Volume 52 AVSA Business INFORMATION FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS WITH YOUR SOCIETY TO ENSURE GOOD SERVICE. IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE ITEM, SEND EACH ITEM TO THE CORRECT PERSON. ALWAYS GIVE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. MEMBERSHIP: Send check payable to AVSA for new or renewable membership to AVSA Office, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702; phone 409-839-4725. Individual $18, USA only; Individual, all other countries - $20.50; Commercial USA $30; Commercial International - $33.75; Life (USA) - $275. International Life $325.00. Remit in U.S. Dollars with draft or check on a USA Bank. See Membership Application. Master Card/Visa accepted. AFFILIATES: Chapter - $20; Council, State or Region - $20. MEMBERSHIP AND PROMOTION; Send ideas, offers to help, requests for assistance to Anne Tinari, 2325 Valley Rd., Box 190, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006. AFFILIATES: For information on shows, awards or how to organize a chapter, write Bev Promersberger, 17415 Charter Pines Dr., Monument, CO 80132. E-mail clubs@avsa.org SHOW SCHEDULE APPROVER: Billie Golla, 1146 Opal St. #102, Broomfield, CO 80020. 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. - 5:30 p.m. CST. E-mail avsa@avsa.org BEST VARIETIES: HONOR ROLL COMPILER Floyd Lawson, 1100 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. BOOSTER FUND: Send contributions to Bill Lyons, 38 Indian Creek Drive, Levittown, PA 19057. BOYCE EDENS RESEARCH FUND: Send contributions to Marlene Buck, 17611 N. 102nd Dr., Sun City, AZ 85373-1616. BUILDING MAINTENANCE FUND: Send contributions to Helen Blanton, 622 Riverside, St. Charles, MO 63303. COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES: Kent Stork, 2501 E. 23rd Ave. S„ Fremont, NE 68025. COMMERCIAL SALES & EXHIBITS: For information on convention entries or sales room, contact Charles Wells, 948 Fair Oaks Ct. , Liberty, MO 64068. CONVENTION AWARDS: Jan. issue. Send suggestions or contributions for convention awards to Linda Golubski, 1416 A Street, Blue Springs, MO 64015. CONVENTION PROGRAM: Send special requests for workshop programs or interesting speakers to Ann Miller, Convention Director, 522 Willow Wisp Circle, Spring, TX 77388. If interested in sponsoring a national convention in your area, contact Convention Director. FUTURE CONVENTION DATES: Houston, TX - April 4-11, 1999, Omaha, NE - June 11-18, 2000. CULTURE FOLDERS: (postpaid): 100 to 400 - $8.00 per 100; 500 to 900 $6.00 per 100; 1000 and over - $4.75 per 100. SHORT VERSION OF CULTURE FOLDER: (postpaid): 1,000 to 4,000 $27.50 per 1,000; 5,000 to 9,000 - $25.00 per 1,000; 10,000 and over $23.50 per 1,000. 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 July issue. If you have ideas for a library program or slides to donate, write Jackie Jones, 607 14th Ave, Box 34, Durant, IA 52747. MAGAZINE: Copyrighted 1997, 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 AND COLUMNISTS: Send to Editor. COMING EVENTS AND MEMORIALS: Send to Editor. Please Note: Deadlines - Articles, Columnists and Coming Events: Jan. issue -Oct. 1; Mar. issue - Dec. 1; May issue - Feb.l; July issue Apr. 1; Sept, issue - June 1; Nov. issue - Aug. 1. ADVERTISING MANAGER: Advertising rates and information: Judith Carter, 19506 Mills Meadow Lane, Houston, TX 77094. AVMads@avsa.org 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 Lynn Lombard, Master Variety List Chairman, 790 Ridgecrest Dr., Colfax, CA 95713. MVL COMPUTER DISKETTES: 1998 MVL - $12.50. Updates (when available) - $5.00. For computer compatibility requirements, please write Beaumont office. FIRST CLASS MVL DISKETTE: Windows version - $12.50. Updates $5.00. 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 Rarnser, 2413 Martin, Wichita Falls, TX 76308. PLANT REGISTRATION: Iris Keating, 1 49 Loretto Court, Claremont, CA 9 1 7 1 1 . RESEARCH: Send suggested projects for scientific research or names of interested, qualified potential research personnel to Dr. Charles Cole, P.O. Box 2150, Bryan, TX 77806. SHOW ENTRY TAGS: 100 - $7.00 postpaid. Order from AVSA Office. QUESTIONS ON HYBRIDIZING: Dr. Jeff Smith, “In Search of New Violets" The Indiana Academy, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306. NEW UPDATED HANDBOOK FOR AFRICAN VIOLET GROWERS, EXHIBITORS AND JUDGES 1998 Handbook $10.25 (postpaid) 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 $18.00 per year which is included in membership dues. • Copyright 1997 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 African violets. March • April Volume 52 Number 2 CONTENTS FEATURES New Entries Program Now Available . . . 5 Growing African Violets Deep in the Dear Editor - Carl Helm . ... _ 9 Heart of Texas - Ron Davidson . . . . 44 Announcement from: Violets by Soil Mealybugs and Their Close Friends, Appointment - Bill & Kathryn Paauwe . . . . . 9 Thrips and Cyclamen Mites - Pat Hancock . . . . . 46 Thlly Time 1998 - Anna Jean Lundgren . . . . 16 Ah, Youth! - Barbara Elkin . . . . 47 Making the Most of Your Leaves - Joshua McKinney . 1 8 Finding New African Violet Lovers - Don Geiss . . . . 51 A Follow Up From Russia - Shirley Sanders . 19 Planting by Moon Signs . . . 52 Regional Reviews - Pat Richards . . 20 Help Us Choose The Very Best - Floyd Lawson . . . . 53 AVS of Canada Convention . . . 31 Avoiding Transplant Shock in A Modern Irrigation System at Your Variegated Violets - Sue Gardner . . . 53 Dave’s Violets - David Harris . . 40 Advertising Guidelines - Judith Carter . . . . 55 Be Aware! - Lola Rossi . . 43 DEPARTMENTS Index of Advertisers . . . 2 AVSA’s Most Wanted - Barbara Elkin . . . 35 Officers & Staff . . . . . 2 Showcase (3) . . . . 36 President’s Message - Esther Edwards Wells . .3 “And the Winners Are...” - Mary Corondon .... . . 38 Editor’s Notes - Ruth Rumsey . . 4 Boyce Edens Research Fund - Marlene Buck. . . . . . 42 Office Update - Jenny Daugereau . . . . 5 AVSA Building and For Beginners - Kent & Joyce Stork . . . 6 Maintenance Fund - Helen Blanton . . . 42 AVSA Commercials - A Closer Look: AVSA Booster Fund - Bill Lyons. . . . . . 42 Sonja’s Violets - David Buttram . . 10 Coming Events . . . 48 Question Box - Dorothy Kosowsky ...... . 12 Registration Report - Iris Keating ............ . . 54 Gesneri-Advice - Dale Martens . . 14 Thinking Small - Pat Richards . 26 Showcase (1) . 28 In Search of New Violets - Dr. Jeff Smith . . . . 30 Showcase (2) . . . 32 Vintage Violets - Barbara Elkin . . .34 CONVENTION Correction Convention Schedule . 5 Attention Affiliates . 19 2nd Annual AVSA Convention Auction ......... 24 COVER Aggie Trail Best Trailer 1998 AVSA National Show Exhibited by: Carroll Gealy Hybridized by: L. Ray Miniature Trailer March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 1 Index of Advertisers A Acree Creations . 63 A & W Violets . 58 AGGS . . . 62 Alannah’s African Violets .... 56 American Orchid Society ..... 62 AV Enterprises Press ........ 58 AVS of Canada . 63 AVSA Address Labels . . . 62 B Bayou Violets . 57 Belisle’s Violet House . 63 C Cape Cod Violetry .......... 59 Country Violets Greenhouses . . 58 Cryptanthus Society . . . 63 D Desert Violets ............. 60 Dyna Gro. . . . 63 E Evergreen Violets .......... 64 F Florals of Fredericks . 58 G Gesneriad News ........... 57 H Hattie Baggett’s African Violets .......... 64 Herbal Garden Ceramics . 63 Hobby Greenhouse ......... 63 I Indoor Gardening Supplies. ... 60 L Lyndon Lyon’s Greenhouses . . 64 M Mighty Minis . 60 N Neptune’s Harvest . . . 57 0 Optimara . . . .25 P Pat’s Patch. .............. 64 Pat’s Pets. ............... 60 Prairie Violets . 62 R Rob’s Mini-o-lets . . Inside Back Cover Rozell Rose Nursery & Violet Boutique .............. 56 S Shirley’s House of Violets .... 64 ShoMe Violets ............ 64 Sonja’s AV’s . 60 T Tanzania Wildlife Fund ...... 62 Teas Nursery ............ 58 Tlnari Greenhouses . . . Back Cover Travis’ Violets ............ 56 V Violets by Appointment. ..... 58 Violet House ............. 6 1 Violet Showcase . . 57 Volkmann Bros. Greenhouses ........... 60 W Watch Us Grow . . . 57 OFFICERS: Esther Edwards Wells, President 948 Fair Oaks Court, Liberty, MO 64068 email: sc-ee-wells@worldnet.att.net Bill Foster, 1st VP 3610 Gray Drive, Mesquite, TX 75150 email: bfoster@cyberramp.net Lynn Lombard, 2nd VP 790 Ridgecrest Dr., Colfax, CA 95713 email: lombard@oro.net lack Wilson, 3rd VP 10007 Bent Tree Ln„ Manassas, VA 2211 1 email: pwilson941@aol.com Sue Ramser, Secretary 2413 Martin, Wichita Falls, TX 76308 email: ramserwf@wf.net Meredith Hall, Treasurer 922 E. 14th Street, Houston, TX 77009 email: mhallavsa@aol.com L.T. Ozio, Jr., Immediate Past President 1009 Ditch Ave., Morgan City, LA 70380 STAFF: Ruth Rumsey, Editor 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 email: rmmsey@earthlink.net Judith Carter, Advertising Manager 19506 Mills Meadow Ln„ Houston, TX 77094 email: AVMads@avsa.org Jane Rexilius, Publications 5634 Yarwell, Houston, TX 77096 email: lanerex@aol.com Floyd Lawson, Best Varieties, Honor Roll 1 100 W. Huntington Dr., #21, Arcadia, CA 91007 email: floydll@earthlink.net Anna Jean Landgren, TUlly Time 2450 Iroquois Road, Wilmette, 1L 60091 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 1999 Many thanks to Dear AVSA Members: The annual AVSA Convention is just a few weeks away. This year’s convention in Houston should be an exciting week of activities for all AVSA members. With a variety of tours, the second annual AVSA Auction, the Growers Forum, and presentations on a wide range of topics, there should be something of interest for everyone. Get your registration forms in right away and start packing for the “Lone Star Violet Round-Up.’ Convention Director Ann Miller and her entire Convention Committee for the countless hours they devote to planning this annual event. The last two years have gone so fast, it’s hard to believe that my term as President of AVSA is almost over. We have worked on a large number of projects during the last two years and have made a great deal of progress in many areas. Upgrades in the computer equipment used in the AVSA office and by the Editor should benefit members for several years through better¬ ment of services and improvements in the AVM. The AVSA web site has also been improved, but there is much more work to do. The AVSA Scholarship Program has been established and applications are now being taken for the first AVSA Scholarship. A new Entries Program is now available for computerized processing of show entries, in addition to the First Class windows- MVL software program. Several new research projects are now underway through grants from the Boyce Edens Research Fund and more proposals are expected at the Board meeting in Houston. 1 want to express my sincere appreciation to the members of the Executive Committee for their assistance and support during the last two years. We have faced many challenges and have worked well as a team. I also want to thank all of the Directors, the Committee Chairmen and their committee members, the Office Staff, and the Editor for their work on various projects and their constant support of AVSA. During the last eight years as an officer of AVSA, it has been my privilege to participate in several major AVSA events; the dedication of the AVSA Office Building in Beaumont, the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the African violet, the First Day Issue of the African Violet Stamp by the U.S. Postal Service, and the 50th anniversary convention of AVSA. I want to thank the members of AVSA for the opportunity to participate in these milestone events and for the opportunity to serve as your President these last two years. I look forward to many more milestones for AVSA and wish the new Officers and Directors the best in their work for AVSA. Sincerely, Esther Edwards Wells AVSA President March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 5 Ruth Rumsey • 2375 North Street • Beaumont, Texas 77702 (409) 839-4725 • email rrumsey@earthlink.net It’s almost time for the 1999 AVSA Convention, “Lone Star Violet Round Up”, in Houston, TX. Make your reserva¬ tions and get ready for Houston; this convention offers a lot of excitement, Texas Style! Don’t forget to sign up for the tour coming to the AVSA office in Beaumont. Office Secretaries, Tammi Gotcher and Joanna McCown, will be ready to meet all of you, as will Jenny and I. A new contributor to the AVM is David Harris of Springfield, MO. Read about a “Modern Irrigation System at Dave’s Violets”, page 40. This system will be of interest not only to commercial growers, but also to our many members with huge collections of violets at home. Another contributor we haven’t heard much from before is Ron Davidson of Red Oak, TX. Ron tells us how he and Janice grow their award-winning violets, “Deep in the Heart of Texas”, page 44. And for more growing information from various loca¬ tions, read Pat Richards Regional Reviews, Part 1, page 20. Our contributors this time come from Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Illinois, and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Thanks so much, Pat, for putting this together for the AVM. Look for Part 2 in the May ‘99 issue. Anna Jean Landgren has once again compiled the Tally lime list (page 1 6) . This is a valuable tool for you to use when deciding which African violets to purchase for show plants. The list indicates which varieties received the greatest number of awards in state and local shows during 1998. If you are responsible for submitting your club’s show information to the AVM, PLEASE consult the deadlines on the AVSA Business Page (inside front cover) . I try to be as flexible as possible, and know that it’s often difficult to pin these dates down, but if you wait to the last minute to send your announcement there really isn’t anything I can do to get it in the AVM. Increasing our membership numbers is important to all of us. I appreciate those of you who have contacted me, or had your local newspaper call the office for PR information. I have slides, AVSA history, and other information available for all publicity opportunities. Please let us know if we can help your club get the word out about African violets. If you are a Commercial member who has not advertised with us before, please have a look at our Advertising Guidelines (page 55). Our Advertising Manager, Judith Carter, has done a terrific job, and is eager to work with you. Having an ad “camera ready” is not necessary; just let us know what you want to say, and we’ll have it designed to your specifications. I’ll soon be sending letters to all of our Board Members and 1999 Nominees with information about the AVSA Sales Table at the Houston convention. Even if you are not a Board Member, please feel free to volunteer to help man the Sales Table. This is a good opportunity to make new friends. In our Showcase section, you’ll see some exquisite slides submitted by Nelly Levine, Rocky Mountain AV Council. These were taken at the council’s spring show, and it’s a pleasure to run them in the AVM. If your club has slides that are of this caliber, please submit them. Make sure that they are of single plants with a clear background, not on a table with other plants behind or beside them. Also make sure there are no name cards or ribbons near the plant, or multi-colored backgrounds. Occasionally we get calls asking where a grower may purchase a certain plant featured in our Showcase sections. We always refer them to our Commercial Members, particu¬ larly those who advertise in this publication. With the name of the hybridizer listed (in most cases) , as well as the plant size, you should be able to locate most of them. New intro¬ ductions may be another problem, but if they are featured in the AVM, they should soon be available for purchase. As always, your suggestions and ideas for improving the African Violet Magazine are always welcome. Also, don't forget to write that article you’ve been putting off for so long! We all like to hear about each other’s growing experiences. Happy Growing! 4 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 by Jenny Daugereau • AVSA Office Administrative Coordinator 2375 North Beaumont, TX 77702 (409) 839-4725 email avsa@earthlink.net (800) 770-2872 Howdy Y’all! Are you ready to put on your cowboy hats and boots and become Texans for a week? We can’t wait to see you! Make sure you get registered for AVSA’s 53rd convention, “The Lone Star Violet Roundup,” in Houston, Texas. The office staff is working hard to get your AVSA home ready to meet its members. Along with Tarrimi Gotcher and our new office secretary, Joanna McCown, we are all look¬ ing forward to meeting you when you come to Beaumont. John and Judy Carter from Houston, Texas, have been spending much of their spare time here, painting and clean¬ ing, helping us get ready. What would we do without these two dedicated members? Thanks again, John and Judy! The tour to Beaumont will be on Tuesday April 6th, so come to Texas early to visit the AVSA home office. The AVS of Beaumont will be hosting the office tour and will welcome you to southeast Texas with a dose of southern hospitality and home-baked Texas treats. Thanks to all the clubs who have returned their affiliate registration updates. Bev Promersberger is working hard to get all the information up on the web site. This informa¬ tion will help us help you to get new members. Check the web site at avsa.org and see if your club is listed. If you have not mailed the form yet, please do so now. Some of our clubs have not yet signed up for affiliate liability insur¬ ance. If you plan to have a show or sale you might need this insurance. It is not to late. If you do not have the appli¬ cation, call the office and we will mail you another. At such low cost per member the insurance is well worth it. Get signed up now! As the year 2000 approaches, I’m sure your main concern with the Y2K bug is whether or not you will be receiving your African Violet Magazine. Never fear! Our new software has solved that problem and publications will go out as usual. I am looking forward to seeing you at the convention. Y’all come! Convention Schedule Correction: Thursday, April 8, 1999 Classification and Entries 9am - 11:30am 12:30pm - 6pm NEW SHOW ENTRIES PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE! After successful testing by a number of AVSA Affiliates, the new Entries Program, developed for AVSA by Joe Bruns, is now available through the AVSA office for $25. This program has been upgraded to generate the AVSA and Dixie AVS collection sheets. Any order of the Entries Program will include the latest version of Joe’s popular First Class, for which you will be able to order upgrades periodically. When ordering entry cards, be sure to specify that you are ordering those that work with this new system. (A lim¬ ited number of the older style cards are still available, for those opting to use manual entry) . We encourage all of our clubs to purchase this program to simplify the entries process at their local shows. March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 5 egi/me/ss Kent & Joyce Stork 2501 East 23rd Ave. S Fremont, NE 68025 WHAT’S MY PROBLEM? Diagnosing the cause of an African violet problem is challenging, especially for beginning growers who haven’t experienced a variety of dilemmas yet. It can be a miserable experience for advanced growers, who think they have seen just about everything. There probably isn’t anything more frustrating than seeing plants changing for the worse, and not being able to figure out what to do to solve the problem! Think Logically Basically, any problem comes down to one of four choic¬ es: pests, fungus, virus, or cultural imperfection. The first three present fairly clear symptoms. The last is a catch-all for every growing mistake that can be made. Unfortunately, the most likely cause of the down-hill violet is improper culture or Grower’s Blunders. Where To Look With any diagnosis, it is important to know what needs to be examined to determine the cause. There are basically three parts of violets to inspect: the flowers, the leaves, and the roots. Obviously, you begin looking where you first see a prob¬ lem. But don’t forget to look at the other parts too, especial¬ ly the roots! So many problems begin with an “insult” to the root structure, which reveals itself in the foliage or blossoms. There’s Something Wrong With My Flowers! Thinking logically, look first for signs of pests. Thrips are most likely to cause flowers to fade quickly and will leave tell-tale signs of spilled pollen from feeding. These are small but visible as they move in and out of the pollen sac. Cyclamen mites may be to blame if flowers are showing abnormal streaks of deeper color, fading quickly, and both flowers and stems have an abnormal or twisted form. Since mites cannot be seen, one must also examine the center of the plant. If the crown is stunted and graying, you should probably treat for mites. Are flowers disappearing during the night? You have roaches or some other invader that is phys¬ ically eating them. If these aren’t the symptoms you are see¬ ing... it probably isn’t bugs. Following the logical pattern, look for signs of fungus. There are only a few signs of fungus that show up on flow¬ ers. The most common is powdery mildew which shows up as a white powder across the flowers. Also possible is blos¬ som botrytis blight which is inside the flower. It causes the flower color to look washed out and gray, and will also cause the center of your violet to become stunted. Another form of botrytis will cause gray mold on the flowers. This is most commonly seen when blooming violets are shipped. If any of these are present, you should use appropriate treatments, but you must also change the growing environment to discour¬ age the growth of fungus by lowering humidity, maintaining even temperatures, and keeping air circulating. If you don’t see these symptoms. ..it probably isn’t fungus. Next, consider the possibility of a virus. This is general¬ ly improbable because viruses occur so rarely in plants. Plant viruses are spread by direct contact with diseased tissue or by tools that have been contaminated from that contact. They 6 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 are not airborne like cold or flu viruses in people. Those viruses which have been recognized in violets cause tiny flowers if the plants even bloom at all. This will be accompa¬ nied by a series of symptoms in the foliage at the same time, including mottled green and white leaf color and a stunted center crown (see below for more details). Since viral dis¬ eases are comparatively rare, let’s move on. Finally we must look for cultural imperfections that could cause blossoms to look “wrong”. Put more simply, are you committing a Grower’s Blunder? There are lots of possibili¬ ties! Let’s start with "lack of blossom”. Is the humidity low? Buds can dry out before the flowers ever appear! Are your violets getting too dry in between waterings? Same thing! Tiny buds abort in dry conditions. Are you giving your plants enough light? If violet leaves are stretching upward, rather than laying flat, they probably want more light. Are you fer¬ tilizing? Violets need a regular dose of fertilizer (following directions) and seem to bloom better when that fertilizer is a bit heavy to phosphorous (the middle number) . Is your pot diameter too big? Pots should be one-third the overall size of the leaves. Violets bloom best when roots are filling the pot (often called potbound). Do you have good healthy roots? Good roots lead to good blooming. Have you repotted in the last year? Fresh soil and root stimulation can promote bloom¬ ing as well. Is there any chance of a gas leak? Violets exposed to minute amounts of unburned gas fumes will stop blooming and will often show signs of stunting. Are you expecting too much? Some varieties only bloom infrequently or sparsely. Most will only keep a few buds stems in bloom at a time unless they have been grown for show. Another complaint might be that flowers are smaller than they used to be or don’t last long. Were your violets subject¬ ed to warm temperatures (over 75 degrees Fahrenheit)? Is humidity too low? Are you forgetting to fertilize? Is there a draft of dry air moving across the plants? All of these can cause flowers to become small. Once pests and disease are eliminated as a cause, grow¬ ers can concentrate on the problems in the growing environ¬ ment and improve the bloom habit! There’s Something Wrong With My Leaves! Begin logically again. First look for evidence of pests. If you see stunting of the center crown with the symptoms described above for cyclamen mite, you should treat for mites. Broad mites are also veiy difficult to see as they feed on the older leaves, but they will cause leaves to curl down¬ ward and to yellow. Advanced broad mite damage results in cracked and ragged leaf edges. There are a variety of pests which might be seen moving across the foliage, leaving chewed edges or streaks on leaves where feeding has occurred. You need to identify and treat for that insect (there are several possibilities including foliar thrips, roaches, and caterpillars). If you see webbing, either in long fibers (possi¬ bly red spider) or small cottony masses (egg sacs of foliar Mealybugs) you need to treat. If you see yellowing or wilt¬ ing leaves, you need to examine the roots for soil mealybugs. If you cannot find pests or symptoms matching these, then you should probably look elsewhere to solve your problem. Next, consider if a fungus could be the trouble. White powder on the leaves would indicate powdery mildew. Wilting leaves could indicate a type of crown rot. Examine roots and especially the main stem and look for signs of rot¬ ting or deterioration. Softened brownish patches or mushy holes may be caused by bacteria often after the leaf has suf¬ fered some other sort of insult. Gray mold would indicate botrytis is present. There are several other more remote fungi groups which occasionally attack violets, and most will exhibit some form of spore production which looks fuzzy or crusty. If you identify a fungus, you must treat for it, but you must also improve the growing area so that fungus is not encouraged to grow and multiply! If there is no rotting tissue, powder or moldy fuzz present, it probably isn’t a fungus. Consideration number three: Is it a virus? Are you seeing crinkling, deformed, and/or thickened leaves? Are you seeing mottling of white or light green on leaves that are not varie¬ gated? Is this mottling very erratic in pattern? Is there stunt¬ ing of the crown accompanied by brittle or deformed leaves? Are there hairless patches on the surface of leaves? Is this occurring in plants that are near one another (more likely to be fungus) or sporadically here and there (typical of viral dis¬ eases)? If you have these symptoms, plants must be destroyed and the room must be sanitized. At the very least, suspicious plants must be isolated along with sanitation methods. If you aren’t seeing these symptoms... it is unlikely that you have a virus. Almost all other leaf problems result from the growing conditions. Again there are many possible Grower’s Blunders to explain problems in leaves. Leaves that are wilting or fading sooner than average can be caused by under-watering. It can also be the result of fertilizer damage to the roots, watering with softened water (which has salt in it) , or by temperature extremes. Leaves can become spotted as a result of watering with too cold or too hot water (often appears as small yellowed rings) or because droplets of water were left on foliage after watering. These droplets can also occur as the result of con¬ densation settling on the leaves if the air temperature were to drop suddenly. When light shines on a droplet, a spot will form. Leaves could also be spotted because of dirt or spray residue, in which case the spots may be removed with tepid water. Be sure to blot leaves dry before putting them back in light! How about if your violet’s leaves are very tight in the center? This can occur because of too much light. If you are growing under fluorescent lights, you may have the plant March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 7 too close to the light or be running the lights too long each day. It can also occur because of over-fertilizing, in which case there will often be an orange-colored crust present in the very crown. It can result from disbudding, if you are growing the plant to exhibit in a show. Violets usually grow out of this on their own. It can also develop when violets are being grown in relatively cool conditions below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. One last possibility is the presence of unburned gas fumes. Perhaps you are seeing leaves that are reaching up or you have quite long stems (petioles) on leaves. This is usu¬ ally caused by inadequate light, but can also result when the temperatures are consistently warmer than 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Possibly your leaves are pale green or yellowed instead of deep green. In this case it is reasonably the result of too much light — either too long exposure or too intense. It can also result from a lack of fertilizer. If you are applying fer¬ tilizer and still have the problem, check to be sure the fer¬ tilizer is well-balanced for African violets. If it is, you may have a pH problem that is making it difficult for your plants to absorb nutrients. Leaves that are curling under or upward can be anoth¬ er concern. This is most commonly the result of cool grow¬ ing conditions or of wide temperature swings during the day and night. Some nutrient deficiencies are also linked to this condition, so check fertilizer to be sure it contains trace elements needed for good growth. What about brown edges on leaves? This is most com¬ monly the result of fertilizer excesses, especially if your plants tend to dry out between watering. The salts in the fertilizer will damage cells whenever the cells lose moisture. This can also occur in very dry air where leaf edges are most exposed to the dry conditions. Bumps, nicks, and other injuries to the leaf will also leave a brown edge but this is normally fairly distinctive in appearance. A few leaf changes can be the result of natural muta¬ tions or sporting. Occasionally a leaf will develop some var¬ iegation. This is not to be feared as a virus if the plant con¬ tinues to grow and thrive. You may also notice that the leaf-underside of some varieties will show irregular red patches, sometimes. If the flowers are bi-color, this patch¬ ing may indicate that the flowers are mutating to a solid color. If so, you would only want to propagate leaves that do not have the patches of color. Some varieties are prone to this behavior without any other problems, in which case it can be ignored. Something’s Wrong With My Roots! Almost everybody notices that something is going wrong above the soil level before they notice what is hap¬ pening below in the root zone. Many violet problems start down in the soil where they aren’t detected until plants have sustained damage. Once you discover that the roots are not white and abundant, there are a number of causes to consider. Using our logic, begin by looking for pests. There is one primary pest to look for, and that is soil mealybug. This insect has six legs, is about the size of small grains of rice, and gray- white. It lays eggs in the soil in web sacs and feeds on roots. By the time you notice wilting leaves above, there is likely to be a massive population down below. Wise growers look for them on a routine basis and treat as need¬ ed, since they are unfortunately rather common. You might also notice insects moving around on the top of the soil. These are likely to be the larvae of fungus gnats or black flies. Normally they won’t destroy roots, but it is wise to treat for them. The fast-moving bugs that are found down under the pot in saucers and reservoirs are springtails which do very little damage to violets. One last pest, nema¬ todes, is rarely seen now that growers are using soilless potting mixes rather than dirt. This worm feeds inside of roots causing a knob-like bulge in the root and listless growth of foliage. If you should see knobs or galls on roots, especially if you are using dirt in your mix, dispose of the plants and change your soil mix. Fungus can thrive in the moist conditions of the rootball. Some of the fungus in soil is working beneficially by breaking down nutrients into a usable form for plants. This is occasionally visible on the soil surface as a white bil¬ lowy mold. If it bothers you, water into the top of the soil and it will disappear for the time being. Far more dangerous are the water molds that bring about crown rot. These fungi attack the root system and the main stem. The rotten odor in the soil is a sure sign. The main stem may become brown and mushy on the outside, brown and dry on the inside (a hollow or brown core that can be seen when sections are cut away), or may dry up, depending on which fungus is pres¬ ent. Spores are frequently present but will not become dead¬ ly unless there is an overabundance of water. Plants left standing with the roots in water, and plants grown in heavy wet soil mixes are very vulnerable to this fungus. Often, affected plants must be destroyed. It is very important to improve the growing conditions to slow this infection. Most other root problems are caused by Grower’s Blunders. Roots deteriorate when the soil is too heavy, lacking air spaces for roots to grow into. Too much water creates a similar situation. Some pots are poorly designed and do not allow air to flow under the pot. Adding air to the soil will greatly improve the health and vigor of the roots! Temperature fluctuations around the roots of more than ten degrees Fahrenheit (caused either by air temperature changes or applied water) can cause roots to die. Fertilizer salts can accumulate in the soil and damage roots. This can be remedied by leaching the soil with copious amounts of clear water. 8 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 It’s Often Grower’s Blunders Pests and disease can cause our violets to suffer, but in many cases, the grower is the one to blame! When we blunder and our horticultural perfection is quite a bit less than perfect, our violets can develop some mystifying symptoms. To be fair, it can be very hard to achieve perfection! For example: the solution for getting more flowers may be to increase humidity, but the solution to curb fungus disease is to decrease humidity. Another example: we recommend that you grow under fluorescent lights and maintain even temperatures for optimum growth. However, when you grow under fluorescent lights, they raise the temperature during the hours that they are on and allow temperatures to drop when they are off. A third example: fertilizer for¬ mulations and water supplies can change subtly without warning, altering the chemistry of our growing. And final¬ ly there are all the changes in weather and our personal lives that keep pitching us off balance. The worst solution is to get out our spray bottles of chemicals and treat for something that isn’t there. Pests and fungi behave in fairly predictable ways. If you think logi¬ cally, you should be able to tell when to spray, when to throw, and when to take a hard look at the growing envi¬ ronment. There’s no need to panic. Eliminate the possibility of pests; eliminate the possibil¬ ity of diseases; review the basics of growing. We bet you’ll get the problem solved! I would like to tell you about my experience ) with soil mealybugs and how two of your advertisers helped me out! I am 92 1/2 years old and have been raising violets for 25 years. I am one of the three people who started the Wedgewood AV Club. Our club had 25 members, all men. I started again from scratch after moving to Florida, and have used my church as an outlet for my plants. I have a 2 shelf cart in Friendship Hall at Trinity Lutheran Church and sell my plants for $4 each. All the money 1 raise goes to the Tree of Life Day Care Center. In the summer of 1997 I had an invasion of soil mealybugs! I worked six months to get rid of them and ended up sending every one of them into the trash, along with my plants! I went to work on my stand with Clorox® water, clean¬ ing my trays, blankets, lights, walls, curtains - everything! I didn’t try to raise any plants for 4 months, then I ordered 38 leaves from Shirley’s House of Violets in San Antonio, TX, and told them I was 92 years old. When I received my leaves from Shirley, they were packed beauti¬ fully, and instead of 38, there were 76 leaves! There was also a note from Shirley saying that she hopes when she’s my age she’s still ordering plants! I also had ordered 10 plants from Rob's Mini-o-lets, Naples, NY, and of course, told him how old I was, too. I soon received a package from Rob, packed just as beauti¬ fully, and instead of 10 plants, I counted 22! No note, but I am sure they thought that at my age, I needed a few extra! Every single plant from Rob’s grew beautifully, and of the 76 leaves I had, only a few did not take. Once again, I am bringing plants to the church and these are even more lovely than the old ones! So, thanks so much, Shirley Sanders and Ralph Robinson! Carl Helm - Bradenton, FL Announcement from: Violets by Appointment Bill & Kathryn Paauwe • Sayville, NY The time is approaching when many people are eagerly expecting the release of our annual list. As this was intended in the beginning to be a retirement project, after 12 years of moderate success, we have finally decided to slow down our hectic pace. Therefore, instead of pro¬ ducing a catalogue, we will be offering “Our Choice” assort¬ ments of leaves (with suggestions) for the next couple of years. We will continue to carry most of the new Lyons, Kent’s, and Rebel’s varieties. Please watch our ads in this magazine for the “Our Choice” prices. In the past, we have maintained a full-sized plant of all of the 800+ varieties that we have offered. With this new plan, we will be able to have some (about half) of our varieties in the propagation phase. Our family members have been willing to come in to water our plants, allowing us to go to conventions and to make brief visits to Georgia (that’s where the grandchildren are!), but we don’t think it’s fair to ask them to maintain our plants while we go out and play. None of our neighbors have expressed an interest in watering our houseplants, either! For those of you who have enjoyed using our soil mix, we will continue to offer it as in the past. Questions? Please use our email address to ensure a prompt reply Thank you for all your kind and faithful patronage over the years! March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 9 . ( G/o'Set* ^/()o/{ David Buttram P.O. Box 193 Independence, MO 64501 ■ I IONIA'S 'IOLETS A My home in Independence, Missouri is located equidis- tantly from two Omahas. About two hundred miles to the northwest is the larger, better known, Omaha, Nebraska, site of next year’s AVSA national convention. Some two hundred miles to the southeast is tiny Omaha, Arkansas, home of Sonja’s Violets. After a couple of missed turns and a telephone call (I hate asking for directions), my wife and I arrived at the home of Sonja Holm, located in the hardwood forests of the Ozark mountains of northern Arkansas. From a geological viewpoint, the Ozark mountains are some of the oldest in the world, and extend from eastern Illinois westward through southern Missouri and northern Arkansas into eastern Oklahoma. The dense timber and a curving, hilly dirt road leading to her home belied the fact that we were only twenty-one miles from Branson, Missouri, one of the top entertainment centers in the nation. Sonja warmly greeted us at her front door on that cold, rainy January morning. Once inside, the warmth and aroma from two wood-burning stoves made us feel comfortable immediately and we began the interview. Originally from the Turlock, California area, Sonja moved to a twenty-acre farm in Arkansas twenty-two years ago. Seven years later she built her home, actually doing most of the design and work herself. Native timber was used in some of the construction. As I entered her home and glanced around, I noticed that, like most grand¬ mothers, Sonja proudly displays pictures of her five grown Sonja Holms (l) shows Beth Buttram a sport of ‘Ness ' Coral Dreams children and their spouses, twelve grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Also, on the walls are several beauti¬ ful oil paintings Sonja has created over the years. Beth and I were impressed with the neat, orderly house that was absolutely immaculate. The beige carpet in the plant room was spotless, which is quite a feat when grow¬ ing hundreds of African violets! Sonja’s incursion into the world of African violets began when family members gave her some plants a few years ago. The idea of selling plants and leaves came about 1 0 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 matting has proven very successful for the smaller plants. When asked about her favorite hybridizer, she smiled and said, “I like them all. I especially like the plants with large blossoms.” Sonja’s stock of about 550 varieties contains a balance of today’s best hybridizers. Sonja’s orderly plant room is home to several hundred African violets. Starter plants grown for sale. in 1991, when Sonja began looking for a way to supple¬ ment her income. With the experience of building her house, designing and building growing benches was a snap. The sturdy benches are well constructed, testifying to this grower's “can-do” ability. Four-foot fluorescent fixtures using cool white tubes light the starter leaves and plants. When we were there in January, Sonja was working on her 1999 list, which will feature many new varieties and several older favorites. At the end of this shipping season Sonja plans to cut her list back by one-half to allow her more time to paint, write and study, and do yard work. The 1999 list will offer Dyna-Gro and Neptune’s Harvest because of Sonja’s excellent results with them. Look for Sonja’s ad in this magazine for information on ordering her list. A combination of wicking and matting is used by this grower. Wicking works well on all 4" pots and capillary Sonja displays one of her oil paintings in front of the growing benches she designed and built. Sonja starts her leaves in a mixture of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. She was not definite on the propor¬ tions used, but did indicate that she used enough peat moss to “give body” to the mix. Using this soilless mix, watering with the fertilizer, Sturdy, and fish emulsion gives the plants the nutrition they need. To control any potential insect problems, Sonja likes to use a 32 oz. spray bottle filled with water to which 1/2 teaspoon of Ivory dishwashing liquid has been added. This spray is safe for humans and plants, and is effective against insects. I wondered how practical it is to conduct a mail order business (walk-in customers are also welcome) in such a remote area. No problem, for United Parcel Service and the U.S. Postal Service pick up and deliver to Sonja’s door daily. Sonja also invites friends to her annual open house. The ancient Ozarks offer scenic vistas, sparkling clear streams, spectacular caves and rock formations. A closer look reveals gullies, dense forest and a lonely isolation from neighbors. It can be inhospitable and difficult to live there, but call it moxie, pluck, mettle or chutzpa, there are those individuals who have what it takes to tame the wilderness. Sonja Holm is one of those people: an artist, researcher and writer, songwriter, poet, and gardener, a true Renaissance woman. March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 1 1 {/)(), I ' Ralph Robinson RO. Box 9 Naples, NY 14512 Dorothy Kosowsky 712 Cunningham Dr. Whittier, CA 90601 email dot3joe@earthlink.net In order to make this column more easily accessible to new growers and anyone that has a “New to them,” prob¬ lem, I’m including my e-mail address: dot3joe@eaithlink.net Please include as much information about the problem as possible to facilitate an evaluation of the trouble. A number of questions have been sent to me that deal with salt con¬ tent in the water and it’s effect on African violets. While I would like to offer assistance, this particular subject is so complex that it should be dealt with by experts. Even when a cure is available, I fear the cost of any remedy would be prohibitive. Desalinization plants have been under consider¬ ation for many years in areas with salt problems, however the plants in operation are only somewhat successful due to cost effectiveness. If there is an expert willing to offer some suggestions or advice I would appreciate hearing from you. I know there are many groups that would be most apprecia¬ tive of any information as to the toxic limits for African vio¬ lets, as well as suggestions in dealing with high salt con¬ tents that cause growing problems but are less than lethal. QUESTION: I grow in self-watering ceramic pots which / make. I seem to have a dark colored mite that I cannot get rid of that I never see on the plants, however I see them scooting across the water of my reservoirs and also on the outside oj the pots. I spray evciy 7 to 10 days with Schultz insect spray. ANSWER: You are describing springtails which under different growing conditions (not using an ornamental pot) would be fairly easily dealt with since they are only inter¬ ested in the decayed matter in your soil. Springtails do little damage, if any, but thrive in the same conditions as African violets. Your problem stems from the decorative pots being made unsightly by their presence. You might try keeping a coating of soapy water on the outer pot as the springtails are supposed to dislike this product. Another thing that may help is spraying the surfaces (but not those that affect any of the growing mediums such as water or soil) of your self watering pots with Insecticidal Soap before planting. QUESTION: I live in Hong Kong and thought when the weather became cool, around 68 degrees, my Afiican vio¬ lets would grow well. Instead they have almost all died of root or crown rot. Even the leaves I removed to start new plants turned brown and died in a day or two. I do not over water and use distilled water for starting leaves. ANSWER: I do not have enough information to make anything but a generalized guess as to the problem. Over watering is only one factor in root rot or crown rot. It sounds like you have a soil that is very water retentive. Unfortunately you do not say what type of soil mix was used or what style of growing (wick, top watering, or Texas style) was being employed. All of these subjects would have a bearing on what took place. The fact that your whole col¬ lection was lost, except for three and those are not produc¬ ing new leaves in the center, makes me think you have some major problem in the soil, growing style or general care. The leaves you put down from those plants were, in all probability, infected with the pathogen which destroyed the plants and their chance for producing plantlets was extreme¬ ly unlikely. Since you take the AVM look for all these sub¬ jects: soil mix, growing style, fertilizing, watering and grow¬ ing under lights, and see if you can spot the area in which your growing program differs from the articles. It would be very helpful to see what you are doing but since this isn’t possible this is the next best thing. QUESTION: How do you know when to repot? ANSWER: With so many categories of plant size it is hard to generalize so that one formula fits all. Starting with standard size plants, young plantlets are potted as soon as 1 2 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 the foliage is three times the size of the solo cup (My pot of choice for standards when 1 divide from the mother leaf) . If this is a large leafed plant and the growth is quite rapid I would then repot into a 4" (or 3 1/2" pot if only medium sized) as I’m interested in bringing the plant to maturity quickly. When the plant is once again three times the size of the pot, the large standard goes into a 6" pot and medium size plants into a 5" pot. These steps might only take three months or it might be as long as six months, depending on the growth tendencies of the particular variety. Standards are then repotted every six months, remaining in a 6" pot. With miniature and semiminiatures, I transplant them into 2" pots at the time of division from the mother leaf. Miniatures are almost always transplanted into another 2" or 2 1/8" pot at each repotting. Semiminiatures might end up in a 2 1/2" pot if they seem to grow best in that size but most are grown in 2 1/8" or 2 1/4" pots. The pot size is a bit of trial and error, but also determined by discussions with other growers as to their experience with a particular vari¬ ety. Miniature and semiminiatures are repotted every four months if at all possible. All plants are repotted 6 months before a show in which I intend to exhibit. QUESTION: I have an infestation of mealybugs on my African violets and don’t know what to do except daub them with alcohol. When 1 daub the fuzzy ones with alcohol there is a hard brown scaly substance underneath. What is a mealybug? Is it the brown scaly substance or the white fuzzy one? I have a cat that occasionally chews on the plants so I need a spray that would not be harmful to humans or animals. ANSWER: From the description of the insects (you seem to have two) they sound like foliar mealybug and scale. (My mealybug reference book is over 500 pages) First - do check and be sure there is not a plant nearby (even outside a window) such as a fern, epiphyllum, cymbidium or like plant that has an infestation of scale. Do you grow some of the plants that mealybugs favor such as begonias or Strep tocatpusl If so, check them carefully. It’s a little unusual to have either of these insect infestations on African violets. Your cat might have brought scale in on it’s coat, but I would think it was more likely the mealybugs were the hitchhikers. However it could be that both of these insects arrived in this manner. Scale are only able to move during the juvenile stage while mealybugs can move around, but very slowly. The brown shell is the home of the adult scale and in order to get rid of this pest you will need to actually remove all of the scales and then spray with an Insecticidal soap. This could be quite a task. As the juveniles missed by the spray become adults you would need to deal with a new batch and I’m not at all sure it would be worthwhile. To deal with foliar mealybug you will need to set up a vigorous removal program, every 6 or 7 days for at least a couple of months. Be sure you are getting all of the egg sacks that look like cotton in the leaf axils. Having fought this nasty insect on begonias and Streptocarpus , I will warn you in advance that they will make a last ditch stand against you. Do check your roots to be sure you do not have an invasion of soil mealybugs as I’ve seen an infestation that was bad enough to have the soil mealybugs migrate to the crown. It is very difficult to deal with most insects when you do not wish to use the stronger insecticides. QUESTION: I have a small African violet on my desk at work. The main light source comes from the overhead lights and the desk lamp. It seems to be happy there, blooming several times a year. Is this unusual? Should I use a different ratio of fertilizer than 1/8 tsp. per gallon of water? ANSWER: A number of people I know grow their African violets at work where they can enjoy them a greater part of the time considering this is where they spend most of their day. All of the smaller types, miniatures, semiminia¬ tures, including both small size trailers, lend themselves to this growing environment and some make it to a show and are winners as well. Since most desks are limiting as to area, the ratio of 1/8 to a gallon should work well as the plant is very likely receiving its share of carbon dioxide when you breathe and thereby gets a nice even fertilizing on a regular basis in addition to what you feed when you water. Named of columnist replying is in bold print. 1-800-770-AVSA March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 1 3 Dale Martens 2728 Masters Drive League City, Texas 77573 email martens@wt.net My hybridizing goal is to produce a small, variegated leaf, honey or banana smelling, double, yellow-blossomed Streptocarpus . I have the means, but it may take a life¬ time of hybridizing. First, though, let’s discuss the Streptocaipus . Streptocarpus culture will vary depending on where they are grown. They are old world gesneriads from Africa. In milder climates they can be grown outdoors in dappled sunshine, but need to be protected from extreme heat. I’ve seen wonderful use of them as year-round bed¬ ding plants. Most of us grow them indoors under tube light or in bright windows. Generally they like a soilless mix that is not too wet since their cen¬ ters can rot eas¬ ily, damaging newly form¬ ing leaves. If you insist on wick watering, the mix must be veiy light. Many growers have problems with yellowing leaves. I alternate a 30-10-10 orchid fertilizer, without urea, with other non-urea fertiliz¬ ers with lots of trace minerals such as Dyna-Gro. I use any¬ where from 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per gallon. If the pH of your mix is neutral or slightly acid, then your leaves should be a healthy green color. Repot very carefully having the center leaves slightly above the soil line to prevent rotting. Cut off those old leaves after they’ve finished blooming, which is after the production of about six bloom stalks. Leave about 1" of stem to allow the plant to produce a new leaf from that base. Streps can be plagued by powdery mildew if circulation in your room is less than ideal or in the fall when the night time temperatures drop significantly. Some spray Lysol just so the mist delicately falls down on the leaves. Phyton 27 is an excellent product if you have a nasty infec¬ tion of mildew. Consult the commer¬ cial grow¬ ers selling this prod¬ uct on its use for violets and other gesneriads. abies lust like African violets, l , ‘' Streptocaipus seem to bloom better when pot bound. Unfortunately, a pot-bound strep normally is so big it topples the pot! I’m experimenting using pan pots, since those aren’t easily tipped over. Yes, there are a few variegated streps, particularly in Great Britain, but not commercially available. I have one, but it’s not vigorous and hasn’t bloomed. In my experience, babies propagated from variegated leaves are plain green. Unifoliate Most unifoliates are species and they have a single leaf. If you are lucky to see one in a show in full bloom, the plant may be well over 2 years old. Some unifoliates have fra¬ grant blossoms. These include Streptocaipus vandeleurii 1 4 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 (smoky smell), S. eylesii (bananas), 5. candidus (honey). There’s a project in the Gesneriad Hybridizers Association to propagate fragrant streps due to the generosity of John Boggan of the Smithsonian Greenhouses. He offered to dis¬ tribute fresh pollen from his heavily blooming 5. van- deleurii. I’m participating in that project. In the wild, strep leaves grow from the base and in the fall the distant end dies back until a distinct line forms which is called an “abscission line.” That distant end dries up and falls off. Sometimes this happens during a severe drought. It’s a way for the plant to stay alive by sacrificing perhaps half its leaf. Flowering in some species is seasonal. Caulescent/stemmed These are known as Streptocarpell a, a subgenus of Streptocarpus. Producing many branches, streptocarpellas form a wonderful hanging basket and bloom heavily in cooler temperatures in the spring and fall. There are studies hinting a close relationship of this subgenus to Saintpaulia with some hybridizers trying to cross the two. Cutting tips will make streptocarpellas bushier. Those tips easily root in a light mix. PI nri foliate Most Streptocarpus plants are plurifoliate - displaying many leaves. Some have a rosette form like African violets. The theory is that the smaller the blossom, the more flowers you’ll have per stem. So a large-blossomed plant won’t have as many flowers, but it’ll still look spectacular! Show Time Yes, it’s perfectly okay to trim the edges of strep leaves. Try to match the natural edge of the other leaves and don’t cut straight across. You don’t want it to look obvious that you trimmed your plant! (Shhh, secret: to prevent browning of those cut edges, I snap off a violet leaf and squeeze the stem juice onto the strep’s new edge!) Propagation by Leaf In the drawing on the previous page, No rah Otto has illustrated a strep leaf with babies. I cut the leaf longitudi¬ nally and remove the mid-rib. I plant each of the half¬ leaves, cut side down, half way to the top of that half leaf in a moist 50/50 perlite and vermiculite mix. Keep it in 100% humidity until you remove the babies. A baby will grow from each vein if you are lucky. It’s quite easy to remove that baby. It easily peels away, roots and all, from the mother. It’s a good idea to plant that baby in 100% humidity in that same moist 50/50 perlite and vermiculite mix until the babies are about 2" tall. Feed continuously a fertilizer without urea at the rate of 1/8 tea¬ spoon per gallon. Gently harden the babies to a normal room’s environment after about a month. Pot each baby in its own 2 1/4" pot. Propagation by Seed Hybridizing streps is very easy. Remove the stamen entirely before the blossom opens by slicing the unopened blossom horizontally with a razor in order to see the stamen. A stamen is the pollen-bearing organ comprised of slender stalks that terminate in anthers or pollen sacs. Use a tiny pair of scissors to cut the stamen. The flower will continue to bloom, but of course, will be split. You don’t have to do all of this if you want to chance the blossom self-fertilizing. As the blossom matures, the female organ, the pistil, begins to elon¬ gate until it is quite visible in the center of the blossom. It’s best to wait until the flower is fading to fertilize the plant. When the flower is fading the pistil is most mature. On the end of the pistil is a stigma. Upon close inspection you can see the stigma has a tiny opening. That’s where the pollen is placed. Find the pollen sacs on another Streptocarpus. Either use a tiny artist’s brush or use your finger and remove pollen by separating the pollen sacs which are closed against each other. Pack the pollen on that stigma, but not so hard as to break it! The reason for the name Streptocarpus is because the fruit or seed pod(carpus=fruit) is twisted (streptos). After the flower is fertilized, the twisted seed pod grows longer and longer, and will be green. When it is ripe, it turns brown and begins to untwist, spilling the seed. Pollination to ripe seed takes between 8 and 12 weeks. Plant the seed on top of a moist 50/50 vermiculite and perlite mix in 100% humidity. After 3 weeks they will begin to sprout. Genetics I’m in contact with several Streptocarpus hybridizers all over the world, primarily in japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and Great Britain. The main hybridizers in the United States include jonathan Ford, Sidney Sorano (Lyons Greenhouses) , Michael Kartuz, Marcia Belisle (Belisle’s Violet House), Ralph Robinson (Rob’s Mini-o-lets) and me. Be sure to look at the commercial advertisers in the back of this mag¬ azine to see who supplies other gesneriads. The following are my observations from years of hybridizing: Purple is a dominant color, so don’t use it as a seed or pollen parent unless you want purple. Doubles are mostly dominant, but doubles don’t have pollen. In doubles and semidoubles the stamen has become extra petals, hence no pollen sacs. A double can only be the seed parent. Crossing small to normal size will usually, unfortunately, result in nor¬ mal to large size plants. Rosette forms appear to be dominant. Crossing with a seasonal blooming species can result in sea¬ sonal blooming plants. A yellow throat isn’t a dominant char¬ acteristic. 1 don’t know the dominance of fantasy, variegation, or fragrance.... yet! I believe Streptocarpus hybridizing is in its infancy right now, just like African violets were back in the 50’s! March » April 1999 African Violet Magazine 1 5 Tally Time 1 998 Mrs. Anna Jean Landgren 2450 Iroquois Road Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Tally Time is a summary of the varieties receiving the greatest number of total awards from the state and local shows during 1998. This year it is based on 102 reports. Show chairs, please note, the names of winning 1999 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 22 4 2 Picasso M. Tremblay #6924 11 5 12 1 1 Lela Marie I. Lineberg #5668 9 1 11 0 0 Bertha B. Foster #6159 11 0 10 0 0 Ode to Beauty Cox/B. Johnson #7677 10 0 9 1 1 Marching Band K. Stork #8645 5 2 9 2 1 Mary Craig R. Nadeau #6408 3 3 SEMIMINIATURES 34 3 4 Precious Pink H. Pittman #6025 14 13 30 3 1 Ness’ Crinkle Blue D. Ness #8136 16 10 23 2 0 Irish Flirt S. Sorano #7577 19 2 20 1 0 Rob’s Antique Rose R. Robinson #8451 13 6 17 1 1 Ness’ Satin Rose D. Ness #8144 12 3 MINIATURES 9 2 0 Petite Jewel H. Pittman #7085 1 6 8 1 0 Spring Peach H . Pittman #8413 1 6 TRAILERS li 0 0 Milky Way Trail J. Stahl #7169 2 9 9 1 0 Pixie Blue 1 7 L. Lyon #2598 1 6 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 SAINTPAULIA SPECIES 12 1 0 Saintpcudia ionantha S 5 3 8 10 0 0 Saintpaulia grandifolia 2 8 9 2 0 Saintpaulia orbicularis var. purpurea S 14a 3 4 The following table shows the relation between the award winners by geographical areas. Variety Total Number of Awards I Geographical Divisions II III IV V STANDARDS Picasso 22 0 3 1 8 1 Lela Marie 12 1 3 2 4 2 Bertha 11 2 0 1 6 2 Ode to Beauty 10 3 1 2 2 2 Marching Band 9 1 5 0 2 1 Mary Craig 9 0 3 0 6 0 SEMIMINIATURES : Precious Pink 33 4 4 9 9 7 Ness’ Crinkle Blue 30 1 14 6 2 7 Irish Flirt 23 5 3 4 5 6 Rob’s Antique Rose 20 2 8 4 1 5 Ness’ Satin Rose 17 2 9 0 4 2 MINIATURES Petite Jewel 9 3 1 1 1 3 Spring Peach 8 1 3 2 1 1 TRAILERS Milky Way Trail 11 1 2 2 1 5 Pixie Blue 9 2 1 3 3 0 , SAINTPAULIA SPECIES Saintpaulia ionantha 12 1 4 6 0 1 Saintpaulia grandifolia 10 1 2 4 3 0 Saintpaulia orbicularis var purpurea 10 3 3 0 4 0 NUMBER OF WINNERS 265 33 69 56 62 45 NUMBER OF SHOWS REPORTED 102 14 25 25 20 18 The states in each geographical area, and the number of Tally Time reports from each state are as follows: #1 includes Alberta-2, California-10, Colorado-1 and New Mexico-1; #11 - Illinois-3, Kansas 1, Indiana-2, Iowa-3, Minnesota-3, Missouri-6, Ohio-5 and Wisconsin-2; #111 - Connecticut-2, Delaware-1, New Jersey-5, New York-9, Maine-1, Maryland-1, Ontario-3, Pennsylvania- 1 and Quebec-2; #IV - Arkansas-2, Louisiana-4, Oklahoma-1 and Texas-13; #V - Alabama- 1, Florida-9, Georgia-3, North Carolina- 1, Tennessee-3 and Virginia- 1. No Thlly Time reports were sent from the states not listed. Other varieties winning 5 or more awards within an area were: #1 - none; #11 - Marching Band (5), Optimara Little Aztec (6) and Sassy Shirley (5); #111 - none; #IV - Barbara Ann (6), Mary Craig (6), Red Bandito (6) and Rodeo Country (5); #V - California Sunset (5); Rob’s Sarsparilla (5) and Snow Squall (5). March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 1 7 Making the Most of \!our Leaves by Joshua McKinney • Goshen, KY Can you hear yourself pondering this statement: “I wish that violet leaf would put up more plantlets; they never seem to produce enough to satisfy my needs!” Anyone experiencing this frustration probably has tried increasing the surface area of the petiole to coax more babies out of each leaf. Such a procedure is accomplished by making a very long cut of the petiole resembling an acute wedge. The problem with this method is that the “mother” leaf will be stressed and not strong enough to support all the “daughter” plantlets. Also, the soil depth will increase the time required for plantlets to mature. A more logical solution would be to divide the leaf into sev¬ eral wedges, each capable of producing a few plantlets. This procedure insures that the energy will be equally distributed to all the plantlets. Also, the plantlets won’t be crowding each other out as they mature. Such a distribu¬ tion allows more plantlets to receive the light and space they need to be healthy and survive. In order to grow, each wedge must contain the root¬ forming cells necessary for growth. Luckily, saintpaulias have no shortage of the cells that make phytohormones necessary for propagation. Most of these ceils are located near the base of the leaf blade, where it meets the petiole. A piece of this region, called the sinus, at the bottom of each wedge will allow speedy growth. It also helps to have a piec4 bf the main leaf vein in each segment. Before cutting the leaf you must have the pots and soil mix prepared. I used 2 1/4" solo cups for pots by punching three holes in each with a knife. The soil mix I used con¬ sisted of one part each of the following: peat moss, Mr- miculite, and perlite. After filling the cups with soil mix, I moistened it by misting with distilled water. Setting the pots aside, I went in search of the largest leaf I could find. ‘Jean-Pierre Croteau’ had the largest leaf size in my collection. I chose a mature leaf, but not one that looked too old or yellowing. I first removed the peti¬ ole, then I divided the leaf blade into seven sections. After cutting up the leaf, I potted each wedge in its own pot. Lastly, I secured each “wedge” in the mix and draped plastic wrap around the cups to hold in humidity. After a few months of growing the plantlets will be ready for separation. I had 2 or 3 plantlets per section. Most bloomed true to type. I hope you try this experiment and have as much fun as I did! Feel free to try this with semis as well, just remember that smaller leaves should be divided into fewer sections to minimize premature death of the blade sections. Also, when cutting the leaf blade, it’s important to angle the cut facing in front of the piece at a 45° angle. Even when try¬ ing to keep the cuts facing forward, I still had plantlets come up behind some segments. Though, with this method that is less of a problem due to the smaller “mother” leaf pieces. Happy growing! AFFILIATE UPDATE by Bev Promersberger - Affiliate Committee 17415 Charter Pines Drive • Monument, CO 80132 • Haven’t found an African violet club or study group near you? The following areas are interested in starting one. Maybe one is just for you. Marion, Iowa Contact: John Adney 2225 Northview Drive Marion, IA 62302—5537 Oakland, California Contact: Deb Knych 403 1 Ardley Avenue Oakland, CA 94602 If you still can’t find one, please contact me to see if someone else in your area is looking for persons to help start a local club. Or, maybe you would like to start one yourself. We have a starter packet and advice that stays with you until you are established. You can request this packet or any other information by writing or e-mailing me at the addresses listed at the beginning of this column. Congratulations and welcome to the following affili¬ ates: Fox Valley African Violet Society The Bloomin' Violets President: Dixie Williams President: Jo Kirby 321 1 White Eagle Drive 925 North 13th Street Naperville, IL 60564-4604 Bismarck, ND 58501-4219 1 8 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 A FOLLOW VP FROM RUSSIA Due to the interest that the first article on Moscow and our friends there generated, I thought that the AVSA mem¬ bers would be interested in knowing what reaction there was from our Russian friends upon having it translated for them. Elizabeth Sadova gave a program to her African violet club in Moscow about her new friends in America and the plants that she saw while visiting here in San Antonio. She translated the article “From Russia, With Love”, to the members of her club who did not speak English. They were very pleased with what had been written. Elizabeth spent two hours with her club showing pictures and answering the many questions that the club members had for her. They wanted to know about our plant medium, lighting, fertilizer and our growing methods. They are planning on subscriptions to the AVSA maga¬ zine for more of their members that speak English. At one time Elizabeth considered a Russian translation of the AVSA magazine by a Russian printer in conjunction with our society. With the economy in the condition it is in now in her country, she knows it would be impossible to try to make arrangements for this project. She also said that her husband had built her shelves and installed lights for her plants. This is the first time she has had fluorescent lights for her violets, having always grown them in a window. The plants are the bright spot in her daily routine. I have also heard from our friend, Irena Danilina. She stated that the December meeting of their club was devoted entirely to Elizabeth and her travel to America and her visit with the Sanders and other members of the Magic Knight African Violet Club who grow Saintpaulia in San Antonio. Irena says that they differ a lot from the way we grow our plants, mainly in “mode and conditions of life.” They also do not expect as much from their plants as we do. For one thing, they do not expect them to be as large as we grow them for show. They have beautiful blossoms but smaller standards. They would not have the room to grow their violets as large as we do. We must also realize that the climate is quite severe most of the year in their country. One thing that they both asked the possibility of was more articles by people who maintain their plants in small apartments, or, in a small space in the comer of a room. This would be a tremendous help to them. As I told you in the last article, in most cases the people of Moscow have one to two room apartments. So, if anyone has information they would like to pass on to our Russian friends, please send it to the African Violet Magazine for them to read. I would like to close with a quote from Irena’s letter and I think it says it all. “The most important thing is what real¬ ly unites us - this is our love for violets and the impossibil¬ ity of living without their trustful and generous beauty.” WOULD YOU, OR YOUR CLUB, LIKE TO COMMUNICATE WITH OUR AFRICAN VIOLET FRIENDS IN RUSSIA? If so, please write to: Elizabeth Sadova c/o Ruth Rumsey 2375 North Street • Beaumont, TX 77702 Are you affiliate fit? If you are looking for answers, join us in Houston, Wednesday, April 7, 5:30 to 6:30 pm. If you have answers, we hope you will come to share. A special presentation is being planned to enter¬ tain and inform you. Whether you have been, or will be, President, AVSA Representative, show chairman, or editor of your affiliate yearbook or newsletter, we hope you will plan to attend. We want to help you. Any inter¬ ested member is welcome to join us and find out what it means to be Affiliate Fit! March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 1 9 (Part 1) compiled by Pat Richards 15105 S. Seminole Dr. Olathe, KS 66062-3004 email: Patter257@aol.com From the panhandle of Florida comes Louise Merritt, a beautiful and very friendly lady who gave a very inform¬ ative presentation on the small ones at the 1996 Atlanta convention. The key to her success appears to be simple: good, consistent care, keeping an open mind toward try¬ ing new methods while maintaining a healthy respect for the tried and true! My plants are grown in a two story house with central heat and air; mainly downstairs in a small bedroom or family room. Some are grown upstairs as well. The small bedroom has 15 shelves with two 48", 40-watt fluorescent bulbs per shelf. Other rooms mostly have shelves with 24", 20-watt fluorescent bulbs. Our temperatures range from 65° to 80°, and I estimate the humidity to be between 50-60%. This area has a very humid climate except for possibly a few weeks of the year. 1 water with the wick method, using 4-ply yarn for semis and minis; heavier nylon for standards and trailers. 1 alternate fertilizers and have no definite schedule. I also mix some fertilizers with good results. About 10 weeks before show, I mainly use bloom boosters. After repotting, plants are placed on plain water for about a week, then on a weak solution of Fertilome Rooting and Blooming fertilizer 9-59-8. This weak solution consists of half fertilizer water (1/4 t. /gallon water) and half tap water. After two to three weeks on the 9-59-8, the plants are started on alternate fertilizers such as Plant Marvel, Dyna-Gro Grow and Dyna-Gro Bloom, Bounty & Sturdy, occasionally Peters 20-20-20, Optimara 14-12-14, and closer to show, I use a mixture of 1/4 t. 9-59-8 and about 1/8 t. Rapid-Gro 23-19-17 per gallon of water. As I like to try new fertilizers and soil recipes, a fellow judge from Morgan City, LA, George Ramirez, shared his formula with me. He uses it mainly on trailers. I tried it on the single crown minis and semis, and I am well pleased with the results. The recipe consists of a mixture of equal parts of Peters 12-36-14, Peters 5-50-17 and Rapid-Gro 23-19-17 used at the rate of 1/8 t./gallon water. The little ones seem to stay more compact and produce plenty of blooms. I also tried mixing equal parts of Dyna-Gro Grow 7-9-5 and Dyna-Gro Bloom 3-12-6 as used by Janice Bruns. This mixture also produces healthy foliage and plenty of blooms. I use this at the rate of 1/8 t. per gallon of water. Since my watering method is wicking, the soil mix should be very porous. I have tried many soil recipes, but keep going back to one called Blue Whale which I have used for about 20 years. The original recipe is done in two steps, but I modified it to use when I need more soil in a hurry. I’d be happy to share the original recipe with anyone who wants it. The modified version is as follows: 1 quart sphagnum peat moss (screened and oven pasteurized) 2 quarts coarse perlite, washed (I pour boiling water over perlite in a colander before use. This cuts down on the dust from the perlite and allows for even moisture distribu¬ tion in the soil.) 2 quarts coarse vermiculite 1/4 cup horticultural charcoal 1 tablespoon Dolomite lime 1/4 teaspoon Bone Meal 1/4 teaspoon Blood Meal 1 teaspoon Ferbam (or other fungicide) Store in Zip-lock Bag Another one that I like is a 3-2-1 mix: 3 quarts Pro-Mix Bx (screened and oven pasteurized) 2 quarts coarse vermiculite 1 quart coarse perlite, washed (as in above recipe) 1 cup horticultural charcoal 1 tablespoon Dolomite lime 1 teaspoon Ferbam (or other fungicide) Store in Zip-lock Bag To oven pasteurize: Place screened, dampened (thoroughly moist, but not soggy) peat moss in oven cooking bag. Press out as much air as possible before closing bag with provided nylon tie. This prevents bag from “ballooning” as soil heats and from bursting against an element or hot rack. Place bag in anoth¬ er container (such as aluminum turkey pan) and put in oven on lowest rack. Bake for 2 hours at 180-200 degrees 20 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 (lowest temperature). Allow to cool in oven if possible. Screen again before mixing with remaining ingredients to break up any lumps and remove sticks. My show plants are not kept in a “special” growing area. I rarely know which plants will go to a show until I am ready to pack them for transporting. I try to repot every 3 to 4 months. Miniature plants are kept in 2" pots unless they tend to grow large with large leaves. Then they are potted in 2 1/4" pots. 1 keep semiminiature plants in 2 1/4" and occa¬ sionally go up to 2 1/2" if the plant has a tendency to grow too large for a 2 1/4" pot. Standard plants are graduated in size from solo cups up to 4" and sometimes 5" tub pots. Trailers are usually shown in 5" bulb pans. 1 do not disbud minis and semis except when transplanting. Sometimes I try to keep standards disbudded until about 10 to 12 weeks before show, but many times my timing may not be accurate and the plants either bloom out before show or do not reach their bloom peak by show time. Our weather is not too dependable in this area, and somehow my standard violets seem to respond accordingly. I do not foliar feed my plants. I did foliar feed standards one year but found with the high humidity here, the tendency for powdery mildew was greater. Most of my plants are started from leaves. New leaves are sprayed with a mixture of Orthene and Funginex (mixed according to directions on bottles) before being put down in rooting medium. The leaves are put down in a solo cup (with wick) that has perlite in the bottom of the cup, potting soil on top of the perlite and another layer of perlite on top of the soil. The cup is placed on a reservoir (usually a glass jar) and is enclosed in a plastic bag until babies appear. Then babies are removed from the mother leaf and potted in a solo cup if standard and in a 1 3/4" pot if a mini or semi. My standard plants are grown under one cool white and usually one GroLux wide spectrum bulb, 8 to 10" from top of plant to bulb. My minis and semis can grow closer to the bulb, 5" to 6". Bulbs are changed about every 12 to 18 months, writing date changed with a waxed pencil on warm bulb. Lights are on 8 to 9 hours a day. Sometimes in cooler weather and closer to show, the time can be increased to 10 to 1 1 hours. One year I extended the lights to 12 hours with no better results. Since there are 15 shelves with lights in one small bedroom, the times are staggered for different shelves to maintain the temperature and to give them 8 hours of darkness. Even with central air and heat, 1 keep 3 small oscillating fans timed to run in conjunction with the lights. New plants are sprayed and then isolated for 2 to 3 months. I do not spray as a preventative measure, but wait for any problem that might occur, then spray for that particular problem. My collection of African violets consists of micro minis, minis, semis, standards, and trailers with the “little ones” being my favorites, especially the semis. Hortense Pittman’s hybrids seem to perform extremely well for me. ‘Precious Pink’ is very special and I still have my original plant. It is one that I can always depend on for show. I keep it wicked and in the same place on my plant stand - about midway between the middle and end of one of the 48" bulbs. The foliage color sometimes changes from year to year, still variegated, but sometimes with a darker green in it and sometimes with more pink. Others that have won many blue ribbons are ‘Hector’, ‘Pat Champagne’, ‘Definitely Darryl’, and ‘Petite Jewel’. ‘Cool Blue’ is one of her newer hybrids that impresses me very favorably. The foliage is dark green and the light blue double blossoms almost totally cover the center of this symmetrical plant, standing up tall and straight. It usually blooms early and the blossoms remain fresh for a long period of time. ‘Ness’ Crinkle Blue’ (D. Ness) is such a beautiful semi, but it usually grows too large under my growing conditions. I’ve tried many different soils and fertilizers with the same results, but I’ll keep trying. ‘Rob’s Fiddle Faddle’ (R. Robinson) always does well for me. It grows and blooms wherever it is placed on the shelf. It does require some watching as it often has a ten¬ dency to grow too large. It then, must have 1 to 2 rows of leaves removed. Repotting is needed more often to main¬ tain its correct size. It has semidouble rose-pink blossoms and dark green pointed, hairy, serrated, redback foliage. ‘Amazing Grace’ (Soults) is an old but beautiful stan¬ dard. Mine grows toward the end of my lights with very pale pink semidouble fringed blossoms and very ruffled apple green foliage. Sometimes, the ruffled foliage becomes so tight that leaves in the center prevent blossoms from opening. Some leaves need to be removed from the middle of the plant to correct this problem and allow the stems to grow properly and open. When it reaches show quality, it is outstanding. Trailers are not easy for me to grow. However, ‘Baby Brian’ (P. Tracey), a semi trailer with single pale blue star blooms and plain green foliage, looks very promising. It grows well without much help from me. This is my second try on ‘Baby Brian’. The first plant started with a small crown, healthy foliage, and produced many crowns to have nice form in a 5" bulb pan. After 3 years with no blooms or even a bud to show, however, I tossed it. I’m glad that 1 did not give up on it after the first try because my second plant has excellent form and mounds of blooms. The hot, arid, Arizona desert is from where Rosemary Lort hails, which offers the most challenging conditions of all for violet growing. Rosemary is a big proponent of Dyna-Gro, and with the difficulties she experiences one can understand why she prefers this very gentle, violet- sensitive fertilizer. March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 2 1 First of all, do not grow African violets outside in Arizona unless you want fried violets! There are several ways to successfully grow African violets indoors while living in the desert. Some growers use a wicked pot, while others prefer matting and Oyama Pots. Matting seems to work the best for me, although I do have several in Oyama Pots. I have two light stands of violets in my bathroom. 1 put variegated varieties on the bottom shelves where they get natural light and it is cool so they don’t lose their variegation. Unfortunately, in the summer I have no blooms because of the heat. When I water I usually use Dyna-Gro Grow (1/4 tsp. in a gallon of warm water) . Sometimes I change off with other fertilizers, the numbers of which add up to or almost equal 60. Dyna-Gro pH up and pH down also works very well, and summer is a good time to use Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt because it helps with the heat. Lights are left on in the winter for about 10 hours; in the summer 8 hours at the most. Sometimes I use two cool white bulbs and sometimes a cool and a warm. Two cool seem to work best in the summer. Some natural light is also received from a south window. I try to keep soil light by mixing one bag of Schultz African Violet Soil, four 1 lb. coffee cans of pumice, two cof¬ fee cans of vermiculite and one cup of charcoal. It seems to work best in my desert conditions. Winston G ore t sky is a respected grower Jrom Calgary, Alberta, and is very active in the African Violet Society of Canada. Last year, this talented gentleman gave two presentations at the Sacramento convention, and took the photographs of winners of the national show which appear in the AVM. Thank you Winston, for this insight into your growing methodology! I grow my African violets and other gesneriads in the basement of my home, which has a fairly even temperature range. During the autumn and winter months, the home is heated with a forced air natural gas furnace with a humid¬ ifier. This is the most stable growing season for my plants, as the temperature range is ideal September to April being 19° C at night and 24° C daytime, with 38 to 55% humid¬ ity. In May to August it’s 21° C at night and 30° C daytime, with 40 to 65% humidity. I use an individual watering system with each plant having a saucer. I alternate watering from the top and the bottom. I make my own soil mixture, which is a modified variation of the Fisher mix, but I use earthworm castings as the organic soil component and substitute 80-90 percent of the peat moss with GROWBRIX (100% organic vegetable matter). It seems to break down slower than peat moss, and has a pH range of 5.4. I use pure distilled water, with trace elements added, and one eighth to one quarter strength of fertilizer. I rotate several brands of fertilizer, paying particular attention to avoid the ones with urea as a base for nitrogen. All of my lights are on a timer, which runs 1 2 hours a day, all year round, 12 noon to 12 midnight. I use fluores¬ cent lights made by General Electric, which have a color temperature of 5000 kelvin (approximate intensity of noonday sun). I buy them in a case of 36 bulbs and they cost about $5.00 (Canadian) each. Varieties with which I have been impressed so far this year are: ‘Music Box Dancer’, Sorano, large semidouble¬ double rose-pink star with a wide white shaded edge. This plant has blossoms that just keep growing bigger and big¬ ger, and the foliage is very well behaved. ‘Baritone’ by Stork, is a rich colored blossom of dark putple-red with very nice dark green foliage. When disbudded and then allowed to blossom it explodes with a massive flush of bloom. ‘Prancing Pony’, also by Sorano, has a double dark pink pansy with vibrant dark blue fantasy markings. This semi¬ miniature plant keeps a nice shape. Even when allowed to bloom for a long time, the center remains nice and tight. ‘Rob’s Galiwinku’, by Ralph Robinson, is a double red- orchid with dark blue fantasy semiminiature trailer. It is a very nice, quickly branching trailer, that has very well behaved foliage which appears to maintain its size and impressive fantasy on dark-colored blossoms; a real treat to grow for those who are looking for something that isn’t pink. ‘Rob’s Twinkle Blue’, another by Robinson, is a semi¬ double dark blue miniature which stays miniature and the foliage doesn’t grow larger when potted into a larger size pot. This is a very heavy bloomer and holds a vibrant color of blue. From Portland, Oregon, Valerie Miller takes a differ¬ ent perspective to the Regional Review. Instead of telling us how she grows her plants, she reviews the various growing methods and styles of local club members. Thanks, Valerie for this unique article. I would like to explain how our members adapt to the versatility of growing Saintpaulia in Oregon. African violets brighten up our indoor landscape. We bring particu¬ larly lovely blooming plants to our living areas to enjoy. Why grow lovely flowering plants if we can not enjoy their beauty as we go about our daily routine? A few members grow using our sunny days to provide the energy for growth while most grow under fluorescent lights as sunny days are quite unpredictable. When we do have consistent sunshine, we humans enjoy the delight of light and warmth, too. That is the time plants growing in window light get the extra attention, a few extra strokes of a soft brush and other TLC. 22 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 Some members’ homes have basements. Many of us use every available space for plants. Whether the basement is finished and interior decorated or just utilitarian, several of us have found it an excellent growing area. Because we have more hillsides than flat areas, our basements are often only partly in the ground, called “daylight” basements. As on the main floor, we can use combined daylight and fluo¬ rescent light. One member’s husband converted a garage building by insulating it, adding plumbing, fluorescent fixtures in wooden stands and worktables. Of course, the main attrac¬ tion of a ‘home tour’ is the lovely African violets living in this neat, well-lit area. Lauretta often does not make it to the table at our plant sales without being stopped or having a string of admirers following her as she brings in a load of plants. (We have been considering providing her with ‘security’.) She uses regular potting mix, perlite, vermicu- lite with some charcoal and systemic added and wick waters. Her husband made stainless steel carriers to hold several African violets each. In that manner, each plant arrives in excellent condition. Charlotte grows the related gesneriads and miniature AV’s using a two to one mix of coarse vermiculite and coarse perlite, wicking with synthetic yarn and running the fluorescent lights at night during our usually short hot summer weather. With many shelves of open trays of fertilized wicking water, the humidity factor is well accom¬ modated. Dick likes to try finding better ways to grow plants. He has been investigating the problem of nitrogen fertilizer used with some essentially sterile, artificial media. Dick informed us, “For the past year and a half, I was having trouble with bottom leaves and petioles turning to brown mush and new growth looking bad. I heard a horticultural chemist talk on fertilizers and how nutrients work in plants. One of the things he mentioned was plants did not like nitrogen from urea. He said that bacteria in soil could not break it down properly. The plants took up the urea nitro¬ gen whether it could be used or not. Bottom leaves and petioles turning to mush is the plant’s way of getting rid of the unconverted nitrogen compound. He suggested using fertilizer with a nitrate nitrogen source only. I did this and all the new growth is green and healthy.” Dick wowed us all when he brought his Saintpaulia ‘Deer Path Trail’ to our club meeting. Janet is finding that her African violets are ‘invading’ her collection of Christmas cactus. Growing on shelves in front of large windows with a southern exposure is her set¬ ting. She also has been trying the same fertilizer that Dick uses and loves the improved plant appearance. She uses a standard African violet potting mix with added perlite. She top waters weekly. Each of her ‘violets’ get ‘christened’ with affectionate names as each has its own personality and reminds her of someone, contemporary or in literature. We have two members who are past their ninetieth birthdays; both are very active participants in our activities. Leona is an excellent gardener and actively maintains her lovely yard and a host of house plants, while the other, Paul, is one of our best supporters and is usually the first on hand at set up for a plant sale. He has served as our treasurer several times. He always greets us with a cheery smile at each meeting, whether it’s membership or board. Paul’s wife, Ruth, loves growing African violets, relat¬ ed gesneriads, and a few other plants. Paul mixes two parts sifted peat moss, one part vermiculite, one part coarse per¬ lite, one part small size pumice (size of small peas), some charcoal and agricultural lime for pH adjustment; pasteuriz¬ ing the mix in the oven. Ruth places pieces of plastic light- fixture-grid inside her trays and covers the grid with inter¬ facing fabric. Plants are wicked with synthetic yarn and pots are placed on matting, end of matting is draped in the fertilized water below. Trays need topping off twice a week. Chris has been demonstrating to the rest of us how to recover from a bout of soil mealybugs that she was unable to eradicate and had her entire collection dumped. Her eight three-shelf light stands are already bulging after only a few months. At our last board meeting, she invited, in fact begged, members to come help ‘pot-up’ to 4" pots. The Windy City lays claim to many notables, and one oj them is Steve Covolo! Holder of a degree in Botany from Purdue University, Steve is most knowledgeable in plant culture, particularly when it relates to fertilization. Although I’ve never seen a show winner of his, I’m told they are sheer perfection and show a certain “refinement” unlike anything else on display. He has high expectations of his plants, and refuses to grow more than 50 plants at any given time. I hope you enjoy the contribution of this plant connoisseur! My “furry friends” are grown in a north bedroom with almost no residual light. The room has dark paneling, so there is almost no reflective light at all. The temperature of this room remains cool in the winter, yet it can get a tad warm in the summer. 1 do use A/C during the summer to keep the temperature under control The converse is true for winter. Being a north bedroom, it can get very chilly on those winter nights. I use an oil-contained heater that is set at 72° F. The temperature range is between 72-80° throughout the whole growing season. A belt driven humidifier is active all season long. I like to keep the humidity between 50-70% at all times. All of my violets are wick watered on reservoirs. They are wicked with Wintuk yarn for larger plants and mason¬ ry cord for the smaller plants and small ones. In the reser¬ voirs Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 is used for maintenance. The rate of March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 23 application is 18 drops to a gallon of water. (Note that this is slightly less than a quarter teaspoon per gallon). For bloom boosting I use Schultz’s Bloom Plus 10-60-10 at a quarter teaspoon per gallon of water. At peak bloom production time I will use 1/8 teaspoon Pro-TeKt per gallon, added to my Dyna-Gro solution. Please note that all my fertilizers are “Urea free”. Right now my growing medium is coconut fiber. I’m having very good results with it and my plants are not showing as much setback after repotting as they did in a peat base mix. My coconut fiber mix reads as follows: one brick fiber, to this add 1 .5 gallons of hot water, let the brick expand and absorb the water. When the brick has expand¬ ed I then pour off the excess water. To this add five 26 ounce coffee cans of medium perlite. The final ingredient is 2 cups of horticulture charcoal. I have two 3-tiered light stands and one 4-tiered stand, all with 18" spaced light fixtures. These were all purchased from Indoor Gardening Supplies. I use Gro-Lux standard tubes on everything except my small ones and my trailers. They are grown with Gro-Lux Wide Spectrum tubes. My passion in the violet world are the “Large" standards. Some new additions to my violet family that have impressed me are: ‘Tomorrow’s Starlight’ (Jeff Smith) , a light to medium two-tone pink cupped star with a nice raspberry edge all tied up with a variable white edge. This plant has great symmetry and foliage, with a great bloom head. It has given me a Best in Show title, too. ‘Cen-Tex Rose’ (Bill Foster) is a must-try pink that has great foliage and symmetry; the vote is still out on bloom count. Some proven show winners that perform for me consistently are ‘Harbor Blue’, ‘Ness’ Blue Velvet’, ‘Ocean Eyes’, ‘Powwow’ and ‘Ode to Beauty’. In the trailer department I have two top performers: the semiminiature ‘Sundown Trail’ and in the standard class, ‘Cherry Blossom Trail’. 2nd An Convention Auction: TEXAS As you know, the great state of Texas is well-known for many things, generosity being one of them. Frances Young of Austin, /former President of AVSA, has donated her COMPLETE set of AVM’s, dating back to volume 1, issue #1 for the auction. They are in binders through 1990. This is a very rare, very unique item, and we are forever indebted to Frances for this donation. Thanks to everyone else who has donated an item to the auction. They include hand-painted porcelain col¬ lectible pendants, Royal Chelsea Violets Demitasse Cream & Sugar bowls, a limited edition, very rare Filipino Barbie doll with a violetXdesign dress, and a handmade quilted woman’s vest with violet appliques. Other items are; several fine books on our favorite houseplants, Secrets of Gesneriad Growing by an Expert, by Max Dekking, All About African Violets, by Montague Free, African Violets: Queens of the Indoor Gardening Kingdom, by Melvin Robey, African Violets, by Tony Clements, and a violet teapot set and a handcrafted violet plate. Several other items have been suggested, but as yet, are not finalized. For those of you still wishing to donate an item, please notify me and/or Dale as soon as possible. Please include a brief description of the item and an approximate value. You can either bring the item with you to convention or mail it to Dale ahead of time. Donations received before convention will be recognized in a special notice at con¬ vention, and all donations will receive recognition in the AVM after convention. Proceeds will go to marketing mate¬ rials that will help publicize affiliates. We hope to see everyone at the Saturday luncheon auction! (Remember, you must attend the banquet in order to attend the auction). Thank you so much! Pat Richards 15105 S. Seminole Drive Olathe, KS 66062-3004 1-913-829-4258 fax: 1-9 13-829-4858 email: Patter257@aol.com Dale Martens 2728 Masters Drive League City, TX 77573 email: maitens@wt.net 24 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 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 carries a full line of plant care products with brand names like Optimara. • Fully-dissolving, urea-free fertilizers • Self-watering devices such as the Water maid and the new, spill-proof Optimara WaterWell • Ultralight, pH-balanced potting media • Pots, trays and plant covers • Show accessories and more From Leaf Cuttings to Finished Violets In addition to plant care products, the Selective Gardener offers African Violets in several pot sizes, including genuine Miniatures. You can also order leaf cuttings from all of the available Optimara and Rhapsodie 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 manual for diagnosing pests and pathogens • Reviews of African Violet products (Tip: If you do not have access to the internet, try your public library. 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 60 1 1 Martingale Lane Brentwood, TN 37027 Or visit us online at http: / / www. selectivegardener.com. Copyright 1998. Optimara, Doctor Optimara, Optimara WaterWell, Watermaid and Rhapsodie are trademarks of International Plant Breeding, A.G., Switzerland. Pat Richards 15105 S. Seminole Drive Olathe, KS 66062-3004 email: Patter257@aol.com This month we have my third guest columnist, Fay Wagrnan who, along with her husband Irwin, operates the Violet Venture in Pittsford, New York. Not only is this guest column delightfully written, it is also extremely informative! No one should be surprised at this though because Fay almost swept the Commercial awards in the specimen classes in Sacramento, with her tiny but perfect small ones. I hope you enjoy her contribution! When Pat asked me to write a guest article for her won¬ derful column, 1 told her I couldn’t think of anything to add to the useful information already found here. Then she told me to just detail my particular growing habits, (and idio¬ syncrasies), so I agreed. Much will be redundant, of course, since I merely attempt to follow the advice given by the experts at growing miniatures, like Ralph Robinson, Sidney Sorano and Pat. Pat was particularly interested in my very small minia¬ tures. I tend to grow all my plants quite small. I’ve always been fascinated with all kinds of miniature things. (Despite the fact that I do not have a miniature physique!) Pauline Bartholomew’s “Growing to Show” appeared just about the time I was getting into growing, and her chapter on minia¬ turizing was definitely an influence. Growers of large show plants choose starter plants of varieties that have proven their potential to produce very large, flat foliage. Conversely, plants known to have tiny leaves and compact habit are the ones to start with. A few of my current favorites are ‘Planet Kid’, ‘Rob’s Penny Ante’, ‘Petite Ruby’, ‘Chimpansy’, ‘Snuggle Bear’, ‘Rochelle’s Toy Rascal’, ‘Lyon’s June Bug’, ‘Tooly McCooly’, and ‘Lollipop’. Of course, each year I purchase whatever new minia¬ tures become available, and so the list of current favorites is constantly changing. I purchase leaves rather than plants, if possible. If only plants are available, I put down several leaves as soon as the plant is received. SOIL MIX I use Promix HP for both potting and for starting leaves. In a five gallon pail, I mix one or two cups horticultural char¬ coal, about one quart of very coarse vermiculite, and about four and a half gallons of Promix HP. I keep adding the Promix until the pail is full to the top. I carefully pour in a gallon of hot water (which I take directly from the electric heater) into the pail. After letting it sit at least one full day, I just keep stirring up the top of the pail, and the consisten¬ cy is always just the right degree of moisture for potting. It will keep this nice level of moisture for a few weeks. Since I use a soil scoop (the kind purchased from Violets from the Starrs) , this consistency is quite important. PROPAGATION I propagate new leaves individually and with much more care than the leaves of my established plants that I wish to duplicate. For newly purchased leaves, a 2" pot is wicked with a thin strip of nylon hose and filled with the soil mix. The name of the variety is written on the label (a 3" marker which I have cut in half) with an ultra fine Pilot black marker. The stem is then cut to about 1/4", and insert¬ ed into the soil at a slight angle. The one thing I do that may be different is to cut straight across the stem, not at an 26 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 angle. Consequently, I generally get only two or three babies from each leaf, sometimes only one, but they seem to be slightly larger and stronger than a clump of many babies. If I do end up with a large clump, I often remove several of the weaker crowns, leaving no more than two or three to mature. The 2" pot is then put into a plastic egg-shaped terrari¬ um, with drain holes in both the top and bottom. The wick is pulled through the drain hole in the egg, and then it is placed in an 8" x 12" tray, lined with a square of synthetic blanket. I purchased these eggs several years ago from “Patches ‘n Pots”, and have been using them ever since. However, 1 haven’t been able to locate another supplier. If you know where they can be purchased, please let me know. 1 did make a reasonable substitute by putting the pot into a 3" plastic drinking glass, inverting another on top of it, and taping the two together. It works well, but requires individual watering, as I was unable to make holes for the wick. The glasses kept splitting and breaking every time I tried to drill or burn holes into them. When putting down leaves for sales or project plants, I use clear plastic, square food containers with tightly closing lids, approximately 4" x 5" x 2". 1 fill the bottom half nearly full with potting mix, then insert several leaves, cutting and angling them exactly the same way as the newly purchased leaves. After closing the cover tightly, I write the name and date on the side of the container. POTTING When the babies develop, they are potted into individ¬ ual one ounce Solo, or Sweetheart, clear plastic cups. I pur¬ chase these at a restaurant supply store, and I think Sam’s Club or similar stores also carry them. My husband drills three small holes in the bottom, so that I can insert a wick (again, strips of nylon hose) in each pot. Occasionally, I will pot a few candidates for show entries into the very smallest Oyama pots. These are 1-1/2" two piece self¬ watering pots. The inner pot has a narrow tube which is partially filled with perlite, then filled to the top with the Promix, in which the plant is potted. The outer pot has lines to show how much water to add. They are available from Cape Cod Violetry. GROWING The little pots are put into 8" x 12" trays that are lined with a mat cut from an acrylic blanket. The trays are set about twelve inches under the lights. The mat is watered about every six days, using a mixture of 1/4 tsp. fertilizer and one drop of Superthrive per gallon. I use either Dyna Gro 7-9-5 or Peters Peat-Lite Special (15-16-17). My lights are a combination of one cool white and one wide-spectrum tube per fixture, 12 hours a day. As they begin to grow slightly, I move half the plants to another tray, attempting not to crowd them (I’m not always successful!), and keep removing outer rows of leaves to keep them as symmetrical as possible. Most of the very small ones are kept in the one ounce cups until they are ready to go to a show or sale. Some of the very smallest are then put into 1-1/4" thumb pots. The rest are potted into two inch or 2-1/8" pots. The plants that I grow for leaf production are potted into 2-1/4" pots, which is the largest pot I ever use for mini’s or semi’s. I maintain the same feeding and lighting schedule all the time. I’m afraid I’m not a sufficiently organized person to follow the rigid schedule required to consistently produce great show plants. That’s probably why my results are somewhat sporadic and not always successful. But I always enjoy all the aspects of growing, and have a lot of fun tak¬ ing plants for show. SHOWING One great advantage of growing miniatures is the num¬ ber of plants that can be fitted into a veiy small space on an airplane. I had originally thought that I could exhibit only when a convention was within driving distance. My early attempts at trying to carry plants on an airplane had very mixed results. The first time my husband-to-be accompa¬ nied me to a convention, he picked up my plant box and sent it flying through the x-ray. And I do mean flying. It went end over end, and I ended up with nothing but a few leaves to give away. (I married him anyway, and he is now wonderfully adept at transporting plants!) After that, I would carry them on my lap, placing them under the seat during take-off, and constantly unpack for inspection, so as to avoid putting them through x-ray. Last year, my husband cut down some copy paper car¬ tons to approximately 17" x 24" x 8", a size that fits per¬ fectly in the overhead bins. We then filled them full of shred¬ ded newspaper. The plants were nearly buried into the paper. The covers were tied down very tightly. He added some carrying handles made of heavy twine. These boxes went through the x-ray with no problem, and fit perfectly into the overhead bin. Of course, I use the overhead on the opposite side of the airplane from my seat, and woe to any passenger who tries to cram anything around the boxes that may damage them. At the last convention, I managed to fit 14 small plants in two boxes, including two species plants. They all traveled clear across the country without losing blossoms. Coming home, I have plenty of room for wonderful new acquisitions, as the plants I take are usually traded or given away. I also take an extra shopping bag in my suitcase, that can be filled with new leaves and put under the seat! I hope you will be encouraged to grow some of the dar¬ ling miniatures, and to share the fun of entering them in a show. March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 2 7 Magnolia Exhibited by: Nelly Levine Hybridized by: Bums/Nadeau Large Little Axel Exhibited by: Betty Margetts Photo Credit: Library Crew Semiminiature 28 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 ■v Stan 's Legacy Exhibited by: Nelly Levine Hybridized by: Stan Stancliff Standard Smithiantha Little One9 Exhibited by: Bev Promersberger March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 29 Dr. Jeff Smith The Indiana Academy Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306 06JLSmith@BSUVCBSU.EDU In planning a genetic cross in African violets, does it make a difference which parent is chosen as the seed parent and which is used as the pollen parent? In many cases it won’t make a difference, but in others, the choice of the seed parent plant could be critical. The object in choosing a seed parent is for the flowers to be able to form seed easily when pollinated. If the flowers are frill doubles, the pistils are some¬ times malformed, preventing seed formation. Choose plants that are single sticktights or semidoubles to avoid this prob¬ lem. If variegated offspring are desired, the seed parent should be variegated, as is discussed in the first question below. For most other characters, both parents contribute equally to the offspring. Therefore, both parents should have strong characters for foliage, flowers and growth. Q: Can 1 get red doubles on variegated foliage from a cross of ‘Alamo Red’ with ‘Lela Marie’. Will it make a difference which plant is used as the seed parent? A: Yes, if variegated offspring are your goal, it will make a difference as to which plant is used as the seed parent. Since ‘Lela Marie' is variegated and ‘Alamo Red’ is not, you should use ‘Lela Marie’ as the seed parent. Since both plants have double flowers, most of the offspring should have double flowers. The red flowers of ‘Alamo Red’ will be dominant to the pink of ‘Lela Marie’ so at least 50% of the offspring should have red flowers, but they will be of a fuchsia red. If you want the coral red flower color of ‘Alamo Red’, you will have to conduct a backcross. Use the best variegated FI offspring as the seed parent and ‘Alamo Red’ as the pollen parent. About 50% of the next generation will have the coral red coloration of ‘Alamo Red’ and they should be on varie¬ gated offspring. Q: A plant produced from a cutting of ‘Anthoflores Raphael’ is showing mosaic variegation in the foliage. Can a plant sport from non-variegated to mosaic variegation? A: It is possible for a plant to sport and form mosaic varie¬ gation. I have seen this happen with one of the original 10 violets and in plants produced from seed that was treated with radiation. What I think is more likely, how¬ ever, is that the trait for mosaic variegation was already in the plant, but was not being expressed. The expres¬ sion of variegated foliage is dependent on the ratio of normal to mutant chloroplasts. If the ratio of normal chloroplasts is high, the leaf will not show variegation. If the ratio shifts, as can happen when a new plant starts from a single cell in a leaf cutting, variegation can start to show in the leaves. Often the amount of variegation is small, but repeated selection through additional genera¬ tions of leaf cuttings can sometimes intensify and stabi¬ lize the variegation until a pleasing result is obtained. Since we do not have any thumbprint flowers on mosa¬ ic foliage, I hope you will be successful in stabilizing the variegation. Good Luck! 30 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 Q: What is a sport? How do you detennine if a sport is an improvement? A: A sport is an unexpected mutation in the DNA of a plant that results in a change in the plant’s physical appear¬ ance. Sports can be in the flower shape, flower color, leaf characteristics or any other genetically controlled trait. The determination of the improvement of a sport over the original plant is a judgmental one. For example, a fantasy-flowered plant that sports to a solid color is not considered an improvement. A single-flowered plant that sports to double flowers was a considerable improvement when it happened in ‘Blue Boy’, one of the original 10 violets. Up until that time, double flowers were unknown in violets. The sport provided the genetic material necessary for breeding doubles and semidouble flowers. If the same sport for double flowers occurred in today’s plants, it would likely be ignored. What judges look for in sports is for the changed character to be a general improvement in the show potential of the plant. Use this as your guide and you’ll have a general idea if the sport is an improvement. Q: Is African violet hybridizing seasonal? A: Since African violets have the potential to bloom year around, there is also a potential to hybridize at all times of the year. I have found, however, that some seasons work a little better than others. For example, the growth of the pollen tube down the pistil to the seeds appears to require high humidity. Crosses that are made during the drier times of the year, such as winter, may have less success. Crosses made during the spring when the humidity is often higher, may be more successful. I’ve often found it a good idea to make crosses on rainy days to take advantage of the higher humidity. Misting the pollinated plant frequently for several days after making the cross may raise the humidity enough to help successful seed set. Q: Do any of the species plants show colors other than blue, purple or light blue? At There is a report that a plant of Saintpaulia rupicola in the Kenya National Museum collection has pink flowers. I have not seen this plant and it is not currently available in collections in the United States. The plant Saintpaulia white ionantha, which has not been described as a true species, actually has very pale blue flowers, not pure white. No other colors have been reported for the Saintpaulia species plants, but a recent collection of S. confusa in the Mather collection does show red- violet in its flowers instead of blue violet. The African Violet Society of Canada 32nd Convention, Show and Annual Meeting “Toronto Welcomes Violets” May 28 - 30, 1999 Toronto, Ontario, Canada The AVSA Judges’ Council - Ontario and The Toronto African Violet Society are excited to host the 32nd Convention, Show and Annual Meeting of the AVSC from May 28 - 30, 1999 at the Civic Garden Centre, Edwards Gardens, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, and at The Holiday Inn-Don Valley Hotel, 1 1 00 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto. The theme this year is “Toronto Welcomes Violets” and we know that you will receive a warm welcome here in our mega-city of Toronto. The Civic Garden Centre, Edward Gardens, which is the location of the show and meeting rooms, is one of Toronto’s premier gardens. They are known around the country for their spectacular spring flowering gardens and wonderful rhodo¬ dendrons. You can enjoy the formal gardens or take a longer walk through one of the many natural areas. We know you will enjoy this special setting in the heart of Toronto. In addition, this year we are combining the Spring Meeting of The New York State AVS with this superb African Violet Convention and Show. We look forward to seeing you again if you have joined us in the past. If you have been thinking about visiting Toronto, now is the perfect opportunity! Looking forward to seeing YOU in Toronto! For further information contact: Doris Brownlie, Show Chairman 600 Silvercreek Blvd., #80 Mississauga, Ontario L5A 2B4 (905) 270-6776 Beverley Williams, Co-Convention Chairman 3052 Grenville Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5A 2P7 (905) 275-5408 or E-Mail: foxtalks@echo-on.net March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 3 1 Rebel's Cranberry Creme New Introduction - 1998 Hybridized & Grown by: Ruth Bann Large Windmill New Introduction - 1998 Hybridized & Grown by: Kent Stork Standard 32 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 White Dew Grown by: Rev Promersbetger Hybridized by: H, Pittman Semiminiature Rhapsodic Angelica Grown by: Kent Stork From Best Holtkamp Collection (Commercial) 1998 A VS A National Show Standard March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 33 Barbara Elkin Vintage Violets Committee 2855 Gayle Lane Auburn, CA 95602-9674 email jabar@foothill.net Spring is here! Every day is a new day with something else in the mail. Received a note from Arizona saying that ‘Miriam Steel' had been found. Unfortunately it will not be available for some time as it is very small. All of you wait¬ ing will just have to wait just a little bit longer, but remem¬ ber the end is in sight. Some ‘Millie Blair’ leaves walked into one of our local shows some time ago. The kind person leav¬ ing them for me didn’t leave a name so I could thank them. Just a message they were for me. I am still trying to get them propagated. Those of you waiting for that will also have to wait just a little bit longer too. I had a plant of ‘Rhapsodic GiGi’ sent to me some time ago. Still just as lovely as always. If you are looking for something that doesn’t get too big, this is the plant for you. Please, if you have lost one of your treasures that has been listed with me in the past, LET ME KNOW ABOUT IT! This way I will not send your name and address to some¬ one, wasting time and postage. You never know, I just might have a replacement. I can’t seem to say too much about respect, and these old timers need your respect when you judge them. Please read the AVSA Most Wanted List carefully. Do you grow one or two of these plants? There are growers waiting to hear from you. Did you know that ‘Delft Imperial’ was shown at the Sacramento AVSA Convention? It is still as lovely as it was over 36 years ago! Remember to always return the postage when someone is kind enough to share with you. Also remember to send a self-addressed envelope for my reply when writing to me. Thanks too, for your many letters and kind words. AVSA' 5 MOS i WANTED Adeline Krogman Ballet Erica Blue Skies Caribbean Ice Copy Cat Aglitter Ballet Grace Blue Velvet Catherine Coral Cascade Albert The Second Ballet Helga Blue Warrior Cat’s Meow Coral Radiance Alice Marie Ballet Meta Bobby Cherokee Rose Coral Reef Alzira Bee Tee Lee Bryte Angel Cinderella (Flower Pot) Coral Tips America Belle’s Spring Song Bryte Bells Cinderella's Slipper Cordelia American Bernice Bryte Glitter Cinnamon Twist Cotton Bowl Anna Therese Betty’s Cindy Darlene Bryte Sensation Circus Circus Crested Jewel Anne Slocomb Billy ‘Crash’ Craddock Bryte Tips Circus Clown Crimsunny Antique Elegance Black Congo Bubblin’ Over Clackamas Surprise Crown of Red Arabesque Black Gold Bullseye Clipper Crusade Ttail Apricot Frost Black Waves Bunny Hop Colibri Curley Q Arctic Blizzard Blazing Buttercup Columbella Cyndy Aunt lentina Blue Bouquet Butterflies Comet Trail Dainty Doll Autumn Russett Blue Dart Butterfly White Confessions Daisy Doll Baby Blue Blue Fandango Cafe Au Lait Constance Hansen Dallas Pride Baker’s Hot Lips Blue Nymph (Standard) Calico Kitten Constance Hansen Dalliance Ballet Candy Blue Peak California Cascade Supreme Dansuese Ballet Carla Blue Reverie Candy Dandy Coon Valley Dark Eyes 34 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 Darth Vader Dates Fanfare Deep Sea Treasure Delphine (Fredette) Desiree Diana Ross Dib’s Thrill Dingbat Dippity Do Dixie Moonbeam Dominion Rose Donna Lee Dorothy Gray Do’s Jean Double Dutchess Double Mini Orchid Double Pink Cloud Double Seafoam Double Uncle Bob Dresden China Dutchman Easter Egg Edge of Midnight Eileen Eleanor Elsie El Toro Supreme Emma Lahr Emperor Wilhelm Etna Fairy Image Fancy Flirt Fantasy Lou Festival Fisher’s Anne Marie Floral Fantasy Fox Run Fredette's Blue Jean Fredette's Elita Fredette's Sugar Blues Fredette’s Twilight Fantasy Frosty Galatic Star Galt Grape Gay Coquette Genessee Silhouette Geneva Rose Geneva frail GiGi Gilded Strawberry Glacier Point Glow Baby Golden Rubies Gorgeous Bicolor Gorgeous One Granger’s Calais Granger's Eternal Snow Granger’s Fashionaire Granger’s Blue Fashionaire Granger’s Jim Dandy Granger’s Peppermint Granger’s Rio Rita Granger’s Venetian Lace Great Find Great Scott Great White Way Green Glo Gypsy Charm Half And Half Handkerchief Heavenly Halo Highbrow Holly Dolly Holly Go Lightly Holly Peach Hot Cargo Hot Lips Hot Touch Illini Deb Illini Gem Indian Summer Ivory Venus Jealous Pink Jeff’s Jewel Jennifer Jimmy Carter Jimmy Crack Corn Josie Joy Pink Just Beautiful Kay Russell Kiss't Krista Lynn Lacy Laser Lacy Red Lady Catherine Lady Luck Lavender Lady Lavender Love Legacy Like Wow Lilac Puff Lilac Time Lillie Belle Lilith Lassie Little Dee Little Doe Little Lou Little Maroon Little Rascal Little Red Wagon Lucky Duck Lucky Stripe Luxury Lyndy Lou Lynn Lyon's Whisper Blue Manhattan Marie’s Pacific Sunrise Maroon Frost Mary Ann Maty Lou Maverick's Young Love May Dance Melly Melodie Frances Merry Christmas Michele Mighty Mini Minako Mine Alone Ming White Miss Beautiful Miss Liberty Miss Wisconsin Mohawk Trail Montgomery Silver Frost Moon Moths Moon Silver Mountain Blue Boy Mountain Wildflowers Ms. Frizz My Spoon Neon Rainbow Niagara’s Pink Beacon Night Fever Nosy Bouquet Odyssey Ohio Sunset Old Blue Eyes (Mendoza) On Edge Optimara Kansas Optimara Little Cherokee Optimara Maryland Optimara Missouri Optimara New Jersey Optimara Pennsylvania Optimara Sequoia Orchid Beauty Orchid Ripples Pam’s Potpourri Paragon Park Avenue Paul’s Pazazz Peepers Penguin Peppermint Fog Pigmy or Pygmy Pilgrim Maid Pink Beauty Pink Dresden Pink Frosting Pink Geneva Pink Girl Pink Philly Pink lime Pink Velvet Pistachio Plum Passion Plum Up Pom Pom Delight Pretty Please Priscilla Puerto Vallarta Purple Crest Purple Rocket Purple Star Push Over Radiant Star Rainbow’s Bantam Neon Glo Rainbow’ s Showboat Raspberry Frills Ravencrest Ravishing Ruffles Red and White Red Carnation Red Rocket Regina Renee Reverie Rhapsodie Candy Rhapsodie Gigi Rhapsodie Venus Rhapsody Rhinestone Cowboy Rippled Romance Risque Rosalynn Carter Rosie Lou Rowena Royal Elegance Royal Heart Royal Ruby Russian Hill Sailor’s Dream Sea Grape Sea Gull Sea Oueen Sea Shell Sensational Shannon Renee Sheryl’s Renee Shine Boy Silver Anniversary Silver Crest Silver Flute Silver Token Skagit Ambassador Sky Magic Snow Drops Snow Flake Snow Queen Spangles Spiced Peach Sport of Crimson Frost Star of David Star of India Stormy Night Sugar Plum Fairy Summer Silk Summer Spice Suncoast Pink Giant Sunday Morning Swan Lake Sweet Honesty Sweet Lady Sweet Lime Swifty Lace Targeteer Tassy Teen Wonder The Bride The Parson’s Ruffles The Parson’s Wife Tmbertop Tinari's Blue Eyes Tinari's Star Trailer Tinari's Wild Girl Tinted Snow Tiny Blue liny Pink Top Notch Tribute Triple Threat Twinkle Valeria Vampire’s Kiss Vibrant Val Victoria Violet ‘n’ Gold Viva Vulcan’s Treasure Wanderlust What Now Whirlaway Whirlaway Sport Whisper Valley White Feathers White Pride Supreme White Wedgewood White Whisper Wizard of Oz Wrangler’s Buckboard Bounce Wrangler’s Campfire Wrangler’s Double Pleasure Wrangler’s Lady Lee Wrangler’s Lady Vallin Wrangler’s Lavender Lasso Wrangler’s Moon Dance Wrangler’s Moonshine Wrangler's Pardner Wrangler’s Prairie Fire Wrangler’s Ricochet Romance Wrangler’s Rough Rider Wrangler’s Roundup Wrangler’s Sonuvagun Wrangler's Twilight "frail Wrangler’s Wanderin’ Star Wrangler’s Yankee Yodler Zippy (Baker) Zuri March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 35 Smooch Me New Introduction - 1998 Hybiidized & Grown by: Kent Stork Standard Ness’ Cranberry Lace New Introduction - 1998 Hybridized & Grown by: Don Ness Standard 36 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 (l-r) Frosted Denim Ness ’ Angel Babe Rob’s Tippy Toe 2nd Best AVS A Mini/Semi Collection 1998 AVSA National Show Exhibited by: Fay Wagman March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 3 7 • • • ioi/tne/\s a/*e Mary Corondan 7205 Dillon Court Plano, TX 75024 AV COUNCIL OF FLORIDA, FL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Grandmother’s Halo, Optimara Louisiana, Satin Wine; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Precious Pink, Ness’ Cranberry Swirl, Sassy Shirley; Best in Show/Best Standard: Grandmother’s Halo; Best Miniature: Spring Peach; Best Semiminiature: Hector; Best Trailer: Pixie Runaround; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Phyllis King. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ness’ Viking Maiden, Makin’ Romance, Frosted Whisper; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Snuggles, Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Ness’ Satin Rose, Christel Collier. Best Species: Saintpaulia velutina, Ron Bannester. Best Gesneriad: Episcia ‘Alice’s Aussie’, Carol Schreck. Best in Design; Design Sweepstakes, Mary Lou Harden. AV COUNCIL OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ness’ Coral Sunset, Ode to Beauty, Lela Marie; Best in Show/Best Standard: Ness’ Coral Sunset; Best Semiminiature: Precious Pink, Kathleen Rapske. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Boolaroo, Milky Way Trail, Sundown Trail; Best Trailer: Sundown Trail; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Gini McCanne. Best Miniature: Rob’s Twinkle Pink, Ann Wang. Best Gesneriad: Aeschynanthus micranthus, Dee Probert. Best Design, Honey Geek. Design Sweepstakes, Pat Vinciguerra. AVS OF PHILADELPHIA, PA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Splendiferous, Ruffled Skies, Ode to Beauty; Best in Show/Best Standard: Splendiferous, Betty Brunson. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Dumplin’, Windy Day, Rhapsodie Sonja, Mildred Knorr. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Lilli Pilli, Marion’s Enchanted Trail, Rob’s Wooloomooloo; Best Miniature: Frosted Denim; Best Trailer: Rob’s Lilli Pilli; Best Gesneriad: xSmithicodonia ‘Behavin’, Marianne Gerson. Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Hot Chocolate; Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Horticulture Sweepstakes, Peggy DePhillippo. Best Species: Saintpaulia grandifolia #237, Judith Smith. DELTA GESNERIAD AND AVS, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Tomahawk, Dumplin’, Lavender Spray; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Irish Flirt, Rob’s Calypso Beat, Rob’s Dust Storm; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Irish Flirt; Best Standard: Dumplin’, Best Miniature: Rob’s Willy Nilly; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Oscar Faoro. Best Trailer: Rob’s Willawong; Design Sweepstakes, Barbara Elkin. GEORGIA AV JUDGES SOCIETY, GA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Mindi Brooke, Sapphire Halo, Coral Glo; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Topsy, Snuggles Little Dreamer, Precious Pink; Best in Show/Best Trailer: Rob’s Sticky Wicket; Best Seminiature: Precious Pink, Lois Duval. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Hot Spot, Natchurly Nawlins, Texas Dynamo; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Sarah McGaha. Best Gesneriad: Sinningia ‘Emily’s Papa’, Margie Kotliar. LAKE SHORE AVS, IL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ms. Pretty Pink, Ness’ Blue Velvet, Powwow; Best Standard: Powwow, Steven Covolo. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Granger’s Wonderland, Pueblo, Candy Swirls; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Moon Bright, Ness’ Mini Sota, Ness’ Satin Rose; Best Species: Saintpaulia orbicularis var. purpurea; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Morgan Simmons. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Pink Playmate, Definitely Darryl, Sassy Shirley; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Definitely Darryl; Best Miniature: Petite Jewel, Janice Bruns. Best Trailer: Sweet Amy Sue, Harold Appleton. Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Suzie’, Anna Jean Landgren. LONE STAR AV COUNCIL, TX - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Barbados, Optimara Tradition, Optimara Haiti, Joyce Stenger. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Precious Pink, Red Bandito, Hector; Best Miniature: Texas Space Dust, Patricia Tillman. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Hector, Pat Champagne, White Dew, Richard Nicholas. Best in Show/Best Trailer: Candy 58 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 Fountain, Marge Savage. Best Standard: Harbor Blue, Mary Saunders. Best Semiminiature: Precious Pink, Bill Johnson. Best Species: Saintpaulia nitida, Nancy Goss. Best Gesneriad: Smithiantha ‘Riko’; Best Design, Delores Gibbs. Horticulture Sweepstakes, Ken Froboese. Design Sweepstakes, Penny Moore. MID-AMERICA AVS, KS - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Windy Day, Annabelle, Hoot-n-toot; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Sassy Sister, Winnergreen, Rob’s Fiddlesticks, Sue Hill. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ray’s Coral Dawn, Ultra Blue Ray’s, Aca’s Eye Knees, Raymond Russell. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Sassy Sister, Boo Man, Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Miniature: Gleeful Elf; Best Trailer: Marion’s Enchanted Trail; Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus 'Laverder Rosette’; Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Pat Richards. Best in Show/Best Standard: Melodie Mia, Sue Knobbe. NEW YORK STATE AVS, INC., NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: B-Man’s Caltanisetta, B-Man’s Delia, Perhaps Love; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Von’s Small Gift; Best Standard: B-Man’s Caltanisetta; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Bruno Curcurato. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Ontario, Party Print, Suncoast Paisley Print; Best Species: Saintpaulia brevipilosa , Carolyn Conlin- Lane. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Dean’s Aquarius, Magic Blue, Precious Pink, George McDonald. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Fiddle Faddle, Rob’s Heebie Jeebie, Rob’s Perfect Peach, Rob’s Mini-o-lets. Best Miniature: Dawn Michelle, Robert McCabe. Best Trailer: Rob’s Boolaroo; Best Gesneriad: Sinningia leucotricha, Edward Bradford. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Paul Kroll. NORTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS AVS, AR - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Happy Cricket, Ness’ Glitter Lace, Evangeline; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Lyon’s Wine Drops, Ness’ Satin Rose, Rob’s Mad Cat; Best in Show/Best Trailer: Deer Trail; Best Standard: Evangeline; Best Semiminiature: Precious Pink; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Alice Brown. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Pink Skies, Ness’ Firefly, Little Jim; Best Gesneriad: Sinningia ‘Mike’s Lilac Time’, Martha Walker. Best Miniature: Rob’s Smarty Pants, Linda Harkenreader. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Danny Tidwell. OAKVILLE AVS, ONTARIO - Winners: Best in Show/Best Standard: Ramses; Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Eva Lindstol. Best Semiminiature: Pay Dirt, Eileen Filman. Best Gesneriad: Chirita ‘New York’, Rita McPhail. Design Sweepstakes, Josephina Fitzwilliam. OHIO STATE AVS, OH - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Maggie Lee, Ocean Eyes, True Blue Miracle, Pat Hancock. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Tiger, Time Bandit, Emperor, Janice Carr. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Orchard’s Bumble Magnet, Rob’s Twinkle Pink, Rob’s June Bug; Best Miniature: Orchard’s Bumble Magnet, Ralph Robinson. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Antique Rose, Rob’s Perfect Peach, Rob’s Pink Puff, Betty Schulz. Best in Show/Best Standard: Jewel Box; Best Trailer: Darling Blue Trail; Best Species: Saintpaulia rupicola; Best Design’ Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Cathy Black. Best Semiminiature: Motley Crew, Doris Brownlie. Best Gesneriad: Nautilocalyx pemphidius, Elaine Gordon. SAN MATEO COUNTY AVS, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Mikado Red, Grandmother’s Halo, Sister Ancilla; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Definitely Darryl, Precious Pink, Rob’s Calypso Beat; Best in Show/Best Standard: Mikado Red; Best Semiminiature: Definitely Darryl; Best Miniature: Rob’s Soliloquy; Best Trailer: Dancin’ Trail; Best Species: Saintpaulia confusa; Best in Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Cathy Cornibe. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: San Mateo Blues, Miss Santa Cruz, San Mateo; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: School Bells, Cathy’s Fireworks, Little James, Al Cornibe. Design Sweepstakes, Heather Morgan. THOUSAND OAKS AVS, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: First Child, Flash Fire, Ode to Beauty; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Precious Pink, Rob’s Fuddy Duddy, Ness’ Sno Fun; Best in Show: First Child; Best Semiminiature: Precious Pink; Best Miniature: Rob’s Doohickey, Arlene Pappas. Best Trailer: Sante Fe Trail; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Carroll Gealy. Best Gesneriad: Episcia ‘Karlyn’, Leslie Cox. Best Design, Barbara Burde. TRI-STATE AV COUNCIL, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Oklahoma, Rhapsodie Fenja, Optimara Van Gogh, Rhona Thurman. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Splendiferous, Picturesque, Yasuyo; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Red Bandito, Rob’s Boondoggle; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Ron Ennis. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Calypso Beat, Rob’s Dust Storm, Fantastic Fantasy; Best in Show/Best Trailer: Perk Up, Joe Palagonia. Best Standard: The Alps; Best Semiminiature: Pixie Grin; Best Miniature: Petite Jewel, Bob Kurzynski. Best Species: Saintpaulia diplotricha Punter #7, Carol Ann Burrell. Best Gesneriad: Chirita linearlifolia, Edward Bradford. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Karyn Cichocki. WISCONSIN COUNCIL OF AV CLUBS, WI - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Picasso, Lela Marie, Fantasy Maker; Best Trailer: Sweet Amy Sue, Eric West. Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Snake Charmer, Nancy Braun. Best in Show/Best Standard: Kev’s Meteor Shower; Best Species: Saintpaulia Robertson, Kevin Degner. Best Miniature: Mickey Mouse, Meredith Roe. Best Gesneriad: Sinningia ‘Pink Threat’, Fay Skews. Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Arlene Garvens. March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 39 A MODERN IRRIGATION SYSTEM AT “DAVE’S VIOLETS” by David Harris • Springfield, MO Plant room - Getting ready for the annual Mother’s Day Sale. Master valve - Standard valve arid brass micro valve set up. Plant room - Overview of irrigation system set-up. Tub set-up with hot and cold water, the pump and switch on the wall. Valve and saddle choices. I chose the center set as the long barrel on the saddle on the left would leave water in the line. 40 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 From the beginning of my African violet operation I knew there must be a simple, comprehensive way of water¬ ing and fertilizing my plants. 1 started carrying two-liter bottles and progressed to running the hose I use to flush and fill my aquarium (At one time I raised and sold tropical fish and I still have some of the equipment I used — includ¬ ing the fill hose which connects to the kitchen faucet with an adapter) . Then I had my garage converted to a mini greenhouse. The plant room is adjacent to the breezeway between the kitchen and my former garage. Prior to the conversion, 1 raised most of my plants in the breezeway. 1 now use the breezeway for propagation and grooming my show plants. The garage was adapted by installing a new floor and three stands — rows of shelves. Each row has five levels. Two stands are along the opposite walls and the third is down the center. As I started filling the shelves with violets 1 realized that I was spending valuable time watering plants when I could have been propagating and repotting, etc. As I sought an easier and faster way to irrigate, I had the idea of using the materials I had used in raising tropical fish to speed up the watering process — instead of pumping air into the fish tanks, 1 could pump water and fertilizer to the fifteen shelves (155 multi-plant trays). First step was to install a laundry tub in the plant room and plumb it with hot and cold water lines from the house. The next step was to place a submersible centrifugal pump in the tub — it is powered from a switched electric outlet next to the tub. Next, I ran 1/2" pvc pipe to each of the shelves from the tub. To control the water/fertilizer to each individual tray, I needed a series of three types of valves: a master ball valve to control the supply to each stand; a standard stem valve to control the flow to each shelf; and a brass micro valve with clear 1/4" vinyl drip tubes to each of the trays. The brass micro valves were inserted into plastic saddles which were installed in the pvc pipe and located above each tray. The drip tubes are the same as I used to pump air into my fish tanks. With this system it is possible to service each of the three stands (one stand at a time — stand one, forty-five trays; stand two forty-five trays; and stand three sixty-five trays) in four to five minutes. This system enables me to control the flow to all trays simultaneously or even one tray exclusively and to balance the flow so that each full tray receives an appropriate (usually forty ounces) amount of solution. Partially loaded trays receive proportionately less solution. Therefore it is possible to service every tray in each stand simultaneously — or just a single tray. It is also possible to selectively irrigate fifty-six multi-plant trays on all three stands simultaneously with forty ounces of solu¬ tion each (approximately seventeen and a half gallons). Prior to irrigating, the water/fertilizer solution is mixed in the tub which is filled to the 20-gallon mark. I have considered several other watering systems — the water pressure reducing system used in some greenhouses, the emitter system which used several emitter sizes (because the emitters are not adjustable) to equalize the flow, and other less desirable systems. The system I decided to use is very simple and infinite¬ ly adjustable. The total cost was quite reasonable because it utilizes all off-the-shelf parts. Whereas other systems would have cost nearly $1,200, this system cost an eco¬ nomical $700. My desire is to constantly upgrade my operation— to minimize tedious, repetitive operations and to devote the time saved to work on improving the quality as well as the quantity and variety of my African violet stock. I would like to thank the commercial growers and hob¬ byists for their interest and to share this description of my irrigation system with you. If I can supply any more infor¬ mation, please contact me at e-mail plantman@cmaster.com or; David Harris 1372 S. Kentwood Ave. Springfield, Mo. 65804-0220 March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 4 1 Boyce Edens Research Fund Marlene Buck • 17235 N. 106th Avenue Sun City, AZ 85373-1958 Donations received from September 30, 1998 - November 30, 1998 MKO Dynomite Club, Joplin, MO . $25.00 Bergen County AVS, Hackensack, NJ . 25.00 AVSA 1998 Sacramento Convention Fund . 200.00 Ohio State AVS, Columbus, OH . 100.00 San Jacquin AVS, Stockton, CA . 15.00 Northern CA Council of AVS . 25.00 Hudson Highlands AVS, Cornwall, NY . 25.00 In lieu of speaker’s expenses for Katyn Cichocki Tennessee Valley AV Club, Knoxville. TN . . . 37.43 From the disbanded Tennessee Valley AV Club to continue on in our tradition of our love of African Violets Lois E. Fox, Champaign, IL . 5.00 Joan Porter, Fairfax, VA . 5.00 Deraid Richards, Jr., Eagle Creek, OR . 1.00 Stephen Maruszak, Westport, CT . 1 .00 Marie Rafferty, Broomall, PA . 2.00 Conrad N. Nelson, Minneapolis, MN . $2.00 Jo Rivard, Suisun City, CA . 7.00 Annie Belle Perry, Trenton, NJ . 10.00 Janet Mischler, Chugiak, AK . 2.00 Joan Baker, Thief River Falls, MN . 2.00 C. Timothy Featherston, Webster, TX . 2.00 Gail Podany, Minnetonka, MN . 10.00 Louisiana Council of AV Judges & Growers, New Roads, LA . 25.00 Thmpa AVS, Thmpa, FL . 25.00 In memory of Duncan S. Ritchie Carla Yambert, Murray, KY . 7.00 Stacey H. Gianoplos, Oak Park, MI . 10.00 Bellflower AVS, Long Beach, CA . 10.00 In memoty of Isabelle Hockney The Hoosier AVS, Chicago, IL . 10.00 In memory of Helen Mitchell Seattle AVS, Seattle, WA . $25.00 In memory of long time SAV member Darlene Hascoolidge Shirley Liu Fong, Burlington, MA . 5.00 Bea Sumrow, Camarillo, CA . 5.00 Barbara D. Perrott, Newburg, NY . 2.00 Papathi D/O Marimoto, Singapore . 10.00 Mike Lovell, San Antonio, TX . 2.00 Lucinda J. Muni, Wyckoff, NJ . 5.00 Elizabeth Warren, Cambridge, MA . 25.00 Mildred Ockey, Long Beach, NY . 5.00 John D. Sullivan, Danville, VA . 3.00 First Goldsboro AVS, Goldsboro, NC . 25.00 First Goldsboro AVS, Goldsboro, NC . 25.00 In honor of Porter Temple Howard A. Ray, Niskayuna, NY . 7.00 AVSA Building and Maintenance Fund Helen Blanton 622 Riverside Drive St. Charles, MO 63304 Donations received from October 1, 1998 - November 30, 1998 Ms. Joanie Sleeper, Wichita Falls, TX. . . $15.34 Ms. Bea Sumrow, Camarillo, CA . 5.00 Ms. Barbara D. Thswell-Miller, Tulsa, OK. . . 2.00 Ms. Lucinda J. Muni, Wyckoff, N.J . 5.00 Ms. Thmie Thchikawa, Tokyo, Japan . 4.50 Ms. Mildred Ockey, Long Beach, NY . 3.00 Mr. Jack Record, North Bay, NY . . 12.00 Ms. Diane Adamo, Long Beach, NY . 7.00 Mr. John D. Sullivan, Danville, VA . 3.00 Windsor African Violet Society, Hartford, CT . 15.00 In lieu of speaker fee to Roger Wheeler Dunlap Enterprises, Hillsboro, MO . 25.00 Central Jersey African Violet Society, Fords, NJ . 10.00 Ms. Joyce C. Williams, Bartlesville, OK . 2.00 Sweet Water African Violet Society, East Islip, NY . . . 10.00 Chun Miao Yeh, Thipei, Thiwan . 5.00 Ms. Elizabeth Burke, New Providence, NJ . 5.00 Total . $128.84 AVSA BOOSTER FUND Bill Lyons 38 Indian Creek Drive Levittown, PA 19057 Contribution from 1 October to 30 November Shirley Berger, Sebring, FL . . $10.00 Ohio State AVS, OH . . . . 50.00 Rocky Mountain AV Council, CO . . . 26.00 AVSA $1. OO rebate per new member for obtaining the most new AVSA members Annie Belle Perry, Trenton, NJ . . . 10.00 Felicia Throop, San Diego, CA . 20.00 Janet Mischer, Chugiak, AK . . . 2.00 Yoko Hachisu, Tokyo, Japan . . . 20.00 Virginia L. Humes, Cordova, AK . . . . 10.00 Ivonne Hermosilla, Concepcion, Chile, SA . 3.50 Lucinda Muni, Wyckoff, NJ . . 5.00 Papathi D/O Marimoto, Singapore . 10.00 John D. Sullivan, Danville, MD . . 3.00 Barbara Werness, Coon Rapids, MN . 5.00 Mildred Ockey, Long Beach, NY. ....... . . 3.00 Anita Harold, llicson, AZ . 10.00 Anonymous, New York, NY . 12.00 Rocky Mountain AV Council, CO . . 25.00 In fond memory of Katherine Brago. She was always eager to share her knowledge, her plants, her time and her energy with all Sweet Water AVS, Islip, NY . 10.00 Chun Miao Yeh, Thipei, Thiwan . 5.00 Columbus AVS, Columbus, OH . 10.00 Total: . . $249.50 42 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 by Lola Rossi San Mateo, CA 1997-1998 was a disaster for my African violet collec¬ tion! While I have been aware that over- fertilizing when the soil is not acid enough can seriously damage African violets, and that adding a drop or two of vinegar to my water when this happens will most often straighten out my plants, I ran into a totally new problem. I often read the labels of my violet fertilizers because 1 try to give high nitrogen to baby plants and then when I feel they are ready to bloom, I switch to ‘bloom’ food. And though I am fussy about my plant soil and have found a lot of commercial African violet soils to be too heavy and with too many water-retention problems, I will purchase a new variety if it looks moist and soft through the plastic bag and especially if it is produced by a well-known company. However, I have never stopped long enough to read any of the material on the labeling of the packages as to what the ingredients are. Unfortunately, for me and my violets, sometime last year my local stores carrying planting mixtures and soils started carrying a new product - both labeled for African vio¬ lets and as regular planting mix for any plants. This soil is produced by a very well-known and dependable company (they shall remain nameless because I do feel their products in general are excellent). Since the soil looked wonderful through the plastic package, I quickly purchased several, added some of my own peat moss, sterilized the soil mixture as I normally do and then proceeded to plant some of my new baby seedlings and also repot any older plants that needed it, in this new soil. Most of my babies failed and the few that did survive are not doing well at all. All of my established, mature plants started ‘bunching’ up in the centers and I have not had any blooms all this year. When I saw the centers start to bunch up, 1 started adding a few drops of vinegar to my water each week and 1 saved most of my mature plants. However, I continued to fertilize each week, and the plants have just ‘sat there’ and refused to bloom. I gave them extra light and warmth - nothing worked. Then one day as I was purchasing a new supply of what had become my favorite violet soil, my eye caught on some numbers on the front of the package and I stopped short and read all the labeling. I then realized that the col¬ ored specs I had noticed in my soil were in fact fertilizer. That meant, that the slow-release fertilizer that came with my soil and the fertilizer which I was giving each week were WAY TOO MUCH for healthy, normal, blooming plants! As reality dawned, I was sure that was what had been wrong with my plants. I then sent for a large supply of Optimara violet soil from The Selective Gardner (see ad in your African Violet Magazine) as this soil, which I have had in the past and which is just wonderful, is apparently not available in the San Francisco Bay Area where I live. 1 also ordered a supply of Optimara fertilizer inasmuch as almost 100% of the fertil¬ izers available in this area (I read all the labels these days) have various amounts of nitrogen derived from urea. Violets apparently do not like urea of any kind, and the Optimara fertilizer is advertised as being absolutely urea-free. At any rate, I waited for my new fertilizer to arrive from the Selective Gardner and I repotted all my violets as I had time, in my new Optimara soil (with no fertilizer) in order to encourage my mature violets to start blooming. 1 feared that the time-release feature in the other soil would affect them for months to come. Last year I redid my kitchen and since I have a lovely area behind my corner sink which is perfect for a small wrought-iron stand which can house 4 violets (it receives a lot of light and warmth from a window just above the area) , I like to have some violets in bloom on this stand. This makes my new kitchen look that much prettier. Well, with my above problems, I just didn’t have a thing to place there. 1 have been purchasing pretty Optimara violets in full bloom from my local garden center the past few months in order to always have blooming plants in the kitchen, and now I fear that my collection is getting too large to house properly! I would caution all of you growers to read the labeling on what you purchase and aim for soils free of time-release fertilizer and fertilizers free as possible of nitrogen produced from urea, as you could well develop some of the problems this writer has experienced. Happy Growing! March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 43 by Ron Davidson Red Oak, TX wing African Violets beep in the Heart of Terns My wife, Jan, has been growing African violets for over thirty years. Since I was in the military, we traveled and moved numerous times before I retired in July, 1990, with twenty-plus years. It was hard to grow plants know¬ ing we would be moving on in two to three years. We moved over sixteen times in twenty-plus years. Jan was very determined, though, and always had a few African violets. While stationed in Taif, Saudi Arabia, we were on vacation in Germany to drop our daughter off in Munich to go to college. My wife did not have any African violets in our villa (home) back in Taif. She saw a small African violet plant in the dead of winter and purchased it. We traveled around Germany, for the next week to ten days and she had to carry this plant with her every place we went, for it was too cold to leave in the car. She carried it back into Saudi aboard military aircraft in a small potato chip container. She raised this plant with its babies, and when we received orders to return to the USA she gave her collection of plants and babies to the wives of some of the Saudi officers and some of the civilian women. On return to the USA, I was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas. Jan read in the local newspaper about an African violet show and sale sponsored by Cen-Tex Rainbow AVS. She had to attend the show to purchase African violets since she was not able to bring plants with us from Saudi Arabia. She attended the show, met the wonderful mem¬ bers and joined their club. Jan was later introduced to a very lovely lady whose plants she happened to be grow¬ ing. This lady was a judge at the show and after the show Jan talked about how she hybridized the most perfect small plants. Jan was already into growing African violets, but this person hooked her for life. Hortense Pittman was the wonderful lady and the prefect plant was ‘Precious Pink’. I built her first plant stand - a four tier, four foot PVC stand with shops lights. That one plant stand grew to two, then three stands and had to have Volkmann light fixtures. The light tubes had to be changed from cool white to Gro-Lux wide spectrum tubes, which we still use today. After I retired from the military in Fort Hood, we moved to the Dallas metro plex, but lived approximately 50 miles out in the country. Jan was given the telephone number of a couple who lived in Mesquite, Texas, who could assist her in locating a club. Through the kindness of Paula and Bill Foster, she became a member of the Alpha AVS of Dallas. Since we lived so far away from the meeting place, I attended with her because she wouldn’t get home until late. Then, I started getting interested and involved in African violets. I joined the club and followed my wife into the world of growing, showing and judging African violets. Jan is a senior judge and I’m an advanced judge. We are both Life Members of AVSA. Our area required for growing African violets increased, and we now have a plant room and additional plant stands in the bedrooms. We also grow Saintpaulia species, gesneriads and do some designs. My design capa¬ bility is very limited, but Jan does all designs (Interpretive Flower/Plant Arrangements and Containers Gardens). We have both received the tri-color for Best in Design and she has received the tri-color for Best in Show - Horticulture. We attend local affiliate shows, Lone Star African Violet Council shows/conventions, Dixie African Violet shows/conventions and AVSA shows/conventions. We have both served as president and show chairman for our local affiliates and show chairman for the Lone Star African Violet Council show. But our main love is growing African violets. We feel the important factors in growing show plants are: • Selection of the plant • Growing conditions • Grooming We try to select both proven winners and new hybrid plants. We always check the winner’s lists and best vari¬ eties lists from the AVM to possibly add to our collection. Then we check out the new hybrids from the hybridizer’s lists each year. We have always loved the Pittman’s small plants and are growing some small new plants from Dean’s in San Antonio and Kyle Coleman in Fort Worth. These appear to have a lot of potential for a show plant. We also grow new ones from Lyon’s, Rob’s and Ness’ to name a few, but being Texans, we support our local hybridizers. 44 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 The main reason to support hybridizers is that these peo¬ ple are the future of African violets and need the members of AVSA to buy and promote their plants. If we do not sup¬ port our hybridizers, they will not be able produce new varieties for future growing. In selecting a new plant, the foliage should have an even growth pattern with each row of leaves overlapping the prior row. Ensure there are no gaps or spaces between the leaves. The bloom stalks should have an abundance of blossoms and stand up over the foliage as an even ‘halo’. Ensure that the plant is growing true to the description from the hybridizer’s list or the AVSA Master Variety List. The plant should be free of pests and disease. Your own growing conditions will depend upon your maintaining a consistent, established location for your plants. You need to establish the temperature, light time, feeding and repotting schedule. This location is the high¬ light of your home. We have a room off our family room, an enclosed patio with its own air conditioner system for the hot summers of Texas. We try to maintain a tempera¬ ture of approximately 70° to 75° the year around. We have five plant stands with mainly Volkmann light fixtures in the plant room. We use individual wick reser¬ voirs for most of our plants with some larger plants in Swift’s Moist-Rite planters. The lights are on timers and are on approximately eight hours daily, and up to twelve during the final weeks before a show. We never increase or decrease the lights more than one hour per week. We change out the tubes when they burn out and never add two new tubes at the same time. We normally use Gro- LUX wide spectrum tubes. Peter’s Fertilizer is used, (20 - 20 - 20) as a constant feeder, (we have a supply of the older Peter’s with less urea nitrogen) and a bloom booster fertilizer before the show. We normally like to try it out on a new variety prior to show time, because on some plants it does not produce the desired effects. You should never try somebody else’s methods until you have checked them out on just a few of your own plants. Sometimes, somebody else’s growing conditions are different, therefore, you do not get the same results. We try to repot the plants selected for show every four to five months, using Bill Foster’s African violet mix. This mixture is very good for this area of Texas. We recommend that you try some of his African violet mix on a few of your plants. Bill Foster’s Soil Recipe 12 gallons Sunshine peat moss 6 gallons perlite 6 gallons vermiculite (Bill prefers the coarse vermiculite) 1 gallon Baccto potting soil approximately 1 cup dolomite Bill uses a cement mixer as his “blender” and mixes in large quantities because he doesn’t like to get dirty! He usually mixes 100 gallons at a time and stores it in large covered plastic garbage cans. Our small plants are normally in 2 1/8" or 2 1/4" pots with a wick watering system. We have purchased some Oyama self-watering pots for the small plants, but do not have enough experience yet to comment. We like to try different methods to find a system that will take the work out of growing. (We’re still looking for that system.) Grooming is always a never-ending task in growing African violets for show. We start with a young plant, or a plant that is broken back after a show. I have been show¬ ing the same ‘Snuggles’ for over five years. It has won the Best in Class at local, state and national shows. It is one of my favorites and was given to me by a club member when I joined the club. I just break it down after each show and start over. Ensure that the plants are centered in the pot and below the lip of the pot. I like to plant down so I may remove a row of leaves before the show to improve on the symmetry of the foliage. Then I can put a small amount of soil around the neck where the leaves are removed. Each time we water the plants, I turn the plant foliage approximately 1/3 of the way around. This helps to ensure it is getting the necessary and same light. I remove any damaged or bad leaves at this time. The plant is allowed to bloom once to ensure it is blooming true, then the show plants are disbudded. The plants remain disbud¬ ded until five to seven weeks before the show, depending on how long it will take to maximize show potential for each plant. Each of our show plants will have a leaf sup¬ port. If the symmetry needs some improvement, we will place a small stick into the soil and against the leaf stalk to close a gap. After a few weeks the stick can be removed and the gap is usually gone or smaller. We have placed a wire tie-down into the soil, over a leaf stalk to assist in holding the leaf down when it wants to stick up. We clean and brush the foliage to ensure the leaves are free of dust, as they do better if they are clean. We enjoy growing African violets and making lifetime friends with the members of AVSA. We look forward each year to the Lone Star and AVSA convention and have a great time at the different locations. See you all in Houston! Wear your boots and hats, be a true Texan! March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 45 SOM, Mealybugs AND THEIR CLOSE FRIENDS, THRIPS AND CYCLAMEN MITES by Pat Hancock West Chester, OH The old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” should always be our motto when growing African violets. It is so much easier to prevent a problem from happen¬ ing than it is to cure the problem after the fact. You may think this one little plant looks fine and couldn’t possibly have anything wrong with it, and a month later discover sadly that you were wrong and now every plant within a mile of that little plant looks sick. There are three preventative measures that I would like to recommend to you. 1) Sterilize all soil products in an oven or microwave. Moisten soil and cover so that steam escapes. In a conven¬ tional oven, heat to 180° internal temperature. 2) Isolate any new plant material, including leaves, for at least two months. Use plastic bags, clear boxes, etc. 3) When bringing plants home from a show, disbud COMPLETELY, and do not return them to your plant room for at least two months. If you follow these three precautions, your chances of keeping a happy and safe environment for your plants will be greatly increased. If you fail to do one or more of these things, chances are you will one day have a problem with one or more of the three most common African violet pests; Soil Mealybugs, Thrips, or Cyclamen Mites. Once you have one of these pests, they can go through your collection in record time. Assuming you have failed to follow one or more of these precautions and you now have soil mealybugs in some of your plants, what is the best thing to do? 1) If you do not need the plant, you can take a leaf, wash it in a solution of 1 part Clorox to 30 parts of water plus a few drops of a dish detergent. Plant it into sterile soil and throw the old plant with the soil, away. 2) If it is a plant that you feel you cannot live without, my best plan of attack is as follows: Knock the plant out of the pot and clean all of the soil from the roots. In most cases, there won’t be very many roots, only a few brown ones at best. Take off the bottom row of leaves and clean the neck of old crust. Lay the plant on a sheet of newspa¬ per and spray the roots on all sides with PT1300 (Orthene). Be sure to turn as you spray until all sides of the root ball have been sprayed. Let air-dry for 10 to 15 minutes and replant in sterile soil. Place in a greenhouse environment for two to three weeks. Sounds like a lot of trouble, but worth it if you have an infected plant that you just can’t bear to lose. Be sure to wear plastic gloves and follow direc¬ tions on the PT1300 spray can. 3) The other alternative is to use one of the systemic insecticides that are now on the market. Bear in mind that anything you put in your soil to kill mealybugs could also make you very sick if you don’t take proper precautions. It is very easy to get careless with insecticides after you have been using them for awhile. Some of the ones that seem to work well are Diazinon, Enstar II, Pinpoint, and Thiodan. A new and very expensive one called Marathon is said to be very good by some who have tried it. It is my feeling that any of these if used for any length of time may also damage the plants. If it is your choice to use any of the systemics, be sure to read carefully all of the precautions on the label and follow them for as long as you use the product. The second pest that is often picked up at shows or from plants in your yard is thrips. It is said that it takes only one thrips to multiply and I believe it. Here again, preven¬ tion is best, and the reason we disbud after a show is to avoid them hitch-hiking home with us. However, they can hide in places other than the blossoms and you should still isolate for two months after a show. If you find that your prevention methods have failed and you do have thrips on your plants, what are your choices? 1 ) The first thing is to disbud every bud and blossom from every plant in the area. Thrips feed on pollen and 46 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 cannot live forever without it. Be sure to get even the tiniest of buds. 2) You do need to spray your plants, being very careful to wear a mask, gloves, etc.. PT1300 is my choice (Orthene). Bill Foster recommended in this magazine that we should spray the inside of our show boxes with Orthene before going to a show, then put the plant in and close the box. This practice, if followed by everyone, could greatly reduce the chances of picking them up at a show. There are other sprays that will kill thrips, but most will also damage the blossoms. PT1300 does not damage the blossoms. Several of the aforementioned systemics will kill thrips as well as soil mealybugs, but again, be very careful if you choose to use them. The third most prevalent violet enemy is the Cyclamen mite. They are extremely contagious and can ride into your home on your clothes. They are found in backyards, garden stores, violet shows, and again, prevention is by far the best choice. Do not go into your violet room in clothes that you have worn outside around other plants. Isolate any plants that you might bring in from outdoors for the winter. If you find tight centers and strange center growth, chances are you may have picked up Cyclamen mites. My first choice to get rid of this pest is, Avid sprayed once every five days for about one month. There are other things you might use, but most are more toxic to plants and humans and Avid really does the trick if you use it according to directions. These are the three most common pests and the ways I would choose to deal with them. I’m sure there are other ways that others may choose, but always bear in mind that most of us are growing violets in our homes where our fam¬ ilies live. There can be severe consequences if we are not very careful. ALWAYS think “PREVENTION” first! Auburn, CA I have often said that “I would not want to raise children at this time”, with all the negatives they must contend with: drugs, gang wars, drive-by shootings, alcohol and promiscu¬ ity. Children just don’t have a chance to grow up healthy and wholesome anymore. I am afraid I’ll have to change that thought just a bit and introduce you to Heath and Heather Borck. These are the two children of Byron and Elizabeth Borck of Santa Rosa, California. You might remember this family as Byron was my Vice-Convention Chair last April at the AVSA Sacramento Convention. Heath and Heather were, in fact, my legs. Without these two, I am afraid I would have had a time hoofing it to and from the hotel. For those of you who didn’t attend, the hotel was spread out all over the place. Last November, I had the opportunity to have these two youngsters in my Judging School Class given in Pittsburg, California. Both passed with high grades. (The lowest grade for this school was 92). Well, lots of students pass with high grades, but what makes these two any different? Heather is eleven and Heath is twelve! That’s a big difference as far as I am concerned. I checked with Bill Foster, AVSA Shows and Judges Chairman, and as far as he can tell, these two are the youngest to ever take and pass an AVSA Judging School. I am not surprised at this though; they have both entered in the collection classes and won. How often do you see two children this age win best collection or best in show? Yes, they do both. Heather’s expertise is minis and semis, Heath thinks more of the trailers and gesneriads. Now a year later, I have given another class here in Sacramento. These two fine children took a refresher course. What’s new about that? Their grades were even higher than they were last year. My hat is off to Byron and Elizabeth for raising two wonderful and gifted children. There is also something else to remember: in due time AVSA will be in the hands of our younger members. I am not even the least bit worried if all the hands are as good as these two. March ® April 1999 African Violet Magazine 47 March 5 & 6 - FLORIDA Central Florida AVC Show Beardall Senior Center 800 S Delaney Ave Orlando, FL Mar 5 - noon - 4pm Mar 6 - 10am - 4pm Info: Evelyn Briggs (407) 322 - 1409 March 6 & 7 - ARIZONA Tlicson AVS ElCon Mall E. Broadway @ Swan Hicson, AZ Mar 6 - 9am - 9pm Mar 7 - 1 lam - 5pm Info: Cindy Baker (520) 325 - 0752 March 6 & 7 - ALABAMA Capital City AVS Southern Homes & Gardens Hwy 231 North Montgomery, AL March 6 - 2pm - 5pm March 7 - 1pm - 4pm Info: Barbara Strock (334) 567 - 6811 March 6 & 7 - LOUISIANA Baton Rouge AVS Show/Sale Baton Rouge Garden Center 7950 Independence Blvd Baton Rouge, LA Mar 6 - 2pm - 5pm Mar 7 - 1 lam - 3pm Info: (225) 928 - 2270 March 11 - 13 - TEXAS First Dallas AVS, Alpha AVS and First Nighter AVS Combined Show/Sale Richardson Square Mall Beltline & Plano Rd Richardson, TX Sale - All Days - 10am - 9pm Show - Mar 12 - noon - 9pm Mar 13 - 10am - 9pm Info: (972) 278 - 0389 March 13 & 14 - CALIFORNIA South Coast AVS Show/Sale South Coast Botanic Garden 26300 Crenshaw Blvd Palos Verde Peninsula, CA Mar 13 - noon - 4:30pm Mar 14 - 9am - 3pm Info: Ralph Breden (310) 373 - 5697 March 13 & 14 - FLORIDA Fantasy AVC of Spring Hill 6th Annual AVSA judged Show/Sale Hernando Community Blood Bank Rt 50 (Cortez Blvd) Spring Hill, FL Mar 13 - 1 lam - 6pm Mar 14 - noon - 3pm Info: Linda Nelson (352) 799 - 0973 March 13 & 14 - CALIFORNIA Central CA AVS Display/Sale Manchester Mall 1901 E Shields Ave Fresno, CA Mar 13 - 9am - 3pm Mar 14 - 1 lam - 3pm Info: Stanley Barnes (559) 294 - 8650 March 13 & 14 - FLORIDA AVS of Pensacola Annual Show/Sale Scottish Rite Bldg 2 E. Wright St Pensacola, FL Mar 13 - 2pm - 6pm Mar 14 - noon - 5pm Info: Sarah Richardson (850) 968 - 1 1 15 March 19 - 21 - MINNESOTA Lakes Area Violet Growers Show/Sale Har Mar Mall Co. Rd. B & Snelling Roseville, MN Mar 19 - 10am - 9pm Mar 20 - 10am - 6pm Mar 21 - 1 lam - 6pm Info: Robert Aurandt (651) 771-9948 March 19 & 20 - CALIFORNIA Pomona Valley AVS Judged Show/Sale The Church of the Brethren 2175 Bonita Ave LaVeme, CA Mar 19 - 1pm - 6pm Mar 20 - 9am - 4pm Info: Marilyn McQuown (909) 672-7353 March 19 & 20 First AVS of Denton Show/Sale Erwin Hall, First Presbyterian Church 1 1 14 W University Dr Denton, TX Mar 19 - 1:30pm - 7pm Mar 20 - 10am - 4pm Info: Eunice Curry (940) 382-6465 March 20 & 21 - COLORADO Rocky Mountain AVC Denver Botanic Gardens 1005 York St Denver, CO Mar 20 - 1pm - 4:30pm Mar 21 - 10am - 4pm Info: Nelly Levine (303) 423 - 6072 March 20 & 21 - TEXAS First Austin AVS Show Zilker Park Club House Zilker Park Austin, TX Both Days: 10am - 4:30pm Info: Jeanette Pursley (512) 243 - 2289 March 20 & 21 - NEW YORK Sweet Water AVS 24th Annual Judged Show/Sale West Sayville Fire Dept. Hall Montauk Hwy & Atlantic Ave West Sayville, NY Mar 20 - 2pm - 5pm Mar 2 1 - noon - 5pm Info: (516) 581 - 8116 March 26 & 27 - TENNESSEE Memphis AVS Show/Sale Memphis Botanic Garden 750 Cherry Rd Memphis, TN Both Days: 9am - 5pm Info: Judy Ellis (901) 377 - 91 16 Brenda Brasfield (601) 895 - 2002 March 26 - 28 - MINNESOTA AVS of Minnesota Show/Sale Maplewood Mall Hwy 694 & White Bear Ave St. Paul, MN Mar 26 - 10am - 9pm Mar 27 - 9:30am - 8pm Mar 28 - noon - 6pm Info: (612) 571 - 6703 March 26 & 27 - NEBRASKA Lincoln AVS Show/Sale East Park Plaza Mall 220 N 66th St Lincoln, NE Mar 26 - 10am - 9pm Mar 27 - 10am - 5pm March 26 & 27 - NEW JERSEY Union County AVS Exhibit/Sale All Saints Episcopal Church 559 Park Ave Scotch Plains, NJ Mar 26 - 6pm - 9pm Mar 27 - 10am - 4pm Info: Jean Peters (908) 276 - 3221 March 27 - DELAWARE Delaware AVS Show/Sale Boscov’s Auditorium in the Concord Mall Rt. 202 Wilmington, DE Hours: 1 Oam - 8pm Info: Anne Petrucci (302) 652 - 8839 Angie Celano (302) 994 - 4556 March 27 & 28 - ILLINOIS Northern Illinois Gesneriad Society Show/Sale Chicago Botanic Garden Lake-Cook Road & Edens Expressway Glencoe, IL Mar 27 - noon - 4pm Mar 28 - 10am - 4pm Info: Nancy Maybloom (847) 882 - 4652 email: hsmay@aol.com March 27 - CONNECTICUT Windsor AVS Judged Show Windsor Public Library 323 Broad St Windsor, CT Hours: 9am - 3pm Info: Vivian Hiltz (860) 828 - 7979 48 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 March 27 & 28 - LOUISIANA Jefferson AV Association (JAVA) AVSA Standard Show Lakeside Shopping Center 3301 Veterans Blvd (corner Veterans & Causeway) Metairie, LA Mar 27 - 2pm - 9pm Mar 28 - noon - 6pm March 27 & 28 - NEW YORK Long Island AVS 45th Annual Show John A. Anderson Recreation Center 1 1 1 North Oceanside Road Rockville Centre, NY Mar 27 - 2pm - 5pm Mar 28 - noon - 5pm Info: Marilyn Daunt (516) 379 - 621 1 March 27 & 28 - FLORIDA Gulf AV Club Show/Sale Ft Myers/Lee County Garden Council Bldg. 2646 Cleveland Ave Ft. Myers, FL Mar 27 - 9am - 6pm Mar 28 - 9am - 5pm Info: Eleanor Duerr (941) 574 - 2489 Blanche Foltz (941) 772 - 1056 March 27 & 28 - IOWA Quad Cities AVS Show/Sale Duck Creek plaza Bettendorf, IA Info: Jackie Jones (319) 785 - 6024 email: momjones@netins.net March 31 - CALIFORNIA Town & Country AVS Open House Church of Christ 1000 Roosevelt Rd Redlands, CA Hours: 10am - 5pm Info: Rosita Roser (909) 794 - 3696 April 2 & 3 - NORTH CAROLINA Green Thumb AVS Easter Sale Thrrytown Mall 301 Bypass & Business 64 Rocky Mount, NC Both Days: 10am - 7pm Info: Lucille Prutzman (252) 459 - 3722 April 3 & 4 - MICHIGAN Michigan State AVS Display/Sale Matthaei Botanical Gardens 1 800 Dixboro Rd Ann Arbor, MI Apr 3 - 10am - 4:30pm Apr 4 - 1 lam - 2pm Info: Loreen Callentine (517) 345 - 9053 April 3 & 4 - TEXAS Cen-Tex Rainbow AVC 1 5th Annual AVSA Judged Show/Sale Conder Park, Special Olympics Bldg 902 Conder St Killeen, TX Apr 3 - 3pm - 5pm Apr 4 - 1 lam - 4pm Info: Nancy Sneed (254) 542 - 1352 April 10 & 11 - NEW JERSEY AVC of Morris County AVSA Show/Plant Sale Frelinghuysen Arboretum Joseph Haggerty Center 5 1 East Hanover Ave Morristown, NJ Apr 10 - 1:30pm - 5pm Apr 1 1 - 10am - 4pm Info: Jill Fischer (908) 464 - 4417 Roy Goebel (973) 361 - 7689 April 15- 17 -TENNESSEE Bluff City AVC Show/Sale Oak Court Mall Poplar Ave Memphis, TN Mar 15 - 4pm - 9pm Mar 16 - 10pm - 9pm Mar 17 - 10am -5pm Info: Marian Zoller (901) 372 - 0283 Kathy Hildebrand (901) 386 - 0210 April 16 & 17 - SOUTH CAROLINA First AVS of Spartanburg Display /Sale Foothills Mall 1-26 & New Cut Rd Spartanburg, SC Apr 16 - 10am - 6pm Apr 1 7 - 10am - until sold out Info: Jessie Dennis (864) 578 - 1 165 April 16 & 17 - NEW JERSEY Bergen County AVS Annual Show/Sale Old North Reformed Church Washington & Madison Aves Dumont, NJ Apr 16 - 3pm - 9pm Apr 1 7 - 9am - 3pm Info: Joe DeSimon (201) 261 - 4215 April 16 & 17 - NEW JERSEY Central Jersey AVS Judged Show/Sale First Baptist Church 232 Main St (Rt 79) Matawan, NJ Apr 1 6 - 3pm - 8pm Apr 17 - 9:30am - 4pm Info: (609) 298 - 7333 April 17 - MISSOURI Heart of Missouri AVS Annual Show/Sale Trinity Presbyterian Church Rollins & Manor Dr Columbia, MO Hours: 9am - 3pm April 17 & 18 - NEW MEXICO Albuquerque AVC 31st Annual Show Albuquerque Garden Center 10120 Lomas Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM Apr 1 7 - 2pm - 5pm Apr 18 - 10am - 4pm Info: Agatha Garrison (505) 384 - 5026 April 17- CANADA Vancouver AVC Annual Show/Sale Van Dusen Gardens, Floral Hall Oak St and 37th Ave Vancouver, BC, Canada Hours: 1pm - 4pm Admission $2 April 17 & 18 - IOWA Evening AVC of Des Moines Show Des Moines Botanical Center Apr 17 - 10am - 5pm Apr 18 - 10am - 3pm Info: Kathy Mathews (515) 674 - 4025 email: blkbeltk@aol.com April 1 7 & 18 - NEW YORK AVS of Western NY 47th Annual AVSA Judged Show/Sale Walden Galleria Mall Galleria Dr Buffalo, NY Apr 1 7 - 8am - 9pm Apr 1 8 - Noon - 5pm Info: Fred Packer (716) 833-4504 April 17 & 18 - NEVADA Reno-Sparks AVS Judged Show/Sale Old Town Mall S Virginia & Peckham Ln Reno, NV Apr 17-1 Oant - 6pm Apr 18 - noon - 5pm Info: Diana Thran (702) 358 - 5689 April 17 & 18 - OHIO AVS of Dayton Show/Sale Towne Mall Exit Rt. 122 off I 75 Dayton, OH Info: Pat Hancock (513) 777 - 2524 April 23 & 24 - WISCONSIN Late Bloomers AVS Show/Sale Janesville Mall 2500 Melton Ave (Hwy 26) Janesville, WI Both Days: 10am - 9pm Info: Mable Lewis (608) 966 - 3853 April 23 & 24 - NEW YORK New York City AVS Horticultural Society of NY 128 W 58th St New York, NY Apr 23 - 2pm - 7 pm Apr 24 - 1 lam - 5 pm April 23 - 25 - MINNESOTA North Star AV Council AVSA Judged Show/Sale Northtown Mall Hwy 10 & University Ave NE Blaine, MN Mall Hours Info: Barbara Werness (612) 754 - 3918 April 23 & 24 - TEXAS First AVS of Dallas, First Nighter AVS of Dallas and Alpha AVS of Dallas Joint Display/Sale Plano Market Mall (Garden Ridge) Ave K @ Spring Creek Pkwy Richardson, TX Apr 23 - 10am - 9pm Apr 24 - 1 Oam - 6pm Info: (972) 278 - 0389 April 24 & 25 - CANADA Lakeshore AVS of Toronto Annual Show/Sale Sherway Gardens Centre Square 25 The West Mall Etobicoke, ON, Canada Apr 24 - 1 lam - 6pm Apr 25 - noon - 5pm Info: Vivian Beeching (905) 279 - 1758 Jim Toms (416) 622 - 5243 April 24 & 25 - ALABAMA Montgomery AVS Show/Sale Southern Homes & Gardens Hwy 231 Montgomery, AL Apr 24 - 2pm - 5pm Apr 25 - 1pm - 4:30pm Info: Peg Phythyon (334) 567 - 5433 March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 49 April 24 - CONNECTICUT Thimble Islands AVS Show/Sale Canoe Brook Senior Center Cherry Hill Rd Branford, CT Hours: 1pm - 4pm Info: (203) 481 - 9455 April 24 & 25 - NEW YORK AVS of Rochester 50th Annual Judged Show/Sale Perinton Square Mall 6720 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd (Rt 250 & 31) Apr 24 - 2pm - 6pm Apr 25 - 1 lam - 5pm Info: Irwin Wagman (716) 381 - 6384 email: IrwinWag@aol.com April 24 & 25 - WASHINGTON Seattle AVS and Puget Sound Gesneriad Society Annual Show/Sale U of Washington - Center for Urban Horticulture 3501 NE 4 1st St Seattle, WA Apr 24 - noon - 5pm Apr 25 - noon - 4pm Info: Jean M. Chin (206) 725 - 6494 April 24 & 25 - CANADA Ottawa AVS Annual Show/Sale RMOC Headquarters 1 1 1 Lisgar St Ottawa, Canada Apr 24 - 1pm - 5pm Apr 25 - noon - 4pm Info: Dick Harriman (613) 747 - 7921 April 30 & May 1 - ALABAMA Early Bird Violet Club Show/Sale Birmingham Botanical Gardens Birmingham, AL Apr 30 - 2pm - 4pm May 1 - 9am - 3pm Info: Sandra Campbell (205) 755 - 0530 (day) (205) 646 - 3542 (evening) April 30 - May 1 - VIRGINIA Tidewater AVS Show/Sale Coliseum Mall Hampton, VA Mall Hours Info: Celesta Cirkl - 479 - 3681 April 30 - May 2 - NEW YORK AVS of Syracuse Show/Sale Great Northern Mall Route 31 Clay, NY Apr 30 - noon - 9pm May 1 - 2pm - 9pm May 2 - 1 lam - 6pm Info: Peter or Martha Thompson (315) 446 - 0355 email: pmthomp@dreamscape.com May 1 & 2 - CONNECTICUT Silvermine AVS Judged Show/Sale Nature Center for Environmental Activities 10 Woodside Ln Westport, CT May 1 - 1:30 - 5pm May 2 - noon - 4pm Info: Sylvia Siegel (203) 847 - 5570 May 1 & 2 - WISCONSIN Crosstown & Sundowners AVS Show/Sale East Towne Mall Madison, WI May 1 - 1 Oam - 9pm May 2 - 1 lam - 6pm Info: Nancy Braun (608) 271 - 7796 May 1 & 2 - WISCONSIN Oshkosh AVS 1 9th Annual Show/Sale Park Plaza Mall Downtown Oshkosh-On-The-Water Oshkosh, WI May 1 - 10am - 5pm May 2 - noon - 4:30pm Info: Cathy Heider (920) 685 - 5262 May 1 & 2 - CALIFORNIA Venriira County AVS Annual Show/Sale Buenaventura Mall Mills Rd & Main St Ventura, CA May 1 - 10am - 6pm May 2 - 11am - 6pm Info: Lisa Martinez (805) 983 - 3522 May 1 & 2 - CALIFORNIA Carlsbad AVS Show/Sale Plaza Camino Real Mall Carlsbad, CA May 1 - 1pm - 6pm May 2 - 1 lam - 5pm Info: Betty Roberson (760) 434 - 8116 May 1 & 2 - MISSOURI Metropolitan St Louis AV Council Show/Sale Missouri Botanical Gardens 4344 Shaw St St Louis, MO Both Days: 9am - 5pm Info: Carolyn Burr (314) 225 - 2559 May 1 & 2 - CALIFORNIA San Joaquin AVS Judged Show/Sale Sherwood Mall 5308 Pacific Ave Stockton, CA May 1 - 10am - 6:30pm May 2 - 1 lam - 5pm Info: Doris Weaver (209) 465 - 2214 May 1 & 2 - LOUISIANA Sundowners AVS Spring Show Baton Rouge Garden Center 7950 Independence Blvd Baton Rouge, LA May 1 - 2pm - 6pm May 2 - 1 lam - 4pm Info: Mary McFarland (225) 923 - 3337 May 1 & 2 - OHIO Cincinnati AVS Annual Show/Sale Beechmont Mall Rt 125 & Five Mile Rds Cincinnati, OH May 1 - 1 pm - 9 pm May 2 - noon - 4pm Info: Penny Wichman (606) 384 - 4437 May 7 & 8 - WASHINGTON Longview AVC Show/Sale Triangle Mall Longview, WA Mall Hours Info: Virginia Bailey (360) 577 - 5827 May 7 & 8 - FLORIDA Suncoast AVC Show/Sale St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church Parish Hall 3747 34th St S St Petersburg, FL (across from K-Mart) May 7 - 9am - 4pm May 8 - 9am - 3pm Info: Retta Anderson (727) 866-3468 Sue MacFarlane (727) 866-8830 May 7 & 8 - CANADA Stampede City AVS 23rd Annual Show/Sale Market Mall Shopping Centre 3625 Shaganappi Hail NW Calgary, Alberta, Canada May 7 - 10am - 9pm May 8 - 9:30am - 4pm Info: Winston J. Goretsky (403) 241 - 8300 email: goretsky@cadvision.com May 8 - CALIFORNIA Fancy Bloomers AVS Plant Sale Coddingtown Mall Guemville Rd Santa Rosa, CA Hours.- 10am - 4pm Info: Byron Borck (707) 527 - 8362 May 8 - VIRGINIA Richmond AVS Educational Display/Plant Sale Virginia Center Commons Mall Hours: 10am - 9:30pm Info: Sharon Long (804) 740 - 5322 May 8 - NEW JERSEY AVC of Burlington County Show/Sale Burlington Center Mall Rt 541 Burlington, NJ Hours: 10am - 9pm Info: Laurel Brown (609) 877 - 8696 email: sskalski@snip.net May 8 - OREGON Portland AVS Sale/Display Thbor Heights Methodist Church 6161 SE Stark St (enter on north side of bldg) Hours: 1 lam - 5pm Info: Charlotte Smith (503) 771 - 5762 Valerie Miller (503) 654 - 0559 May 8 - ARKANSAS North Central Arkansas AVS Show/Sale Jacksonville Community Center 5 Municipal Dr Jacksonville, AR Hours: 9am - 5pm Info: Danny Tidwell (501) 726 - 4803 May 15 & 16 - ILLINOIS Glenview/North Shore AVS Judged Show/Sale/Exhibit Chicago Botanic Garden Lake Cook Rd and Edens Expwy Parking $6 for non-garden members Info: Barbara Goodsell (847) 729 - 1690 May 28 - 30 - CANADA AVS of Canada National Convention/Show Civic Garden Centre, Edwards Gardens 777 Lawrence Ave East @ Leslie St Toronto, ON, Canada Info: Beverly Williams (905) 275 - 5408 50 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 It should not be too much of a shock to realize that our national organization, affiliated clubs and individuals belong¬ ing to them are not really reaching the great majority of African violet growers or those who are potential growers. At the risk of preaching, it is necessary to try new approaches to spread the message of how to raise and love these delightful plants. What is that new approach? We do not pretend to have the answer to that query. There is no funding for a big advertising campaign much like the florist association can do. Virtually all of the members have other interests and individuals can spend time only as those other interests permit. The workshops we have conducted have reached perhaps 2,000 people but our followups are made only when one of the people attending calls us with a problem. It is really unknown how many of them have become skilled African violet growers. Clubs conduct annual shows and sales and reach many thousands across the U.S. and in many countries. Have any of them ever done a followup to determine who among their many purchasers have had success raising plants? Furthermore have those people made any effort in passing on skills gained to others? The African Violet Society of America reaches a large share of persons during its annual convention and perhaps it would provide some clues to increased public education and usage if we were to study certain statistics. Perhaps studying where the attendees live, how involved they are in teaching about African violets, and how they go about attracting new “converts” would give us clues to reaching individuals in our own sphere of activity. Beyond a doubt the African Violet magazine is our best advertising medium. With it, individuals can over a period of time learn all of the ins and outs of growing. Unfortunately its use depends upon membership to the society. In the process it competes with many other specialized interest magazines for the household dollar. We note in our own areas of activi¬ ty that local club members do not all hold membership in the society. If some clubs in the nation hold 1 00% membership in the society they might provide clues for other clubs to accom¬ plish it. The magazine is the device that sells memberships. The office and many volunteers do provide other services but the availability is probably only known through reading the mag¬ azine. Of course individual members do pass on some of that information but it is doubtful that the total picture of raising violets can be passed along in this manner. It may sound crass to talk about selling the magazine but it might be one method of obtaining new members. If the idea of obtaining new members works by emphasizing the sale of the magazine, what is the harm? So individuals get other services along with the subscription. It is just another way of packaging to educate people about this delightful hobby. The basic question of why a scheme of reaching more people is important is because in the process of selling sub¬ scriptions to individuals there is great probability that mem¬ berships can be increased in state and local clubs. There is ample information that some of them cannot hold shows because of lack of participating members to carry out the var¬ ious arrangements for conducting it. Many cannot afford to pay for the transportation of judges nor do they have mem¬ bers trained to do the job themselves. Of course there is like value in reaching more people for the national organization because it too, has tasks that need to be accomplished and the more members, the better it can carry out those tasks. Then too, being strictly mercenary about it, there is more money for even more educational func¬ tions. From a commercial standpoint, the more people we reach the more their sales can increase. The better educated cus¬ tomers are, the more success they should have and this serves to obtain repeat business. And it is imperative that they have this success. In our experience the people who have failed for the most part will not be interested in trying again. Success then is the key and this can only be done by edu¬ cation. That can only be accomplished by reaching people and that can only be done by an all out sales approach. We do not have all the answers to the problem. It does seem as though it is a national and perhaps even internation¬ al problem. There may be some individuals who do not see all of this as a problem at all. Perhaps we also need to hear from them. State organizations, clubs and individual members of the African Violet Society may well have suggestions on get¬ ting people interested and successful. Perhaps commercial growers can help? Would a feed back system work in obtaining constructive infonnation? We have described problems that we have seen in our experience. If the need to expand our membership is seen to exist, then the question is: how can we collectively solve the problem? If it is not a problem in some areas how can we benefit from the experience of those people by applying it to the rest of the country? March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 5 1 Moon S^ns Moon tn 0rces Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. Used for destroying noxious growths, weeds, pests, etc., and for cultivating. Moon <*n Taurus Productive and moist, earthy and feminine. Used for planting many crops, particularly potatoes and root crops, and when hardiness is important. Also used for lettuce, cabbage, and similar leafy vegetables. Moon in Q-emini Barren and dry, airy and masculine. Used for destroying noxious growths, weeds and pests, and for cultivation. Moon in Cancer Very fruitful and moist, watery and feminine. This is the most productive sign, used extensively for planting and irrigation. Moon in Leo Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. This is the most barren sign, used only for killing weeds and for cultivation. Moon in 'Yip 90 Barren and moist, earthy and feminine. Good for cultiva¬ tion and destroying weeds and pests. Moon in Lcbra Semi-fruitful and moist, airy 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 in Scorpio 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 tn Sag ifflarius Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. Used for planting onions, seeding hay, and for cultivation. Moon tn 'Capricorn Productive and dry, earthy and feminine. Used for plant¬ ing potatoes, tubers, etc. Moon tn Aquarius Barren and dry, airy and masculine. Used for cultivation and destroying noxious growths, weeds, and pests. Moon tn 'Pcsces Very fruitful and moist, watery and feminine. Used along with Cancer and Scorpio, especially good for root growth. March Moon Table Date Sign Element Nature Phase 1 Mon. 5:05 am Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 2 Tue. Virgo Earth Barren Full L59 am 3 Wed. 1 :34 pm Libra Air Semi-fruit 3rd 4 Thu. Libra Air Semi-fruit 3rd 5 Fri. Libra Air Semi-fruit 3rd 6 Sat. 12:23 am Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 7 Sun. Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 8 Mon. 12:47 pm Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 9 Tire. Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd lOWed. Sagittarius Fire Barren 4th 3:41 am 11 Thu. 12:54 am Capricorn Earth Semi-fruit 4th 12 Fri. Capricorn Earth Semi-fruit 4th 13 Sat. 10:32 am Aquarius Air Barren 4th 14 Sun. Aquarius Air Barren 4th 15 Mon. 4:31 pm Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 16 Tue. Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 17 Wed. 7:13 pm Aries Fire Barren New 1:48 pm 18 Thu. Aries Fire Barren 1st 19 Fri. 8:09 pm Taurus Earth Semi-fruit 1st 20 Sat. Thurus Earth Semi-fruit 1st 21 Sun. 9:05 pm Gemini Air Barren 1st 22 Mon. Gemini Air Barren 1st 23 Tue. 11:33 pm Cancer Water Fruitful 1st 24 Wed. Cancer Water Fruitful 2nd 5:18 am 25 Thu. 4:22 am Leo Fire Barren 2nd 26 Fri. Leo Fire Barren 2nd 27 Sat. Leo Fire Barren 2nd 28 Sun. 11:35 am Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 29 Mon. Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 30 Tues. 8:50 pm Libra Air Semi-fruit 2nd 31 Wed. Libra Air Semi-fruit Full 5:50 pm April Moon Thble Date Sign Element Nature Phase 1 Thu. Libra Air Semi-fruit 3rd 2 Fri. 7:49 am Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 3 Sat. Scorpio Water Fruitful 3rd 4 Sun. 8:08 pm Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 5 Mon. Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 6 Hie. Sagittarius Fire Barren 3rd 7 Wed. 8:39 am Capricorn Earth Semi-fruit 3rd 8 Thu. Capricorn Earth Semi-fruit 4th 9:51 pm 9 Fri. 7:24 pm Aquarius Air Barren 4th 10 Sat. Aquarius Air Barren 4th 1 1 Sun. Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 12 Mon. Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 13 Tue. Pisces Water Fruitful 4th 14 Wed. 5:46 am Aries Fire Barren 4th 15 Thu. Aries Fire Barren New 1 1:22pm 16 Fri. 6:07 am Thurus Earth Semi-fruit 1st 17 Sat. Thurus Earth Semi-fruit 1st 18 Sun. 5:39 am Gemini Air Barren 1st 19 Mon. Gemini Air Barren 1st 20 Tue. 6:28 am Cancer Water Fruitful 1st 21 Wed. Cancer Water Fruitful 1st 22 Thu. 10:06 am Leo Fire Barren 2nd 2:02pm 23 Fri. Leo Fire Barren 2nd 24 Sat. 5:05 pm Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 25 Sun. Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 26 Mon. Virgo Earth Barren 2nd 27 Tue. 2:47 am Libra Air Semi-fruit 2nd 28 Wed. Libra Air Semi-fruit 2nd 29 Thu. 2:13 pm Scorpio Water Fruitful 2nd 30 Fri. Scorpio Water Fruitful Full 9:55 am Reprinted, with permission \Jrom Llewellyn 's 1998 Moon Sign Book. published by Llewellyn Publications, (pages 40, 42 & 233), ISBN 1-56718-933-4 52 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 HELP US CHOOSE THE VERY BEST An Invitation to Send Your Choices for the 1999 Best Variety List Floyd Lawson, 1110 W. Huntington Dr., 21, Arcadia, CA 91007 Every year our best growers and hybridizers advise both beginners and experienced growers to check the Best Varieties List for the surest and most consistent plants to add to their collections. The advice is excellent. The Best Variety List is a yearly compilation of those varieties which have performed well across the nation... and now across the wo rid!... in many different growing conditions, and with many different approaches to growing. Because members of the African Violet Society of America are those who vote for the best varieties, the Best Variety List is YOUR list of those plants which have done the best for YOU. Here is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Which are your favorites? Which would you encourage other growers to buy and grow? Between now and July 31st every member of AVSA is encouraged to sit down and make a list of your 25 favorite plants. We really want to have every member’s opinion. And just to make it very easy we have three ways for you to submit your choices: • Send your list individually, to Floyd Lawson at the address above. • Have a club meeting where the choices are discussed and gather and send the entire list (list all plants which received votes and how many each variety received. Please do not list just 25 for the entire club!). Please also enclose the total number of members voting as well as the name of the affiliate. • Send the list to Floyd Lawson by E-mail at Floydll@earthlink.net Whichever way you make YOUR choices will make the final list all the more meaningful and valuable! Thank you for your response. The list helps hybridizers as their best plants are highlighted before our membership. The list helps growers spend their plant money wisely. The list helps our hobby by giving novices the best experience possible. And “thank you" to each of you who encourage me along the way. I cannot answer notes individually, but they are much appreciated. AVOIDING TRANSPLANT SHOCK IN VARIEGATED PLANTS by Sue Gardner • Australia Variegated plants sometimes develop brown patches after repotting. There are several possible causes for this. 1 . Plants may be affected by cold conditions when trans¬ planting. Repotting causes trauma to plants, and variegated plants seem to be affected more when repotted during the cold weather. Cold potting mix, or cold water can also cause brown blotches. These marks take a day of two to develop. Avoid repotting during cold weather and always avoid cold potting mix and cold water. 2. The leaf tissue of variegated plants seems to be more sensitive to touch. This may possibly be because they contain less chlorophyll. If you use a brush to clean the leaves, make sure that it is very soft. Also, avoid excessive handling and always be gentle. 3. When plants are transplanted the root system is dam¬ aged. If you prune the roots radically, there are fewer roots to absorb water and nutrients. If you water abundantly after repotting, the roots are not recovered sufficiently to deal with the swamp that may develop. Just make the potting mix moist and water sparingly the next day. Add a few drops of plant starter to the water. To obtain the best results with variegated plants, repot during warmer spring days and take extra care as outlined above. Reprinted with peimission from the Early Mom AV Group, Inc., Newsletter, Mt Waverly, Australia March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 53 Iris Keating 149 Loretto Court Claremont, CA 91711 A name reservation 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 reservation period, in which case the balance is then $4.00. Please make check payable to AVSA. Kevin Degner - Oshkosh, WI ‘Kev’s Meteor Shower (8756) 10/22/98 (K. Degner) Semidouble dark purple large ruffled star/coral fantasy. Variegated green, white and pink, heart-shaped, quilted, wavy, scalloped/red back. Large ***** John Brownlie - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada ‘Aca’s Flying Free (8757) 10/27/98 (J. Brownlie) Single¬ semidouble pink sticktite star. Medium green, plain, quilted, serrated. Standard ***** Hortense Pittman - Celina, TX Tool Blue (8758) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Semidouble light blue. Medium green, plain. Semiminiature ‘Dancing Eyes (8759) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Semidouble pink/dark rose eye. Medium green, plain. Semiminiature ‘Foster Trail (8760) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Semidouble fuchsia. Medium green, plain. Semiminiature trailer ‘Gleeful Elf (8761) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double dark blue/white edge. Dark green, plain. Miniature ‘Honey Berry (8762) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double fuch¬ sia. Variegated green and white, plain. Semiminiature ‘Ken (8763) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double dark blue/ white edge. Dark green, wavy. Miniature *My Smokey Trail (8764) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double medium blue. Medium green, plain. Semiminiature trailer ‘Peppy Blue (8765) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Semidouble dark blue/white edge. Dark green, plain. Semiminiature ‘Petite Ruby (8766) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double fuchsia. Variegated green and white, plain. Miniature ‘Planet Kid (8767) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double pale blue/white edge. Light green, ruffled. Miniature ‘Sandy Trail (8768) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Single fuchsia sticktite pansy/white tips. Medium green, plain. Miniature trailer ‘Spindletop (8769) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Single-semi¬ double white sticktite pansy/fuchsia center. Dark green, plain. Standard ‘Teen Thunder (8770) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double blue/white edge. Medium green, quilted. Semiminiature ‘Texas Space Dust (8771) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Semidouble light pink pansy. Variegated green and white, plain. Miniature ‘Wishful Teen (8772) 10/28/98 (H. Pittman) Double bright pink. Variegated dark green and white, plain. Miniature ***** Kent Stork - Fremont, NE ‘Floozie (8773) 11/14/98 (K. Stork) Semidouble-double vivid pink pansy/thin raspberry sparkled edge. Dark green, plain. Large ‘Impostor (8774) 11/14/98 (K. Stork) Semidouble-double plum-wine star/white edge. Variegated dark green, cream and pink, plain. Standard ‘Silent Prayer (8775) 11/14/98 (K. Stork) Single-semi¬ double lavender large star/darker frilled edge. Medium green, plain. Large ‘Smooch Me (8776) 11/14/98 (K. Stork) Single-semidouble rose-pink pansy/variable red eye. Dark green, quilted, glossy, serrated. Standard ‘Velvet Brocade (8777) 11/14/98 (K. Stork) Single-semi- double vivid purple star/white edge. Variegated dark green, cream and pink, plain, quilted/red back. Standard ‘Verdict (8778) 11/14/98 (K. Stork) Single-semidouble lavender-purple two-tone pansy. Medium-dark green, quilted, glossy, wavy. Standard NAME RESERVATIONS George Gay - Wickliffe, KY (Each of the following is preceded by the name George’s) * Apple Blossoms * Bright Eyes * Day After * Happy Face * Hologram * Hurricane Andrew * Make Believe * Night Before * Phalaenopsis Red * Red Mirage 54 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 AVSA ADVERTISING GUIDELINES Judith M. Carter, Advertising Manager AFRICAN VIOLET MAGAZINE Advertising Rates, Mechanicals & Deadlines Deadlines Jan/Feb issue Nov 1 5 Jul/Aug issue May 1 5 Mar/Apr issue Jan 1 5 Sep/Oct issue Jul 1 5 May/June issue Mar 1 5 Nov/Dec issue Sep 1 5 Mechanicals & Rates: One Column (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 % INCH $22.40 PER IN. $25.00 PER IN. % PAGE BLACK & WHITE $95 $104.50 PAGE BLACK & WHITE $175 $192.50 FULL PAGE BLK & WHITE $345 $379.50 */2 PAGE COLOR $475 $522.50 FULL PAGE COLOR $595 $654.50 Advertiser provides color separations. Special - Buy 5 ads and receive the 6th ad free when all 6 ads are paid in full in advance All ads should he same size. Content of ad can change for each issue. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 15 word/$ 15.00 Minimum. Each additional word $1; series of numbers count as a word. Purchase 5 ads and receive the 6* 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 those listed for the regular advertising section. INTERNET WEB PAGE Any advertiser who purchases six consecutive ads may have his business listed on the AVSA Web Page 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. Membership - $30.00 per year - USA. 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 m 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 in order to place an ad. The product or service must be plant-related to qualify. This 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 m AVSA. Example: 1” ad Commercial Member $30.00 1” ad Non-Commercial $33.00 One year (six issues) of non-commercial ads will cost an additional $18.00 for ads. Full page Black & White for Commercial Member Full page Black & White for Non-Commercial Member One year (six issues) of non-commercial 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 The 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 m 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 19506 Mills Meadow Lane Houston. Texas 77094-3412 Phone: 281-492-2034 email: avmads@avsa.org Please leave a phone number where you may be reached. $345.00 $379.50 ads will cost an additional $207.00 March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 55 TravisNiolets P.O.BOX 42 OCHLOCKNEE, GA. 31773 3 FREE VIOLETS! Phone 1-912-574-5167 (DAY) 1-912-574-5236 (NIGHT) FAX: 1-912-574-5605 e-mail:tviolets@ aol.com r ^ MasterCard.. Order now before May 1 , 1999 and get 3 FREE violets, our choice. Min. order for this special is 12 PLANTS. Order from ad or from over 300 varieties listed in our 1999 Catalog. Send $2.00. SOME OF THE NEW VARIETIES WE HAVE TO OFFER: 1998-99 TRAVIS’ VIOLETS $4.00 Heaven's A Calling Hal’s Bonnie Blue Georgia Starburst Star Eclipse Darlin' Darlene Georgia Sunset Violets Aglow Baby’s Breath Radiant Glow 1998 LYONS S4.00 Arctic Frost Blue Masterpiece Blushing Fantasy Broadway Star Designer Print Faded Denim Festive Amethyst Golden Flash Golden Fountain Harvest Moon Kissing Bandit Lying Eyes Midnight Frolic Moon Goddess Nightfall Phantom Pink Feathers Pirate's Gold Rainbow Connection Rainy Day Wishes Royal Rage Sergeant Pepper Sunny Skies The Artist Thunder N’ Lightning Velvet Valentine MINIS AND SEMIMINIS Fireworks Golden Eye Irish Touch Kiss N’Tell Little Chatterbox Party Flirt Smitten Kitten Snow Leopard Also LYONS 1997 Varieties and other new releases. Please list several substitutes. 1998-99 Plants - $4.00 ea.; All other $3.00 ea. Please add $6.00 or 20%, whichever is greater for First Class Shipping. Shipping starts April 1st - Weather permitting. ORDERS SHIPPED IN ORDER RECEIVED Try our SUPER SPECIAL - Twelve Husky Starters - all different - All plants OUR CHOICE, but all different - $38 Postpaid. New and older varieties of African violets, from leading hybridizers, and our new plants. Specify: Special #1 -Standards; Special #2-Semis and Minis; Special #3-Standards, Semis and Minis; Special #4-Standards, Semis, Minis and Trailers. VISA/MASTERCARD/DISCOVER CREDIT CARD - List all info on card (exp. date). Minimum credit card order is $30.00. Greenhouse opened 7 days a week, please call first. COMMERCIAL MEMBER: AVSA AND DIXIE. Visit our web site: www.imox.com/travisviolets Mamiah 's greenhouses "mail order specialists" African Violets, Gesneriads, Geraniums & Tropical Flowering Plants well established starter plants fresh-cut leaves growing supplies We take pride in our expert wrapping and packaging Shipping throughout Canada, United States and Internationally View the catalog on-line at www.alannahs.com To receive a copy of the '99 catalog, please send $2.00 (available in early February) Box 1342 Grand Forks, BC VOH1H0 Canada Box 2 Danville, WA 99121 US c~^ozell Rose Nursery & Violet Boutique Presents 1999 Catalog Champion • Clive • Cox • Croteau Elkin • Foster • Mwnk • Pittman Dr. Jeff Smith Over 600 African Violets & Gesneriads Antique Roses & Miniature Roses (available in U.S.A. Request Rose List) Supplies • Flora-Carts • Soil • Gift Certificates Send $2.50 ($5.00 International) for 1999 Catalog Available Feb. 15th Visitors welcome by appointment. i^sSSSi BILLY and CAROLYN ROZELL 12206 Flwy. 31 West Phone: 903-595-5137 Tyler, TX 75709-9738 Fax: 903-593-7956 56 African Violet Magazine March • April 1999 4£k VIOLET SHOWCASE SPECIAL OFFER w 10 Violet Showcase Plant Assortment - Six different standard sized starter plants will be chosen for you from our available stock when your order arrives. We will choose an assortment of leaf and blossom types and bloom color in each shipment. All plants will be husky, well-rooted, named, labeled varieties in 2 1/4" pots. A $29.00 value - our choice of varieties - only $16.00 which includes packing and Priority Mail shipping, and a free catalog/list, or $28 per dozen plants. Tell us if you would like any minis or trailers in your assortment. We ship plants May thru October. Violet Showcase Basic Supplies Kit - All of the supplies necessary to try wick watering (a great way to grow violets!) PLUS step-by-step instructions. Includes a 1 oz. pouch of Voikmann Bros Constant Feed Fertilizer (15-30-15), a 3 quart bag of Potting Medium (especially mixed for wicking), 6 Voikmann Bros, wicking saucers, six 3" tub pots, six 3 1/2" tub pots, 6 yds. of wicking cord, and our best-selling VIOLETS THE SHOWCASE WAY booklet. A $26.00 value for only $16.00 which includes UPS shipping and handling, and a free catalog/list. We ship supplies year round. Send for your free complete catalog/descriptive plant list of supplies and violets. Telephone (303) 761-1770 • FAX (303) 762-1808 i&S Visit our web page at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/violet_showcase The Violet Showcase 3147 South Broadway - Dept AV - Englewood, Colorado 80110 Open Monday - Saturday 10 to 5 (Mountain Time) closed Sunday & Tuesday Established 1969 FOLLETT’S WATCH US GROW LIQUID FERTILIZER African Violet enthusiasts get superior results with our gentle liquid fertilizer. • Vibrant blooms • Lush foliage ]ja/|U • Non-Burning Special directions for feeding African Violets : Mix !4 tbsp. of Watch Us Grow per gallon of water to feed plants once every week, then flush with plain water every fourth week. See for yourself! Call for a trial size bottle and booklet, only $2.00. 1-800-799-2824. www . watchusgrow . com ^ A new independent AV and Gesneriad publication! Gesneriad NEWS IN CANADA $15/ur (4 issues ) (All other countries $15. US) Send for a sample copy - only $2. Payment must be made out to John Beaulieu Productions 37 Shaw Crescent, Barrie, Ontario L4N 4Z3 (705) 726-7363 CLASSIFIED ADS BAYOU VIOLETS - LEAVES ONLY Request catalog $ 1 .00 Check payable to Genelle Armstrong 1313 Gardenia Drive Metairie, LA 70005-1152 NEPTUNE’S HARVEST ORGANIC FERTILIZERS Top of the line. Commercial proven. Outperform chemicals. Free catalog 1 (800) 259-GROW (4769) March • April 1999 African Violet Magazine 57 fflew Ceramic Reservoir Pots 5 pack: $34.95 ^Collection in plastic mini-wells still $29.95 Postpaid to 48 states Alaska & Hawaii add $10.00 Super Miniatures Receive a collection of 5 Little Jewels® violets direct from Holtkamp. The Mini-Well™ or blue ceramic reservoirs are included along with fertilizer. These minis are easy to grow! Teas Nursery Co., Inc., P.0. Box 1603, Bellaire, TX 77402-1603 Teas Catalog FREE to AVSA Fertilizers, violet pots including the Dandy Pot® plus orchids, plumerias, bromeliads, books, and supplies. 1 -800-446-7723 www.teasnursery.com Country Violets Greenhouse 2010 Enon Rd. Webb, AL 36376 Quality plants and leaves from many great hybridizers. Send for our catalog of more than 250 varieties e-mail: royh@graceba.net Phone: 334-899-7142 check us out on the web www.graceba.net/~royh A & W VIOLETS OUR SECOND YEAR Best organized New varieties Lots more starter plants! Catalog $2 8704 E. 92nd PI. K.C. MO. 64138 (816) 765-5589 500 Varieties - NO LIST - Shipping “Our Bill & Kathryn Paauwe Choice” leaves only (with suggestions). 45 Third Street Specify Std or Mini/Semi. $1 .00 per variety, W. Sayville, NY 1 1 796 plus $7.00 per order for Priority Mail. (516) 589-2724 Inquiries invited. violetsbyappointment@juno.com AV WORLD’S BEST SELLER Thanks to “G-T-S” I just won my first Best in Show award! I tell everyone, "If you don't have this book, you aren't growing violets to their full potential." Mrs. M. L. Horne (Includes unique chapter on "Miniaturing the Miniatures") p\us*e t 9 s10?