you overfeed them - they will be sweating rusty crystals on the young leaves and it will burn the leaves.

4. For future - if you want to grow a monster - you start with an AV that has "large" in its description - you repot and disbud on a schedule - until it will grow to the size of a sombrero -and then you let it bloom. The details are in the book.

Good Luck and practice your green thumbs skills - in no time you will be overwhelmed with them big ones.

irina
jerome
Original Author
12 years ago
Irina - thanks very much. I just got that book and will read carefully.

Don't know if I'm feeding too much or too little. I am very imprecise. When I fill the pot reservoir to the bottom line with tepid water, I add 3-4 drops of DynaGro and 1-2 drops of SuperThrive. Thanks for your good advice.
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stonesriver
12 years ago
Hi, Jerome:

Get a gallon jug and mix 1/4 teaspoon of DynaGro; it will keep. Because the recommendation is 1/4 tsp to 1 gal water you may be over-fertilizing with the 3-4 drops per reservoir. Since I have never used Super Thrive I can't address that one. DynaGro is plenty for mine but each environment is different.

About once every six or so weeks take your AVs to the sink and run water through them until it runs clear. This rids them of the accumulated salts common with bottom watering.

You sound so much like me when I started: Same problems; same concerns; same impatience. Just don't do like I did and get so many violets you feel overwhelmed. :-D

I've started growing sansevieria and it's all I can do to refrain each time I see one that appeals! I only bought one last weekend when we were in Florida and my husband expressed his astonishment. Of course, I also bought two self-heading philodendron. LOL

Best,

Linda