The magazine exclusively dedica^d j^the gfrqyirijj of beautiful African violets %■ Wm WIk ' JL ai. ' ' ■ j|| ■ki, “ ^BBk< ' ' ^'fv^- v^^'^^ti'j'ci'v'- .iT^^H Hlbt f ■• I' r.-jy jJatT^ Kiy £^'! Wik /. ; ' .'.;1|K|^^^^H iBi;'-v;v#||f^;\ AVSA Information FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS WITHIN YOUR SOCIETY FOR ACCURATE SERVICE, SEND YOUR INQUIRIES TO THE CORRECT PERSON. ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. MEMBERSHIP DUES INCREASE EFFECTIVE OCT. 1, 2002: Send check payable to AVSA for new or renewable membership to AVSA Office, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702; phone 409-839-4725 or 1-800-770-2872. Individual $25.00, USA only; Individual, all other countries - $27.50; Commercial USA $37.00; Commercial International - $38.75; Life (USA) - $300.00. International Life $375.00. Remit in U.S. Dollars with draft or check on a USA Bank. See Membership Application. Master CardWisa accepted. AFFILIATES: Chapter - $27.00; Council, State or Region - $27.00. MEMBERSHIP AND PROMOTION: Send ideas, offers to help, requests for assistance to Nancy Hayes, 9 Cobblestone Rd., Bloomfield, CT 06002. AFFILIATES: For information on Affiliates or how to organize a chapter, write Bev Promersberger, 7992 Otis Way, Pensacola, FL 32506. E-mail promers22@hotmail.com SHOW SCHEDULE APPROVER: For information on Shows, AVSA Awards and Approving Schedules write to; Patricia Sutton, 1707 S. 77 E Ave., Tulsa, OK 74112. E-mail sutpa01@worldnet.att.net. Do not send Show Schedules by E-mail - this address is for information ONLY. AVSA OFFICE: Jenny Daugereau, Administrative Coordinator, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702, 1-800-770-AVSA; 409-839-4725; FAX 409-839-4329. Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CST. E-mail avsa@earthlink.net BEST VARIETIES: HONOR ROLL COMPILER Floyd Lawson, 20719 Madrona Ave., Torrance, CA 90503. BOOSTER FUND: Send contributions to Shirley Berger, 4343 Schumacher Rd. - 196E, Sebring, FL 33872-2639. BOYCE EDENS RESEARCH FUND: Send contributions to Marlene Buck, 1 7235 N. 106th Ave., Sun City, AZ 85373-1958. BUILDING MAINTENANCE FUND: Send contributions to Mary Walbrick, 5235 Kingston Dr., Wichita Falls, TX 76310-3029 COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES: Kent Stork, 2501 E. 23rd Ave. S., Fremont, NE 68025. COMMERCIAL SALES & EXHIBITS: For information on convention entries or sales room, contact Pat Richards, 15105 S. Seminole Dr., Olathe, KS 66062-3004. CONVENTION AWARDS: Jan. issue. Send suggestions or contributions for convention awards to Sue Hoffmann, 801 N. Villier Ct., Virginia Beach, VA 23452. CONVENTION PROGRAM: Send special requests for workshop programs or interesting speakers to Linda Owens, Convention Director, 1762 Stemwood Drive, Columbus, OH 43228. If interested in sponsoring a national convention in your area, contact Convention Director. FUTURE CONVENTION DATES: Baton Rouge, LA - April 20-27, 2003; Tucson, AZ - April 11-18, 2004. CULTURE FOLDERS: (postpaid): 100 to 400 - $10.50 per 100; 500 to 900 $9.25 per 100; 1000 and over - $7.00 per 100. SHORT VERSION OF CULTURE FOLDER: (postpaid): 500 to 1,000 $23.00 per 500; 1,500 and up $21.00 per 500. JUDGE’S DUPLICATE CARD: Send self-addressed stamped envelope to Bill Foster, 3610 Gray Dr., Mesquite, TX 75150. JUDGING SCHOOL: To register a judging school, send request to Elinor Skelton, 3910 Larchwood Rd., Falls Church, VA 22041. A registration fee of $15 Is required. LIBRARY: Order AVSA slide programs and packets from AVSA Office, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702. List in September issue. If you have ideas for a library program or slides to donate, write Ann Nicholas, 3113 Deerfield Dr., Denton, TX 76208-3428. Requests must be in writing. List top 3 choices. MAGAZINE: Copyrighted 2003, The African Violet Society of America, Inc., all rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission is prohibited. All articles are property of AVSA and must not be reprinted without Editor’s permission. AVM EDITOR: Ruth Rumsey, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702; 409-839-4725; 1-800-770-2872; FAX 409-839-4329. E-mail rrumsey@earthlink.net ARTICLES BY MEMBERS, COLUMNISTS AND MEMORIALS: Send to Editor. Please Note: Deadlines - Articles and Columnists; Jan. issue - Oct. 1 ; Mar. issue - Dec. 1 ; May issue - Feb. 1 ; July issue - Apr 1 ; Sept, issue - June 1 ; Nov. issue - Aug. 1 . COMING EVENTS: Send to Editor. Coming Events Deadlines: - Jan. issue - Nov. 1 ; Mar. issue - Jan. 1 ; May issue - Mar. 1 ; July issue - May 1 ; Sept, issue - July 1 ; Nov. issue - Sept. 1 . ADVERTISING MANAGER: Advertising rates and information: Judith Carter, 1825 W. Lincoln St., Broken Arrow, OK 74012. avmads@msn.com ADVERTISING DEADLINES: Jan./Feb. issue - Nov. 15; Mar./Apr. issue - Jan. 15; May/June issue - Mar. 15; July/ Aug. issue - May 15; Sept./Oct. issue - July 15; Nov./Dec. issue - Sept. 15. “AND THE WINNERS ARE...”: Send show results to Mary Corondan, 7205 Dillon Ct., Plano, TX 75024. BACK ISSUES; Complete your set now. Request price list of available issues from Beaumont office. Send SASE for list. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send new address at least 30 days before it is to take effect, along with old address, to AVSA office in Beaumont. QUESTION BOX: Ralph Robinson, P. 0. Box 9, Naples, NY 14512 and Dorothy Kosowsky, 712 Cunningham Dr., Whittier, CA 90601. MASTER VARIETY LIST: MVL SUPPLEMENTS: will be published in the AVM. Send any correction and/or description of new cultivars with hybridizer’s name to Joe Bruns, 1220 Stratford Lane, Hanover Park, IL 60130. MEMBERSHIP CARDS; Sent to Associate Members and New Members only. Renewing members receive card on white protective cover of AVM. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE: AVSA Secretary, Sue Ramser, 2413 Martin, Wichita Falls, TX 76308. PLANT REGISTRATION: Janice Bmns, 1220 Stratford Ln., Hanover Park, IL 60203-2667. RESEARCH: Send suggested projects for scientific research or names of interested, qualified potential research personnel to Dr. Jeff Smith, 3014 W. Amherst Rd., Muncie, IN 47304. SHOW ENTRY TAGS: 100 - $8.00 postpaid. Order from AVSA Office. QUESTIONS ON H'YBRIDIZING: Dr. Jeff Smith, “In Search of New Violets" The Indiana Academy, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306. Web site: avsa.org Web Site: AVSA.org Prepay your dues for up to 3 years and receive Membership Discount: $25 Individual (USA) 1 Year $27.50 Individual (International) 1 Year $49 - 2 Years $73 - 3 Years $53.00 - 2 Years $79.50 - 3 Years The African Violet Magazine (ISSN 0002-0265) is published bi-monthly: January, March, May, July, September, November. Periodical postage is paid by The African Violet Society of America, Inc., a non-profit organization, at 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 and at additional mailing offices. Subscription $25.00 per year which is included in membership dues. • Copyright 2003 The African Violet Society of America, Inc. POSTMASTER: Please send change of address form 3579 to African Violet Magazine, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 African Violet The Magazine exclusively dedicated to the growing of beautiful J^Hcan violets. March • April Volume 56 Number 2 FEATURES Addition to 2002 Judge’s List . 4 AVSA 2002 Presidential Nominee, Janet Riemer . 5 Unpacking Plant Shipments - Pauline Bartholomew .... 5 Considering Mail Order? - Lisa DiMambro . 9 Constmctive Observations from Judging - Gary R. Beck. ..11 Fungi - Sue Gardner . 16 Creating Exciting New Hybrids - Kyle Coleman . 17 Propagation of Trailing Gesneriads - Leonie Chirgwin. . . 19 So, How Far Can You Go? - John Beaulieu . . . 24 Soil Mixes for Your Watering System from the Illinois AVS, Inc . 26 Plant Registration Information . . . . . . 27 Violets on the Move - Phyllis King . 34 Judging the Show Plant - Bill Foster & Mary Ann Corrigan . . . 38 The Realization of a Dream - Dr. Tbrnmy Turner . 41 AVSA Proposed By-law Amendment . . 41 Light for African Violets - Part One - Nancy Robitaille ... 42 Episcia - John Beaulieu . . . 44 Designing with African Violets - Suzanne Ress . 45 How Does Thy Garden Grow - Part II - The Deep Freeze - Linda Golubski . 46 In Remembrance: Ruth Warren and Don Ness . 47 How Do I Do It? - Robert Albro . 48 African Violet ‘Tough Love’ - Richard Follett . 52 Fertilizers - Sue Hodges . . . 54 More About Leaves - Pauline Bartholomew . 55 Getting the Bugs out: Blossom Thrips - Jim Toms . 56 Starting Leaves - Suzanne Ress . 57 AVSA Scholarship Applications - Dr. Charles Ramser ... 57 AVSA Advertising Guidelines - Judith Carter . 58 Wick Watering - Lisa DiMambro . 59 DEPARTMENTS Index of Advertisers . 2 Officers & Staff . 2 President’s Message - Jack Wilson . . 3 Editor’s Notes - Ruth Rumsey . . . . 4 Thinking Small - Pat Richards . . . 6 In Search of new Violets - Dr. Jeff Smith . 8 “And the winners are...’’- Mary Corondan. . 10 Ifrlly lime 2002 - Anna Jean Landgren . 12 Question Box - Dorothy Kosowsky . . . 1 4 A Family Portrait - Georgene Albrecht . 18 For Beginners - Kent & Joyce Stork . . . 20 Registration Report - Janice Bruns . 23 Boyce Edens Research Eund - Marlene J. Buck . 23 Showcase (1) . 28 Vintage Violets - Barbara Elkin . 30 AVSA’s Most Wanted Violets - Barbara Elkin . 30 Showcase (2) . 32 AVSA Booster Fund - Shirley Berger . . . 35 AVSA Building Maintenance Fund - Mary Walbrick .... 35 Showcase (3) . 36 Affiliate Update - Bev Promersberger . 39 Planting by Moon Signs . 49 Coming Events . . 50 CONVENTION Donations are still being accepted for Convention Auction - Edna Rourke . . 34 Have Members... Need More! . 39 Attention All Affiliates! - Bev Promersberger . 39 COVER Ma’s Second Thoughts Best African Violet in Show Commercial Specimen 2002 AVSA National Show Hybridized and Grown by: Olive Ma Robinson Standard Photo Credit; Winston 1 March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 1 Index of Advertisers A African Rainforest Consen’ancy . 63 African Violet and Gesneriad News . 60 AGGS . 62 American Orchid Society . 61 AVS of Canada . 61 B Bayou Violets . 60 Belisle’s Violet House . 63 C Cape Cod Violetiy' . Inside Back Cover Chestnut Countiy' Violets . 64 Cr>'ptanthus Society . 61 D Donnie’s Violets . 60 Dyna Gro . 64 G Garden Angel . 63 Growing to Show . 64 H Hobby Greenhouse . 60 I Indoor Gardening Supplies . 60 J JoS Violets . 60 L Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses .... 61 N Neptune’s Haiv'est . 60 Not Just Violets . 64 O Optimara/Selective Gardener ... 25 P Pat’s Patch . 60 Pat’s Pets . 63 Physan 20 . 62 Prairie Violets . 59 R Rob’s Violets . Back Cover S Shirley’s House of Violets . 59 Sonja’s Violets . 60 T Anne Tlnari . 63 Travis’ Violets . 62 V VioletsFun Photo Journal . 62 Violet Gallery . 62 Violet Perfection . 62 Violet Showcase . 64 Violets in Vogue . 64 Volkmann Brothers . 60 OFFICERS: Jack Wilson, President 10007 Bent TYee Ln., Manassas, VA 201 1 1 email: cagmo@aol.com Janet Riemer, 1st VP 256 Pennington-Harbourton Rd. Pennington, NJ 08534-4007 email: JTRiemer@aol.com Linda Owens, 2nd VP 1762 Stemwood Dr,, Columbus, OH 43228 email: Ldo\vens2 1 5@aol.com Joyce Stork, 3rd VP 2501 E, 23r(l Ave. S. Fremont, NE 68025 email: kents@tvsonline.net Sue Ramser, Secretart' 2413 Martin, Wichita Falls, TX 76308 email: ramserwf@wf.net Gary Gordon, treasurer 120 Brinkwood Rd., Brookville, MD 20833 email: ggordonl20@aol.com Bill Foster, Immediate Past President 3610 Gray Drh'e, Mesquite, TX 75150 email: bpfoster@airmail.net STAFF: Ruth Rumsey, Editor 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 email: ratmsey@earthlink. net Judith Carter, Advertising Manager 1825 W. Lincoln St., Broken Arrow, OK 74012 email: AVMads@msn.com Barbara Pershing, Publications 8134 Buck Ridge, Cedar Falls, lA 50615 email: barbara.pershing@uni.edu Floyd Lawson, Best Varieties, Honor Roll 1 100 W. Huntington Dr., #21, Arcadia, CA 91007 email: floydll@earthlink.net Anna Jean Landgren, thlly time 20 Calvin Circle, Evanston, IL 60501 email: geoajl@aol.com Every attempt is made to keep articles technically correct. Since the growing of fine African violets can be achieved in many ways, the methods and opinions expressed by writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of AVSA. 2 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Dear AVSA Members, This is a very exciting time for AVSA members. We are busy grooming show^laiiLS (oT our spring shows while also getting our top plants ready for the big national convention in Baton Rouge. How many plants are you bringing this year? Don’t be left out and not bring home any of the many convention awards because you did not bring plants. The convention registrations continue to arrive at our AVSA office daily. Congratulations to our early birds. Adele Petty from Denton, Texas was first with her registration postmarked December 31 , followed closely by Joan and Wayne Watts from Colo, Iowa and Carole Neumann from Denton, Texas. Most members are taking advantage of the Package Deal which includes registration, both banquets on Friday and Saturday evening, and the auction luncheon. We are expecting record numbers at all functions, so get your convention registration forms in quickly. Be an active member of what will be a terrific convention. Tours are always a big highlight of our conventions. This year’s tours promise to be full and fun. There is something that will interest everyone. From stately mansions and plantations, alligators, and Prejean’s Restaurant to the beautiful city of New Orleans, we will have fun-filled days waiting for the convention’s violet activities to start. Check out the “purple pages” in the January /February AVM for details. Dr. Charles L. Cole’s Insect and Mite Pests of African Violets has been reprinted. He and our AVSA Publications Committee have made it more reader friendly. You will now find definitions given after those words that we are not familiar with on a routine basis. He has also updated the pesticide chart and provided information on mixing the products in small hobbyist quantities. Georgene Albrecht provided the new cover drawing. Thank you. Dr. Cole, and everyone who contributed to this effort. As I mentioned in my last message, we have additional exciting projects coming in the months ahead. Our many volunteer committees are working hard to provide additional products and services to you, our valued AVSA members. A special “thank you” goes out to Mosette Eibert from Redding, California. She and her husband donated a lap top computer to AVSA. We will use this at convention to ensure our entries process is timely and accurate. Those of you who were at the Washington, DC convention will remember how quick and smoothly the entries process was for both commercial and amateur exhibitors. This year's will be better, as we improve on last year’s effort. We can use some additional lap top computers if you happen to have a fairly recent vintage one you can donate. Individual members, our hard working Membership and Promotion Committee members, and our ever-improving AVSA website continue to bring many new members to AVSA. For the first time in years, we gained members overall during the year. Thanks for all your fine efforts. New members are the sustaining lifeblood of any organization and bring both new ideas and revenue to the organ¬ ization. We continue to need your help in growing our membership numbers. Membership allows us to provide a bigger and htllex African Violet Magazine and increase the products and services available to our members and affiliates. Affiliates can promote AVSA memberships at their shows and meetings. An AVSA membership to the local home for the aged or a local library can help towards an affiliate’s goal of promoting AVSA and violets. Individual members can use AVSA memberships as gifts throughout the year. Members have given memberships for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and just to say, “I’m thinking of you.” What a great way to be remembered all year long. I hope to see all of you at our annual convention in Baton Rouge. I’m really looking forward to this show. I know that you will want to be a part of it. Remember, there are many awards, and someone will win them. Why not you? Make sure you are prompt in getting in your registration forms. You can really save if you get yours in before the March 2 1 deadline for the Early Bird Discount. Sincerely, John E. (Jack) Wilson AVSA President March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 3 Ruth Rumsey • 2375 North Street • Beaumont, Texas 77702 (409) 839-4725 • email rrumsey@earthlink.net This issue marks Dr. Jeff Smith’s sixtieth column in this publication. Jeff has been writing “In Search of New Violets” for ten years! Thank you so much, Jeff. We all appreciate the contributors to the AVM, especially those who are regular columnists. In a few weeks, we’ll be heading to Baton Rouge for the 2003 AVSA Convention. As Baton Rouge is just a few hours away from Beaumont, we’ll be driving this year, and will have lots of goodies to sell at the AVSA Sales Table! Be sure to come by and introduce yourself. Our Board of Directors and the 2003 Board Nominees will be assisting me at the Sales Table and Jenny in the Registration area. This will give you a chance to meet some of the volunteers who work to ensure that AVSA remains the success it has been since its beginning in 1946. One thing I know you’ve been looking forward to is the reprint of Dr. Charles Cole’s book, "Insect and Mite Pests of African Violets" . The book has been slightly revised and made a bit “user-friendly” for the hobby grower. With Charles’ permission, I included common terms in parenthesis after some of the more technical words. Charles updated the pesticide chart to remove the chemicals that are no longer approved by the EPA and added a few new ones. He was also kind enough to expand the mixing chart with instructions for smaller quantities, which will come in very handy for you hobby growers. Our “Family Portrait” columnist, Georgene Albrecht, has provided us with a beautiful new drawing of an African violet to grace the cover. I know you’ll want to purchase one, so come by the Sales Table! The book will be available through the AVSA office after the convention. The occasional typo occurs, no matter how hard we look for them. I had a biggy slip by last issue - our nominee for President. Janet Riemer, was listed instead as a nominee for Director. Please read Janet’s corrected bio on page 5. I do apologize, Janet! Our Production Manager for this magazine, and General Manager of Becker Printing, Valerie Phillips, will once again be joining us at the convention. If you haven’t met Valerie, I hope to have her “volunteer” to work at the Sales Table with me, so look for her when you stop by. We are very fortunate to have the Becker Printing team working so closely with us. With the assistance of Becker Printing owner, Todd McKinley, our very own typesetter, Shirley Jones, and Valerie, the printing of the AVM is a smooth operation. This is the fortieth year that Becker Printing has been publishing the African Violet Magazine - quite a milestone. Once again, I ask you to PLEASE pay attention to the deadlines listed in the inside front cover of this magazine. The deadline for Coming Event notices for this issue was January 1st. I received an incredible amount of notices in the last week of January! Please have your club’s Publicity Chair make a note of the deadlines. I hate to leave your club out of the listing, as I know how many clubs rely on the funds raised by plant sales, but I cannot hold up the printing of the magazine. I heard from AVSA member, Lurline Stahl, Virginia Beach, VA, who wrote about the solace she found in growing African violets during her husband’s long illness, and death last spring. 1 have heard from members in the past about the comfort they found in tending their plants in times of sorrow and loss. Lurline wrote: “We are so blessed with wonderful growers in the United States and Canada, who share their plants with us. The excitement and anticipation of a new order is a feeling we violeteers know so well! “Now my violets are received with love and attention, and yes, a few tears, too. But never underestimate the power of African violets. They brighten, nourish, and help you through rough times. Viva la beguiling violet - may you be forever!” Please make this addition to the list of AVSA Judges in the September/October 2002 AVM. I I I I Doris Till, Senior Judge 2927 Canterbury Ct. Montgomery AL 36 1 1 1 - 1 225 4 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 2002 BO/1RD OF DIRGCTOR MOMIIiGG For President: Janet Riemer Janet Riemer is from Pennington, New Jersey, and lias been a member of AVSA for thirty-eight years. She has been a member of the Union County Chapter since 1969, and has served in many offices for that club. Janet became an AVSA Honorary Life Member in 1996, and is a Master Judge. She served as show vice chair and entries chair at the Philadelphia AVSA convention in 1984. She has been a member of the NJ Council of AV Judges and the TriState AV Council since 1971, and is a great promoter of the much¬ loved Max Maas hybrids. Janet has served AVSA on many committees: as director. nine years as Secretary, two years as Second Vice President, and two years as First Vice President. She is currently the AVSA archivist. Janet received the first Hudson Memorial Award for Affiliate Leadership in 1984 and a Continuing Service Award in 1987. She is married with two adult children. She holds a BS and a MS degree and taught college for fourteen years. Retired from a position of preservation archivist in Special Collections & University Archives at Rutgers University in 1999, she is employed part-time as a preservation aide at Rider University. Janet has been a genealogist for many years, is co-editor of the Genealogical Magazine oj New Jersey, and is past president of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey. Unpacking Plant Shipments by Pauline Bartholomew From her Book “Growing to Show " New growers are often disappointed when they receive their first mail order plant shipment. They expect to open the box and pull out perfect little plantlets in full bloom. However, plants just don’t ship in that kind of condition. They are usually rolled in a cylinder of newspaper or card¬ board and, while there may be lots of foliage, it is usually leggy and floppy. However, the grower soon learns that the shipment will pay big dividends. The outer leaves are removed and put down for propagation. The plantlets are potted up into 4" pots and in a few months will be well- formed with full foliage. And so, the grower gets far more than just one plant for his money. Spring through fall is the shipping season for most com¬ mercial growers. Year round shipping is possible from tem¬ perate zones to adjoining temperate zones. Check the com¬ mercial suppliers advertisements for instmctions. UNPACKING PLANTS: Unwrap the plants carefully, remov¬ ing all plastic wrapping and tape. As you work, keep track of plant name tags and check names against the order (there may be substitutes) . Don’t forget to make out cards for each variety for your files. 1 . Plants (8" or more in diameter) with fresh, Jirm foliage: If in bloom, disbud. Remove elongated outer leaves to put down for propagation. Pot into 4" tub pots, following the directions for potting up plantlets. March • April 2003 2 . Plants with frm foliage but which are too small to pot up: Water with Super-thrive® solution (two drops to a pint) and place under lights. Pot up when large enough. 3. The occasional plant that may be quite puny: Water with Superthrive® solution and place in a plastic bag until the foliage perks up (which may be a week or so) . Open the top of the bag, but wait until the plant shows signs of growth before removing the bag completely. Pot up when large enough. UNPACKING LEAVES: Unwrap leaves carefully to avoid breaking petioles. 1 . Leaves that are firm and in good condition: Re-cut peti¬ oles and put down the leaves. As an added precaution, bag pot and all for a few days to insure that they have recovered from shipping and will remain firm. 2. Leaves that are limp: Re-cut the petiole and submerge the leaf completely in tepid water. Leave submerged as long as necessary (even days) until firm again. Pot according to directions for putting down leaves. Bag for a few days to insure a good start. All newly acquired plants, no matter fom what source, should be potted up immediately f they are large enough and in good condition. The sooner they are potted accord¬ ing to your methods and in your soil mix, the faster they will adapt to your conditions. Be sure and check for pests. African Violet Magazine 5 Pat Richards 15105 S, Seminole Drive Olathe, KS 66062-3004 email: Patter 2 5 7@aol com KEEPING EM SMALL So you’ve decided to try growing a miniature or semi¬ miniature African violet? The reasons could be many. You have limited space and want more variety. You are particu¬ larly drawn to small, miniature things. You’ve mastered stan¬ dards, trailers, and other gesneriads and are ready for the “next” challenge. Perhaps you’re simply curious. Indeed, there are subtle differences in growing minis and semis as compared to standards; however, there is one striking differ¬ ence between the two which is the basis for our discussion today. Simply, standards are meant to be grown large, with no size restrictions except the plant’s inherent ability to achieve a certain size, while minis and semis are governed by strict size limitations, with ultimate growth being channeled into more blooms and more layers instead of breadth and depth. How do we go about this? ENVIRONMENT VS. EVOLUTION It has been said that a key to keeping minis and semis small is to not overcrowd them. The rationale is when they are crowded, they tend to grow larger to obtain better access to light, kind of a “survival of the fittest” argument. For years though, I grew my plants very crowded and found their size depended not so much on spacing but on the natural tenden¬ cy of the plant, in other words, heredity. Further, with the remarkable advances in miniature and semiminiature hybridizing over the past twenty years, keeping small ones in size has become less of a problem. For years, hybridizers had to introduce standards into the mini and semi gene pool to achieve greater variation in foliage and bloom, but with the broad range of mini and semi cultivars available to hybridiz¬ ers today, the “standard-ness” of the minis and semis is being bred out. Nevertheless, there is the occasional need to control the growth of a mini or semi. POTS If you are familiar with the concept of “bonsai” you should understand the importance of pot size to growing minis and semis. Bonsai is the technique used to develop miniaturized plants by restricting root growth so that normal size foliage, stems, etc., cannot be supported, resulting in mature plants being a scintilla of their normal size. In my opinion, miniature and semiminiature African violets can be treated in a very similar manner: their ultimate size can be controlled by the size of the pot they are grown in, in addi¬ tion to frequent and careful repotting (pruning in the case of bonsai). To know which size of pot to use, you must know your plant! Thumb pots - A great amount of success can be gained by planting mini and semi African violet starter plants in thumb pots (pots which are barely as wide or as tall as your thumb) . Even the largest semis can be controlled using this technique. You’ll notice the plant stays smaller, as does the width of the leaf blade, but the flower will remain largely unchanged. Fascinating! The greatest difficulty with this technique is repotting, as there is so little soil to work with. As the plant ages and the “neck” forms, it becomes almost impossible to repot them in a satisfactory manner. I assure you though, if the bonsai masters can do it, you can too, with patience and a lot of practice. Plants can be wick watered using small prescription medicine vials or glass baby-food juice jars with smaller openings (some are even being made in plastic now - hurrah!), or they can be watered on matting, etc. Another problem with thumb pot African violets is getting them close enough to the lights. Using tall medicine vials, growing them on a shelf devoted exclusively to thumb pot plants, or whatever method you can devise, will help assure these plants get the light they need. Stepping up from the thumb pots are the 2" pots. These are wonderful for miniatures, and will keep the size of the plant very small. Fay Wagman of Violet Venture grows her delightful minis and semis using these small pots. Moving up are the 2 and one-quarter inch pots. There are basically two types, the shorter, squatty pot and a taller, thin¬ ner type. Both are good for minis and for semis which may tend to get oversize. Again, the more you can control the root 6 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 growth, the more you will be able to keep the minis and semis to their sweet, diminutive size. This size is my favorite size for use with both minis and semis. Next are the 2 and one-half inch pots. Only the most well-behaved and controlled of the semis should be placed in these pots, as they allow more soil, and therefore more room for root expansion and growth. Grower beware! As for 3" pots, there are some growers who use these, with large, overgrown plants the result. They can put on and support magnificent heads of bloom, but the cost is plants which are pushing 9-10" in diameter, approach the charac¬ teristics of small standards, and which have lost the “charm” of the small ones. They hardly invoke thoughts of the dainty plants one usually associates with miniature African violets. Briefly then, identify your goals as a grower (show, bloom, size?) and know your plant (mini, large growing semi, etc.), and pot accordingly. Experimenting with the various options may surprise you! PLASTIC/CLAY We have taught ourselves so well about the inherent - positive attributes of plastic pots. They are easy to clean, lightweight, and they do not break. Furthermore, they do not allow evaporation, and thus, retain water which reduces the need to water. Plastic is wonderful! Yet, is there any room to reconsider? Going back to dear Fay from upstate New York, 1 was surprised to learn she grows some of her plants in clay. What could her reasoning be? Perhaps that clay allows her plant to breathe? We all know good oxygen ratio in the soil is neces¬ sary for strong, healthy root growth. Also, how many times have you tipped over your minis and semis in their light¬ weight soil and their lightweight plastic pots? Could clay pots possibly have an advantage here? By now, those of you who know me well know 1 like to test certain “beliefs” and have begun growing a few of my small ones in clay pots. As 1 also like to show plants, I understand they'll have to be transplanted to a clean, plastic pot for show, but Tm willing to experiment. Results in an upcoming article! THE BLOSSOM THING Those of you familiar with heavy-duty “growing for show”, know it is imperative you not allow your show plants to bloom as that deprives your foliage of energy it needs for growth, destroys symmetry, and results in “off-size” or smaller leaves. Now, apply that to growing minis and semis... If your goal is plants which stay small and “in-size”, should you allow your plant to bloom? The plant’s energies will not be funneled into creating a “super” plant, and the actual size of the leaf will be more diminutive. It is likely symmetry will be affected, but with proper watching and channeling, it should not be a problem. Naturally symmetri¬ cal plants will stay as such, regardless of blooming or not. The only problem which will result is the possibility you may have to fight a more active battle with thrips, but a watchful eye and quick control can take care of that. The result, as unfortunate as it might be, will be continuous, bright, cheerful bloom. How unfortunate! For those of you who show plants, if bloom boosting is necessary, a complete disbudding 10-12 weeks before show, increasing light by one hour per week 7-10 weeks before show, accompanied by a shot of high phosphorous fertilizer (12-36-14, 12-55-17) 6-7 weeks before show should suffice. Your small ones will not suffer for a lack of blooms. TEMPERATURE A final factor which has an effect on plant growth is the temperature at which it is grown. Cooler temperatures result in slower, more compact growth. Warmer temperatures result in faster, more open growth. If you’re having trouble controlling the size of your small ones, it may be necessaiy^ to try to find a cooler spot for them to grow. FUTURE THOUGHTS In less than two months, the AVSA convention will be convening in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I hope as many of you as possible will attend, as so much can be gained from attend¬ ing convention; meeting wonderful friends, accessing a wide variety of information, purchasing plants, and being able to \'iew some of the most outstanding African violets in the world. All that in addition to having a lot of fun! Until next time, keep an eye out for mildew during this season when temperatures fluctuate so greatly, and review and renew your collection. Take care! March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 7 Dr. Jeff Smith The Indiana Academy Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306 JSmith4@bsu. edu According to my records, this will be my 60th column for “In Search of New Violets”. With six issues a year, this means that 1 have been writing about the hybridizing of African violets for 1 0 years. This seems to be an appropriate time to thank all of the readers who have submitted questions during that time. It would be difficult to write this column without your continued interest and curiosity. During the last year, the African violet community has lost several of our pioneer hybridizers such as Frank Tinari and Don Ness. The efforts of these individuals and others have been key in producing the plants we know and love today. The goal of this column has been to help spread knowledge on how to hybridize and how to com¬ bine the traits discovered by our pioneers into new com¬ binations. If this column has assisted any of the new gen¬ eration of hybridizers in trying their hand in creating new plants, I will consider my efforts over the years to be well spent. 0^1 have a seedling that has tipped Jiowers (darker # color at the tips oj the petals), but it also has dark markings at the base of each petal near the flower’s center. Do you think this trait will be inherited if I cross this seedling with another plant with tipped Jiowers, with the goal of intensifying the color at the flower tips? A; There is a good possibility that the markings at the base of the petals will be inherited along with the tipped flower trait. However, you run a risk of having the color intensify in the entire petal, not only at the tips, which may mask or hide the markings. I would try the cross you suggested, but I would also try self-pollinating your seedling, which should intensify both tips and spots in a few seedlings. If the original seedling has some undesirable traits, then try crossing it with a plant that has good characteristics and also has pale flowers without tips. This cross should give you a plant with more desirable characteristics and conserve the tipped markings in the flowers. 0 There have been several e-mail group discussions about the Clackamas foliage. How is this type of foliage inherited? A: Clackamas foliage is an unusual type of foliage that has the veins running in near parallel lines from the petiole to the leaf tip. This foliage has also been called “watermelon” foliage in some of the older references. It is an easy genetic trait to work with as it is inherited as a dominant. When a plant with Clackamas foliage is used as a parent, approxi¬ mately 50% of the offspring should have that foliage type. I am not aware of any difference in appearance between homozygous dominant (which have two copies of the gene) or heterozygous plants (which have one gene copy), but I suspect the homozygous dominant plants may have distort¬ ed leaves due to the double expression of the foliage trait. 0^Some of the older hybridizers advocate breeding for # the foliage first, then worry about the Jiowers. Is there any advantage to this breeding system? A: I suspect that this system reflects our knowledge of plant genetics and how to apply them to get desirable plants. Many of the leaf mutations, such as quilted foliage, girl foliage, wavy foliage, etc. are genetic dominants. Once these traits were established in a breeding stock, they maintained themselves easily because dominant traits will be passed on in every generation. The hybridizer could more or less forget about the foliage while they focused on the inheritance of the flower traits. As they manipulated the flower traits, the foliage traits would more or less maintain themselves. It was easier to “fix” one set of traits while trying to manipulate the second. Today, many hybridizers have a better understanding about genetics and are able to work with multiple traits at the same time. They can manipulate both foliage and flower traits simultaneously, and get good results. Because of better knowledge, it’s less necessary to “fix” one set of traits while working with the others. However, the old system works 8 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 very well, and I would recommend it to anyone who is think¬ ing about hybridizing plants. ^ Can the thumbprint pattern be expressed on any # other background color than white? A: The thumbprint flower pattern is normally expressed as an area of color in the center of the petals surrounded by an edge of white. The amount of white is highly variable and can change in response to temperature and perhaps other growing conditions. White color is the result of the absence of the enzymes that make the flower color pigments. So what the thumbprint mutation is really doing is allowing the pig¬ ment enzymes to function in the flower petal centers, but not the edges. In order to get a non-white area, the enzymes would have to work to some degree. Currently, the thumbprint gene seems to be an “all or none” mutation. You either make enzymes or you don’t, similar to an “off/on” switch. Because of this, I don’t think it is possible to get the background in any other color with the current thumbprint gene mutation. However, one of the very nice things about African violets is that they do mutate freely. It is possible that a new mutation could occur that would allow the pigment making enzymes to partially function, resulting in a non-white background color. I would predict that you might get a dom¬ inant color like blue in the center of the petals surround by a recessive color such as pink. I’m not aware of such a muta¬ tion at this time, but it might be possible. If you find such a plant, please send me a leaf. Have there been any studies to determine what is the most likely pollinator Jor /Jidcan violets in the wild? A: To the best of my knowledge, there hasn’t been a pol¬ lination study conducted on wild African violets. Based on the flower structure, botanists suspect a bee that visits the flower using “buzz pollination” may be the possible pollina¬ tor for African violets. These suspicions are based on the blue flower color and the large contrasting yellow stamens. Both blue and yellow are visible to bees, but not to other types of pollinators. African violets do not produce nectar, so pollina¬ tors that feed on nectar, such as butterflies or birds, are unlikely to be attracted to the flowers. Bees are known to feed on pollen, so pollen would appear to be the reward available from the flowers. The anthers of African violets do not split to release their pollen. There is a small pore at the tip that can release the pollen, or the pollen can be released if the visitor punctures the anthers (such as with thrips). Some bees vibrate the flowers they visit. The resulting “buzz” causes the pollen to be released from the pores, allowing the bee to collect their reward. The tomato is an example of a plant that is pollinat¬ ed by buzz pollination. Buzz pollination has not yet been documented in wild African violets. In fact, the failure to obsea^e the pollinator may indicate that it has gone extinct. In any case, the only pollination report that I’ve seen is a story from a woman in South Africa who had African violets in a greenhouse. A car¬ penter bee (species not reported) was obsea^ed to visit many of the flowers. Carpenter bees are known as buzz pollinators for some plant species. The woman reported that numerous flowers on the African violets set seed capsules, presumably from the visits of the carpenter bee. A good scientific study is needed in order to really be sure what is pollinating the wild African violet plants. Considering Mail Order? by Lisa DiMambro Bear in mind when ordering plants by mail that most a of your collection, preferably in another room. African violet vendors selling by mail order are simply ^ Jjj However, the opposite side of the room will do hobbyists that are giving the rest of us our plants isolated for at least “violet fix”. Very few are full-time big busi- '^bree months, checking them frequently for nesses; most owners have other full-time signs of pests or disease. If you do have a jobs. Most vendors accumulate a backlog of ’1/ CHS r' problem, it is much easier to treat the new orders over the winter, and it takes time for if \ r plants rather than your whole collection, and them to catch up. When you order plants or \ you are not risking the rest of your plants, leaves, please list substitutions that you are \ ' Looking for insecticides? Check the willing to accept if the grower is out of certain advertising section in the back of the varieties. If you did list substitutions and the // African Violet Magazine. Make sure the grower shorted your order, contact them to work vendor you choose sends you the chemical in the orig- this matter out. If this fails, contact the AVSA office and they inal container, or one that is properly labeled and sends you can advise you further. any warning information that comes with the chemical. Upon receiving your plants, ISOLATE. None of our com- Ordering by mail can be convenient and rewarding, mercials knowingly send out plants with critters or diseases, but it pays to be careful. Isolate the new plants away from the rest March • April 2003 From Ye Bay Stater, publication of the Bay State AVS African Violet Magazine 9 cc net t/ie cu^ • • Mary J. Corondan 7205 Dillon Court Plano, TX 75024 AV COUNCIL OF FLORIDA, FL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Buckeye Candy Kisses, Cajun Heritage, Wrangler's Dixie Celebration; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Spin-out, Rob’s Fuzzy Navel, Rob's Antique Rose; Best Standard: Buckeye Candy Kisses; Best Miniamre: Spring Peach; Best Tlailer: Poppy IVail; Best Species; Saintpaulia House of Amani; Best Gesneriad; Aeschynanthus hildebrandiv. Horticulture Sweepstakes, Phyllis King. Best in Show/Best Semiminiature; Lyon's lune Bug, Lynne Wilson. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Bob Green. AVS OF PHILADELPHIA, PA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Splendiferous, Poemow, Picasso; Best in Show/Best Standard: Powwow; Best Semiminiature: Optimara Little Hopi II; Design Sw'eepstakes, Judith Smith. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Marion's Enchanted Trail, Rob’s Boolaroo, Rob's Lilli Pilli; Best Trailer: Marion's Enchanted Trail; Best Gesneriad; Chirita longensis, Horticulture Sweepstakes, Marianne Gershon. Best Miniature; Orchard’s Bumble Magnet, Margaret Cass. Best Species: Saintpaulia grandifolia. Mildred Knorr. CEDAR VALLEY AVC, lA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Saintpaulia nitida. Saintpaulia orbicularis var. pwpurea, Saintpaulia diffi- ciliS] 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Sassy Sister, Ness' Satin Rose, Rob’s Pew'ter Bells; Best Species: Saintpaulia nitida, Barbara Pershing. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Dean's Sonata, Ness' Crinkle Blue, Dean’s Cupid; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Standard: Rebel’s Rosebud; Best Miniature: Rob’s Vanilla Pink; Best TTailer: Rob’s Gundaroo; Horticulture Sw'eepstakes, Catherine Thompson. Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Hera’, David Thompson. Best Design, Carol Magoon. Design Sweepstakes, Jan Tyler-Blanchard. GULF, AVC, FL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Affection, Illini Peace, Harbor Blue; Best in Show'/Best Standard: Illini Peace; Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Hand Puppet; Best Miniature: Rob’s Jitterbug; Horticulture Sw'eepstakes, Lois Giles. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Pat Champagne, Rob’s Boogie Woogie, Rob’s Outer Orbit; Best Trailer: Rob’s Toorooka, Catherine Carter. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Argyle Socks, Rob’s Boogie Woogie, Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Linda Ireland. Best Species; Saintpaulia coiifusa-. Best Design; Design Sw'eepstakes, Anna-Marie Rinick. Best Gesneriad: Episcia 'Silver Skies’, Lillian Scott. LONE STAR AV COUNCIL, TX - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ocean Eyes, Buckeye Cranberry' Sparkler, Siberian Moon, Mark Weston. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Fuddy Duddy, Rob’s Fuzzy Navel, Red Bandito; Best Design, Anne Nicholas. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Lilli Pilli, Rob’s Boolaroo, Rob’s Humpty Doo, John Nabers. Best in Show/Best Tfailer: Rob’s Gundaroo; Best Semiminiature: Thunder Surprise, Shirley Sanders. Best Standard: Rebel’s Crested Robin, Richard Nicholas. Best Miniature: Texas Space Dust; Horticulture Sw'eepstakes, Ken Froboese. Best Species: Saintpaulia Sigi Falls. Sherrie Wallace. Best Gesneriad: Streptocaipus 'Mom’s Plant’. Dehra Mischel. Design Sw'eepstakes, Jane Rexilius. MID-AMERICA AVS, KS - Winners: Best in Show/Best Miniature: Rob’s Rinky Dink; Best Standard: Apache Show'off; Best Semiminiature: Irish Flirt; Best Trailer: Milky Way TYail; Design Sweepstakes, Raymond Russell. Best Gesneriad: Ncmatanthus ‘TVopicana’, Tricia Thylor. Best Design, Laurie Nelson. Horticultirre Sweepstakes. Dona Stilwell. MISSOURI VALLEY AV COUNCIL, MO - Winners: Best .VVSA Standard Collectiorr: Chinook Wind, Graffiti, Smooch Me; Best in Show'/Best Standard: Graffiti, Kent Stork. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Saintpaulia nitida, Saintpaulia pendula, Saintpaulia orbicularis var. purpurea-. Best TVailer: Saintpaulia nitida, Barbara Pershing. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Irish Flirt, Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Dean’s Sonata; Best Semiminiature; Ness' Crinkle Blue; Best Miniature: Rob’s Cloudy Skies; Best Species; Saintpaulia velutina-. Horticulture Sweepstakes, Catherine Thompson. Best Gesneriad; Episcia 'Chocolate Warrior’, Fran Russom. Best Design, Joyce Stork. NEW YORK STATE AND MID-ATLANTIC AVS, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: B-Man’s Caltanisetta, Picasso, B-Man’s Corleone; Best in Show'/Best Standard: B-Man’s Etna, Bruno Curcurato. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Alliance, Pueblo, Harbor Blue; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Little Piteblo, Rob’s Fuzzy Navel, Ness’ Satin Rose, Doug Burdeck. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Loose Noodle, Rob’s Rinky Dink, Rob’s Bunny Hop, Ralph Robinson. Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Boogie Woogie; Best Miniature: Optimara Little Azurite; Best Trailer: Chantaspring, Roxanne Shrewsburg. Best Species: Saintpaulia orbicularis-. Best Gesneriad: Pctrocosmea kenii-. Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Paul Kroll. Best Design, Karyn Cechocki. NUTMEG STATE AVS, CT - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rhapsodic Rosalie II, Optimara Monet, Optimara Trinidad, Ann Butler. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rhapsodic Rosalie, Optimara Trinidad, Optimara Barbados; Best in Show/Best Trailer; Sport of Champagne Pink; Best Standard; Rhapsodic Rosalie; Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Edna Rourke. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Snuggles Red Honey, Candy Crystals, Rob’s Dust Stomi, Richard Bower. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Gleeful Elf; Rob’s Soliloquy, Orchard’s Bumble Magnet; Best Miniature: Rob’s Soliloquy, Marge Roseberg. Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Sarsparilla; Best Gesneriad: Columnea ‘Early Bird’, Nancy Gibson. QUANNAPOWITT AVC, NH - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Picasso, Donna Marie, Marching Band; Best Standard: Pow'wow', Holly Walker. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Poww'ow, Optimara Wisconsin, Optimara Haw'aii, Tom Roberge. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Match Point, Rob’s Fuzzy Na\’el, Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Gesneriad: Chirita kitagonii-. Horticulture Sw'eepstakes, Nancy DiMambro. Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Antique Rose; Best Trailer: Milky' Way TYail, Marie Montaque. Best Miniature: Aly’s Blizzard Bunny, Nancy Manozzi. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes. Robert Clark. THOUSAND OAKS AVS, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Yesterday’s Love, Suncoast Candy Stripe, Lela Marie; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Fuddy Duddy, Ness’ Cranbeny Swirl, Rob’s Cool Fruit; Best in Show'/Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Cool Fruit; Best Standard: Lela Marie; Best Trailer: Cirelda; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Carroll Gealy. 2nd Best Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Soliloquy, Orchard’s Wonder Twin, Rob’s Rinky Dink; Best Miniature; Orchard’s Wonder Twin, Ann Wang. Best Gesneriad: Episcia 'Imperial Jade’; Best Design; Design Sw'eepstakes, Leslie Cox. WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF AV CLUBS, WI - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ness’ Sizzlin’ Pink, The Alps, Rebel’s Charmin’ Pink; Best Miniature: Rob’s Soliloquy; Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Bright Eyes’; Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Arlene Gavens. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Outer Orbit, Rob’s Monkeyshines, Rob’s Little Pueblo; Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Little Pueblo; Best Species: Saintpaulia pendula var. kizarae, Nancy Braun. Best in Show'/Best Standard: Pow'wow, Kevin Degner. Best Trailer: Rob’s Lilli Pilli; Design Sweepstakes, Alice Peterson. 1 0 African Violet Mag.^zine March • April 2003 Gary R. Beck • San Francisco, CA Every time that I judge a violet show, I see plants which would have scored higher if a little time had been taken to improve the appearance, from a week before to the night or hours before judging. Here are some suggestions: 1) Spent Flowers This is the number one problem. If you are exhibiting a plant with a healthy head of flowers, there is no need to hope getting more points with fading or spent flowers. If you are short on the count, these flowers will not assist you. Thke them off carefully, using small, sharp scissors, cutting the stem right back to the main flower stem. If a flower is wilting, remove it since by the time the judges see it, it will be worse. 2) Immature Outer Leaves Sometimes, you may see an outer gap in the symmetry and may make it worse by removing an outer leaf which is smaller than the row of leaves above it. It is a judgment call. If you have several such leaves. It is best to remove them and accept the gaps. The judges will mark down for these imma¬ ture outer leaves. Try to remove any marred leaf and move the remaining foliage around to fill the gap. 3) Layering Leaves Always place the inner leaves over the outer leaves. The outer row should be beneath the next row in. Big leaves should be on top of small leaves. Many times you can cover small foliage marks by moving the leaves. 4) Potting Mix, Dust, Hairs Every plant can gain more points by having it washed and brushed lightly. A couple of days before the show, move the plant slowly under gentle warm tap water In a sink, turning the plant in a circle so that all leaves are washed, but keeping any water from the center crown. Place on newspapers, allow to dry, and then return to the growing place. The day before judging, take a soft brush and, starting in the center, brush toward the outer leaves. Brush all particles that have remained after the bathing. Look closely for pet hairs and remove them. Several points can be added to the plant total with a simple, quick grooming of the foliage. The plant will have a brighter look. 5) Suckers Look closely on all sides of the plant to locate any tiny interior leaves which may be the start of a sucker arising from either the stem or the soil. Remove all traces of the stems and leaves. A sucker with four leaves will mean that the plant Is not single-crowned and cannot be judged unless it is a trailer. 6) Plant Neck or Trunk As older, outer leaves are removed, a neck appears since the African violet grows upward with no side branches. Sometimes a palm tree appearance will occur. Thke the plant out of its pot, cut off the bottom root ball in length equal to the length of the neck. Sink back down into the pot and add fresh potting mix, water well, and allow to rest. Bmsh any potting mix from the stems to present a clean look. This chore should be done the week or so prior to judging, but can be risked the days before, with the possibility that the plant may wilt. 7) Flower Spacing For best scoring, the plant should have flowers spaced all around the crown, in a circle. If there are more flower stems on one side of the plant, try gently moving some over a bit. If done as the flower stems first appear, you can space out the stems evenly and not risk breakage. The older and firmer the stem, the greater the chance of breakage, so use caution. With proper, careful grooming prior to the judging, a plant which would receive a high red ribbon (87-89 points) can easily be raised to the low blue ribbon (90-92). From the Lone Star AV Council Newsletter March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 1 1 Tally Time 2002 Mrs. Anna Jean Landgren 20 Calvin Circle • Evanston, Illinois Tally Time Is a summary of the varieties receiving the greatest number of total awards from the state and local shows during 2002. This year it is based on eighty-five reports, and I have divided them into six areas. Show chairs, please note the names of winning 2003 varieties should be reported on the “Tally Time Report” form included in your Standard Show Award packet. Please send the forms to Anna Jean Landgren at the above address. They must reach me by November 20th to be counted. I must send my completed report to the AVM by December 1. STANDARDS Total Number of Awards Number Best of Show Number Second Best Variety Hybridizer, Registration No. Number of Collection Awards Best Standard, Mini, SM, Trailer or Species 17 2 1 Picasso M. Ti-emblay #6924 11 3 12 1 2 Bertha B. Foster #6159 5 4 9 1 0 Windy Day Stork/Boone #7719 4 3 8 1 1 Fisherman’s Paradise B. Sisk #4843 4 2 8 1 1 Optimara Trinidad Holtkamp #6602 4 2 8 2 0 Powwow K. stork #7708 3 3 SEMIMINIATURES 58 4 1 Ness’ Crinkle Blue D. Ness #8136 20 13 26 4 0 Rob’s Boogie Woogie R. Robinson #8606 13 9 16 0 0 Irish Flirt S. Sorano #7577 15 1 10 1 0 Rob’s Antique Rose R. Robinson #8451 7 2 10 1 0 Rob’s Cool Fruit R. Robinson #8608 6 3 ,v MINIATURES 14 1 0 Orchard’s Bumble Magnet R. Wilson #8479 7 6 7 0 3 Rob’s Rinky Dink R. Robinson #8739 2 4 6 0 1 Orchard’s Wonder Twin R. Wilson #8873 2 3 ' TRAILERS - 9 0 0 Rob’s Boolaroo R. Robinson #8053 4 6 7 0 0 Marion’s Enchanted Trail H. Pittman #8478 1 6 7 0 0 Rob’s Lilli Pilli R. Robinson #8063 3 5 1 2 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 SAINTPAULIA SPECIES 16 0 1 Saintpaulia grandifolia 2 1 3 9 1 0 Saintpaulia mpicola 1 7 S 10b 8 1 0 Saintpaulia ionantha 2 5 5. 5 The following table shows the relation between the award winners by geographical areas. Variety Total Number of Awards I Geographical Divisions 11 111 IV V VI 1 STANDARDS 17 2 1 4 3 2 5 Bertha 12 6 1 1 0 4 0 Windy Day 9 0 0 4 3 0 2 Fisherman Paradise 8 3 0 0 4 0 1 Optimara Trinidad 8 1 4 2 1 0 0 Powwow 8 0 3 5 0 0 0 1 II Minn II iMii 1 Ness’ Crinkle Blue 38 6 18 5 5 3 1 Rob’s Boogie Woogie 26 8 6 2 6 4 0 Irish Flirt 16 2 5 3 4 2 0 Rob’s Antique Rose 10 1 0 2 0 4 3 Rob’s Cool Fruit 10 4 1 1 0 0 4 Orchard’s Bumble Magnet 14 5 4 3 1 1 0 Rob’s Rinky Dink 7 1 3 1 0 0 2 Orchard’s Wonder Twin 6 2 1 1 0 2 0 Rob’s Boolaroo 10 2 4 2 1 0 1 Rob’s Lilli Pilli 8 0 6 1 1 0 0 Marion’s Enchanted Trail 7 2 1 2 1 1 0 Saintpaulia grandifolia 16 1 4 6 1 4 0 Saintpaulia mpicola 9 1 3 2 1 1 1 Saintpaulia ionantha 8 3 2 1 0 1 1 NUMBER OF WINNERS 247 50 67 48 32 29 21 NUMBER OF SHOWS REPORTED 12 23 19 9 13 9 The states in each geographical area, and the number of Tally Time reports from each state are as follows: #I includes Arizona-2, California-8, Colorado-1 and New Mexico-1 ; #11 - Illinois-3, Iowa-3, Minnesota-2, Missouri-6, Nebraska-1, Ohio-4, and Wisconsin-4; #III - Connecticut-4, Delaware-1, Massachusetts-2, New Jersey-5, New York-6, and Pennsylvania- 1 ; #IV - Kansas-2, Oklahoma- 1 and Texas-6; #V - Florida- 7, Georgia- 1, Maryland- 1, North Carolina- 1, South Carolina- 1 and Tennessee-2; #VI - Alberta-1, AVSC-1, New Brunswick-1, Nova Scotia-1, Ouebec-1 and Ontario-4. No Tally Time reports were sent from the states not listed. Other varieties winning 4 or more awards within an area were: #I - Oksana-(6); #II - Aunt Georgia-(4), Buffalo Hunt-(4), Classic Rock-(4), Ness’ Candy Pink-(5), Phantom Flash-(4), and Rob’s Hallucination- (4); #III - Rob’s Boondoggle (4), Rob’s Buddy Duddy (5), Rob’s Sarsparilla-(4), and Windy Day-(4); #I'V - Rob’s Mad Cat-(4); #VI - Phobos-(4). March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 1 3 Ralph Robinson RO. Box 9 Naples, NY 14512 email: robsyiolet@aol.com Dorothy Kosowsky 712 Cunningham Dr. Whittier, CA 90601 email: dot3Joe@earthlink.net The spring shows will be in hill swing when this appears. However, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a productive African violet New Year. I am still trying to get as many of my new plantlets potted, groomed, and placed where they do best on the stands. I’m in hopes they will grow into nice sized plants, as they are already in 3" pots and about 9" across. Starting over (so-to-speak) has several hazards you are unaware of when you first begin to grow African violets. Now I want to select the very best plantlet any leaf produces in my environment, and this involves keeping a multitude of starter plants. My excuse for having 85 leaves, down when I was a beginning grower, was that I didn’t know any better. Now, the 48 or so leaves I have put down are the result of just wanting to give a large number of plants that I was not able to grow during the past four years a tiy in my growing conditions. I’m fully aware you can never make up for four lost years, but the human condition is very unreasonable, and seeing all those goodies (new African violet hybrids) is very, very tempting. Any new grower, PLEASE don’t follow in my footsteps, only grow a manageable number of leaves at any one time. eUESTION: I’ve noticed mildew occasionally on a few of my blossoms. / have a fan running most of the time. What does get rid of mildew? Can I spray my plants with Lysol Spray? ANSWER: On page 59 of the November/December 2002 magazine is a second article on Mildew, the first appeared in May /June, 1999 with a formula for spraying African violets for mildew. This is the recipe: 3 drops Safer’s Soap 1/2 tsp. sulfur sublimed (available from drug stores) 2 cups hot water Mist plants - do not spray to mnoff When I saw this recipe in the magazine in May 1999, I knew I had to try it on my Rex begonias. They are mildew magnets, very little helps, and even then, not for long. I could hardly believe my luck. It works, and the results are very lasting! 1 have the utmost confidence in recommending this treatment for African violets. I did use Palmolive dishwater soap in lieu of the Safari’s Soap and had very good results - no residue - no damage. At our Judges Council meeting, this subject came up for discussion. One of our members is a chemist, and she explained the difference between the sulfur dust listed as a fungicide/insecticide, which I had used, and the sulfur sublimed in the recipe. She explained the sulfur sublimed would more readily produce a gas due to its much finer texture. My experience was I had little problem keeping the sulfur in suspension. I constantly shake my sprayer and would recommend the water be very hot (I heat mine in the microwave) and I don’t store it, mainly because I use it all up with the begonias, since I’m doing a whole greenhouse. With such a small amount of sulfur being used, I see no reason not to start with fresh mix each time. As to using Lysol, you can, but be sure you keep the spray well above the plants and let it fall as a fine mist on the plants. Personally, I prefer the sulfur due to it’s lasting bene¬ fits. (Ed. Note: Lysol Spray could be harmful to cats.) /QUESTION; Couldyou please advise me on how best to pot my violets in 4" plastic pots with an attached saucer? I can ’t seem to get it right. Do I put bro¬ ken pottery in the bottom or perlite? Is it better to use noth¬ ing but soil? How about a wick? Should I put one from the saucer to the soil through one of the drain holes, or should 1 just water from above? Does top watering pack the soil? Some of the plants get soggy, and others seem to dry out too fast ANSWER: It sounds like you may have gotten your advice from several types of growers. Broken pottery works very well in clay pots with a wide variety of outdoors plants. The pottery acts as drainage as well as weighting the pot so it doesn’t tip over, and the clay, being porous, keeps the roots well aerated. The problem is how often you must water this plant to keep it from drying out. In my area of the country, you would need to water several times a day. All of my African violets get a nice bed of perlite in the bot¬ tom of the pot, as in essence, I use the “Texas” style of potting. 1 4 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 This allows me to water from the top or the bottom. The pack¬ ing of the soil is a moot point, as most soilless mixes usually don’t pack too much, and if you are re-potting, as often as is essential for good growth, it shouldn’t be a factor. As to plant¬ ing in 4" pots with attached saucers. I’m wondering why you would choose this particular arrangement. Perhaps you would find a source for the 4" pots and a separate saucer to use with it in your local area, but if you consult the advertisers in the back of this magazine, you will find they can supply exactly what you need. The pot you describe is quite a bit to handle since you must contend with the saucer at all times. The sim¬ pler the system, the less headaches for the grower. I do have a wick in each plant, as my soil mix is veiy^ light, and I use the wick to distribute the moisture evenly in the pot. Since I grow a fair mLx of small, medium, and large plants, using reseix'oirs is not as easy as wicking all the plants. I bring the wick clear to the top of the pot before adding my mix, then circle it around over the mix to the other side, then cover the wick. All the plants have their own saucer, which allows the plant to be lift¬ ed free of the saucer when I’m grooming or washing the foliage at the sink. Perhaps if you were able to get all your plants into the same soil mix, one you know doesn’t dry' out too much or become soggy, then get on a regular watering schedule, the too - wet too dry syndrome would cease to be a problem. The very best advice 1 can give you is no matter which method of growing you use, BE CONSISTENT! In other words, don’t try to grow one African violet using one system and another using some other system. Get them all potted in a similar way, and you can treat them as a group. Not that all will use the same amount of water, but it will be close and you won’t get frustrated trying to keep up with many plants, each with different demands. UESTION; I need to repot a number of my plains and / want to know if I need to tickle the roots to loosen and remove old potting soil or would it be better not to disturb them at all? ANSWER: This can be a loaded question. Perhaps the person is talking about young plants that just need to be moved on, or it might be a person that dreads doing any major removal of stem stalk or leaves (let alone blossoms) and holds their breath while you are demonstrating re-pot¬ ting - sure you are hurting the plant. New soil, removal of long stem stalks, and dropping down into the pot are all vital to good growth. If the plants are going from the Solo cup to a 3" pot, use mold planting. Take a pot of the next size, and after adding your Perlite and wick, place a clean pot of the exact same size as the plantlet in the pot and fill in between the two pots with soil damp enough to hold its shape. Lift out the same size pot and drop the plant into the depression, which will be an exact fit. Now for the major surgery that seems to be the bane of some growers existence. Start by gently squeezing the pot about mid- way-up, repeating all around until you can feel the plant is loose in the pot. Slide roots and Perlite out onto your hand or a newspaper where you ha\'e room to work. A plant in good condition will have a ball of roots and many roots down into the Perlite. This is where I gently remove all Perlite possible, so I have a better view of the stem or stalk. I actually break off the stalk at about the point, which will give me a good foundation for the new plant and allow the plant to fit down into the new pot. When you are removing this portion of the stalk, you will see the amount is about equivalent to the growth the plant has produced in six months. If you are unable to break the stem stalk with your fingers, you can use a sharp knife, cutting at the point suggested. I like to leave the roots, which are attached to the upper part of the stem stalk, intact which is the reason I don’t cut straight across the root ball. Next, I remove all the nubs or scars caused by leaf removal. I use the back of my shaip knife, which takes off the scar and doesn’t remove the cambian layer. If the scars are left in place, there will be no growth of roots from that area. The whole point is to produce a good root system. After placing my wick, I add the layer of Perlite in the bottom. For a 5" pot, I put in about a 1 1/2" of Perlite. Remember I plant “Texas” style. When 1 finish filling around the plant with mix, I water in with 10 drops of Super thrive in a gallon watering can. The plant is then allowed to rest, not under the lights, for 48 hours. If I’m re-doing a badly neglected plant - especially if I removed all roots - the plant is enclosed in a plastic bag and put directly back under the lights. The plastic acts as a light filter and the light stimulates root growth. I leave the plant in its mini ter¬ rarium for about three weeks. Name of columnist replying is in bold print March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 1 5 FUNGI by Sue Gardner Fungi are organisms which, because they lack chlorophyll, must obtain food from other sources. The fungi which attach our plants are not the same type which produce mushrooms and toadstools, but they are similar in that they have a body of tiny web-like hairs called a mycelium which is often hidden inside the organism on which it is growing. In this case the only part we see is the fruiting body. When the sac containing the spores dries, it splits causing spores to be sent flying over an area nearby. This helps spread the fungal infection. Fungi are parasitic. To infect a plant, a spore which is microscopic in size must land and germinate on a plant surface. The relative size can be seen in the following diagram. When the spore germinates, it sends hyphae (hair-like tis- -plant cell \s I \ ■'V spore germinating sue) into the plant through open stomata, root hairs, wounds, or weak cell surfaces. The mycelium grows first in the intercel¬ lular spaces, but it must penetrate cells for nourishment if it is to spread. When the hyphae penetrate the cells, they either absorb its contents for food or use digestive enzymes to con¬ vert cellulose to smaller, more useable molecules. Cellulose is a component of the cell wall. The fungus also produces toxins. So the plant is damaged in two ways - by destruction of cells and by toxic action. It is interesting that certain fungi infect certain types of plants, and others apparently are resistant. Why? Another method of resistance is by chemical compounds which form in the plant in response to injury and which kill fungi. Different plants produce different types of chemicals. The speed of plant recognition of injuty caused by fungal invasion is important. 3. Hypersensitivity. Another defense is hypersensitivity to fungal infection, causing immediate death of plant tissue. This isolates the fungus in a ring of dead cells and prevents the fungus spreading. Why does this not always work? Some fungi are resistant to saponins (or similar com¬ pounds) , or they can degrade them. Also, some fungi are very careful in the way they penetrate plant cells. They have tiny haustoria (small thin outgrowths from the hyphae) which invade the cell and absorb food without causing enough dam¬ age to cause release of chemical defenses. cells penetrated by haustoria cells with damaged walls Jrom hyphae penetration How to protect plants from fungi. Good cultural practices such as keeping shelves, pots, and tools clean will help stop fungal infection. Good air circulation seems to help prevent spread. If cold, increase temperature, which will also reduce humidity if high. Removing insects such as fungus gnats prevents them spread¬ ing spores. Removal of infected tissue prevents spores being spread further. Use a fungicide to kill fungus. Do not overwater. 1. Structural resistance. If a plant has a thick cuticle and the fungal hyphae cannot penetrate, there is no fungal growth and no structural damage. Imagine a seed starting to germinate, but because it is lying on concrete, the roots cannot penetrate and it dies. 2. Chemical resistance. Plants may contain chemicals, which provide resistance to fungi. One group of such chemicals are called saponins. These live in the cell vacuole, and when the fungus penetrates the cell, the saponins are activated and attack the fungus cells, killing them. 1 6 African Violet Magazine Types of Fungi Which May Infect African Violets Powdery mildew - an ascomycete, which attacks flowers and leaves. Crown rot - Pythium or Phytophthora attack roots first. Botiytis - invades injured area. Sclerotinia - this forms a powdery crust on stems and crowns. It is uncommon. There are some fungi which we see growing on the surface of soil in pots. They are usually harmless to plants, as they feed on organic matter in the soil. From the Newsletter of the Early Morn AV Group, Inc. March • April 2003 Creating Exciting New Hybrids by Kyle Coleman Creating exciting new hybrids is easy, right? There’s nothing to it - a piece of cake. Well, if you believe that, you’ve never tried it. I’ve read the articles, too. The process can sound pretty straight forward. First, select good breeding stock and polli¬ nate them. Grow the seedpods, sow the seeds, and grow the plants. Select the best, and discard the rest. The process is relatively simple, but following it takes a lot of work, and there’s no guarantee of finding e\’en one violet worth keeping! The odds are against you. Even my brief try at hybridiz¬ ing would agree. Only six of my sixteen crosses produced seeds. Only five of my six seedpods germinated. Half the seedlings were single (dropping) bloomers in some shade of blue/purple. Further, only eleven of 309 were suitable to show. On top of that, of the eleven most attractive violets - two weren’t really very distinctive or original; two weren’t genetically stable; and two produced leaf cuttings that were very stingy with babies. This left only five keepers for a yield of about 1.5%. I learned a lot about violet hybridizing from my seedlings. Selecting good breeding stock was crucial because traits that violet growers consider fatal flaws tend to be dom¬ inant - even when they are recessive (or hidden) traits for the parent. The kids seemed to pick up the parents’ bad traits very easily, and 1 found it was unexpectedly difficult to pro¬ duce a plant that didn’t pick up at least one fatal flaw. In my opinion, the only tmly fatal flaw was dropping single blooms, but a plant with variable growth or low bloom count doesn’t impress me much either. Many of the pointers that the pros have been recom¬ mending were very useful, and my experience agreed with these. If you want variegates, use variegated mother plants. Variegated crosses don’t produce as many seedpods or as many seedlings per seedpod. If you want diversit)', cross dis¬ similar plants. Conversely, if you want more predictability, cross similar plants. Other good traits for parent plants include good health, vigorous growth, no fatal flaws, well¬ shaping foliage, easy propagators, and no bad traits. (All those single dropping seedlings were very' frustrating!) For color, size, fanciness, foliage, and floriferousness, it’s best to select parent plants like the plants you want. For me, the initial stage of hybridization took about thir¬ teen to sixteen months. Seedpod formation took about four months, and luckily I made several crosses all at one time because less than half of them formed pods. Germination took about two weeks. Growing to first bloom took another six months. (Those babies stayed very small for a LONG March • April 2003 time.) I was glad that I devoted an entire four-shelf plant stand to try' to make room for every' last seedling - if I had thrown any away pre-maturely, I would have always won¬ dered if 1 had thrown out any of the few precious keepers. Growing to maturity required another three to six months, depending on size - standard or miniature. As the seedlings reached blooming size, I saved a lot of work by screening the plants and discarding inferior plants promptly'. The AVSA new cultivar scale of points was a good guide. I was convinced from the beginning that there’s no need for another variety with green foliage and purple drop- ping-single blossoms, so 1 was quick to cut my losses. I gave (or threw) the rejects away and moved on to the final stage of hybridizing. Putting my potential new hybrids to the final test took about twelve to fifteen months. Growing the seedlings through three generations took about four to five months per generation, but it was a good test to see if 1 had really found some gems. I discarded the cultivars that didn’t reproduce true or were difficult to propagate. 1 was heartbroken to give up on a couple of really pretty ones, but realistically, if they weren’t stable or couldn’t be reproduced, they weren’t really all that great. My five keepers came from two crosses. Four of them came from ‘Optimara Trinidad’ (a standard) crossed on ‘Rose Splash’ (a semi-miniature). From this cross, a few babies grew up to be standards, but most were semi-miniatures. The four best ones were semi-miniatures, but my best cultivar came from 'Optimara Trinidad’ crossed on ‘Funny Bunny’ (another semi-mini). Like the other cross, some of the kids grew up to be standards, but most of the kids were semi¬ miniatures. (The best of this cross was a miniature.) My variegated crosses produced only one seedpod, thirteen seedlings, and NO keepers. Since all of my keepers came from just two of the five viable seedpods, 1 could have easily had no keepers if 1 had planted only some of the seedpods and had chosen the wrong ones! Talk about a lot of time and energy! If I’d known what I w'as getting into at the time, I don’t know w'hether I’d have done it. On the good side, 1 do have five good varieties to show for my 309 seedling effort. It’s also kind of fun when some one asks, “Who’s the hybridizer?,’’ and I say, “I am.’’ 1 get a private chuckle w'hen someone asks, “Is that grow'ing according to the hybridizer’s description?” My best feeling of hybridizing accomplishment so far has been seeing other people enter my plants in shows. From “Blossoms”, publication of the Seattle AVS African Violet Magazine 1 7 Georgene Albrecht 1 0 1 Oak Heights Drive Oakdale, PA 15071 georgena@bellatlantic.net Petrocosmea forrestii This darling plant grows and blooms profusely in a 2 1/2 inch pot. Petrocosmea fon-estii (pet-roh-KAHS-mee-ah) was purchased from Paul Sorano at the last convention. None of my petrocosmeas ha\’e ever had this many blooms. The flowers are veiy small and charming, with lavender petals, a bright yellow center, and prominent stigma. This illustration w'as done weeks ago, and the plant now has fourteen blooms and ten buds. This heavy bloom happened in the coolness of fall with the plant growing on the lowest shelf of my light garden. It was probably get¬ ting about 500 foot candles of light. It produces only one bloom per stem but sends up two to three stems per axil. As they age, the stems seem to curv'e and elongate, which adds to the whimsical charm of this itty bitty beauty. It was grown rather dr>' and given two waterings of Jerry’s Grow bloom booster fertilizer. This plant is a “must-have” because it takes up so little space. You may see it listed as Petrocosmea duclouxii, its former name. VELUNTINA LITE This tiny plant was the best plant in our exhibit. Cyndi Boesse grew it in natural light. The bloom color was extraor¬ dinary, so vivid and bright. The more ! grow this plant, the more 1 love it. 1 have always imagined the extinct Saintpaulia pusilla to resemble this. Having grown at least two dozen of them over the last three years, I know it is very stable and almost never reverts to a full-sized Saintpaulia veluntina. Faye Wagman pro\’ided the first plant I grew, and it produces many plantlets from one little leaf. Betty Tapping had given her the plant. Faye tells me that once in a while, a plant will tend to elongate in growth, but the leaves stay tiny and the growth just gets taller instead of staying compact. Judges tell me that it can’t be Best Miniature in a show. It is not listed in the handbook, so is not considered to be any different than a regu¬ lar veluntina, even though it is different and one-third the size. 1 would like to know how this plant grows for you. My e-mail is georgena@bellatlantic.net if you would like to share information about the growth habit. Compared to many of the species, it is very easy to grow. JERRY’S GROW In the last few years, this fertilizer has been extremely successful for orchid and rose growers from all parts of the countr}^. It is distributed by the gallon in concentrate form for regular growth and for bloom booster. This summer my Achimenes, Nematanthus, and kohlarias outside were watered with this, and 1 must admit that I have never had better bloom or bet¬ ter rhizome production. We did have more sunshine than usual though. This is a ver}^ powerful fertilizer, and I must recommend using a very diluted mixture on African violets and other gesneriads. Streptocaipus must be watered prior to this fertilizer application. If you want information on this 1 8 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 popular product, contact Wunder Works, 492 Sapena Ct., Santa Clara, CA 95054 or www.wundergrow.com. The for¬ mulas are 1.5-0. 5-0. 5 for flowering and 3-1-1 for foliage. 1 know these do not sound powerful, but they are. Nitrogen sources are both ammoniacle and nitrate. CHILE MOSS Have you seen the new moss from Chile that is sold in the one-cubic foot bag? The fibers are even larger than the New Zealand moss. It seems to be great when used as a “mulch” in my container gardens and terrariums. It seems to last a long time, too. It holds a great deal of moisture. I have hundreds of the smallest spiders ever seen on an orchid mulched with this. I am not positive they came with the moss. So, a word to the wise would tell us to soak this in boiling water containing a few drops of detergent. Wash it with cool water before using. VIRUS Rose rosette disease has dex'astated several roses in m>' garden. 1 contacted an expert, and she tells me that it cannot be transferred to either orchids or gesneriads. They also think the mite suspected of being the vector will not invade either family. PROPAGATION OF TRAILING GESNERIADS by Leonie Chirgwin Part of the gesneriad plant family are fibrous rooted trad¬ ing plants. Here, in Australia, the genera from the groups which are most usually grown are varieties and hybrids of Aeschynanthus, Columnea, Codonanthe, Nematanthus, and Strep tocarpella. There are also some inter-generic crossed plants which hybridizers have produced, like Codonatanthus. Propagation of these plants is usually done using cuttings. There are three methods of doing this: requirements include a 2 1/2" pot filled with African violet potting mix, some rooting hormone, your thumbnail, and one or more cut¬ tings. Label the pot, being careful of the spelling. Fill the pot with mix. Then take one or more cuttings, about 4" or 5" long, making sure you know which is the tip end and which is the end closest to the roots. Cuttings do not have to be taken from the very end of a trail - a long trail may be cut into segments. An idea to help identify which end is which is to strip a few leaves from the base end as soon as you cut the trail into segments. Scrape about 1 1/2" of the cutting free of leaves and the outer skin with your thumbnail. Dip this raw section into your chosen rooting hormone. With the powder or gel, you can put the cutting into the labeled pot immedi¬ ately. With the liquid hormone, the instructions say to lay the cutting to one side for approximately one hour, until the liquid dries. Purists will plant only one cutting per pot, and from then on will routinely pinch out all growing tip leax'es, forcing that one cutting to continually branch out again and again. Eventually, a full basket of trails is grown. Another method is to treat the cuttings the same way, but plant 4-6 all together in a bunch in the center of your pot. Again, pinch out the growing tips, and a bushy basket of trails will be produced. The difference is that the trails will not hang down as tidily as the basket grown from a single cutting. Another method is to plant five or six single cuttings in individual pots. When the cuttings put down by these three methods are rooted well, (test by slipping the plant and potting mix out of the pot and look for healthy roots out to the edge of the mix) they are ready to be moved into a 6" hanging basket. The first two methods are planted in the center of the basket and the growing trails spread evenly around. The third method is to plant these five rooted cuttings separately in the basket in “clock” positions, i.e. in the center and the others at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00, around the edge of the basket. I belie\’e that Method One is the best. Method Two is okay, but not as good as Method One, and Method Three will produce a full basket, but not of show quality. From the Newsletter of the Early Morn AV Group, Australia and New Zealand March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 1 9 £8. Kent and Joyce Stork 2501 E. 23rd Ave. S. Fremont NE 68025 kents@tvsonline.net For years vve have maintained an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) in a separate room for the ailing violets of our customers. The most common problem we see is a long neck between the lowest leaves and the soil. We send violets into surgery, pre¬ scribe the appropriate treatment, and then give them quiet rest until they come back into bloom. We refuse a few patients because of insects, and we do lose some occasionally, but usu¬ ally these violets pull through and look completely rejuvenat¬ ed by the time they go home. No matter what any grower does, necks will happen. This is because all violets continue to lose lower leaves as new leaves form in the center crown. Perfect conditions may cause leaves to last longer, but no violet leaf will last forever. In most cases, a violet leaf will not live more than two years from the time it formed in the crown to when it was the oldest leaf on the violet. Once it falls off, it exposes a little bit of the center stalk, eventually becoming a neck. Necks need to be buried so that new roots can form to support the plant. For standard size violets grown in windows, repotting may need to be done evety six months or so. Plants grown under fluorescent lights tend to grow more compactly, and may need repotting only once a year. Miniature and semi¬ miniature violets need this treatment tw'o or three times a year, even under the best of conditions. Repotting should be done routinely. First, have the right potting mix ready Good violet potting soil needs to be veiy porous; it needs to hold water well; it needs to maintain a balanced pH of approximately 6.8. Growers vary' in their potting mix recipe, but in the United States, the basic mix is often composed of one part of Canadian milled sphagnum peat moss, one part coarse vermiculite, and one part coarse perlite. The peat should be brown (not black) and should have a fresh texture that does not smear when rubbed between fin¬ gers, which happens with badly decomposed and inferior peat. As peat decays, it becomes more acidic and tends to compress together. Look for the words “product of Canada” on the label in order to find the high quality Canadian peat that growers have learned to trust. The vermiculite absorbs moisture well, so that air can cir¬ culate between the particles of soil even when it is wet. Coarser bits allow more air to circulate. Finding coarse vermiculite has become more difficult, but even the finer grade provides mois- aire retention. The perlite provides a chunky texture that keeps the soil from becoming too compacted. The larger and coarser it is, the better. Think about how much more air is in a bucket of rocks than in a bucket of sand. Although it does contribute some fluoride, perlite is fairly neutral in that it will generally not affect pH. If you can’t buy good premixed violet potting soil from a violet club or vendor (check the advertisers in this magazine) , then you should mix your own. Products labeled as “African Violet Potting Soil” and sold in garden centers rarely meet our standards and should usually be avoided. Finally, moisten the potting mix by adding warmish water. Stir the mix to spread the moisture evenly, adding more water until the soil begins to stick together in small clumps. Premoistened soil is especially beneficial for repotting. Excessively dr>' soil can pull moisture from the roots of the plants you will be repotting, causing additional shock to the plant. This will also eliminate dust as you repot. So how long is that neck? 20 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 The neck is Just barely visible.,, it Just needs First Aid A neck that is scarcely visible is the easiest one to deal with, especially if the plant is allowed to get slightly dry before so that leaves are more flexible and less prone to break. Blooming plants with this minimal neck can be repotted without removing flowers. The flowers may fade after repot¬ ting, but it won’t be a big problem. It is a good idea to remove any leaves that look like they are starting to age. You will be a little bit ahead of the problem. A1 the grower needs to do is lift the plant out of its pot, slice off a small amount from the bottom of the root ball, and set it back into the same pot. The task is finished by adding enough potting mix to the top of the pot to hide the neck. Don’t be tempted to pack the soil down since this removes air and tends to lead to problems. The amount that is sliced away should be equal to the amount of exposed neck. If it is a half an inch or less, the violet will show no ill effects and can go right back into its usual location after watering. New roots will grow quickly from the newly buried part of the stalk to replace those that were cut away. The neck is one or two inches long... it needs Outpatient Surgery Once the neck is obvious, but not out of control, you need to use a little more effort. If you have put off the job for this long, there is a good chance that a few more leaves are fading but haven’t quite died. This is the perfect time to remove them so that repotting won’t be necessary again so soon. Remove any leaves that have faded green color, that are smaller than the row of leaves above them in the crown, or that have been damaged and are unsightly. Remove any suckers or sideshoots that have developed between the leaves, and also look for the tiny beginnings of new suckers that need to be poked out. It is also wise to remove all of the flowers so that the plant can concentrate its energy on growing new roots. Again, this task is easiest if the plant is slightly dry so that you break off only the leaves that you are intending to remove. When necks are allowed to grow to one or two inches, some dried brown crust will often appear on the exposed neck. This crust is the scabbing left by leaves that have been removed. It is fairly dense, and will tend to prevent new roots from growing. It needs to be scraped away gently. Use the dull side of a knife or similar object and skin away just the dried surface cells to expose the fresh green tissue below. Because bacteria can enter the plant through open injuries, especially when in contact with damp soil, it is wise to allow the plant to sit for a while so that the surface of the neck dries and forms a protective seal. Once the plant is ready, lift it out of the pot, slice away one to two inches (to equal the length of the exposed neck) from the bottom of the root ball, and set it back into the same pot. The bottom row of leaves should be even with or slightly below the rim of the pot. Fill in with fresh potting mix and, again, avoid packing or pressing. Water the plant thoroughly and discard the excess water. If your growing area is kept in the temperature range of 70 March • April 2003 to 80 degrees and is somewhat humid, you can probably put your repotted violet back in its usual location. If it is cooler, it might be helpful to make a tent of clear plastic over the plant for a week or so. With a significant part of its roots having been cut off, the plant is unable to draw up as much moisture as it had. The tent will keep it from losing moisture and keep it a bit warmer. The neck is really long... this requires Radical Surgery! The longest neck we’ve ever seen was nearly two feet long! That required a number of years of procrastination! If you have put the task off for several years, the neck is likely to be longer than three or four inches. Once it has gone to that length or beyond, it requires radical surgery with post-surgical intensive care. This sounds terribly intimidating, but even an inexperienced “surgeon” should have a veiy^ high success rate using this method. Begin first by removing lower leaves that are smaller than those in the rows above and any that have any suggestion of aging. This would include leaves that are slightly less green than the center leaves, leaves that are nicked or dusty, and leaves that have long stems (petioles). Also remove any secondary crowns (suckers) that have fonued between leaves. Finally, eliminate all blossom stems, including tiny buds that are fonning. In most cases, there should be somewhere between six and twenty leaves remaining. Next, gently scrape the section of the neck that is just below the bottom row of leaves. There may be some brown crust to remove, but you also need to eliminate the stubs of the leaves that were just taken off. This scraping helps prevent future suckers and allows roots to develop more quickly. Be gentle! Scraping should just occur along the surface cells and not dig deeper into the neck tissue. This next step frightens novices the most. Amputation. Be brave! Cut off the top part of the plant, leaving a stalk under the leaves that is about one to two inches long. Discard the lower portion of the plant. Allow some time for the surface of the stalk on the top portion to dry before proceeding. While you are waiting, examine the cross section of the stalk. A healthy stalk should have a light green color with a nearly full circle of tiny purple dots around the very center. It should be firm all the way through with no darkened or pithy center that would indicate interior rot. The outside sclera or skin cells should be firmly attached to the center core of the stalk. A slipping skin would be another indication of fungal rot. If either of the rot indicators are present, try cutting a little higher (a half an inch at a time) on the stalk, removing leaves if necessaiy' to get above the rot line. When a point is reached where there is no indication of rot, disinfect your knife with bleach and take one more very shallow slice from the bottom; this removes any rot contamination that may have occurred from previous cuts. Next, prepare a clean pot. Choose one that is about one- half to one-third of the foliage diameter and quite shallow. Fill the pot to the top rim with violet potting mix. While it is always important to use the right mix and avoid packing, it African Violet Magazine 2 1 is critical when doing radical surgeiy. African violet roots are \'er\' delicate, and any impediment to their growth will affect the health of the entire plant. A repotted, rootless crown needs to produce roots veiy' quickly if it is to suivive, so leave as much air space as possible in the soil medium for the fine hair-like sprouts to grow. Set the stalk of the crown into the veiy center of the pot. If the plant dex’eloped a leaning posture as the neck grew too long, there may be a crook in the stalk so that the leaves do not make a perfect “T" with the stem below. In this case, set the stalk straight into the pot with the leaves at an odd angle. The plant will correct its above-ground position to a more level attitude in a fairly short time. The alternative of repot¬ ting so that the leaves are level and the stalk is angled in the soil seems to cause the plant to develop poor symmetiy as time passes. Water the plant until water mns out the drainage holes. This might cause the potting mix to sink down into the pot. You may add a little extra mix to the top of the pot so that the stalk is in good contact with the soil. Drain off the excess moisture. You must provide veiy- high humidity (60% or higher) during the rerooting period. With no roots to pull moisture from the soil, the violet will quickly dr>^ out. The way to prevent this is by increasing the humidity so that the plant does not give off water into the atmosphere. Unless you grow in an area with oppressively high natural humidity, you will need to place your violet inside a clear container, such as a plastic bag or box. The container should be large enough for the plant to stand without touching the sides too much, but not so large that the humidity is too dispersed. In most cases, the soil moisture will add enough humidity to the air to reach a good balance. As a guideline, the humidity is about right when the inside of the container has some evidence of condensed moisture clinging to the sides. When this is tme, there will be no need to gi\’e the plant additional water. This container needs to be sealed tightly closed for the entire time the plant is rerooting. If using a plastic bag, inflate it by blow¬ ing before sealing it. This container should be placed in a bright location but not in direct sunlight. Sunlight could cause the temperature inside to rise excessively, doing damage to your violet. The temperature inside the container will tend to be about 5 degrees warmer than the air in the growing room. The optimum rooting temperature is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celcitis). If your normal air temperature is 72 degrees, you need not worry. If it is cooler, you may wish to find a higher shelf in the room (where it is warmer) or another slightly warmer location. Similarly, if air temperature is normally warmer, try placing the container near the floor or in a cooler location. New roots begin forming veiy^ quickly. Often there will be adequate roots in one month’s time to support the plant. This is often accompanied by the appearance of new leaves in the center of the crown and flowering. Both are good indications that the plant is thri\’ing. The plant may then be removed from the sealed con¬ tainer. Do so gradually! The roots have not had to pull water during the time they spent in the high humidity. Lowering the humidity gradually by opening the container a little at a time over a day or two will ease the roots into their new job. Failure to do this gradually can result in sudden wilting. Violets will reco\'er, but this stress is avoidable. After the transition period, your violet can be placed back in its usual location. It should soon be back in bloom and vigorous. Avoiding the problem of necks There is nothing that can be done to eliminate the devel¬ opment of a neck completely, but it is possible to slow the progression. When violets receive tiiily bright light for twelve hours a day, the space between the leaf nodes narrows so that leaves are forming their stems in the tightest possible position. If you can see any space in between the leaves, at the spot where they join the main stalk, it might be wise to move your \’iolet into a brighter location. Temperature controls the rate of cell division to a great extent. When the temperature is cool, below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, \iolets grow quite slowly and compactly. If tem¬ peratures are regularly above 80 degrees, violets grow much more rapidly and can develop a spindly, lanky appearance. Maintaining temperatures in the low 70’s can help reduce the frequent need to repot. Start your own surgical unit This is one surgeiy' that doesn’t require years of educa¬ tion. Try the recommended procedure, and you will soon be a talented African violet doctor. Your violets will love you and reward you with beautiful growth. You might even find that you have to open an ICU of your own for your friends’ plants! 22 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 f/lepo/'t Janice Brans 1220 Stratford Lane Hanover Park, IL 60133 jbruns@attbixom A name resenmtion costs $1.00 and is valid for two years, after which time it may be extended two years for an additional $1.00. Registration of the plant is $5.00, unless completed within the resenmtion period, in which case the balance is then $4.00. Please make check payable to AVSA. Nelly Levine - Arvada, CO *Bella Donna (9145) 11/18/02 (N. Levine) Single-semidou- ble lavender ruffled pansy/dark purple edge. Dark green, pointed, quilted, haiiy^, serrated/red back. Standard ’Orchid Surprise (9146) 11/18/02 (N. Levine) Single orchid sticktite star/fuchsia eye, fantasy. Dark green, ovate, serrated/red back. Standard Susan Shaw - Loveland, CO ’Susan’s Sweetheart (9147) 11/27/02 (S. Shaw) Single¬ semidouble dark burgundy mffled star. Medium green, heart-shaped, quilted/red back. Standard NAME RESERVATIONS Nelly Levine - Arvada, CO * Kaela ’ Kaitlyn * Kellee ’ Kool Kona ’ Boyce Edens Research Fund Marlene J. Buck • 17235 N. 106th Avenue • Sun City, AZ 85373-1958 Donations received from October 1, 2002 - November 30, 2002 The Classic City AVS, Athens, GA . Tliis donation to BERF is because our club has disbanded Mary Lou Hopperstad, Richfield, MN . In memory of Don Ness Anne F. Tinari, Huntingdon Valley, PA . 25.00 In memoiy of Don Ness of Midland African Violets, hybridizer of many beautiful cultivars in our violet world Ellen S. Frilseth, Roseville, MN . 10.00 In memory of Don Ness MKO DYN-O-MITE AVS, Joplin, MO . 25.00 In memoiy of Holly Marie Smith Inner City AV Club. St. Louis, MO . 10.00 Walter Chipka, Opa Locka, FL . 10.00 Penny L. Smith-Kerker, Austin, TX . 20.00 Carla Yambert, Murray, KY . 5.00 Dolores Harrington, Fridley, MN . 10.00 In memory of Don Ness Conrad N. Nelson, Minneapolis, MN . 2.00 Bergen County AVS, Bergen County, NJ . 25.00 In memory of Laura Shannon, Frank Tinari, and Don Ness tlvee long time members of AVSA who will be missed by us all Sharone E. Johnson, Lino Lakes, MN . 20.00 In memory of Don Ness Susan B. Hoffmann, Virginia Beach, VA . 25.00 In memory tf" Don Ness a great pillar in AVSA Tfistate AV Council, Lafayette, NJ . 10.00 In lieu of Judges expenses for Lee Borey and Lee Gugliada Lone Star AVC, San Marcos, TX . $20.00 In memoiy ofj. C. Munk, hybridizer and fiend North Star AV CounciJ, Minneapolis, MN . 50.00 In memory of Don Ness, a great hybridizer Wisconsin Council of AVSA, Milwaukee, WI . 25.00 AVS of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA . 50.00 In memory of our long time member and fiend, Laura Shannon ,VVS of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA . 25.00 In memory of Anna Seiler, a dear member for many years Dale K. Jasaitis, Beverly Hills, FL . 20.00 Given in memory ofLawa Shannon, the most knowledgeable and generous gesneriad lover I have ever met Maur}’ and Jackie Jones, Durant, lA . 50.00 Martha Hart, Rochester, NY . 10.00 Leslee J. Newman, Yorba Linda, CA . 5.00 Lucinda J. Muni, Wyckoff, NJ . 5.00 Julie K. Gibson, Phoenix, AZ . 25.00 George R. Stewart, University City, TX . 5.00 Missouri Valley AV Council. Carl Junction, MO . 25.00 In memory of Frank Tinari and Bill Lyons Evelyn E. Stein. Tl'acy, CA . 25.00 Ann D. Gramstorff, Spring Hill, FL . 5.00 MarkC. Bander. Dewitt, Ml . 50.00 Martha George, Oklahoma City, OK . 10.00 John D. Sullivan, Danville, VA . , . 5.00 Janeen Dougherty. Morristown, NJ . 1 0.00 $400.00 25.00 March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 23 So, How Far Can You Go? by John Beaulieu Or rather how far can they go (rhizomes) before >'ou pot them up. Rhizomes olAchimenes and eucodonias stored over the winter in zip-lock baggies will e\’entually start to sprout in the spring, especially if the clear bags are exposed to light. Many hobbyists that hao’est rhizomes from the original pots when a plant goes dormant will store them in ziplock bags. The rhizomes are placed in the bag with some slightly damp sphagnum moss or vermiculite. Storing rhizomes was covered in Volume Three. Number Tvvo (Spring issue 2001). Back in that issue, I showed a photo of a bag of rhizomes that had gone far too long, and little plants were forming inside the bag! The preferred time to repot these rhizomes is when they just start to sprout. Well, this past year 1 outdid myself in leaving them faaaaaar too long! I had little plants last year because the bags where exposed to light in my plant room. This time 1 stored the bags in a dark box. They still eventually sprouted, and you can see in the top photo that the bags were filled with strings of white rhizomes. 1 don’t know when they start¬ ed sprouting, but I do know that it was getting into August before I had time to look at them! The long sprouts were get¬ ting stressed themselves and were starting to produce new scaly rhizomes which can be seen in the second photo to the right. I wasn’t sure what would be the best way to deal with these long, string}' shoots. Since time was still at a premium, I just spread each tangled mess on a half filled hanging pot of potting mix. I then covered the shoots and rhizomes with more mix (see photo to the right) and kept the pot watered. I’m not sure if the shoots continued to grow or if it was the new rhizomes that sprouted, but by September there were new green sprouts showing up in the pots. Of course, in a normal year the baskets olAchimenes are starting to wind down during September. Mine are really just starting to grow at this time. Our weather wasn’t normal this year either, and warm summer temperatures lasted right through September, giving my plants a good chance to keep growing. By October they were starting to flower as seen to the right. The cool weather finally did come, and my plants have moved indoors and continue to bloom. I have really thrown them out of wack for timing this year, but would imagine that once they do peak and go dormant, the rhizomes will still tend to sprout at the normal time next spring. Hopefully, next spring there will be no mud slides com¬ ing through my yard, as happened this year, and I will be able to get the rhizomes potted up in a more timely fashion. Perhaps I should consider the other option of dealing with rhizomes, and that is to do nothing. Leave them in their pots and stop watering until early spring. Then resume nor¬ mal watering and hope they show up! 24 African Violet Mag.azine From Afiican Violet and Gesneiiad News March • April 2003 What*s Missing From This Picture? Chances are, few of today’s garden centers know as much about growing African Violets as you do. No doubt, this explains why so many knowledge¬ able Violet growers have a hard time finding the products they need. For anyone who knows what it takes to grow beautiful, full-blooming African Violets, it can be like putting together a puzzle, only to find there’s a piece missing. We know the feeling. That’s why we started the Selective Gardener, a plant care supplier that specializes in products for African Violets. Everything You Need to Grow Beautiful, Full-Blooming African Violets The Selective Gardener makes it easy to get the products you need. As a plant care supplier that specializes in African Violets, the Selective Gardener earries a full line of plant care products with brand names like Optimara. • Fully-dissolving, urea-free fertilizers • Self-watering devices such as the Watermaid and the new, spill-proof Optimara WaterShip • Ultralight, pH-balaneed potting media • Pots, trays and plant covers • Show accessories and more From Leaf Cuttings to Finished Violets In addition to plant care produets, the Selective Gardener offers African Violets in several pot sizes, including genuine Miniatures. You ean also order leaf cuttings from all of the available Optimara and Rhapsodic varieties. A Complete African Violet Resource The Selective Gardener is a complete African Violet resource. Send for the Selective Gardener catalog, and you will find offers for plant care products, Violets and leaf cuttings, even books and posters. Or go online, and you will find even more. At the Selective Gardener’s internet site (http://www. selectivegardener.com), you will have access to a number of resources not available anywhere else. • Growing tips from the world famous Holtkamp Greenhouses • Complete interactive Violet identification guide • Links to other useful sites such as Doctor Optimara, a symptom-based, interactive guide for diagnosing pests and pathogens • Reviews of African Violet products (Tip: If you do not have access to the internet, try your public libraiy. Many libraries, now, provide computers for public use, as well as helpful assistance for anyone wanting to go online.) The Selective Gardener Catalog To receive the Selective Gardener catalog, send $1 (which will be credited to your first order) with your name and address to: The Selective Gardener 6011 Martingale Lane Brentwood, TN 37027 Or visit us online at http: / /www.selectivegardener.com. Copyright 1998. Optimara, Doctor Optimara, Optimara WaterShip, Watermaid and Rhapsodie are trademarks of International Plant Breeding, A.G., Switzerland. Soil Mixes for Your Watering System From the Illinois AVS, Inc. Is it okay to use packaged African violet soil mix? New growers may wonder what all this talk about different mixes is about. The companies did a lot of research to develop var¬ ious mixes, and it is perfectly fine to use them just as they come. Thousands of growers do so with good results. But consider the subject of watering. Since each watering method has its own idiosyncrasies, four of Illinois AVS’s best growers share their method of watering and the soil mix they have created to meet their needs. Jan Bruns grew the best miniatures any of us have ever seen and was by far the champion winner for miniatures at every convention and African violet show she entered. Jan watered from the top, so this soil would be too heavy for wick watering. Here is her recipe for miniatures: 4 parts Hypoflex Professional potting soil 1 part vermiculite 1 part perlite 1 part Sakrete Playground Sand The soil is pasteurized, (put in 200° oven for 1 hour, then turn off oven and leave in overnight) and then mixed with the other ingredients. Morgan Simmons grows beautiful plants of all sizes and has been the winner of numerous blue ribbons for collections, large plants, small plants, and has taken the blue ribbon for his species for years now. He waters Texas-style. Here is his recipe for success: Morgan pots Texas-style. Burn holes about 3/4 inches apart around the bottom of the plastic pot and about 3/4 inches from the bottom. Fill the bottom of the pot, just past the holes, with perlite before potting. Water from the bottom with a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20. Occasionally drench with warm distilled water. 3 gallons of peat 2 gallons of perlite 1 gallon of vermiculite 1 pound package of Super Soil Substance Combine all in a large plastic bag, mixing thoroughly, and add 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of hot water. Let “cure” for at least two days before using. Steve Covolo grows outstanding plants. He is a constant winner at every show or convention he enters. His watering method is Texas-style “Modified”, meaning he still has holes in the sides of his pots, but he wick waters. He orders soilless mix from an African Violet vendor. 1 part soilless mix 2 parts perlite Horticulture charcoal for drainage Anna Jean Landgren has been winning blue ribbons for many years. She has grown every kind of violet, plus many other gesneriads. Her trailers and miniatures have won blues at every show I have attended. Anna Jean wicks her plants and uses the mat watering system. Here is her recipe: Using a coffee can she mixes: 3 parts of a soilless mix 1 part vermiculite 1 part perlite 1/2 - 3/4 cup charcoal 3 This bone meal 3 tsp dolomite lime Mix all together and dampen with hot water. Harold Appleton has always grown beautiful, very large violets. He wins blue ribbons in every show he enters. He has tried different soils and different ways of watering. The soil recipe he is using now is an old one from way back. He reports, “This seems to be working fine for me. The plants look the best that they have in years after watering all ways - top, bottom, Texas, etc.” Here is his recipe: Three large coffee cans full of peat moss 1/2 can of charcoal One and 1/2 cans vermiculite 3 cans of perlite (extra perlite to make it lighter) About 2 ounces dolomite lime At present using a fertilizer called master blend 15-16-17, used 1/4 tsp to a gallon of water and 4 drops of Super Thrive®. Remember, if you want to experiment with any of these different soil mixes, try it on only a few plants. Don’t repot everything until you know how a new mix will work in your growing conditions. Good growing!! From “African Violet Leaves” 26 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 PLANT REGISTRATION INFORMATION The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants 1995 will be the authority for accepting names and reg¬ istrations for saintpaulias. The African Violet Society of America, Inc. is the authorized agent for registration of saintpaulias. The registration forms are printed on special archival, acid-free paper. Please do not reproduce on plain copy paper. Reservation of Names (May not be more than three words) : Reserving a name should be done when your seedling first blooms. Many times a hybridizer names a new cultivar, releases it, and may wait two years before deciding to register the seedling, only to find the name is not available or is not acceptable according to the code. Name reservations are good for a two-year period. In order to reserve a name, send the name and $1.00 to the REGISTRATION COMMITTEE. It is not neces¬ sary to use a registration form to reserve a name. A letter giving the committee the name is sufficient. The name will be checked for availability and to make sure it is in compliance with the rules of The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. If the name is accepted, it will be placed in the reserved file with your name and the date it was received. This name reservation is good for a two-year period from the date received. If your reservation is about to expire and you are not ready to register your plant, you may request an extension by paying $1.00 for one more two-year period. Registering A Cultivar - Fee Is $5.00 You may subtract the $1.00 paid for the name reserv'ation if you have previously reserved the name and the reserx^ation period has not lapsed. Upon receiving the application for registration, read through it and fill in all the areas pertaining to your cultivar. Type or print in black ink. PLEASE DO NOT USE PENCIL, as these are permanent records. Do not fill in registration number, date received, and date published; these will be filled in by the REGISTRAR. All names will be checked by the committee for compliance and availability. 1 . If you have made the cross for this new cultivar, you are the hybridizer. Applicants need written permission from the hybridizer to register any cultivar for which they have not made the crosses. 2. Remember, in order to register a cultivar, you need to take it through three or more generations. Your new cultivar should reproduce true at least 95% of the time. 3. Cultivars from seeds for which the parentage is unknown may not be registered. 4. Registration will be made in the name of the hybridizer, not a business. The business did not hybridize this plant; you, as an individual, did. 5. Give a complete blossom and foliage description. Do not give a flowery, exaggerated description. Keep it short and concise but complete. 6. Plants or leaves of your plants must be available to the general public, either by gift or by sale, if you wish to register this plant. March • April 2003 7. Date and sign the application, and be sure to include your check or money order, made payable in U.S. funds to AVSA. DO NOT SEND CASH. The application should be signed with your full name, not initials and not the name of a business. 8. If a person’s name is being used as a cultivar name, a letter of permission from that person (or heirs) must accompany the name reservation or registration application. Written permission is also necessary before using the name of any famous person, copyright or trademark organization (e.g. musical group, youth organization, charity, cartoon charac¬ ter, etc.). 9. Registrations Do Not Become Valid Until Published In i:\ieAVM. The publication deadline for this committee is three months before publication of each AVM (Dec. 1 for March AVM, etc.) Registrations must be received by the 15th of the month to give us time to process your reservation or registration. Any name reser\^ations or registrations not received by the deadlines will be held until the next publication date. Are Your Plants Worthy of Registration? Registration requires that a plant must be tested through at least three generations to prove it is worthy to be registered. What is meant by ‘worthy’? When propagating, does it come tme to the mother plant? If there is a question in your mind as to the stability of your variety, and if it does not reproduce true at least 95% of the time, please do not register it. A cultivar that does not remain true to its description causes confusion and annoyance for all concerned. Is there a significant difference or improvement over any cultivar already on the market or regis¬ tered? Please be sure that it is. With this in mind, be discrimi¬ nating in your selection of the varieties you choose to register. Too often one cannot tell one plant from another. Effective January 1, 1989, parentage is required on all registrations « )|c * * lie* « 4: « Cultivar Names to be Avoided • Names likely to be confused with already existing registered cultivars or those closely related (i.e., RASPBERRY FIZZ is a registered cultivar. RAZZBERRY FIZZ is unacceptable. If BETTY is registered, BETTE is not acceptable.) • Excessively long names or phrases (the name may consist of no more than three words and have a limit of 10 sylla¬ bles and 30 characters or spaces overall) . • Any name that overstates the merits of a cultivar (i.e.. Improved, Better, Greater, etc.). These may become inaccu¬ rate with new released varieties. It is within the authority of the registration commit¬ tee to request the following: a) Testing dates b) An illustration or photo with description c) Parentage Revised April 2001 African Violet Magazine 2 7 Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Rob ’s Humply Doo Exhibited by: Linda Neumann Hybridized by: R. Robinson Semiminiature Trailer Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky 28 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Roh*s Boolaroo Best Trailer 2002 AVSA National Show Exhibited by: Tony Hulleman Hybridized by: R. Robinson Semiminiature Trailer March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 29 Barbara Elkin Vintage Violets Committee 2855 Gayle Lane Auburn, CA 95602-9674 email: bjabar@earthlink.net OLD AGE Some people think it’s a very depressing subject. NOT SO! As things age they become antiques, thus worth more. The older and harder something is to find, the more precious it becomes. I personally like old things. For instance, I am married to a old man. I think I’ve mentioned him before. I wonder what his worth is? He does vacuum and dust though. Maybe more than 1 realize; guess I’ll keep him. He doesn’t need water, and has never been re-potted. Like I said. I’ll keep him. just like plants, some are easy to grow and some the other way around. Add some age to that, and you have my passion, the older plants. If Vintage Violets can help you be reunited with an old timer let me know. (I seem to have many old timers around here including an ole’ man) . This issue of “AVSA Most Wanted” is the entire list of ’’Wanted” plants. Please pay close attention to it. Purple Crest showed up after six years on the “Wanted” list. Who knows what will turn up next? If Bob Moselle and Chris Mason read my article, please get in touch with me. I’ve lost contact with you. AVSA Most Wanted Vintage Violets Our Membelrs Are Seeking Ace of Cedar Rapids Baby Blue Blue Morning Glory Caravan Emerald Ripple Constance Hansen Supreme Deborah’s Oh My Adele Baby Girl Spoon Blue Nymph (Standard) Caravan Masterpiece Copy Cat Deep Sea TVeasure Adeline Krogman Baby Helen Blue Parade Caravan Pageant Coral Cascade Deleon Pbde Admiral Amazon Baby Pink Blue Peak Carousel Lady Coral Cove Deleon Posie Aglitter Baby’s Lace Blue Reverie Care Deeply Coral Radiance Desiree Albert The Second Bagdad Blue Rosette Caribbean Coral Reef Diane Lisa Dimambro Ablaze Baker’s Hot Lips Blue Skies Carnival Queen Coral Satin Diana Ross Albino Blue Eyes Ballet Carla Blue Smoke Carillon Coral Tips Dib’s Thrill Allane Ballet Eva Blue Warrior Casu Small Cordarama Dingbat Alice Blue Gown Ballet Grace Blue Wren Catherine Cordelia Dippity Do Alice Marie Ballet Helga Bobby Cat’s Meow Cornucopia Disco Babe Alice’s Cochise Ballet Inga Bonnie Lassy Celestial Butterfly Cotton Bowl Dominion Rose Alice’s White Xmas Ballet Meta Boyce Edens Cecile Ambler Cranberry Ice Donna Lee Amazon Pink Delite Bambino (Richter’s) Brilliant Lady Cerise Creekside Moonbeams Donna Lynn Amazon Pink Luster Bashful Beauty Bryte Angel Chapel Boy Crested jewel Dorothy Gray America Bavaria Bryte Bells Cherokee Fire Crimson Glo Do’s Jean American Becky’s Gypsy Tfail Bryte Glitter Cherokee Rose Crimsunny Double Cherry Soda Amethyst Sparks Bee Lee Tee Bryte Tips Cherubini Crown of Jewels Double Dutchess Anafair Belle's Spring Song Bryte Sensation Chicapee Crown of Red Double Mini Orchid Andante Behnke Boy Bubblin' Over Chiffon Wasp Crusade TVail Double Orchid Girl Andy Griffiths Benjamin Bud’s Lonesome George Chipper Crytal Rose Double Orchid Splender Anna Therese Bergen Strawbeny Sherbert Bud’s Strike Me Pink Cinderella (Flower Pot) Curley Q Double Pink Cameo Anne’s Favorite Sport Bernice Bulls Eye Cinderella’s Slipper Daddy’s Girl Double Pink Cloud Antique Bliss Billy “Crash" Craddock Bunny Hop Cindy Darlene Dagmar Double Seafoam Antique Elegance Bing Cheny' Burgundy Bliss Circus Circus Dainty Doll Double Tbke Antique Mahogany Black Gold Burgundy Wasp Circus Clown Dainty Maid Double Uncle Bob Apache Campfire Black Velvet Buttercup Clackamas Surprise Daisy Doll Double Velvet Girl Apple Valley Black Waves Butte rffies Clipper Dallas Pride Double Wild Rosa Apricot Frost Blazing Butterfly White Clipper TVail Dalliance Dresden China Arabesque Blizzard Button Tinket CoCo (Arndt) Dansuese Dress Blues Aipege Blue Albino Girl Buttons and Bows Coconut Fluff Daphne (High Hill) Dupohnt Purple Artie Blizzard Blueberry Ruffles Cafe Au Lait Colonial Pink Dardevil Dutchman Athena Blue Bonnet Calico Kitten Colorama Dark Angel Dwarf lonantha Atlantic City Blue Bouquet California Cascade Colibre Dark Ciystal Easter Bonnet Audiy Blue Buttercup California Giant Color Splash Dark Eyes Easter Egg Aunt Clara Blue Dart Camellia Columbella Darth Vader Edna Haugh Autumn Glow Blue Fandango Camouflage Comanche maid Dates Fanfate Edith’s Toy Autumn Halo Blue Fling Campanile Comet Tfail Dates Jubilee Edna’s Joy Autumn Russett Blue Heiress CandleLight Conchita Dates Masterson Wasp Eileen Azure Beauty Blue Girl Candy Dandy Confessions Dave Masterson Eleanor Azure TVinket Blue Le Fleur Grravan Autumn Blaze Constance Hansen Dean’s Velvet One Elsie 30 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Elsted's Oakleaf Cluster Heather Mist Linda’s Toy Nona Weber Ramblin’ Rascal Stateliner El Toro Supreme Heavenly Halo Little Boy Blue Nortex’s Holiday Haven Raspbeny Charm Stripe Stormy Night Emma Lahr Helen VanPelt Wilson Little Busy Bee Nosy Bouquet Raspberry Frills Sugar Plum Fairy Emperor Wilhelm Highbrow Little Dee Odyssey Raspbeny' Glo Stripe Summer Lightening Eternal Snow Hobnail Pink Little Doe Ohio Bountiful Raspbeny Sundae Summer Silk Etna Holly Dolly Little Geneva Princess Old Black Joe Ravenscrest Summer Spice Eyeful HoUy Go Lightly Little Joan Old Blue Eyes (Mendoza) Ravishing Ruffles Suncoast Pink Giant Faiiy Image Hood Wink Little Lois On Edge Razzle Dazzle Sunday Morning Faiiy Prince Hortenses Zapata Little Lou Optimara Angelica Red and White Swan Lake Fancy Flirt Hot Buttered Rum Little Louie Optimara Annie Red Carnation Sweet Honesty Fancy Pants Hot Cargo Little Love Optimara Little Cherokee Red Rocket Sweet Lady Fantasy Double Ann Hot Line Little Lulu Optimara Kansas Red Velvet Sweet Mary Fantasy Wasp Hot Touch Little Maroon Optimara Louisiana Reed’s Pink Lemonade Swifty Lace Fantasy Lou Iceberg Little Miss Texas Optimara Missouri Regina Thffy Pull Fashion Frenzy Illini Deb Little Rascal Optimara New Jersey Renee Tangier Festival Illini Gem Little Red Wagon Optimara Nevada Renee Edmondson Thrgeteer Fire Bugg Inca Maid Little Ruddy Optimara North Dakota Reverie Tbssy Barbara Childs Fire Dance Indian Girl Little Seabird Optimara Oregon Rhapsodie Candy Teen Princess First Recital Indian Summer Lola Optimara Pennsylvania Rhapsodic GiGi Teen Queen Fisher’s Anne Marie Irene Loma Orchid Beauty Rhapsodie Maria Teen Wonder Fisher’s Miss Muffit Ivory Fashion Love Song Orchid Ripples Rhapsodie Roxanne Tennessee Apple Blossom Flamingo Girl ivory Venus Lulu Belle Oui Bells Rhapsodie Venus The Bride Fleur De Mais Jade Lucky Duck Oui Ben Rhapsody The Parson Floral Fantasy Jantien Lucky Stripe Oui Louie Rhinestone Cowboy The Parson’s Nadine Ford’s Pinwheel Jasmini Luxury Oui Love Richter’s Pearly Shells The Parson’s Ruffles Fox Run Jazzy Lyndy Lou Oregon Tfail Richter’s Step Up The Parson’s Wife Frances Young Jeanmarie Lynn Pagan Fire Rippled Romance Tidewater’s Sweetheart Frank White Jeff's Jewel Lyon’s Whisper Blue Painted Lady Risque Barbara Childs Timber Top Frathel’s Debbie Jennefer Madison’s Whisper Blue Pam’s Potpourri Rob’s June Bug Tlnari’s Blue Eyes Frathel’s Most Precious Jillian (Fredette) Mammy Pansy Tfail Rob’s Nearly Perfect Tinaii’s Wild Girl Fredette’s Blue Jean Jimmy Crack Com Manhatten Paragon Robyn Lynn Tinted Snow Fredette’s Elita Joanne Cora Marcella Parisianne Sport Rosalynn Carter Tiny Blue Fredette’s Sugar Blues Jovanny Mardi Gras Park Avenue Rosebud Tfail Tiny Pink Fredette’s ’IWilight Fantasy Jo’s Velveteen Marie’s Pacific Sunrise Patriot Rosie Lou Top Notch Friendship Josie Chris Mason Marine Jim Schendel Paul Bunyon Rowena Tribute Frilled Blue Joy Pink Maroon Frost Paul’s Pazazz Royal Elegance Triple Threat Frilled Orchid Rosette Juline Jean Stokes Marvin’s Silver Girl Peach Frost Royal Heart TVi'inkle Fringed Charm Just Beautiful Mary Lou Peach Jubilee Royal Ruby TVcist of Lime Frosty Hector Wong Kansas City Chiefs Mary' Louise Peach Ruffles Ruthies Bell Ulety’s Azure Beauty Galt Grape Kansas City Royals Maverick’s Tight Jeans Peak of Pink Sabrina Marie Ultra Violet TXvinkle Gay Confetti Karen Linda Maverick’s Young Love Peepers Sailor’s Dream Unpredictable (Swift) Gay Coquette Karla Lou May Dance Peggy Staat Sailor Girl Valera Gay Miss Kay Russell Meek’s Katy Baby Pepperment Fog Sancoucy Vibrant Val Gay Paree fCing Richard Megan Peppermint Frost Scarlet Macaw Victorian Pink Geane Marie Kiss’t Melly Pilgrim Maid Sea Bells Violets N’ Gold Genesee Silhoette Kramer’s Easterling Melodie Frances Pigmy or Pygmy Sea Grape Viva Geneva Rose Krista Lynn Melodie Heather Pink Beauty Sea Gull Vulcan’s Tfeasure Geneva Thail Krisie Melodie Kristen Pink Dresden Sea Queen Waltztime GiGi (not Rhapsodic) Kuhl’s Parnassus Merida Wasp Pink Fingers Sensational Wedgewood Gilded Strawberry Kuhl’s Pink TVeasure Merry Christmas (FCramer) Pink Frosting Shannon Renee Wee Stevie Ginger Cy Yee Kuhl’s Roundelay Michele Pink Geneva Shasta Nancy Sullivan Westdale Purple Mountain Glacier Point Kuhl’s TValie Rose Midget RicRac Pink Girl Sherry Love What Now Glow Baby Lacy Girl Midnight Star Pink Mink Sheryl’s Renee Whirlaway Gorgeous Bicolor Lacy Laser Mighty Mini Pink Reverie Shine Boy Whirlaway Sport Gorgeous One Lacy Red Millie Blair Pink Ruffled Show Stopper Whisper Valley Granger Gardens Angel Lace I Lady Alura Mimi’s Stars Pink Velvet Silver Anniversary White Bloomin’ Fool Granger Gardens Blue Empress Lady Catherine Mindi’s Tears Pink Wasp Silver Champion White Delaware Granger Gardens Fuchsia Brid Lady Clara Mine Alone Pistacio Silver Crest White Girl Granger Gardens White Gold Lady Constant Ming Rose Plum Passion Silver Flute White Pride Supreme Granger’s Blue Fashionaire Lady Luck Ming White Plum Tip Silver Token White Wedgewood Granger’s Calais Lady of Spain Mini Fantasy Pom Pom Delight Sixpense White Whisper Granger’s Candyland Laredo Lad Miriam Steel Popsicle Skagit Ambassador Wine and Roses Granger’s Cotillion Last Snow Miss Liberty Pretty Baby Skagit Lil Bonus Witchcraft Granger’s Eternal Snow Lautinda Miss Wisconsin Pretty in Blue Skagit Pixie Doll Wizard of Oz Granger’s Fashionaire Lavender Blue Mohawk TVail Pretty Please Skagit Royalty Wonder Surprize Granger’s Festival Lavender Elfin Girl Molly’s Folly Priscilla Skagit Toy Asset Wrangler’s Campfire Granger’s Jim Dandy Lavender Lady Monaco Puerto Vallarta Skybird Wrangler’s Double Pleasure Granger’s Garnet Elf Lavender Love Moonfire Pure Innocence Sky Magic Wrangler’s High Country Granger’s Peppermint Lavender Swirls Moonlight and Roses Puqrle Enchantment Smile Wrangler’s Lady Lee Granger’s Rio Rita Leawalla Moon Moths Puqrle Nautilus Snow Drops Wrangler’s Lady Vallin Granger’s Rose Ember LeBaron Moon Silver Purple Rocket Snow Flake Wrangler’s Lavender Lasso Granger’s Rosemarie Legacy Morea Surf Purple Smoke Rings Snow Flurrie (Arndt) Wrangler’s Moon Dance Granger’s 'Venetian Lace LeHeur Bleu Mountain Blue Boy Purple Star Snow Queen Wrangler’s Moonshine Great Find Leprechaun Tfail Mountain Wildflowers Push Over So Rosy Wrangler’s Pardner Great Scott Levittown Mount Fuji Quiet Enough Spangles Wrangler’s Prarie Fire Great White Way Liberty BeU Ms Frizz Quiet Laughter Special Attraction Wrangler’s Ricochet Romance Green Glo Lilac Lassie My Darling Quiet Melody Spiced Peach Wrangler’s Rough Rider Green Hornet Lilac Puff My Lady Sue Quiet Reflection Sport of Crimson Frost Wrangler’s Roundup Grenadier Lilac ’Hme - Behnke My Spoon Rachel Spring Deb Wrangler’s Sonuvagun Gypsy Charm Lilibelle Mysterium Radiant Star Spring Mist Wrangler’s Twilight Tfail Half and Half Lithe Lassie Nadine Rainbow’s Bantam Neon Glo Star of David Wrangler’s Yankee Yodler Hankerchief Lime Thffy Neon Rainbow Rainbow’s Showboat Star of India Zippy (Baker) Hawaiian Eye Linda’s Love Niagara’s Pink Beacon Rainmaker (Blansit) Star Tfailer Zuri March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 31 Boreal Exhibited by: Joan Pearce Hybridized by: Denis Croteau AVS of Canada Large Standard Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Beca S Zimbabwe Exhibited by: Maida denOudsten AVS of Canada Hybridized by: C. Beca Semiminiature Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky 32 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Chirita moonii Exhibited by: Paul Sorano Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Morgan 's Popup Exhibited and Hybridized by: Carol Eros AVS of Canada Semiminiature March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 33 Violets on the Move by Phyllis King Packing your plants to move them to a show? It can be easy, but it takes some planning to get to that point. I have tried several different ways over the years that I have been transporting large plants to shows. If you drive a car, it is very difficult to pack very many plants at one time. I have used a large piece of lightweight plywood, cut in two pieces that extended from the back window to the back of the front seat. This way I could have a second layer of violets in the car. It worked vety well. I still prefer shredded paper best when packing them in just open boxes. I keep these boxes forever. Large boxes can be used for all sales as well as shows. I save boxes that fit inside of each other for easy storage. Some boxes I found when buying new appliances. You can cut them down to about four inches high. If you can find big enough boxes, you will be able to place about fifteen to twenty miniatures in them for transporting. When I moved from Louisiana to Florida, I decided to buy a van to move all my baby plants. In a van it is much safer to use enclosed boxes. They can be stacked on top of each other, and you are also able to lay some open boxes on top them. Most all of mine are U-Haul boxes. I acquired them from a fel¬ low violet grower who had them cut to size already. Most of them have been redone for my violets. You will need boxes that are big enough for the average size plant that you grow. Most of mine are 20 x 20, sixteen to eighteen inches high. The box must be much taller so you can cut a top that will be about four inches to lap over the bottom half You will need to redo the whole box. You will never find the right size. Once you have them cut, you can use packing tape and put them back together. Each time we have a show, all I have to do is apply tape across the bottom. When breaking them back down, just pull the tape off and flatten them out for storage. Inside the box, 1 have inserts that are bent on the sides so they go up about one inch from the bottom. The edge of the table is a good way to bend them. I then cut a hole in the center of them for the sized pot that I use for big plants. The lids I leave as is with the insert from the bottom. You can also buy cardboard in large pieces from U-Haul. They can be stuffed with plastic bags if a flower¬ pot happens to be smaller then the hole that you made. One more thing. I cut about a 3-inch hole on each side of the box so the plant can have air, and the holes work well for picking them up when moving them. A hole cutter comes in handy for making the holes. I have used these boxes for ten years, and they are still in fairly good shape. Good luck! From The Dixie News, publication of the Dixie AVS Donations Are Still Being Accepted For The Annual AVSA Convention Auction To all members, affiliates, hybridizers, and commercial members - ifs not too late to make violet related donations to our sixth annual luncheon auction. We really can use your help. Donations of items such as crafts, supplies, newly intro¬ duced plant material of all types, or any other violet related item of a unique or desirable nature are still being sought. If you wish to donate items, please notify me as soon as possible. Kindly provide me with information regarding the item’s description, its approximate value, and whether you are sending them on ahead or bringing it to convention. Just a reminder, you must attend the luncheon in order to participate in the auction. Won’t you join us at the luncheon and consider donating an item to help AVSA? Please send notice of intent to donate to: Edna Rourke 99 Old Stratford Road Shelton, CT 06484 1-2003-926-9716 Apapillon@aol.com Donations for the convention may be sent to: Robert Truax 408 Hearthstone Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70806 34 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 AVSA BOOSTER FUND Shirley Berger 4343 Schumacher Rd- 196E • Sebring, FL 33872 Donations October 1 - November 30, 2002 AVS of Morris County, NJ . . $10.00 St Louis AV Judges Council, St Louis, MO . . $25.00 Grace M. Cross, Somerset, Bermuda . . 5.50 Frances Olson, Rush City, MN . . . 10.00 Eloise Thompson, Blacksburg, VA . . 3.00 Stephen Phillips , Greenville, SC . . . 25.00 Hazel Bressler, Clovis, CA . . 20.00 Brenda M. Brasfield, Olive Branch, MS . . . 10.00 Sarah Opie, Cornwall, England . . 5.00 Joan Baker, Thief River Falls, MN . . . . 5.00 Agatha Garrison, Estancia, NM . . 5.00 Wisconsin Council of AVSA, Menomonee Falls, WI . . . 25.00 Barbara D. Ihswell-Miller, Raleigh, NC . . 20.00 Central Jersey AVS, Milltown, NJ . . . 25.00 Penny L. Smith-Kerker, Austin, TX . . . 20.00 In lieu of speaker fees for Karyn Cichocki, in memory of Betty L. Kellner, Woodstock, IL . . 10.00 Laura Shannon New York State AVS, Albany, NY . . 5.00 Ohio State AVS, Yellow Springs, OH . . 100.00 Georgene Albrecht, Oakdale, PA . . 20.00 In memory of 40-year member Mildred Lusk In memory of Laura Shannon and Don Ness Kay Lyons, Levittown, PA . . . 25.00 Penelope Wezel, Ulster, PA . . 25.00 In memory of good friend Don Ness In memory ofLawa Shannon Garden State AV Club, Clarksburg, NJ . . . 10.00 Inner City AV Club, St Louis, MO . . 20.00 In lieu of speaker fees for Karyn Cichocki TW-State AV Council, Lafayette, NJ . . 15.00 Garden State AV Club. Clarksburg, NJ . . . 15.00 In lieu of Judges expenses for Laurel Brown, In lieu of travel expenses for Laurel Brown, Janice Murasko, Edna Rourke, Susan Amao Florence Friedman; apply to microfilm project New Jersey Council of AV Judges, Columbus, NJ. . 50.00 Shirley Berger, Sebring, FL . . 15.00 In memory of Bill Lyons In memory of Don Ness Lone Star AV Council, San Marcos, TX . . 20.00 Maury and Jackie Jones, Durant, lA . . 50.00 In memory of J. C. Monk The Washington, D.C. Convention collection given . . . 93.00 Mid-Polk AVS, WinterHaven, FL . . 10.00 In memory of Bill Lyons, with hear felt thanks from Kay Lyons In memory of Andy Adams, father-in-law of member Jean Adams TOTAL: . $766.50 Shirley Berger, Sebring, FL . . 20.00 Missouri Valley AV Council, Carl Junction, MO . . . 25.00 In memory of Frank Tinari and Bill Lyons SPECIAL REQUEST George R. Stewart, Universal City, TX . . 5.00 Donations to the various AVSA fund-raising committees are much Claude Morrissette, Brookfield, CT . . 5.00 appreciated. If you would like to have acknowledgements sent to people Lucinda J. Muni, Wyckoff, NJ . . 5.00 being honored or remembered, please submit names and addresses when Martha Hart, Rochester, NY . . 10.00 you send your donation. AVSA Building Maintenance Fund Mary Walbrick • 5235 Kingston Drive • Wichita Falls, Texas 76310-3029 E-mail: MWalbrick@aol.com • Fax: 775-243-0836 Garden State AV Club, Clarksburg, NJ . . $25.00 AVC of Burlington County, Willingboro, NJ . . $50.00 In lieu of Speaker Fees, Janet Riemer In lieu of Speaker’s Fee, Caryn Cichocki Inner City AV Club, St Louis, MO . . 10.00 Ohio State AVS, Yellow Springs, OH . . 100.00 Lone Star AV Council, San Marcos, TX . . 20.00 Wl Council of AV Clubs, Menomonee Falls, WI . . . 25.00 In Memory qfj. C Munk Mark C. Bander, Dewitt, Mi . . . 50.00 Missouri Valley AV Council, Carl Junction, MO . . 25.00 Janeen Dougherty, Morristown, NJ . . . 10.00 In Memory of Bill Lyons and Frank Tinari Martha George, Oklahoma City, OK . . . 10.00 New Jersey Council of AV Judges . . 50.00 Jim Gibbons, Aydlett, NC . . . . 5.00 In Memory of Laura Shannon Maury & Jackie Jones, Durant, lA . . . 50.00 Tristate AV Council . . 5.00 Shirley Killpatrick, Largo, FL . . . . 5.00 In lieu of Judging Expenses, Roger Wheeler Mildred Ockey, Long Beach, NY . . . 10.00 Tristate AV Council . . 50.00 Janet Riemer, Pennington, NJ . . . 25.00 In Memory of Laura Shannon In memory of Ruth Warren Martha Hart, Rochester, NY . . 10.00 John D. Sullivan, Danville, VA . . . . 5.00 Lucinda J. Muni, Wyckoff, NJ . . . . 5.00 Mary Walbrick, Wichita Falls, TX . . . 25.00 Frances Olson, Rush City, MN . . 10.00 In memory of Ruth Warren Ronald M. Patterson, New York, NY . . 10.00 TOTAL . $370.00 George R. Steward, Universal City, TX . . 2.00 TOTAL . . . $222.00 March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 35 Optimara Little Crow Exhibited by: Margaret Lowndes Hybridized by: Holtkamp Semiminiature Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Shan Exhibited by: Margaret Gratto AVS of Canada Hybridized by: B. Johnson Semiminiature Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky 36 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky Trichantha pulchra * Orange Crush * Best Other Gesneriad 2002 AVSA National Show Exhibited by: Robert McCabe March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 37 Compiled by Bill Foster and Mary Ann Corrigan Dust and Soil Deduct up to 1 point under condition Marred Leaf Deduct up to 1 point under condition Broken Leaf Deduct up to 1 point under condition Spent Blossom Deduct 1/2 point under condition Spray Residue Deduct up to 1 point under condition Baby Leaf Deduct up to 1 point under condition Ring Spot Deduct up to 1 point under condition Break in the symmetry of the leaf pattern Deduct up to 3 points under symmetry Gap or Space Deduct up to 3 points under Symmetry Yellow Leaf Deduct up to 1 point under condition Symmetry - the shape of the plant Condition - cultural aspect of the plant at the time it is judged Plant not centered in pot Deduct up to 3 points under condition Neck Deduct up to 3 points under condition Over potted Deduct up to 3 points under condition Under potted Deduct up to 3 points under condition 38 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Have Members.. Last year Mary Boland, AVSA past president, suggested that we have a membership promotional table in the show room at the Washington AVSA Convention. We were able to secure 13 new memberships, and we hope for more this year! You hear people talk about giving the gift of life when you donate blood. Well, how about the gift of life to AVSA with the purchase of a gift membership??!! We will have Board Members and AVSA Membership and Promotion Committee Members manning the table on Friday night and most of the day on Saturday. We certainly encourage you to visit our commercial salesroom and make loads and loads of purchases. While in Baton Rouge next month, how about putting 25 bucks aside and using it to give a gift subscription to our wonderful AVM and thus a new membership? This is going to be one of the . NEED MORE! more reasonably priced conventions in some time, so save a few pennies and visit our table. Each membership purchased at that table will receive a free copy of the March issue of the AVM. So you are giving an extra copy to this new member, or save it to promote AVSA with someone else. Gifts are very special to students interested in our beau¬ tiful African violet, to senior citizens on a fixed income, to a library or a convalescent home, or just a new violet friend. This magazine makes for good reading in a doctor’s office, too. The good news is that our membership is up. We are climbing steadily, but we are still a far ways from 10,000 members. Help us with this project. We really need our mem¬ bership to step up and help. Stop by the table in the show room, say hello, and see what we have to offer. Attention All Affiliates! We have addressed two of the most important aspects of a club meeting at our latest convention affiliate meetings, short business meetings, and interesting programs. Now I hope you are ready to reach out and increase membership, both for your affiliate and for AVSA. If you are planning to attend the Baton Rouge convention, we want to help you. All presi¬ dents, vice presidents, program chairmen, and interested affiliate members are invited. We hope every affiliate will have a representative present at the Affiliate Meeting. Wednesday, April 23 4:00-5:00 p.m. The program will feature members from some of the recent affiliate winners of the Anne Tlnari award for the most new AVSA members. They will share with you the methods used for attracting membership, for your affiliate as well as for AVSA. There will be demonstrations, ideas, and even a little drama. We want your questions! WE need your answers! Please join us! .od AfA, '''ng To' nook and cranny of a fair-sized room. However, the cuiTent fonns of HID plant lamps are extremely intense, much too hot, and too glaring for home use. Undoubtedly, useful HID lamps of weak¬ er intensity will be used more and more in home growing in future years. 3. Fluorescent Tubes Presently fluorescent tubes are the best single artificial March • April 2003 light source for growing plants in the home. They give off far more light per watt of electricity used than incandescent lights while emitting relatively little heat. Their linear form allows them to light vast surfaces (a single two-tube fixture can illuminate a veritable indoor garden) , they offer light rich in blue rays for compact, healthy growth while still giving enough red light for good bloom, and they are inexpensive to buy and operate. They are also good at growing plants that many people no longer trust to window sill growing! Fluorescent lights do have drawbacks, but fortunately they are minor ones. The most obvious one is that, although they give good light over a wide horizontal surface, plants must be placed right up near the light source in order to grow well. The Intensity of fluorescent lamps drops below mini¬ mum plant light levels only a short distance from the tubes. That means that tall growing plants get plentiful light at their summits, while their bottom leaves are literally left in the dark. This is not a problem with African violets, however, as their even, flat , rosette-like growth spreads out neatly, receiving equal light all over. In fact, one could hardly imag¬ ine a plant better adapted to growing under fluorescent lights than the Saintpaulia! Fluorescents Yesterday and Today Fluorescent lights were first offered to the public in 1938 at just about the same time African violets were becoming popular with the public. In fact, Saintpaulia hobbyists adopted them so quickly that one could say that the popularity of African violets is largely due to the de\'elopment of the fluorescent light! The first tubes were a bit dangerous since when broken, the powder coating the inside of the glass tubes was said to penetrate any cut and pre\'ent it from healing properly. Those early tubes are no longer in circula¬ tion, and current ones pose no problem. The most common types of fluorescent tubes available today are commercial ones, such as Cool White and Warm White. Although they are not specifically designed for plant growth, they are inexpensive and give excellent results with most plants, including African violets. Many growers recom¬ mend using a combination of one Cool White tube and one Warm White tube per fixture. There are also many types of fluorescent tubes which were developed for horticultural purposes. Among them are: Gro-lux, Gro-lux Wide spectrum, Verilux TruBloom, Naturescent/Optima, Vita-Light, Plant-Grow, Plant-Light, Agro Lite, and many more. Many African violet growers swear by Wide Spectrum Gro-Lux tubes. Generally speaking, if you are growing African violets for pleasure or even for local shows, the Cool White-Warm White combination will be more than satisfactory. If, on the other hand, you’re growing for national shows or if your local shows are very competi¬ tive, you’ll want to experiment with horticultural tubes to find out which combination gives you winning results. Some Saintpaulia growers may have wondered about the advantages of VHO tubes. The term VHO (Veiy High Output) refers to high-powered fluorescent tubes which give almost three times the illumination as other types (27 watts per foot as opposed to 10). These lights are especially good for cacti, orchids, and geraniums (Pelargonium). African violets, how¬ ever, grow very well with tubes of ordinaiy intensity, and 'VHO tubes have not been found to be better than those listed above. Setting Up Your Light Garden There are many types of light gardens - a simple lamp suspended over a table, fluorescent-lit bookcases, home¬ made light gardens, commercial tiered stands, etc. - and you can grow violets under all of them, lust choose the one that suits your needs, your technical skills, and your pocket-book. In planning your light garden, do try to make sue that the height of either the shelves or the light fixtures is adjustable so that you can vaiy^ the distance between the lamp and the plants. For example, the light fixtures could be suspended on chains so they can be raised or lowered as needed. In the case of African violets, you’ll probably want to hang a two-tube light fixture about 45 cm (18 inches) above the plant tray, which, taking into account the height of the pot, will put the plant about 50 cm (12 inches) from the tubes. If your fixture has four tubes, it gives off a greater intensity of light. I would recommend setting the lamp at 60 cm (2 feet) or more from the plant tray. You’ll probably find you’ll want to adjust these distances, depending on the intensity of the tubes you use and the kind of results you expect. Some growers ha\'e light gardens with one long rectan¬ gular tray set under either Avo or four 40-watt fluorescent tubes. This may be the most efficient solution for fluorescent lighting. One light fixture with such a tray may contain as many as forty young African violets without their leaves touching. As each plant grows, additional rows of leaves are gradually produced, forming a beautiful flat rosette. At this point, more room will be needed for each plant. Because plants under fluorescent tubes grow faster than plants grown on window sills, you will find it necessaiy to treat them a bit differently. Those under lights will need more fertilizer and should be repotted more often than those grown in the window. Remember also to dust your tubes frequently or a lot of light intensity will be lost. Light For African Violets - Part Two will appear in the May/]une 2003 Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Afric.an Violet Magazine 43 Episcia by John Beaulieu Because of the c'ariety of foliage color and textures, these popular plants are often called the Peacocks of the gesneriad family. Many people commonly call all Episcia ‘Chocolate Soldiers’, but the ‘Chocolate Soldier’ is only one of hundreds of Episcia hybrids. The fibrous rooted Episcia (pronounced ep-ISH-ee-ah) are found from Mexico to Brazil. Because they send out run¬ ners or stolons like strawberries, they are usually sold in hanging baskets when available at florists or garden centers. Most mail order sources or club sales tables offer newly root¬ ed or fresh cut stolons as starter plants. With this spreading ability, the Episcia are a ground cover in the wild. Unfortunately, they are not as adaptable for growing outside as other gesneriads, and this would only be recommended if you live in the extreme southern United States. Episcia are easily grown under lights or in a bright sunny window if normal precautions are taken against hot, direct sun or cold winter drafts. They prefer to be on the warm side, and could show damage if the tem¬ perature falls below 50° F. On an indoor light gar¬ den, they would love the warmer top shelves. Episcia are heavy feeders and prefer a high humidity and constant moisture, but perfect drainage is essential for them! Although they can be grown in any type of container with good drainage, their stolon producing habit makes them a good candidate for growing in strawberry pots. Those are the ones with all the little openings in which stolons can be rooted. Like many other gesneriads, especially the vine-like ones, Episcia grow rapidly and will need to be trimmed back. Scraggly plants caused by insufficient light or attention should be restarted from the stolons. Take cuttings of stolons or healthy growing tips and trim off the lower leaves. Insert these stems into a container of fresh potting mix and keep fairly moist. If the air is dry, a plastic cover helps maintain the needed humidity until the new cuttings are established. Rooting usually starts within a week. Most of the cultix’ars available today are the result of hybridizing with three main species. Episcia cupreata (cup-ree-AY-tah) is from Columbia and Venezuela and means copper-colored. The leaves of this orig¬ inal species are a deep coppery green, the flower is orange- red with a short curc'ed corolla tube, the lobes are rounded. One of the most unique Episcia flowers is that of the ‘Star of Bethlehem ’ hybiid. The petals are cream colored with coral pink snipes radiatingfvm a yellow center The foliage is a beautifid dark brown. and the inside is yellow with red spots. There is a natural variation from Panama with light green leaves and yellow flowers, known as ‘Tropical Topaz’. Other popular hybrids of this group are ‘Acajou’, ‘Silver Sheen’, and ‘Columbia Orange’. Episcia reptans (means creeping) comes from Columbia, Brazil, and Guiana. Their leaves are a deep bronze-green, with a nar¬ row pale green or silver pattern on the midrib. These flowers have a straighter tube that is deep red with pink in the throat and is not spotted. ‘Adams Rib’ and ‘Grey Lady’ are popular hybrids. Episcia lilacina (lye-lah-SIGHnah) means lilac-colored. These are not as free-blooming, but can produce pale lavender flowers. The fuzzy dark green leaves have a pattern of light green in the midrib. Popular hybrids of this group are ‘Blue Nile’ (blue flowers), ‘Panama White’ (white flowers), and ‘Chocolate Velour’ (fuzzy chocolate brown foliage). Even though this group may need a little more care to encourage them to bloom, it is well worth the extra effort. Although flower color will vary with the type of Episcia, it is actually the great diversity of foliage color and texture that gives them the name ‘Peacock Plant’. Many people grow them for the foliage alone, and gesneriad shows will have a ‘grown for foliage’ class. If you are going to show an Episcia this way, you must make sure all blooms and buds are removed before entering the plant. As Episcia gain in popularity and more growers hybridize, many varieties have a similar appear¬ ance. If you are selecting for vari¬ ety from a catalog list, I would rec¬ ommend: ‘Silver Episci ‘Adam’s Rib'. Skies’, ‘Sun Dog’, ‘Kempenfest’, ‘Kee Wee’, ‘Kaiiyn’, ‘Cleopatra’, ‘Huronia Holiday’, ‘Fire ‘n’ Ice’, as well as the previously listed hybrids. Episcia planted in a strawbeny jar. 44 African Violet Magazine From An Introduction to Gesneriads, African Violets, and Their Relatives M.\rch • April 2003 Designing With African Violets by Suzanne Ress Understanding the basics of using African violets in flower design will allow people to participate in several ways. It may deepen your appreciation of the creations of others and may enable you to tiy' your hand at design. .\11 Seasons AVC had a meeting recently where we created small designs for a six inch niche, basing our work on the fol¬ lowing four “rules”: 1. Read the Show Schedule. The schedule lets you know the theme for the designs - the image that you will inter¬ pret. It also tells you the restrictions for each design - size, materials allowed, type of accessory' or color - all of which are important considerations. The Rules at the back of the Schedule must also be read, because they lay down the law regarding special circumstances; for example, can a design touch the sides of the niche? Who do you contact to make your design reseiv'ation? 2. Read the Design section of the AVSA Judges and Exhibitors Handbook. The Handbook is available from AVSA, and the design section is a succinctly written guide¬ line to design that can be a little ovenvhelming because it contains so much information. Reading it will give you an excellent base for understanding the components of a good design. Reading it will also give you an excellent under- standiiig of what the judges are looking for and how they will score a design. The most creative interpretation will not do well if the designer does not incorporate the guide¬ lines in the schedule, the principles of design presented in the Handbook, and the scale of points used by the judges for that particular design class. 3. The African violet must be the focal point of the design (except in Container Gardens). Step back from your creation and have a look. Your eye should naturally focus first on the African violet in the design. The acces¬ sories are there to support the African violet, add to the interpretation of the theme, and enhance the line and pro¬ portion of the overall design. You should not be distracted by the container, other plant material, the background, or by the proportions of the design not frtting the size of the niche. Also, neatness counts. The mechanics of your design should not show. This means the Oasis used to hold the flowers or the plastic used to hold your root-ball should not be seen. Blobs of glue, nails, tacks, and tape, should all be invisible. Practice using these materials, and take a hard look at your finished design to check for these faults. 4. Once you have finished your design, go back and remove at least 1/3 of the material. When it comes to African \’iolets and design, less is more. The delicate flow¬ ers and smaller leaves are easily overwhelmed by using masses of other plant material, or they get lost in elaborate containers (see Rule 3). Too much material obscures the line and flow of the design and makes it look heavy and blocky. It Is important that you do at least one dry mn before the show so you know what you’re going to do, what you’re going to use, and to give yourself a chance to evaluate and redo the design, if necessaty. Because the proportion of the design to the niche size is extremely im¬ portant, an invaluable aid is to use cardboard to build your¬ self a niche of the correct size. Then you can use it as you work to ensure that the design “fills the space”. Although this is not a hard and fast mle, when 1 design, I try to place the \’iolets in the middle third of the niche so they are not too close to the base and there will be material extending into the top third of the area. Other recommendations for improving your design skills include looking at picRires of Japanese fiower design. Their use of space, line, and proportion will give you a good idea of what you should be looking for in your own designs. Buy a hot glue gun and practice with it. Hot glue is the designer’s friend, but takes getting used to. Go to yard sales and craft stores, and keep an eye out for stuff that could be put to good use in design. The people who came to our meeting and tried creating a six inch design all said they had a good time, were encouraged by their results, and were willing to do it again. What more can you ask for? From Ye Bay Stater, publication of the Bay State AVS March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 45 How Does Tby U Grarden Gttow " Part II - The Deep Freeze by Linda Gjoiubski On Januaty 30 and 31, 2002, Kansas City, Missouri, was slapped by Mother Nature with the worst ice storm on record. My mother went to my house to let my dog out and called me at work to let me know that my power had gone off at one o’clock. When we got home at 6:30 PM, the power was still off, and the house was at 64 degrees. At 7:30 PM, the power came back on, and we cranked the heat up to 80 degrees, just in case the power went off again. The storm was raging on and on outside. 1 had just gone to bed at 10 PM when all of the sudden, it sounded as though a train was on the roof. Ice was breaking off the trees and sliding down the roof producing a loud crash. My poor husband was sitting at the dining room table watch¬ ing the news when two very^ large limbs from a forty year old tulip tree crashed into the roof directly over his head. They broke the pl3Avood, but didn’t come completely through the roof. They also took out my fireplace chimney. If you looked outside, you could see the green glows of the transformers as they blew out. The snapping and cracking of tree branches was constant. At 10:15 PM the unthinkable hap¬ pened! A large limb from a forty year old oak tree fell, ripping the electrical box and siding off one corner of our house. We were in total darkness and without heat. We made it until daylight and assessed the damage. Our yard looked like a war zone! And that was not the worst of it. This storm raged on for two days, dumping sheets of ice on us. When all was said and done, it took three dump truck loads of branches and forty-five bags of yard waste to clean up our yard. We had an electrician reconnect our box, and the best estimate the electric company could give for reconnecting our power was five days! We were an individual power outage, not a multiple outage which, of course, would be connected first. We packed up our dog, a couple days’ clothing, and by lantern I filled seventeen boxes with my most rare and pre¬ cious plants. I have over 700, so there was no way I could move them all. Then, we headed to my mother’s house. We checked on our house every morning before work and every night when we came home, wondering each time we entered the pitch dark, cold house if our possessions would still be there. What an eerie feeling! I watched the thermostat upstairs where the temperature had declined to thirty-eight degrees over a three day period. The plant room, which is downstairs, took four days to drop to forty-two degrees, which is where it stayed. The five day outage turned into nine days! I just knew I would return to a plant room of “MUSH”. I had no alternative heat source. The day finally came to return home. It was very depressing. I’ve given this background so you will know how devas¬ tating this storm was. Now I’ll tell you what 1 found upon my return. My orchids were unscathed, and actually many of them put forth spikes of bloom over the next few months. I lost about 70% of my cacti - about eighty plants. They didn’t like the cold at all! Not that cold, an}'way. Unfortunately, 1 had just watered everything, which really did them in! Had they been diy' - neglect would have been a plus here - the roots would not have gotten as cold and would have had a higher survival rate. If I had been thinking clearly, 1 should have taken the wicks out of the reserv'oirs. Hind sight is wonderful! Of all my violets, my species had the highest sur\’ival rate. I lost about 1/3 of them, about fifteen plants. 1 lost all but two standards, about eighteen plants. Kent Stork’s ‘Sacajawea’ and an old one called ‘Flamingo’ were the suivdvors. I lost over 100 minis and semi-minis. The hardest hit of all were my miniature 46 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 sinningias. Of 400 plants, I now have about eighty left. The tubers froze and turned to mush literally! 1 cried. I have waited a long time to write this article to see how all the plants progressed or digressed. At first I didn’t think it was so bad. Only a few plants looked harmed, but as time went on the devastation to my violets became apparent. The standard’s outer leaves were damaged, but I just let them sit to see what they would do. Soon the centers went bad, so I waited to see if any suckers would form. My biggest surprise was that from the suckers or small centers that did survive, the plants that grew from them were stunted. The minis and semi-minis improved, but as time went on the centers became very tight and started suckering, produc¬ ing deformed plants that had no centers at all. I took off as many leaves as were usable and put them down, throwing out the plants. Some just couldn’t be saved. My species that survived were also suffering from stunt¬ ed growth, but some couldn’t be replaced so I repotted them and left them alone. Around September, nine months later, they began to show new growth that was normal in size and shape, and the correct color. Finally some success! The plants that went to Mother’s house didn’t have a picnic either. They lived in total darkness in overcrowded boxes for eleven days. The box of most coveted gesneriads, my petrocosmeas, was dumped upside down, and they fell out on their heads onto my mother’s brand new beige car¬ peting. I cried the entire time 1 “tried” repotting and putting them back in the box. It took three months of sitting in shock and sulking before they began to grow again. I didn’t lose even one! And for my heroism, in September at the Heart of America Gesneriad Society show, I won Best in Show with Petrocosmea forrestii. All my tears had not been in vain. If you attended the 2001 Chicago Convention, maybe you may remember the Nautilocalyx porphyrotrichus I had in a 20" square Plexiglas box. The plant was about 18” in diameter, and was full of red blooms with black lips. All that survived was one leaf. I put it down in my leaf mix, and now have five small plants growing. I also got a cutting from Susan Grose, president of AGGS. The cutting she gave me was from a cutting I had given her a year before. Be gener¬ ous and share your plants! You never know when you might need one back! The bright side of the tragedy is the fact that I found that 1 have many friends. Local club members brought me leaves, cuttings, and plants to replenish my plant room. Bill Price from Canada and Paul Kroll from New York brought me species leaves. 1 now only need four more to make my species collection complete. I have found out what 1 already knew - African violet people are wonderful! One final thought. Many years ago, twenty-seven to be exact, we used to be able to sit in our driveway and watch the July 4th fireworks at our local high school. Over the years our trees have grown too tall, so we have to drive a couple of blocks to see the display. This year we celebrated the 4th of july sitting on our deck and watching the fireworks, thanks to Mother Nature’s “topping of our trees”. Our home is finally repaired, our trees have all been professionally trimmed, and my plant room is happy again. r In Remembrance 1 RUTH WARREN The northeast African violet community has lost a valued member and devoted worker. Ruth Warren died on Tuesday, November 26th, 2002. Ruth served in nearly every office of the Bay State and Moby Dick African Violet Societies. She was a tireless worker in all areas. She was dedicated to the success of the Bay State exhibit at the Boston Flower Show, and was the perennial judges chair for the annual Bay State Show. Ruth also lobbied for judging schools in New England, and sensed as chairman of the veiy^ successful 1990 AVSA Convention in Boston. Ruth was a member of AVSA for thirty-two years, attended twenty-three national conventions, and was also a Life Member for several years. She ser\'ed as a director and as the chairman of the AVSA Booster Fund and Building Maintenance Fund committees. She had been a member of the AVSA Convention Committee for fourteen years, and with husband, Bert, serv'ed for twelve years on the AVSA Library Committee. AVSA recognized Ruth’s efforts in Washington, D.C. with the AVSA Continuing Servdce Award. That recogni¬ tion was very meaningful to her. DON NESS The African \iolet community suffered an immeasura¬ ble loss recently with the passing of Don Ness. Don tried his hand at crossing African \iolets and found that he was able to create unique varieties that were soon to become the birth of the Ness hybrids. Don did the hybridizing and photographing while his wife, Jean, tended the young plants into mature specimens that soon became prize winners all over the world. Their love of the hobby was evident in their creations. They were a winning pair, and soon the demand for their plants led them into a commercial venture known as Midland Violets. Don was a member of the Minnesota AV Society, the North Star AV Council, and along with Jean, was instru¬ mental in the creation of the Lakes Area Violet Growers. Many of Don’s and Jean’s creations became “must have” plants such as ‘Ness' Crinkle Blue’, ‘Ness’ Satin Rose’, and ‘Ness’ Viking Maiden’. These plants are peren¬ nial show winners and top the list of “Honor Roll” plants. Don’s creations are a living tribute to his memory. March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 4 7 How Do I Do It? by Robert Albro My plant growing facility is a dedicated room in my home. I do not have the luxuiy of having a basement, and I am \'er\' jealous of those who do. I am, however, quite con¬ tent on how things seem to be working. I’m always looking for ways to improve on this or that. I have most eveiyhhing running on automatic when possible. I can leave and go on a x’acation for several weeks, and my plants will not suffer other than the lack of a little grooming and TLC. I’m lazy and like for things to take care of themselves. I have the philoso¬ phy of “keeping things simple" and “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” The Light Stands. I have nine plant stands with three shelves each. Over each shelf, I have two 4" fixtures with two bulbs each, or four bulbs over each shelf. If I have any problems, it is too much light. However, I would rather have too much light than not enough, as too much light is easier to correct. Eight out of the nine light stands have reserv'oirs built right onto the shelves. Each shelf reseiwoir will hold eight gallons of water and will last upwards of 20 to 26 days, depending on the season. The reserv^oirs are lined with pond liner purchased from a local home improvement store. Suspended over the reser\’oirs on foam blocks is a 24" x 48" fib-light grid that holds the polar fleece I use for matting. The ninth plant stand is just shelves for wicking and the use of 11" X 22" X 2 1/2" black trays, also from a home improve¬ ment store. These black trays are set up exactly like the big trays. The bottom tray is dedicated to propagation and will hold four black trays sitting on a heat mat with a thermostat set for 75 degrees. These propagation trays have high clear domes for humidity. I use the heat mat mainly in the cooler months. The two upper shelves are used primarily for mis¬ cellaneous gesneriads on wicks. My lights stay on for 12 hours per day. The lights are 12" above the standards and 9" above the semiminiatures and sinninngias. The Soil. I use ProMix BX, and to this I add perlite, vermiculite, charcoal, and lime. 1 use this mix for eveiything.That includes all of my violets, gesneriads, and cuttings. With seeds, 1 add a veiy thin layer of veiy' fine vermiculite on top of the soil for sowing. 1 made a soil tumbler out of a plastic 48 African Violet Magazine drum to mix my soil. My soil recipe is as follows: 12 quarts ProMix, 6 quarts perlite, 4 quarts vermiculite, 1 cup charcoal, and 2 tablespoons of lime. I store my soil in a big garbage can to dry. 1 don’t wet the soil because that is what helps activate the lime. I want it to be activated at potting time. Propagation. Propagation starts in either a 2 1/2" square pot for stan¬ dards, or a 2 1/4" square pot for the semiminiatures. I first put a short piece of nylon cord through the drain hole and into the pot leaving about 3/4" hanging out. This is to insure that I get a good wicking action. I then place a thin layer of soil in the bottom, then add the appropriate amount of Marathon. I fill the rest of the pot with soil. Into this 1 insert the leaf cut¬ ting, firming in slightly, putting an identification label behind the leaf for support. The pot is then put into a container of 10 drops of Superthrive to a gallon of water, and allowed to soak up what it needs. From there it goes into a domed tray under the lights. As soon as I see the little plantlets popping through the soil, I take them from under the domes and put them out in the open, feeding them with a l/8th teaspoon per gallon of Peters 20-20-20. My gesneriads are treated the same, except they are put into whatever pot and size I deem fit. Potting. My rooted cutting go into a 2 1/8" pot for semiminiatures, and my standards go into 2 1/2" pots. The potting method is the same for both. Put a short tail into the drainage hole, add a little soil and the appropriate amount of Marathon, fill the rest of the pot with soil, add the plantlet, soak in Superthrive/water mixture, and place under the lights. The ‘potting up’ process is done the same way, except I pot when the plants start to bloom. The semiminiatures go into 2 1/2" round pots, and the standards are put into 4" pots. Water and Fertilizer. 1 use Physan, 1/2 teaspoon to one gallon of water, at all times, on ever}4hing. The fertilizer is still not a done deal. I grow a lot of variegated plants, and a few don’t stay varie¬ gated very long. So I am experimenting in this area. I am open and always looking for new ways and meth¬ ods of doing things, especially if it will make things easier! From The Violet Chatter and The Dixie News March • April 2005 Moon tn ^pieS) Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. Used for destroying noxious growths, weeds, pests, etc., and for cultivating. Moon tn Xmpu.s, Productive and moist, earthy and feminine. Used for plant¬ ing many crops, particularly potatoes and root crops, and when hardiness is important. Also used for lettuce, cabbage, and sim¬ ilar leafy vegetables. Moon (n G.^em(*nt Barren and dry, airy and masculine. Used for destroying noxious growths, weeds and pests, and for cultivation. Moon (n Ccxnc©r Very fruitful and moist, watery and feminine. This is the most productive sign, used extensively for planting and irrigation. Moon (n -Leo Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. This is the most barren sign, used only for killing weeds and for cultivation. Moon tn YCV90 Barren and moist, earthy and feminine. Good for cultiva¬ tion and destroying weeds and pests. March Moon Table Date Sign Element Nature Phase 1 Sat. 10:26 pm Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 2 Sun. Pisces Water Fruitful New 9:35 pm 3 Mon. Pisces Water Fruitful 1st 4 Tue. 8:30 am Aries Fire Barren 1st 5 Wed. Aries Fire Barren 1st 6 Thu. 8:36 pm Thurus Earth Semi-fruitful 1st 7Fri. Thurus Earth Semi-fruitful 1st 8 Sat. Thurus Earth Semi-fruitful 1st 9 Sun. 9:38 am Gemini Air Barren 1st 10 Mon. Gemini Air Barren 1st 11 Tue. 9:12 pm Cancer Water Fruitful 2nd 2:15 am 12 Wed. Cancer Water Fruitful 2nd 13 Thu. Cancer Water Fruitful 2nd 14 Fri. 5:06 am Leo Fire Barren 2nd 15 Sat. Leo Fire Barren 2nd 16 Sun. 8:52 am Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 17 Mon. Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 18 The. 9:43 am Libra Air Semi-fruitful Full 5:35 am 19 Wed. Libra Air Semi-fraitful 3rd 20 Thu. 9:38 am Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 21 Fri. Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 22 Sat. 10:33 am Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 23 Sun. Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 24 Mon. 1:48 pm Capricorn Earth Semi-fruitful 4th 8:51 pm 25 Tlte. Capricorn Earth Semi-fruitfltl 4th 26 Wed. 7:51 pm Aquarius Air Barren 4th 27 Thu. Aquarius Air Barren 4th 28 Fri. Aquarius Air Barren 4th 29 Sat. 4:26 am Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 30 Sun. Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 31 Mon. 3:04 pm Aries Fire Barren 4th Moon tn .LtLre Semi-fruithil and moist, air^' and masculine. Used for planting many crops and producing good pulp growth and roots. A very good sign for flowers and vines. Also used for seeding hay, corn fodder, etc. Moon (n -Scor^co Very fruitful and moist, watery and feminine. Nearly as productive as Cancer; used for the same purposes. Especially good for vine growth and sturdiness. Moon cn Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. Used for planting onions, seeding hay, and for cultivation. Moon tn CG^rCeorn Productive and dry, earthy and feminine. Used for plant¬ ing potatoes, tubers, etc. Moon rn Barren and dry, airy and masculine. Used for cultivation and destroying noxious growths, weeds, and pests. Moon (n Pcsces Very fruitful and moist, watery and feminine. Used along with Cancer and Scorpio, especially good for root growth. April Moon T^ble Date Sign Element Nature Phase 1 Tre. Aries Fire Barren New 2:19 pm 2 Wed. Aries Fire Barren 1st 3 Thu. 3:20 am Tiurus Earth Semi-fruitful 1st 4 Fri. Thurus Earth Semi-fruitful 1st 5 Sat. 4:24 pm Gemini Air Barren 1st 6 Sun. Gemini Ail- Barren 1st 7 Mon. Gemini Air Barren 1st 8 Tie. 4:36 am Cancer Water Fruitful 1st 9 Wed. Cancer Water Fruitful 2nd 6:40 pm 10 Thu. 1:54 pm Leo Fire Barren 2nd 11 Fri. Leo Fire Barren 2nd 12 Sat. 7:07 pm Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 13 Sun. Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 14 Mon. 8:42 pm Libra Air Semi-fruitful 2nd 15 Tie. Libra Air Semi-fniitful 2nd 16 Wed. 8:16 pm Scorpio Water Fruitful Full 2:36 pm 17 Thu. Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 18 Fri. 7:51 pm Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 19 Sat. Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 20 Sun. 9:20 pm Capricorn Earth Semi-fruitful 3rd 21 Mon. Capricorn Earth Semi-fruitful 3rd 22 Tre. Capricorn Earth Semi-fruitful 3rd 23 Wed. 1:58 am Aquarius Air Barren 4th 7:18 am 24 Thu. Aquarius Air Barren 4th 25 Fri. 10:02 am Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 26 Sat. Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 27 Sun. 8:54 pm Aries Fire Barren 4th 28 Mon. Aries Fire Barren 4th 29 Tue. Aries Fire Barren 4th 30 Wed. 9:26 am Taurus Earth Semi-fruitfiil 4th Reprinted with permission from Llewellyn ’s 2003 Moon Sign Book. published by Llewellyn Publications, ISBN 0-7387-0070-3 March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 49 c oming March 1 - TEXAS AVS of Beaumont Annual Sale Central Mall Port Arthur. TX Hours: 10am - 5pm Info: Cecile Mason (409) 385-3423 March 8 - CALIFORNIA South Coast AVS fudged Show/Sale South Coast Botanic Garden 26300 Crenshaw Blvd. Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA Hours: 1 lam - 4pm Info: lacquie Elsenhut (310) 325 Email: jeisenhut@hotmail.com March 8 & 9 - MASSACHUSETTS 2993 March 1 - TEXAS Spring Branch AVC Show/Sale Houston Arboretum 4501 Woodway Dr. (Memorial Park) Houston, TX Hours: 10am - 4pm Admission is free Info: Elaine Click (713) 462 - 4257 Email: eeclick@aol.com March 1 & 2 - FLORIDA AVS of Pensacola 27th Annual Show/Sale Scottish Rite Temple 2 East Wright St. Pensacola, FL Mar 1 - 2pm - 6pm Mar 2 - Noon - 4:30pm Info: Bev Promersberger (850) 458-7393 Email: promers22@hotmail.com March 1 & 2 - OKLAHOMA .WS of Greater Hilsa Show/Sale Tlrlsa Garden Center 2435 South Peoria Utlsa, OK Mar 1 - 10am - 4pm Mar 2 - noon - 4pm Info: Rose Howlett (918) 627-7395 Bay State AVS Annual Show Tower Hill Botanic Garden 1 1 French St. Boylston, MA Mar 8 - noon - 5pm Mar 9 - 10am - 5pm Info: Carol Hess (508) 872 - 7574 March 13 - 15 - TEXAS Alpha AVS, First of Dallas AVS, and First Nighter AVS Combined Show/Sale Richardson Square Mall Plano & Beltline Richardson, TX Hours: 10am - 9pm Info: Grace Davis (972) 278 - 0389 March 14 - 16 - MINNESOTA Lakes Area Violet Growers Spring Show/Sale Har Mar Mall Co. Rd. B and Snelling Ave Roseville, MN Mar 14 - 10am - 9pm Mar 15 - 10am - 7pm Mar 1 6 - noon - 6pm Info: lean Ness (651) 429-4109 March 15 - CALIFORNIA March 7 & 8 - TEXAS Magic Knight AVS Annual Show/Sale 2310 SW Military Dr. San Antonio, TX Mar 7 - 9am - 9pm Mar 8 - 9am - 7pm Info: Shirley Sanders (210) 923 - 1093 AVSA fudging School Senior Center Fulton St. @ 38th Ave. San Francisco, CA 9am Info: Fred Grafelman (4 1 5) 664 - 9308 March 15 a 16 - TEXAS First Austin AVS 34th Annual fudged Show/Sale Zilker Park 2220 Barton Springs Rd. @ Austin Area Garden Center Mar 15 - 10am - 4:30pm Mar 16 - 10am - 4pm Info: feanette Pursley (512) 243 - 2289 Email: tijean21@netzero.net March 20 - 22 - TENNESSEE Dixie AVS Annual Convention/Show/Sale Days Hotel and Suites Memphis Airport Memphis, TN Info: Marian Zoller (901) 372 - 0283 March 21 - 22 - TEXAS First AVS of Denton Show/Sale Erwin Hall First Presbyterian Church 1 1 14 W. University Dr. Denton, TX Mar 21 - 1:30pm - 6pm Mar 22 - 10am - 4pm March 22 & 23 - NEW YORK Sweet Water AVS 28th Annual fudged Show/Sale West Sayville Fire Dept. Hall Montauk Hwy. & Atlantic Ave. West Sayville, NY Donation: $1.50 Info: (631) 581 - 8116 March 28 - 30 - MINNESOTA AVS of Minnesota Spring Show/Sale Har Mar Mall Snelling Ave. and Co. Road B Roseville, MN Mar 28 - 10am - 9pm Mar 29 - 10am - 6pm Mar 30 - noon - 5pm Info: Palma Tfapp (763) 780 - 7317 Betty Smith (715) 386- 5623 March 28 & 29 - CALIFORNIA Pomona Valley AVS fudged Show/Sale The Church of the Brethren 2 1 75 Bonita Ave. La Verne, CA Mar 28 - 1pm - 6pm Mar 29 - 9am - 4pm Info: Marilyn McQueen (909) 672 - 7353 (626) 919 - 2594 March 29 & 30 - NEW YORK Saintpaulia Society of Long Island St Mary' of the Isles Parish Hall Park Ave. & Monroe Blvd. Long Beach, New York Mar 29 - 5pm - 7pm Mar 50 - 9am - 3pm Info: Claire Schirtzer (516) 432-6843 Email: cjschirtzer@email.msn.com March 29 & 30 - MICHIGAN Town & Country AVC of Michigan Show/Sale Oxford Public Library' 530 Pontiac Rd. Oxford, Ml Mar 29 - 1 lam - 5pm Mar 30 - 1 pm - 3pm Info: Lynn Allen (248) 332-7924 Email: lynnallen@peoplepc.com Claude Norton (517) 626 - 6941 Email: cknorton@worldnet,att.net March 29 & 30 - MISSOURI Sho-Me AVC Annual Show/Sale Loose Park Garden Center 5200 Pennsylvania Kansas City, MO Mar 29 - 10am - 3pm Mar 30 - 10am - 2pm Info: lulie Fox (816) 532 - 4258 Email: jewell01@earthlink.net April 4 & 5 - NEW JERSEY Bergen County AVS Annual Show/Sale Old North Reformed Church Comer of Washington and Madison Avenues Dumont, N) Apr - 4 - 5pm - 9pm Apr 5 - 9am - 3pm Info: )oe DeSimon (201) 261-4215 Barbara Church (201) 385 - 1630 April 4 & 5 - NEW JERSEY Central Jersey AVS Show/Sale First Baptist Church 232 Main St. Matawan, NJ Apr 4 - 3pm - 7pm Apr 5 - 10am - 4pm Info: David Looker (732) 219 - 6677 Email: Davidtook@aol.com Ian Murasko (732) 821 - 8641 April 4 - 6 - VIRGINIA Tidewater AVS Judged Show/Sale Norfolk Botanical Gardens/ Baker Hall 6700 Azalea Garden Rd. Norfolk, VA Apr 4 - noon - 5pm .\pr 5 - 2:30pm - 5pm Apr 6 - 11am - 4pm Info: Linda Stinnette (757) 484 - 4689 Carol Van (757) 851 - 2543 Email: rwseagle@aol,com April 4 - 6 - IOWA Quad-Cities AVS Judged Show/Sale Northpark Mall 320 W. Kimberly Rd. Davenport, lA Apr 4 & 5 - 10am - 9pm Apr 6 - noon - 5pm Info: LuAnn Christenson (563) 355 - 0726 Email: xenson@mcleodusa.net April 5 & 6 - OHIO Columbus AVS Show/Sale Franklin Park Conserv'atory 1777 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH ,\pr 5 - 1 0am - 5pm Apr 6 - 10am - 4pm Info: Nancy Carr Email: afvioletfan@insight.rr,com April 4 & 5 - MINNESOTA North Star AV Council 25th Anniversaty Show/Sale Northtown Mall Hwy' 10 & University Ave. NE Blaine, MN Info: Sandy Officer (952) 835 - 8603 April 5 & 6 - MISSOURI Metropolitan St, Louis AV Council .Ynnual Show/Sale Missouri Botanical Garden 4344 Shaw Blvd. St. Louis, MO Both Days: 9am - 5pm Info: Glenda Holm (636) 441 - 2198 50 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 April 5 & 6 - CONNECTICUT Thimble Islands AVS Show/Sale Canoe Brook Senior Center 16 Cherry Hill Rd. Branford, CT Apr 5 - 1pm - 3:30pm Apr 6 - 10am - 3:30pm Info: Madeline Clem (203) 481 - 9455 April 5 & 6 - NEW YORK AVS of Rochester Annual Show/Sale Perinton Square Mall 6720 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd. (Routes 250 & 31) Perinton, NY Apr 5 - 2pm - 6pm Apr 6 - 11am - 5pm Info: Irwin Wagman (585) 381 - 6384 Email: IrwinWag@aol,com April 5 & 6 - CALIFORNIA Capital City AVS )udged AV Show/Sale Shepard Garden & Arts Center 3330 McKinley Blvd Sacramento, CA Apr 5 - 2pm - 5pm Apr 6 - 10am - 4pm Info: Kathy Norton (916) 684 - 1496 April 5 & 6 - NEW YORK Long Island AVS Annual Show/Sale John A. Anderson Recreation Center 1 1 1 North Oceanside Rd Rockville Center, NY Apr 5 - 2pm - 5pm Apr 6 - noon - 5pm Info: Jeanne Maier (516) 593 - 4623 Florence Schnaufer (516) 379 - 6631 April 5 & 6 - NEW JERSEY AVC of Moms County Judged Show/Sale Frelinghuysen Arboretum 53 East Hanover Ave. Morristown, NJ Apr 5 - 1 :30pm - 5pm Apr 6 - 1 lam - 4pm Info: Jill Fischer (908) 464 - 4417 Email: HF.JG.Fischer@worldnet.att.net April 5 & 6 - COLORADO Rocky Mountain AV Council Annual Show/Sale Denver Botanic Gardens 1005 York St. Denver, CO Info: Ann Watterson (303) 467 - 2135 Email: cah2oson@msn.com April 10 & 11 - SOUTH CAROLINA First AVS of Spartanburg Plant Sale Woodland Heights Recreation Center 1261 John B. White Blvd. Spartanburg. SC Apr 10 - 1pm - 6pm Apr 1 1 - 10am - 6pm Info: Cami Ingle (864) 967 - 8812 Email: camiingle@aol.com April 11 - WISCONSIN Milwaukee AVS Show/Sale Wamamont Park Sr. Center 6100 South Lake Dr. Cudahy. W1 Hours: 1 1 :30am - 3pm Info: Dorothy Fossum (414) 444 - 3905 April II & 12 - CANADA Stampede City AVS 27th Annual Show/Sale Northland Village Mall 5111 Northland Dr. NW Calgary, Alberta, Canada Apr 1 1 - 10am - 9pm Apr 12 - 9am - 4pm Info: Winston J. Goretsky (403) 241 - 8300 Email: violets@telus.net Web Site: http://www3.telus.net/scavs April 12 & 13 - NEW MEXICO Albuquerque AVC Spring Show/Sale Garden Center Albuquerque 10120 Loma Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM Apr 12 - 2pm - 5pm Apr 13 - 10am - 4pm Info: Agatha Garrison (505) 384-5026 April 12 & 13 - NEW YORK AV & Gesneriad Society of WNY Show/Sale Walden Galleria Mall 1 Waldon Galleria (NYS Thruway Exit 52) Cheektowaga, NY Apr 12 - noon - 9pm Apr 13 - 10am - 4:30pm Info: Holly Pohl (716) 684-1387 Email: Corabells51@aol.com Shirley Sampson (716) 695 - 8929 Email: shirleysampson@aol.com April 12 & 13 - NEW YORK Capital District AVS Show/Sale Foundation of NYS Nurses Assoc. 2113 Western Ave. Guilderland, NY Apr 12 - 1pm - 5pm Apr 13-1 lam - 5pm Info: Margaret Califano (518) 785 - 3107 Email: ecalifal@nycap.rr.com April 12 & 13 - CALIFORNIA San Mateo County AVS Judged Show/Sale 605 Parkside Way San Mateo, CA Apr 12 - 2pm - 5pm Apr 13 - 10am - 3pm Info: Gary Beck (415) 771 - 2342 Email: garyrbeck@aol.com April 16 - CALIFORNIA Town & Country AVS Judged Show/Sale Redlands Church of Christ 1000 Roosevelt Rd. Redlands, CA Hours: 1 lam - 5pm Info: (909) 885 - 8260 (909) 792 - 6816 April 19 & 20 - MICHIGAN Michigan State AVS Display/Sale Matthaei Botanical Gardens 1 800 Dixboro Rd. Ann Arbor, Ml April 19 - 10am - 4:30pm April 20 - 1 lam - 2pm Info: Ingrid Bowman (248) 698 - 3628 April 26 & 27 - ILLINOIS Northern Illinois Gesneriad Society Show/Sale Chicago Botanic Garden Lake Cook Rd, East of 1-94 Glencoe, IL Info: Susan Bradford (847) 740 - 7801 April 26 & 27 - CANADA Monctonian AVS Spring Show MacArthur’s Nursery 232 McLaughlin Dr. Moncton, NB, Canada Info: Nancy Steeves (506) 855 - 3515 Email: gns@nb.aibn.com May 2 & 3 - VIRGINIA Richmond AVA Show/Sale Virginia Center Commons Mall Rt. 1 North and 1-295 Info: (804) 594 - 0643 May 2 & 3 - KENTUCKY Four Rivers AVS Show/Sale Kenmcky Oaks Mall 5101 Hinkleville Rd. 1-24 & Hwy 60 West Paducah, Kentucky Both Days: 10am - 5pm Info: Diane Fischer (270) 362 - 7513 Email: cndfischer@vol.com April 2 - 4 - NEW YORK AVS of Syracuse 50th Annual Show/Sale Shoppingtown Mall 3649 Erie Blvd. East Syracuse, NY May 2 - noon - 9pm May 3 - 10am - 9:30pm May 4 - 1 1 am - 6pm May 3 & 4 - CONNECTICUT Silvermine AVS Judged Show/Sale Earthplace (formerly The Nature Center) 10 Woodside Ln. Westport, CT May 3 - 1 :30pm - 5pm May 4 - noon - 4pm Info: (203) 226 - 1784 Email: marjorie.rosenberg@snet,net May 3 & 4 - MASSACHUSETTS Bay State AVS Show/Sale Waltham Field Station 240 Beaver St. Waltham, MA May 3 - 2pm - 6pm May 4 - 10am - 1pm Info: Susan Gimblet (401) 624 - 8066 Email: gimblet@apol.net May 3 - CALIFORNIA Carlsbad AVS Judged Show/Sale El Camino Plaza Mall Carlsbad, CA Hours: 12:30pm - 7pm Info: Patty' Ragan (310) 372 - 1771 Email: PLRBKLDY579@aol.com May 3 - MISSOURI Heart of Missouri AVS Show/Sale Thnity Presbyterian Church 1600 Rollins Rd. Columbia, MO Hours: 9am - 2pm Info: Dorothy Anderson (573) 442 - 4798 Email: dander02@coin.org May 3 - NEVADA Reno-Sparks AVS Show/Sale Reno Town Mall Peckham at South Virginia Reno, NV Info: Kathy Roubal (530) 993 - 1425 Email: kroubaI@fs,fed.us May 3 - CANADA AVS of Greater Montreal Annual Display/Sale Church of the Resurrection 99 Mount Pleasant Rd, Point Claire, Quebec Hours: Noon - 3pm Info: Greta Durand (514) 695 - 5149 May 3 & 4 - CANADA Societe des Saintpaulia de Montreal Annual Judged Show Chalet du pare Maisonneuve 4601 SherbrookSt. East Montreal, Quebec, Canada Hours: 10am - 4pm Info: Monique Beaucage (514) 990 - 5701 Email: monique_beaucage@hotmail.com May 3 & 4 - CALIFORNIA AVS of South Bay Show/Sale Westgate Mall 1 600 Saratoga Ave. San Jose, CA May 3 - 9am - 7pm May 4 - 9am - 5pm info: Irene Thomas (650) 369 - 3452 May 9 - NORTH CAROLINA Coastal Plain AVC Sale Nash Co. Senior Center (at rear of Cultural Bldg.) Washington St. Nashville, NC Hours: 9am - 4pm Info: Lucille Prutsman (252) 459 - 3722 May 9 & 10 - FLORIDA Upper Pinellas AVS Mother's Day Plant Sale Crossroads Mall US 19 Clearwater, FL Mall Hours Info: Phyllis King (727) 398 - 7450 Email: phyllisk@gte,net May 9 & 10 - OHIO Parmatown AVC AVSA Judged Show/Sale Pamiatown Mall 7899 W. Ridgewood Dr. Parma, OH May 9 - 9am - 9pm May 10 - 9am - 5pm Info: Martha Bell (330) 483 - 3546 Email: mbell77@msn.com May 9 & 10 - MARYLAND Baltimore AVC Annual Show/Sale Catonsville United Methodist Church Melvin Ave. Catonsville, MD May 9 - 1pm - 5pm May 10 - 9am - 4pm Info: Shirley Huffman (301) 953 - 7554 Email: Bshuffman2@aol.com May 10 - CALIFORNIA Fancy Bloomers AVS Plant Sale Coddingtown Mall Guemeville Rd. at Hwy 101 Santa Rosa, CA Hours: 10am - 4pm Info: Byron Borck (707) 527 - 8362 May 10 - WISCONSIN Sundowners AVC and Crosstown AVC Joint Plant Sale Olbrich Botanical Gardens 3330 Atwood Ave. Madison, W1 Hours: 9am - 4pm Info: /klice Peterson (608) 833 - 5552 Email: petersonad@aol.com May 10 & 1 1 - OHIO Cincinnati AVS Annual Show/Sale Eastgate Mall Rt. 32 Exit offRt. 275 Cincinnati, OH Mall Hours Info: Penny Wichman (859) 689 - 5570 Email: pennywic@aol.com March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 5 1 African Violet ‘Tough Love’: Indulging Your Passion Without Becoming a Slave in Your Own Home by Richard Follett The story of the wide-eyed innocent who falls under the spell of one African violet and soon ends up with a collection of two hundred varieties and no free time is well on its way to becoming an urban legend. Let’s face it - African violets are addictive, and there is just NO way to be casually involved! It is possible, however, to pursue your ‘AV’ocation without completely losing control. A little bit of ‘tough love’ will lead to maximum enjoyment and African violets that will be admired by all. If your African violet collection is run¬ ning your life to the point where YOU feel like running, con¬ sider the following: a. The world WILL NOT come to an end if you throw away the leaves you just trimmed or broke off of your African violet. We are perennially awed by the miracle of a new plant grown from a single leaf, but each one of those leaves, when put down to root, will eventually produce one to a dozen mature plants. If you do not have a spe¬ cific space in mind or a specific purpose for propagating (e.g. a show/sale, trade, etc.), pitch your leaves/cuttings immediately. If you MUST put down leaves to root each time you trim or they break off, strictly limit yourself to the best leaf of each variety. b. African violets take time to cultivate. Although my find¬ ings are not backed by any official studies, experience has taught me that each African violet plant grown for casual enjoyment (not grown to show standards) takes about fifteen minutes of time per week. Using this equa¬ tion, one hour of time devoted to your African violets each day would give you enough hands-on attention for a collection of twenty-eight African violets. Every hour skipped means an hour owed - if you slack off Monday through Friday, expect to work all day Saturday to keep your collection blooming and looking its best. Wick all you want to, strew your apartment with self-watering pots; in the long run, there is just no way to cheat the equation. Go ahead - acquire two hundred African violets - just be sure you know in advance where you are going to find the FIFTY HOURS A WEEK they will require of you! c. If an African violet refuses to produce for you, trade it, give it away, or throw it away. This is a tough discipline to make yourself follow, but adhering to it will greatly increase both your success and your enjoyment. Despite the great variety of leaf types and variations available, the culture of African violets is, for most, a quest for BLOOMS. A plant that has produced magnificent leaves and no blooms for you will most likely continue to do so indefinitely and needs to be cleared to create shelf space for more deserving, productive specimens or varieties. A friend and I once had African violets of the same variety that refused to bloom for either of us. After months of this fmstration, we swapped our ‘twin’ plants and were BOTH rewarded with lovely blooms within three weeks! d. DO NOT ASSUME that smaller plants require less main¬ tenance! The opposite is true. Semi-mini and mini African violets require more frequent attention and react more quickly and more severely to adverse conditions. You are lying to yourself if you think that five minis can be taken care of in the same fifteen minutes as one large African violet simply because they occupy the same amount of shelf space. The same rule holds true for juvenile plants - they may not need quite as much hands-on time in the beginning, but they will very quickly become full-sized adults and begin demanding their fair share of ‘face time’! Don’t push the boundaries and cheat the African violets or yourself. e. If an African violet gets thrips, mealy bugs, or some other dreaded pest and you know it is a variety you can replace, PITCH THE INFECTED PLANT IMMEDIATELY! This is a heartbreak, but nothing at all compared to the heartbreak of laboring for days or weeks on a diseased plant only to lose the battle and perhaps infect your other African violets along the way. Regardless of the outcome, the plant will be weakened by its ordeal and will need a long time to fully recover. If you are particularly attached to the plant or think you might have trouble replacing it, trim off the two BEST leaves, soak them in a mild bleach solution, and root them in separate locations in case one doesn’t take. The two best insurance policies I have found are to isolate new plants and to give leaves of favorite varieties to friends to root as a backup in case yours goes to the African violet Hereafter. f. Make sure your eyes are not bigger than your light stand or window sill. This is a hard one - I had to train myself by carrying a paper template of my available shelf space to the store or show with me! I spread my prospective choices out on the paper, and if they fit comfortably there, I knew they would not exceed my available space. g. Control yourself at giveaways! When I went to my first AVSA convention, I received more than fifty new vari- 52 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 eties as promotional items from vendors or as ‘souvenirs’ at programs. About half of these were placed in my hand by the giver (hard to refuse) and the other half were leaves I picked up because I couldn’t resist the tempta¬ tion. It took me four hours to put them all up to root, and more than a year later I am STILL trying to solve the problem of what to do with all of the mature African vio¬ lets those leaves have become. It is a nice problem to have, but such an experience can make all the difference between you having fun with your African violets and your African violets having fun with YOU! h. Keep track of colors and get rid of older varieties as you acquire new ones. If you love reds and spend all your time searching for the ultimate color rush, why do you have to keep every experiment along the way? If your new red pleases you more than your six old ones, give the six old ones to some folks who have no reds at all - you will make their day and free up some shelf or light stand space for your new fantasy collection. There is one caveat to this guideline - NEVER throw away an heir¬ loom violet! If you want to ‘weed out’ a variety that is more than ten years old and can be documented, PLEASE take the time to find it a good home with someone who will help to peipetuate it. Treasured African violet vari¬ eties are being lost each year because people either do not know what they have or assume that someone else has it, too. i. Print a paper copy of your African violet list and keep it in your purse or glove compartment. Not only will you be able to easily answer questions about what you have in your collection and set up leaf swaps, but you will also avoid duplicate acquisitions. Many is the time 1 pur¬ chased or traded for an African violet 1 already had before I figured this one out! Be sure to add new African violets to the list as you acquire them and delete those that have been weeded out or passed on to African violet Heaven. j. Avoid impulse purchases whenever possible. Unless you know for certain that the African violet you are admiring is rare or unusual and you will have a hard time finding it again, content yourself with making a mental or physical note to acquire it later. If you are still in love with a variety three months down the road, chances are you can locate it though a vendor or on the internet and purchase it when you know you have BOTH the desire and the space. ~ When All Else Fails ~ If you have diligently followed all of the above guidelines and you STILL find yourself awash in African violets for which you have no time and/or space, there are many ways to get yourself out of the hole. Consider the following strate¬ gies: IF YOU HAVE NO TIME 1 . Ihke a deep breath and DESIGNATE some time each day or each week for your African violets. Many times it is March • April 2003 not a lack of time but a lack of quality time that is the problem. Take the phone off the hook, turn off the cell and the pager, stay OFF the computer, turn off the TV, lock the door, and treat yourself to a half hour with noth¬ ing to pay attention to but your African violets. Then, set up a schedule and stick to it. The world won’t stop turn¬ ing, (I promise) and you might get a whole new outlook on life. 2. Look for a less meaningful activity to let go of Maybe being Recording Secretary for the Canasta Club or volun¬ teering at the clinic flossing cats doesn’t fulfill you the way it used to. Substitute time with your African violets - you will give another social climber a chance AND live a happier life with your blooming buddies! 3. Look your non-essential African violets in the eye, call them by their rightful name, cry, and find them new homes. In other words, streamline your collection. You will have grateful recipients of your old plants and grate¬ ful remaining African violets that will reward you with beautiful flowers for the increased attention. IF YOU HAVE NO SPACE 1 . Invest in a light stand. Chances are what you are really lacking is not space itself, but space with adequate light. The same floor space that holds your twelve African vio¬ lets now could hold forty-eight if you had a tiered light stand. Each time you feel the urge to buy a new African violet, take the three dollars you would spend and put it in a jar. Two hundred urges from now, you can call up your vendor of choice and have a light stand delivered to your door. 2. “Farm Out’’ some of your collection to your work site. Most corporate environments have overhead fluorescent lighting that is ideal for African violets. Offer to park an African violet on a co-worker’s desk and to take care of any problems that might arise. Your co-worker will enjoy the African violet and may become a future enthu¬ siast, and the benefits in terms of increased communica¬ tion and camaraderie are just too numerous to mention. As you visit your co-workers to monitor the African vio¬ lets’ progress, you will forge quality relationships to last a lifetime. This works particularly well in schools, where pressures are great and African violets promote tranquil¬ ity. Retired? Don’t have a separate workplace? How about putting an African violet at your doctor’s office or in the rectory of your church? One of my favorite stories concerns an African violet friend, short on space, who placed African violets in each room of a local assisted living facility. Trust me, the result continues to be pure magic. 3. Seek out low-cost growing space convenient to your home or work. Once, while waiting for renovation to be completed on one of the rooms where I grow African vio¬ lets, I rented a heated storage unit and put my light stand with all of the African violets in there. 1 had to bring the water with me when I went to tend them, but it was con- African Violet Magazine 53 venient and close and probably cost me no more than the electricity for the light stand was costing at home. I set up a little portable fan to circulate the air and a tub of water to increase humidity and the African violets bloomed like crazy! If the work hadn’t gotten finished at home, I could have been quite happy going on at the storage unit indefinitely. Here’s another story: an acquaintance of mine rented an unused, windowless room at a local business for less than thirty dollars a month, electricity included, and has three light stands in there just full of beautiful African violets. The space was not suitable for renting to another business because it did not have windows or a separate entrance, so the owner was thrilled to see it so well used. Blooming African violets are often displayed in the customer serv¬ ice area, and the business owner brags about the arrangement to the whole community! It is possible to enjoy African violets at any and every level; the key to maximum enjoyment is remaining true to your available time and energy. If you need to downsize your collection or scale back the amount of time you are spending with your African violets in order to enjoy them more, just remember that all those plants can go to new homes and spread the joy of African violet culture to new enthusiasts. Increased demand also means more encouragement for hybridizers and vendors. Every time we share our African violets, the resulting influx of new fans ensures that heir¬ loom, existing, and future varieties will be appreciated by generations to come. Fertilizers by Sue Hodges just as you need food, your plants need nourishment! The mixes that most of us use for our violets and other gesneriads are soilless and contain very little in the way of nutrients for the plants. In fact, those of us who grow on the wick system are really using a form of hydroponics. Fertilizer labels state an analysis of the contents, often as N.P.K. This will tell you the proportion of nitrogen, phospho¬ rous, and potassium contained in that fertilizer. Some fertilizers also contain trace elements that the plant needs in very small quantities. Nitrogen promotes good growth and nice green leaves. A fertilizer that is higher in nitrogen will promote growth rather than promoting bloom, so it is good for young plants. Fish emulsion fertilizers are usually higher in nitrogen. Plants that are not getting enough nitrogen will have yellowing leaves that may be smaller than usual. A plant getting too much nitrogen will have sappy growth and few flowers, and it can be more susceptible to attack from insects and diseases. Phosphorous is found in every plant cell. It is necessary for good root development and causes the stems to get firm and strong. Fertilizers that are higher in phosphorous will give good bloom and strong growth. Many of the fertilizers formulated for African violets are slightly higher in phosphorous. Potassium influences the plant’s resistance to pests and diseases, as well as improving cool temperature tolerance. It helps the plant’s uptake of nutrients and reduces water loss due to transpiration. Most of the fertilizers that are formulated especially for African violets are “balanced” fertilizers, which will give you the correct proportions of the elements for your plants to grow and flower well even though the formulation of each is slight¬ ly different. If you are having good luck with your present fer¬ tilizer, do not be in a rush to change to something different. You know the old saying: “if you are on a good thing stick to it!” If you wish to experiment with something new, try a few plants first to be sure the results are as you wish. Strong fertilizers can burn African violet leaves, especially in hot weather, and fer¬ tilizer damage is irreversible. From Afncan Violet News, Official Journal of the African Violet-Gesneriad Society of NSW, Inc. ALL COMING EVENT NOTICES MUST REACH THE EDITOR BY THE DEADLINES PRINTED IN THE INSIDE FRONT COVER AND MUST BE IN WRITING. 54 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 More About Leaves by Pauline Bartholomew from her book “Growing To Show” OFF-SIZED ROW OF LEAVES Nothing detracts from the beauty of African violets more than a petticoat of off-sized, ragged, immature leaves. Plants should never go to a show in this disheveled state. Tom or spotted leaves are obvious, and there are lots of clues that give away immature or underdeveloped leaves. But unless the size difference is significant, an entire row of offsized leaves is hard for the beginner to recognize. An off-sized row can be any row where the leaves are smaller than those of the next row above. The leaves have been stunted through one or more of the following lapses in culture: 1 . Not potting up at the proper time: Growth is slowed when roots reach a certain stage of density. When the plant is finally potted up, growth eventually accelerates. As the new leaves grow in, they form rows of larger leaves. 2. Not potting down a neck before it becomes too long: The foliage experiences a setback. When the roots expand into the new soil, the new leaves become larger than existing ones. J. Not watering plants at the proper time: Even though the plants survive, fine feeder roots are damaged when a plant is allowed to become too dry. Off-sized foliage is the result. 4. Not controlling environmental factors or practicing con¬ sistent cultural methods: Extreme or rapid changes in light hours, weather conditions, fertilizing, soil mix formulas, etc. will result in off-sized foliage. If the row of off-sized leaves is the outermost row, remove it and fill in around the resulting neck or, if necessaiy, pot the neck down. If it is an inner row, the row must be grown out until it can be removed. If there is not time to grow it out, and the plant is entered in a show, points will probably be deducted under condition. The grower must decide if the row is so noticeable that the plant would not win a blue ribbon. WAYWARD LEAVES Moving leaves (even if done gradually) and staking them into position in order to create better symmetry does not work. It causes a new set of problems and, in the long mn, the con- VtBxy leaves must be removed. Almost without exception, a wayward or curved-petiole leaf will prove to be an immature leaf Remove it, and within a few weeks, the other leaves usu¬ ally fall into place and fill the gap. Even rearranging the foliage by hand to fill in the gap sometimes results in instantly improved symmetry. The two major drawbacks to staking a leaf are the stress to the petiole and the phenomenon of tropism. If a wayward leaf is moved too far out of the path it has taken, there is consider¬ able stress at the juncture of the petiole and the main stem. This causes a leaf to weaken and fail to develop further; it may even expire. Tropism is an involuntary response of an organism to an external stimulus. In this case, the pressure of a stake on a petiole causes it to curve in the direction of the stake, thus subverting its purpose. March • April 2003 «■ African Violet Magazine 55 Getting the Bugs Out: Blossom Thrips by Jim Toms • Etobicoke, ON ^ Species: Many species of thrips affect African violets. The most common at present is the Western Blossom Thrips, a native of western North America, which has now also moved eastward. Note that “thrips” is both singular and plu¬ ral. You do not see a “thrip” on that blossom; you see a “thrips”, and you should hope that you don’t see a thrips on any blossom in your collection. Location: Thrips, both adult and laiwal, are most com¬ monly obseiv'ed dashing about the surfaces of the blossoms, most likely near the pollen sacs. The larvae of some species spend a part of the life cycle in the soil. Description: Thrips are long and thin, from 0.5 to 5.0 mm in length. They resemble living snips of thread whipping around as they move. Color varies both by species and with¬ in species. They may be white, yellow, greenish, tan, brown, etc. Some species have wings in the adult phase. Life Cycle: Most thrips reproduce from eggs, but there are livebearers as well. In some species, the females need not come Into contact with males in order to produce young. In other words, your collection can literally become Infested with the young of one thrips! While different species have different life styles and feed¬ ing habits, the thrips that infest African violets generally thrive on pollen. That is why they are obvious on blossoms, especially near the pollen sacs. Pollen is rich in plant protein and makes a great diet. The larvme gorge for about 1 5 days and then pupate. The adults lay eggs or bear more young. A total life cycle is about 26 days. Symptoms of Infestation: The most obvious sign of a possible thrips infestation, if you do not see the insects themselves, is the presence of pollen on the petals. While a pollen sac can split naturally, this rarely happens. On seeing spilt pollen, look for thrips as the culprit. Deprived of pollen, thrips will dine like sucking insects, primarily on the underside of the leaves where you should also look for them. Damage shows up as streaks or threadlike trails following the paths trod by hungry thrips. Affected leaves may look unhealthy and may die prematurely. Source and Spread of Infestation: Thrips spread from one African violet collection to another as plants are shared. Thrips are supposed to be in all of our outdoor gardens. It Is usually suggested that they can come inside on pet fur, garden clothing, etc. As bulbs and roses are supposed to be their most common outdoor habitat, I have inspected the blossoms of these two groups of plants many times, and have yet to see a thrips. My own feeling is that the thrips in our collections are acquired primarily from our fellow growers. Prevention and Control: Isolation of newly acquired plants must be practiced. Ninety days is suggested, and let them come into bloom dur¬ ing the ninety days to make any malingering thrips more evi¬ dent. Close inspection of the leaves of a plant without blos¬ soms may reveal them, but they are much easier to spot on blossoms. If thrips are spotted, disbud all infested plants and any others near them. If the infestation has spread to sever¬ al areas of your collection, disbud eveiyThing. Keep the plants disbudded for at least three months; then let them begin to bloom. Inspect regularly for thrips. If any thrips are found, disbud totally again for three months. Do not let them come into full bloom again until there is no sign of thrips. Some people recommend sticky paper or strips. The com¬ mon yellow variety is considered ineffective, as thrips do not see yellow wavelengths of light. Therefore, they recommend the blue sticky strips. Either color is expensive, but blue is by far the costlier, and it is usually only obtained by special order and in large quantities. I once tried the blue and am proud to say that my $15 expenditure did indeed produce a bigger catch of thrips than the cheaper yellow strips. But then, two has always been a bigger number than zero. Two lousy thrips for fifteen bucks! I strongly recommend a chemical approach. In the past, I have disbudded for as long as a year to no avail. Contact insecticides such as insecticidal soap will be ineffec¬ tive, as the secretive nature of thrips keeps the majority of them out of harm’s way most of the time. In the case of insecticidal soap itself, contact also does not seem to work except to produce the cleanest thrips in town. Acephate, diazinon, carbaryl, and malathion all work on thrips. Beware of leaf and blossom damage that will be caused by the latter two. There is a natural control, a thrips-eating mite called Amblyselus cucumeris which is the size of a typical spider mite but amber in color. They are available from suppliers of natural predators. I have tried them, and with some coaxing, (prepare to cheer loudly!) they can be persuaded to devour a thrips before your eyes. They don’t seem to be the most ambitious foragers and will often stand back watching the thrips feed, making the destruction of your blossoms a spec- 56 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 tator sport. I gave up on my weight-watching predators and disbudded. When the plants came back into bloom, I watched for thrips. I didn’t find any, so perhaps the monsters had big¬ ger appetites when I wasn’t looking. I did find an extraordi¬ nary number of blossoms with shriveled or absent pollen sacs. Then 1 remembered hearing about what the mites might eat after eliminating all the thrips. He said he suspected they might take a little pollen. A little! I started opening the deflated little pollen sacs. Sure enough! They had been turned into dwelling places for Amblyselus, which had decided to become the dominant species after the demise of the thrips. I considered spraying with miticide but thought better of that. The mites died out eventually. Did the vegetarian lifestyle not agree with them? From Chatter, publication of the AVS of Canada Starting Leaves by Suzanne Ress This article is the result of an exper¬ iment in propagating leaves started by Suzanne and exhibited on her well- designed Educational Exhibit at a Bay State AVS club show. "What is the best way to propagate new African vio¬ lets by starting leaves?*' The hypothesis was that the most effective method to start leaves was to keep the leaves enclosed and to use a mild fertilizer that boosted root formation. The growing conditions were kept fairly simple: • 12 leaves from the same plant were all planted in the same soil and grown under fluorescent lights. • Half of the leaves were enclosed (placed in sealed plastic bags) and the other half were left uncovered (6 and 6). • In each group, half were given just plain water, and half were given water with Superthrive (3 and 3). To document plantlet development, weekly records were kept with any notes on growth or condition of the leaves, and some participants took weekly photos. Results As anticipated, the enclosed leaves did better, with baby leaves appearing earlier with more leaves for each “mother leaf’. The enclosed leaves given water with Superthrive did slightly better than the “plain water’’ leaves. An unexpected benefit to this experiment was the docu¬ mentation of the ease of care for the enclosed leaves. The leaves that were left uncovered had to be watered weekly. The leaves enclosed in a plastic bag did not need watering for the entire twelve weeks of the monitored growing period. Leaves that were simply covered by a plastic bag that was left unsealed did need regular watering. Conclusions The major difference in growth was seen between leaves that were enclosed versus those left uncovered. Leaves enclosed in plastic sprouted baby leaves two or three weeks earlier and had more baby leaves, on average. While the use of Superthrive may have contributed to a slightly better performance for the enclosed leaves, the num¬ ber of baby leaves produced did not vary significantly between the plain-water group and the Superthrive water group. From Ye Bay Stater, publication of the Bay State AVS AVSA Scholarship AppUcations AVSA Scholarship applications are encouraged for the academic year, 2003-2004. Check the AVSA web site for the application form and remember the deadline for appli¬ cations is April 1, 2003. We ask for applications to be mailed to: Charles Ramser, Chairman; 2413 Martin Street, Wichita Falls, TX 76308. March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 57 AVSA ADVERTISING GUIDELINES Judith M. Carter, Advertising Manager AFRICAN VIOLET MAGAZINE Advertising Rates, Mechanicals & Deadlines Deadlines Jan/Teb issue Nov 15 Jul/Aug issue May 15 Mar/Apr issue Jan 1 5 Sep/Oct issue Jul 1 5 May/June issue Mar 15 Nov/Dec issue Sep 15 Mechanicals & Rates; One Colunui (3-5/16” ) Two Column (6-3/4”) REGULAR ADVERTISING AD SIZE - COMMERCIAL ALL 3 5/16 IN WIDE MEMBERS OTHERS 1 INCH $30 $33 2 INCH $50 $55 3 INCH $70 $77 4 INCH $90 $99 5 INCH TO 9 ‘/4 INCH $22.40 PER IN. $25.00 PER IN, % PAGE BLACK & WHTTE $95 $104.50 14 PAGE BLACK & WIilTE $175 $192.50 FULL PAGE BLK & WHITE $345 $379.50 14 PAGE COLOR $475 $522.50 FULL PAGE COLOR $595 $654.50 Advertiser provides color separations. Special - Buy 5 ads and receive the 6^ ad free when all 6 ads are paid in full in advance. All ads shimld be same size. Content of ad can change for each issue. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 15 word/$ 15.00 Minimum. Each additional word $1; series of numbers count as a word. Purchase 5 ads and receive the 6th ad free. All classified ads must be same text and paid for in advance. NO PROOF SUBMITTED BEFORE PUBLICATION. Deadlines will be the same as tho.se listed for the regular advertising section. INTERNET WEB PAGE Any current advertiser or commercial member in good standing may have his/her business listed on the AVSA Web Page Vendor List and also may have a "hot" link to his page if he provides a reciprocal link to the AVSA page. No process has yet been developed to place advertising on the Internet at this time. Checks made payable to The AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY OF AMERICA. Inc. (AVSA) must accompany ad copy. Agency commission and cash discount not allowed. Inquiries for color ads - contact Advertising Manager. You need not be an AVSA member to advertise. Commercial Membership - $32.00 per year (USA) $33.75 per year (International). Make check payable to AVSA. Membership check should be provided separately from advertising cost. Pictures can be included at no extra cost. No copy or pictures can be returned. All copy must be typewritten. NO PROOF SUBMITTED BEFORE PUBLICATION. If proof required submit camera-ready copy. VISA or MasterCard AVSA now accepts VISA or MasterCard for payment of ads that appear in the AVM. Want to save some money? Prepay for five consecutive ads either by check or charge, and receive the sixth ad free. Advertising copy may be changed in this category. Commercial versus Non-Commercial Advertisers no longer need to be commercial or non-commercial members of AVSA m order to place an ad. 'llie product or service must be plant-related to qualify. ITiis rule is perfect for an advertiser who would like to "test the waters" before going into a full-scale advertising campaign. Prices for non-commercial advertisers are 10% higher than those for our commercial membership. Unless the advertiser is already a member of AVSA, he/she would not receive a copy of the AVM nor be eligible for any of the other benefits of membership in AVSA. Example: 1 " ad Commercial Member $30.00 I" ad Non-Commercial $33.00 One year (six issues) of non-commercial ads will cost an additional $15.00 for ads. Full page Black & White for Commercial Member $345.00 Full page Black & white for Non-Commercial Member $379.50 One year (six issues) of non-commercial ads will cost an additional $172.50 for ads. Four-Color Advertising The AVM is now accepting four-color ads. Ads will be accepted in two sizes. One Half Page Commercial Member $475.00 Non-Commercial $522.50 Full Page Commercial Member $595.00 Non-Commercial $654.50 llie customer must provide the color separations for the copy. Classified Advertising • Looking for a home for your old copies of the AVM? • Moving and don't have room for that third plant stand? • Your club is selling violet key rings as a fund raiser? • Small commercial grower: Violet lovers travel everywhere to find new plants. Do you go unnoticed and lose business because you feel you cant afford a large ad in the AVM? • Large commercial grower: Even though you would like to see your ad in every issue, do you settle for fewer appearances? Why not try out a classified ad to address your situation? The classified advertising may be used by commercial and individual members, clubs, groups and non-members. AVSA individual members advertising in this section will not be considered “commercial" advertisers. WHERE DO I SEND MY AD? Regular Advertisements and Classified Advertisements Judith M. Carter, Advertising Manager 1 825 W. Lincoln St. Broken Arrow. OK 74012 Phone: (918) 355-8020 email: AVMad.s@nisn.com Please leave a phone number where you may be reached. 58 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Wick Watering by Lisa DiMambro The number one problem most have after starting to wick their plants is root rot, which is a result of the root ball being too wet. I suggest starting with a soil mix containing at least 50% added, extra perlite. If the plants still seem too wet, add more. The goal is to keep the soil slightly moist. I don’t recommend wicking a newly repotted plant, if most of the roots have been removed, or babies that are newly potted up as they do not have the root growth to absorb the water, and the result will be rot. There are many different types of wicking material, from acrylic yarn to panty hose strips to nylon cord. There is much debate over which one to use and whether to use one or two plies, or even to split the yarn or cord you are using to make it thinner. I have used many types over the years and have come to one conclusion - the type or thickness of the wick doesn’t matter, unless it is too small to pull up enough water, causing the plant to dry out. I have personally found that the #18 nylon Mason’s twine works best for wicking. It is able to pull up enough water for even the heavy drinkers like large chiritas in bloom, which is an advantage over yarn. If you let the reservoir and plant dry out, you can just add water to the reservoir, and even dry mason’s twine wick will pull up the water. Shipping begins soon, and we will be happy to deliver plants to you at the Dixie Convention in Memphis, TN March 19 to 22 and to the National Convention in Baton Rouge, LA April 20 to 27. Orders must be in fifteen days before the starting date of the conventions. The orders will be paid for upon receipt at convention prices. Some Varieties From Our Catalogs TOWNSEND - RD’S GLEAM - Large pink stars edged in fuchsia glitter. Large medium green foliage. This is a pretty one from Australia. BROWNLIE - ACA’S ELOISE- Large white blossoms with red eye and edges over medium green foliage. Very showy on your shelves or in a show. SM SORANO - PARTY PARASOL - Large mauve/pink stars with soft pink fringed edge. Foliage medium green standard. 2nd best new introduction at National last year. SANDERS - SHIRL’S RUFFLED PE'TTICOAT - Double light blue blossom with a white ruffled edge. Foliage is green and white variegation with a touch of pink. SM STORK - CORAL SEA - Double dark coral ruffled large blossom that shows off over dark green wavy foliage. Standard We have trailers. New and older varieties. Catalog available for $2.00. Plants of the customer’s choice $4.50 each with a minimum of 6 plants per order. Shipping and handling on up to 6 plants $8.00. Quantities over that amount, check our catalog. LEAVES: SHIRLEY’S CHOICE - 24 - $24.00 or 50 or $44.00. Shipping on leaves - $6.00 for up to 50. ® Over this number, add 1 0 cents per leaf. Always include your phone number as we call our customers to give them the exact date that their order will leave the Violet House. We will begin shipping the latter part of March and early April where weather permits. Make check payable to Shirley Sanders 1034 Rayburn Dr., San Antonio, TX 78221. Telephone (210) 923-1093. Fax (210) 921-2596 Therefore, soaking dry wicks for ten minutes to restart is no longer necessary. Another important issue in wick watering is your res¬ ervoirs. You should empty and rinse them with plain water at least every three weeks so fertilizer salts don’t build up to high levels. In summary, your soil is the deciding factor. The wick will pull up as much moisture as your soil will hold, no more. So if you are wicking and your plants stay too wet, add more perlite to your mix. I also don’t believe that the amount of wick that is in contact with the soil or water makes any dif¬ ference, for the same reason. Also, if you have the correct balance in your soil, you do not need to let the reservoir dry out between waterings. ‘Prairie VioCets P.O.Box 313 • Maroa. Illinois 61 756 Older and newer varieties, novelties, etc. [eaves laBekd ■ ‘Our Choice ' 12 for SI 5.50 / 25 for $26.50 s/h S6.00 35 for $35.50 / 50 for $45.50 s/h $8.00 Shipping May 15th - Nov. 15 weather permitting Mail order leaves only Specials Price List $1.00 March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 59 Dear Friends: Henry and I (Walter) had to get out of African Violet growing (due to age). We had three big greenhouses full. It was more than we could physically do. Now we are in the horticultural supply business. Supplying you with our own quality products and a few others. Many thanks for past and future business. Sincerely, Henry and Walter CALL OR WRITE FOR A FREE CATALOG. Regular potting soil, wick-mix potting soil, constant feed fertilizer, reservoir wick pots and saucers, 24 and 48 inch wide-spectrum lamps, physan 20, dandy pots, plastic pots, wick. ORDER TOLL FREE 1-866-521-9639 VOLKMANN BROS GREENHOUSES P.O. BOX 1 91 289 DALLAS, TEXAS 7521 9 $16 (CDN) per year in Canada $15 (US) to the United States John Beaulieu Productions email: gesnews@bconnex.net Box 118, Midhurst, ON LOL 1X0 CANADA y Home of “Buckeye” African Violets (Striving for large, unusual blossoms on large growing, beautiful variegated foliage) Our new “Buckeyes” for 2003 will include “Buckeye Rave Review”, “Buckeye Summer Song”, “Buckeye Music Box”, “Buckeye Look Again”, “Buckeye Masterpiece”, “Buckeye Rockin’ Robin”, “Buckeye Ruby Redress”, and “Buckeye Ohio Friendship”. Our 2003 Color Catalog will be available about February 1 5. 2003. $2.50 (Canada $3.00) Stamps or Check payable to: Pat Hancock 7132 Shurz Road • Middletown, OH 45042 • (513)425-0308 Hope to see you all In Baton Rouge, Louisiana CLASSIFIED ADS NEPTUNE’S HARVEST ORGANIC FERTILIZERS Commercially proven - outperforms chemicals Free catalog (800) 259-GRO\V (4769) Website:www.neptunesharvest.com BAYOU VIOLETS - LEAVES ONLY Request catalog $ 1 .00 Check payable to Genelle Armstrong 1313 Gardenia Drive Metairie, LA 70005-1 152 JoS VIOLETS 2205 College Drive Victoria, TX 77901 • (361) 575-1344 Get list from http://www.geocities.com/iosviolets or send stamped envelope DONNIE’S VIOLETS - LEAVES ONLY Catalog $2.00 Check Payable to: Donnie Barnes 2563 Richert, Clovis, CA 9361 1-6034 • (559) 294-8650 FOR LIST OF OLDIES AND NEW VARIETIES Send $1.00 U.S. Priority Shipping Only. Sonja’s Violets 15980 Warden (870) 426-1791 Omaha, AR 72662 The Association for plant & flower people who grow in hobby greenhouses and windows! Quarterly Magazine Growing & Maintenance Help & Advice Hobby Greenhouse Association 8 Glen TeiTace, Bedford, MA 01730-2048 Dues: USA $19 {Canada and Mexico, $21 US funds/MO) ($22 Overseas, US funds/MO) Sample magazine $3.50 Directory of Greenhouse Manufacturers $2.50 P. O. Box 527-AV • Dexter, Ml 48130 Phone (800) 823-5740 • Fax: (866) 823-4978 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EASTERN www.indoorgardensupplies.com FULL LINE OF INDOOR GARDENING PRODUCTS PLANT TRAYS A LIGHTED STANDS A ■¥ METERS, TIMERS ^ PLANTLITES A ACCESSORIES ^ 40 WATT WS (Wide Spectrum) LAMPS: 6 = $38.32 12 = $64.06 24 = $11 9.90 G4-SD2 $603.00 W/4 Two Lamp Fixtures and WS Lamps 4 Shelves W/16 Trays 74H X 53L X 23D ALL PRICES PREPAID, MICHIGAN RESIDENTS ADD 6% SALES TAX VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, CHECKS & COD'S ACCEPTED FREE CATALOG G22 $187.70 W/2 Two Lamp Fixtures and WS Lamps 2 Shelves W/2 Trays 40H X 27L X12D 60 African Violet Magazine March • April 2003 Looking for Orchid Information? Log On! Interact with other eager orchid enthusiasts by click¬ ing on Orchid Forum at OrchldWeh®, developed especially as an informa¬ tion exchange platform for orchid growers through¬ out the world. The Ameri¬ can Orchid Society's pop¬ ular web site has extensive plant-care tips, inspiring photographs, a calendar of orchid events, and other helpful orchid information. Founded in 1921, the AOS is the world's number-one orchid- information source — just ask 30,000 members worldwide. On¬ site membership application is available along with convenient, secured shopping in The AOS BookShop and Orchid Emporium. The American Orchid Society Dept. AVAAAG, 1 6700 AOS Lane Delray Beach, FL 33446-4351 Telephone (561)404-2000 Fax (561)404-2100 E-mail theAOS@aos.org Web site orchidweb.org Cryptanthus the Dazzling Earth Stars are the perfect companion plants for your African violet collection requiring the same care. Exquisite colors, leaf shapes and patterns of stripes, bars and zig zags year 'round in every shade of the rainbow. Send first class stamp for cultural information or $3.00 for a sample of our color quarterly journal. THE CRYPTANTHUS SOCIETY Carole Richtmyer - Secretary 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive Spring. TX 77388 Join African violets know no borders, so why not become a member of the AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY OF CANADA and receive Chatter, its quarterly publication? A magazine dedicated to the growing and showing of African violets and Gesneriads. USA/International membership $14.00. Please make your cheque or bank draft payable to AVSC and forward to: Mrs. Irene Henry 349 Hyman Drive Dollard des Ormeau, RQ. H9B 1L5 Canada ILyrdl'Oir ILycir 0ireeirlln€ui§es.9 lire,. PO Box 249 DeplAV Dolgeville NY 13329 ^'Q4}here iitjlnids since /954 AVSA National Convention in Washington, DC - winner of numerous awards: - Including ~ Best New Cultivai" Optical Illusion 2""* Best New Cultivar: Party Parasol 3""^ Best New Cultivar: Plumberry Glow Celebrating 47 years of shipping excellence! To receive our 2003 color Catalog, please send: $3.00 U.S. / $5.00 International (US Funds). Our greenhouses are open year round. No appointments necessary! Call for hours! Phone (315) 429 8291. Located in the foothills of the beautiful Adirondack mountains! Just 10 minutes off Interstate 90. Visit our weSsite at: WWW. lyndonlyon.com March • April 2003 African Violet Magazine 6 1 You know African yiolets - gow meet the rest of the family!!; -7 N Quarterly journal, ^extensive seed fund, judging schools, round robins, annual convention, plus a’ copy of "Howto Know & Grow Gesneriads" Individual mem|iership - $20.00 Outside"ti'^U.S.!!$;^57.00 Please send checK money order, or credit card information to: Y, AGGS Membership Secretary Bob Clark 118 Byron Ave. ' Lawrence, M A 01841-4444 membership@aggs.org. ViMt iM'