Number 5 September • October 2009 Volume 62 AVSA Information FOR CONDUCTING BUSINESS WITHIN YOUR SOCIETY FOR ACCURATE SERVICE, SEND YOUR INQUIRIES TO THE CORRECT PEft^MfcW^ySjll^yj^OUR NAME AND ADDRESS. MEMBERSHIP DUES INCREASE EFFECTIVE JULY 1,2007: MASTER VARIETY LIST: MVL SUPPLEMENTS: Download from t AVSA office for $1.00. Orders in writing only. 5 f new cultivars with hybridizer’s n le, Hanover Park, IL 50130. ? CARDS: Sent to Associate Memt receive card on white protective cover of AVM. AVSA OFFICE: Jenny Daugereau, Office Manager, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702, 409-839-4725; FAX 409-839-4329. Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. CST. I MEMBERSHIP DUES INCREASE EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2007: Send check payable to AVSA for new or renewable membership Office, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702; phone 409-839-4725. OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE: AVSA Secretary, Nancy Hayes, c Remit l!i 1 s do • USA bank. See Membership Cobblestone Rd„ Bloomfield, CT 06002-3003. Application. Master Card/Visa accepted - Individual Membership USA ($30.00) Associate Member USA ($ 15.00-no magazine) (Must reside at same address as a person having any other il Individual, Canada ($35.00) ’ * •» Canada ($17.50) ividual, other than Canada ($40.00) ($70.00) interested, qualified, potential research personnel to Dr. Jeff Smith, 3014 W. Amherst Rd„ Munde, IN 47304. SHOW SCHEDULE APPROVER: For information on Shows, AVSA Awards, and Approving Schedules write to: Meredith Hall, P. 0. Box 370, Marlin, TX 76661. E-mail . Do not send Show Schedules by E-mail - this address is for information ONLY. Please check for new prices on AVSA Show Packets. packet and AVSA collection rosettes a : $5.00 V Library **** ($45 ' 00) SSA packet and two sets of rosettes; $27.50 when requesting the SSA Life MeriSr USA ($600.00) paCket and three of rosettes . Ufe Member intemadonal ($750.00) AFRICAN VIOLET MAGAZINE INFORMATION MAGAZINE: Copyrighted 2007, The African Violet Society of America, Inc., SSSK Blanding Ln., Tucson, AZ 85747. E-mail all rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form or by any wiIsorrav-@tXpS)ay.rr.com " T p ^ R 33606 ’ Email * VM EDITOR: Ruth Rumsey, 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702; AVSA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION: Dr. Elmer Godenv 11473 Denham ARtStc 409 ~ 839 ‘ 4329 - E mail . ’ ff! E ™ NG MANAGER: Advertising rates and information. CONVENTION PROGRAM: Send spedal requests for workshop programs 15 °° NE Mayview ’ Mhany ’ 0R 973 V' & or interesting speakers to Kathy Lahti. Convention Director, 41570fr!erAv(f (Ad rates on web site: AVSA.org). N.W., Annandale, MN 55302, Email Ifinre^S r\Y ERT1S,NG DEADLINES: Jan/Feb. issue - Nov. 1; Mar/Apr. issue - an- m^r^ring a national convention in your area, contact ConvS Jl {£*£ “ ^ug. issue - May 1; Sept/Oct. issue - July FUTURE CONVENTION DATES: Raleigh, NC - April 11 - April 18 201 n Com P Iete your set now. Request price list of available issues JUDGE’S DUPLICATE CARD: Send self-addressed stamped emidcpe to Bffl SrSS 6 ' *** SASE for “«• 20719 Foster, 3610 Gray Dr.. Mesquite. TX 75150. ^ f/T VARIETIES: HONOR ROLL COMPILER Floyd Lawson, 20719 JUDGING SCHOOL: To register a judging school send reouest to "™™A v e.,Torrance,CA90503. ., Loomis, 603 N. San Fran^St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001. A£>n feetf ^^tributions to Shirley Berger, 2822 S. Mainsail LIBRARY: Order AVSA slide programs and packet s from AVSA nffW 2 375 RESEARCH FUND: Send contributions to Marlene Buck, North Street, Beaumont, TX 7770 2. List in September issue. Requests must Bim.nwr M?^ Sun Clty ’ ^ 85373-1958. u _ be in writing. List top 3 choices. Allow 6 weeks for delivery if vou have FUND: *** contributions to Susan Hapner, ideas for a library program or slides to donate, write Anne Nicholas 3113 Dr - Chesterfield, MO 63017. . . Deerfield Dr., Denton/TX 76208. 3113 SZfSL? ^DRESS: Send new address at least 30 days before it * to POSTMASTER: Please send change of address f< The Aftican Violet Magazine (ISSN 0002-0265) is published bi-monthly- SubSption^^o^TX 77 il 3579 to African Violet Magazine, 237^^^^ African Violet AUG 1 6 M° 3 MAGAZINE September • October GARDEN LIBRARY Volume 62 Number 5 CONTENTS FEATURES To All AVSA Members: Exciting Changes are Coming in 2010!.5 ‘Plumbeny Glow’ - Kathy Lahti.9 Effects of Various Light Intensities on Germination of AV Seeds - Ronn Nadeau.10 ‘Sassy Sadie’ - Paul Sorano.12 ‘Breaking News’ - Kent Stork.13 ‘Episcia ‘Thad’s Red Crocodile’ - Leonard Re.13 Guilty as Charged: Managing Your African Violet Addiction - Mary S. Schaeffer.14 Tight Crowns and Stunted Growth - Deanna Stewart. ..15 You Have New Members! Now What? - Kathy Bell_15 ‘Milky Way Trail’ - Hans Inpijn.16 Reclassification of the Species - Bill Foster.19 ‘Rhapsodie Sophia’: To Hell and Back - Linda D. Garramone.22 What Is Wrong With My Plant? - Sue Gardner.24 What is in Your Toolbox? - Marge Huntley.24 The Fortunate Accident - Don Geiss.26 Cutting Back Your Big Sinns - John Beaulieu.28 Cultivating Young African Violet Growers - Joan Russo . 30 How Important is “Scale” in Container Gardens - Pat Hancock.31 AVSA Library Materials For Sale.31 Twenty Years of Chasing the Canary - Rich Follett-32 Plant Symmetry - Dr. Jeff Smith.35 Metropolitan St. Louis AV Council.35 Recognizing Early Signs of Some Pests and Diseases - Sue Gardner.36 You’re Never Too Old... - Pat Knight.40 Prepare to Over-Winter TUbers & Rhizomes - Marge Huntley.46 Moon Signs and Planting Guide.46 Planting by Moon Signs.47 Temperatures - Stan Sudol.48 Capillary Matting.50 ‘Rob’s Zoot Suit’ - Andrea Worrell.52 ‘Rosy Cheeks’ - Loma Russell.53 ‘Texas Space Dust’ - Richard Nicholas.53 Floral Design - An Art - Ray Lange.54 Grooming Your African Violets.57 Splash and Dash - Marie Montague.59 DEPARTMENTS Index of Ads.2 Officers & Staff.2 President’s Message - Ron Davidson.3 Editor’s Notes - Ruth Rumsey.4 Registration Report - Joe Bruns.5 In Search of New Violets - Dr. Jeff Smith.6 AVSA Building Maintenance Fund - Susan Hapner.7 Boyce Edens Research Fund - Marlene J. Buck.7 Small Thlk - Laurel D. Goretsky.8 Shows & Judges - Bill Foster.17 For Beginners - Elmer Godeny.18 Statement of Condition.19 Question Box - Ralph Robinson.20 A Family Portrait - Georgene Albrecht.25 CONVENTION Raleigh 2010 Convention - Specific Awards - Judith Carter.41 The Once and Future Violet in Raleigh, NC - Tom Glembocki.49 AVSA Booster Fund - Shirley Berger.27 2009 AVSA Library Message - Anne Nicholas.38 “And the winners are...” - Mary J. Corondan.42 Anne & Frank Tinari Endowment Fund - Janet Riemer. 45 In Memory.51 Affiliate Update - Lynne Wilson.57 Coming Events.58 Membership Application.59 Eternal Orbit Best New Cultivar AVSA 2009 National Show Hybridized by: Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses’ Photo Credit: Winston J. Goretsky September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 1 Index of Advertisers African Rainforest Conservancy.62 American Orchid Society.Inside back Cover AVS of Canada.64 Belisle’s Violet House.61 Beverly’s Violets/Oyama Planters.62 Bloomlovers.Inside Back Cover Bluebird Greenhouses.64 Buckeye & Bluegrass Violets.62 Cape Cod Violetry.Inside Back Cover Cedar Creek Violets.63 Cryptanthus Society.60 Dave’s Violets.63 Gesneriad Society.63 Growing to Show. 61 Hobby Greenhouse. 64 Indoor Gardening Supplies.62 Jack’s Violets.62 Jan’s Workshop.Inside Back Cover JoS Volets.62 Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses.61 Mrs Strep Streps.60 Nadeau African Violet Seeds.64 Out of Africa.60 Pat’s Pets.62 Patty’s Plants & Antiques.60 Physan 20.64 Reed’s Greenhouse.60 Selective Gardner.61 Shirley’s Bloomin’ Blossoms.63 Steven’s Plant Shop.Inside Back Cover The Planter Depot.63 The Violet Bam.Back Cover Travis’ Violets .60 Violet Gallery.64 VioletSupply.com. 60 Watercamel. 63 WWW.AFRICANVIOLETBOOKS.COM.60 2 Afrki\n Violet Magazine OFFICERS Ron Davidson, President 941 F.M. 2377, Red Oak, TX 75154 I email: Chiefrond@aol.com Linda Golubski, 1st Vice-President || 1416 N.W. A St., Blue Springs, MO 6401S email: lgolubski@sbcglobal.net John Carter, 2nd Vice-President 1825 W Lincoln St, Broken Arrow, OK 75011 email: johntcarter@valomet.com Winston J. Goretsky, 3rd Vice-President 1 32 Scimitar Point N.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3L 2B2 email: Winston@Goretsky.ca Edna Rourke, Treasurer 99 Old Stratford Rd., Shelton, CT 06484 email Apapillion@aol.com Sue Ramser, Secretary 2413 Martin, Wichita Falls, TX 76308 i email ramserwf@wf.net Joyce Stork, Immediate Past President 2501 E. 23rd Ave. S, Fremont, NE 68025 j email Kents@tvsonline.net STAFF Ruth Rumsey, Editor 2375 North Street, Beaumont, IX 77702 email rrumsey@earthlink.net Cindi Nofeiger, Advertising Manager 1500 NE. Mayview Dr, Albany, OR 97321 email: ccnofeiger@comcast.net Marjorie Bullard, Publications Chairman 6301 Meadow Vista Dr #1217 Corpus Christi, TX 78414-2639, IA 50613 email marjbcrp@sbcglobal.net _ 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 die opinion of AVSA. ^ September • October 20$ President’s Message By Ron Davidson , President ummer has come and gone. I hope it has not been too hot for our members and their African violets. In Texas it has been quite hot this summer and over the magic number of one hundred too many times. We’re looking forward to the cooler days of fall. I hope everyone has been growing and grooming their violets for the fall shows. Fall is a great time for me because of the fall regional and state African violet conven¬ tions, and the adventures of fall hunting (deer and turkey). If I am not at an African violet show and sale, I will be in the Oklahoma or Texas woods. The up-grade to the web-site contract has been approved and signed for the i21 Company to develop the AVSA web site. The new web site should be on line prior to 2010 AVSA convention. The Internet Committee Chair, Web-master, and Third Vice- President will be monitoring the contractor during this process. The Membership and Promotion Committee is sending new AVSA members’ contact information to all affiliates within their respective areas. I hope the affiliates are contacting these new members to pro¬ mote their local club. All affiliate presidents should check the AVSA web site to ensure that their club con¬ tact person and e-mail address is correct. Many emails sent to club contacts have been returned to the Mem¬ bership and Promotion Committee. The Library Committee has requested that our rental fee for the 35 mm slide programs be reduced to accommodate clubs renting them for programs throughout the year. The reduction in the rental fees has been approved. Please look in this issue for the Library Programs that are available and the new, lower rental fees. Any of the AVSA Directors and Committee Chairs planning to attend regional and state conventions this fall should order some of AVSA’s new DVD and CD programs to take with them. This is another good way to raise money for our society. The programs are available through the AVSA office. Last year, my wife, Janice, and I attended three fall conventions and I sold forty-seven library programs for AVSA. The members 941 F. M. 2377 • Red Oak, TX 75154 Email: chiefrond@aol.com attending the conventions see the value of these programs and are eager to purchase them for their local clubs. The 2011 convention is scheduled to be in the Philadelphia/Delaware/New Jersey area. Janice and I had the pleasure of meeting with Kathy Lahti, AVSA Convention Director, and Joan Santino, local affiliate contact, to tour the hotels and areas of interest in the three state area. Kathy will soon be rec¬ ommending which hotel is best for the AVSA 2011 convention. We visited Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Hershey Chocolate World, and Longwood Gardens while in the area. Our members will have much to see and do during the convention. I took my own advice for summer travel by visit¬ ing some of our commercial members. We stopped by Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses in Dolgeville, NY, and Paul took us on a tour of the greenhouses and his property. It is truly a very pretty layout with a creek running around the property. It is also quite close to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We also stopped by Dave’s Violets in Springfield, Missouri. David Harris gave us the grand tour of his prize-winning s inningias. And, yes, of course we pur¬ chased a number of plants from both of them to take back to Texas. We also stopped by and visited former AVSA President Linda Owens and her husband, AVSA Web Master, Jim, in their new home in Springfield, Ohio. They are both doing great in the new surroundings and getting to know their new neighbors. It was great to get away from the hot weather for a while, but most rewarding were our visits with violet friends and seeing the sites. We saw Niagara Falls, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, battlefields, wineries, and the barns...to include the farmlands along the highways. It was only 102°F when we arrived back in Texas, but with fall we’re enjoying some cooler weather. Happy growing, good luck, and keep smiling. Ron Davidson President, AVSA September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 3 t’s been a very hot summer in Texas, with weeks of temperatures over 100° F. And even though the African violets in the office are in a nice air-conditioned setting, the lack of humidity and the heat outside have affected them. Fortunately, one of our For Beginner colum¬ nists, Elmer Godeny, addresses this topic in “Boy...is it HOT! on page 18. I have to thank my good friend, Dave Harris, of Dave’s Violets in Springfield, MO. I ran a photo in the last issue of a Sinningia (July/Aug ’09, pg 36), which Dave grew and entered in the National Show in Reno. This plant won the honor of Best Other Gesneriad in the show. The information I had on the plant listed the name as 5. ‘Ozark Razzamatazz,’ Ozark being the name of a series of Dave’s Sinnirgia hybrids. Dave called to let me know that while he did grow and enter the plant, he was not the hybridizer. The true name of the plant is Sinningia ‘Razzamatazz,’ and the hybridizer is Good news for those clubs who rent slide shows from the AVSA Library for their meeting programs. The cost of these rentals has been significantly reduced to $15 for any new program, and $10 for those over two- years-old. I know many of you were concerned about the cost increase, and AVSA does listen to the membership. Those of you who call the office wanting to purchase African violet seeds will be pleased to see we have a new advertiser, Nadeau African Violet Seeds on page 64. Owner Ronn Nadeau has also made a contribution to this issue with his article, “Effects of Various Light Intensities on Germination of African Violet Seeds,” on page 10. At my request, our African violet sleuth. Rich Follett, explores the search for yellow African violets on page 32 with his article, “Twenty Years of Chasing the Canary.” Pat Hancock, of Buckeye and Bluegrass Violets, asked me to help her get in touch with a grower named Charlene, who sent Pat two of her older plants. Pat’s contact information is in her ad on page 62 in this issue. Remember to support the AVM advertisers, and encourage all commercial members to support AVSA by advertising in the African Violet Magazine. Note to All Groups Registering a Judging School First, many thanks are due Elinor Skelton email you receive from me. for her long years serving as the Judging School Registrar. I have modeled my set of directions and registration form on hers. However, it greatly expedites the process if everything can be done by email, with minimal help from our friendly snails. Please contact me at ruthloomis@msn.com, and I’ll email forms and instructions. The filled-in application is then emailed back to me. At the same time, you will mafia check for the $15.00 fee, made out to AVSA, to Edna Rourke, the AVSA Treasurer. (Edna Rourke, 99 Old Stratford Rd., Shelton, CT 06484). A form to enclose with the check is included with the This is much simpler than my receiving the check and sending it on to Edna, and I prefer to stay out of the money loop. When I hear from Edna, that she has received your check. I’ll notify you that your school has been registered and send a copy of your registration form to the AVSA Shows and Judges Chairman, Bill Foster. I wish all of you successful and enjoyable judging schools. Ruth Loomis Judging School Scheduler 4 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Registration Report 1220 Stratford Lane • Hanover Park, IL 60133 By JoeBruns Email: jbruns@qwip.net name reservation costs $1.00 ($5.00 for non-members) for each plant, and is valid for two years, after which time it may be extended two years for an additional $1.00 ($5.00 for non-members). Registration of the plant is $5.00 ($25.00 for non-members) unless completed within the reservation period, in which case the balance is $4.00 ($20.00 for non-members). C. Craig Coleman - Greensboro, NC ‘Coleman’s Queen Nefertiti’ (10032) 04/12/2009 (C. Coleman) Semidouble-double pink. Variegated medium green, pink, white and gold, serrated/red back. Standard ‘Wizard’s Zimmy’ (10037) 04/16/2009 (S. Jones) Double purple wasp/white edge. Variegated medium green and pink, plain, hairy/red back. Semiminiature Vicky VanPatten - Lake Tapps, WA ‘Sara Davidson’ (10038) 04/20/2009 (V. VanPatten) Single chimera white/purple stripe. Light green, pointed, quilted, glossy. Standard ‘Van’s Whimsy’ (10039) 04/20/2009 (V. VanPatten) Single chimera pink star/purple stripe, fantasy. Medium green, pointed. Standard Sherlene Jones - Jackson, MO ‘Wizard’s Enchanted Water’ (10033) 04/16/2009 (S. Jones) Semidouble-double white wasp/purple eye, green edge. Variegated light green and white, plain, serrated/bustle back. Standard ‘Wizard’s Josi Rose’ (10034) 04/16/2009 (S. Jones) Semidouble white wasp/purple shading, green edge. Variegated light green and white, plain. Standard ‘Wizard’s RiLynn Kay’ (10035) 04/16/2009 (S. Jones) Semidouble pink two-tone wasp. Variegated medium green and pink, plain, scalloped/red bustle back. Standard ‘Wizard’s Thunderkiss’ (10036) 04/16/2009 (S. Jones) Semidouble fuchsia frilled wasp/white edge. Medium green, heart-shaped, ruffled/red back. Standard Janet Stromborg - Denmark, WI ‘Allegro Diamond Broker’ (10040) 04/29/2009 (J. Stromborg) Single-semidouble dark red-violet ruffled pansy/red sparkle overlay, red sparkle frilled edge. Dark green, heart-shaped, quilted, glossy, serrated/red back. Standard ‘Allegro Highland Holly’ (10041) 04/29/2009 (J. Stromborg) Semidouble-double pink ruffled pansy/fuchsia fantasy, fuchsia glitter edge. Dark green, pointed, quilted, hairy, holly, serrated/red back. Standard REGISTRATION CHANGES The following description has been corrected by the Plant Registration and Master Plant List Committee: Yesterday’s Shadow (9992) Change from Standard to Standard trailer. To All AVSA Members: Exciting Changes are Coming in 2010! Ruth Rumsey, AVM Editor Yom African Violet Magazine will soon have a new look. The AVSA Board of Directors has decided to reduce the width and height of the magazine by a small amount, while dou¬ bling the amount of color pages. The amount of pages will stay the same, as will the font size - so the text will remain at the current, easily-read size. What we will be losing is the need for fillers, when an article may not fill an entire page. We will have so many more color pages that we’ll have room for many mote color photos: those of show¬ winning plants, as well as more articles with color illustrations. The first issue in this reduced size will be the January/February 2010 AVM. The ensuing months are needed to work out the changes to the production process. Also, your Board of Directors felt that it would be best for a change to come at the beginning of a new year, especially for our members who save their magazines, keeping them in a collection. Change can be difficult But this change will: • save this organization thousands of dollars annually • reduce the cost of postage • keep the AVM intact • keep our dues at the current rate • double the amount of color pages in each issue. Fortunately, we have a leadership and Board of Directors dedicated to keeping AVSA strong and dedicated to keeping the African Violet Magazine a high quality, informative publication. Please contact me if you have questions or suggestions. As I have staled often - this is YOUR magazine. I value your input very much. September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 5 In Search of New Violets Eh"- Jeff Smith, The Indiana Academy ver the last few months, a number of questions have come in regarding hybridizing with chimera or pinwheel African violets. Since I’ve not done a lot of work with chimeras in hybridizing, I posted some questions to the various internet discussion groups asking folks to share their experiences. Some of the replies have been surprising. This column will try to summarize what has been reported and discussed. I hope that others who have hybridizing experience with chimeras will send in their observations for use in future columns. Q: If / cross a chimera with a chimera, will / get A: Although this would seem to be a logical way to produce chimera plants, the mutation that causes chimeras appears to be a change in the tissue organization and structure of the plant, not a change in their cellular DNA. As such, the mutation is not transmitted to offspring through sexual reproduction or asexually through leaf cuttings. The tissue organization change of a chimera can only be trans¬ mitted through buds. Buds maintain the tissue structure change of a chimera. This is why chimeras can only be repro¬ duced through suckers or other types of buds such as those on flower stalks. An analogy in humans to chimeras might be illustrated by a change in the structural organization of your hand where a finger has been damaged and the nail bed of the finger is no longer able to grow a fingernail. This change in your body structure has certainly changed your appearance, but it can’t be inherited by your offspring. No change was made in your reproductive DNA that you pass on to offspring. Having said chimeras don’t appear to be inherited through the DNA changes, I have received one or two reports of chimera offspring showing up in seedlings from chimera parents. However, the rate is very low, usually less than 1%. With rates this low, it is difficult to separate a DNA inheritance of chimeras versus a structural change in a seedling that resuted in a chimera. In any event, crossing two chimeras together does not appear to be a good strategy in producing more chimera plants. Q: If l use a chimera as a parent, which stripe color will be inherited? H A: The reports seem to indicate that the offeprine horn a chimera inherit the traits of the center stripe more than they do the mrter stripe. This is not unexpected as the reproductive nssue of the stamens and pistil are mote likely to o rigin,,. Ball State University • Muncie, IN 47306 Email: JSmith4@bsu.edn from the same tissue as the center stripe of the petals. Therefore, if the flower has a white outer stripe and blue center stripe, the blue color will be inherited. If the flower has a blue outer stripe and a white center stripe, the white color will most likely be passed on to the offspring. However, since white is recessive to most other colors, the flower color erf the other parent will likely dominate in this last 6 African Violet Magazine Q: I’ve had trouble getting seed pods to take on my chimera plants. Are chimeras sterile? A: The responses to this question have been particularly interesting. A number of hybridizers who are successful in making other crosses have reported problems when working with chimeras. The problem is especially evident when the chimera plant is the seed parent. In some cases, the pollination appears to fail and no seed pod develops at all. Some hybridizers reported making a series of crosses all on the same day and all of the crosses taking, except any involving chimeras. In other cases, the seed pod develops, but they are mostly empty. Very few, if any, viable seeds are inside when the seed pod matures. Enough reports came in on this problem that it seems likely that chimeras do have some degree of sterility, especially when used as the seed parent. It is unclear exactly why chimeras would have a sterility problem Plants are known to have systems that check the compatibility between the pollen and the stigma of the flower There are genetic mechanisms known in some plants that will prevent the pollen tube from growing towards the egg if the pollen is from a different species or if the pollen donor is too alike genetically to the seed parent. Because chimeras are a mixture of two tissues, perhaps the pollen compatibility mechanism is unable to function properly. It might be difficult to tell if the pollen is the same or different than yourself when you are already a mixture of two tissue types. This could cause all pollen to be rejected and the cross to fail. Chimeras with green stripes are likely to have the sterility problem further complicated by the presence of the green pigment. It is well known that green flowers often have false pregnancies, setting seed pods but not producing any seed. This is due to the flower parts in green flowers behaving more like leaves than sexual organs. Quite likely, this sterility problem comes into play with the green striped chimeras too, making them essentially useless for hybridizing. The success using a chimera as a pollen parent was less clear. There were no clear reports of a sterility problem with a chimera pollen parent, but few folks reported making a cross this way. Most hoped to conserve the chimera traits and used September • October 2009 the chimera plant as the seed parent, not as the pollen parent. I would expect less of a problem with sterility with a chimera pollen parent because of the shear numbers of pollen grains produced per plant as compared to eggs. However, data is lacking on the extent of a sterility problem, if any, with a chimera pollen parent. Q: Does the variegation in a chimera plant affect the ability to use it in hybridizing? A: The few reports that I’ve seen on successful hybridizing with a chimera all seemed to be using non- variegated plants. I wouldn’t expect variegation to make a difference in the success of a cross using chimeras, but the sample size of the successful crosses makes it too early to tell for sure. September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 7 Talk 32 Scimitar Point N.W. • Calgary, Alberta, Canada Email: Laurel@Goretsky.ca he convention has come and gone for A another year. I am already looking “ forward to seeing everybody again in 2010 in Raleigh, NC. Reno was host to a lovely con¬ vention. The ringing of bells in the casino, the snow, and of course, the beauty of the violets in the showroom are still imprinted in my mind. My love for miniatures and semiminiature trailers is no secret. I was delighted that a miniature trailer was chosen as the best in show. ‘Broadway Star Tail’ exhibited by Dr. William Price of Vancouver, BC won this year’s top honor. As the plant is not listed in First Class, you will have to bear with my description. I believe the blossom is a single white star/purple eye against medium green leaves. The plant, as you will see in the pictures on the website and in the AVM, is an amazing trailer. Bill had many more winnings in the show, but I am just sticking to the miniature and semiminiatures. He had the best AVSA col¬ lection of miniatures/semiminiatures with the semiminiature trailers ‘Fiery TYail’, ‘Foxwood TYail’, and ‘Foster TYail’. ‘Fiery TYail’ has a single chimera white and red striped star blossom with bright green leaves. The blossoms on ‘Foxwood Hail’ are single with a variable pink/red center or sometimes a fuchsia- pink/darker pink center. ‘Foster Hail' has semidouble fuchsia blossoms against medium green leaves. One other mention on Bill’s winnings was that he won Best Vintage Violet with the semimmiature trailer ‘Sunset Hail’. You can see how things have changed over the years in the way we list plants in the First Class description of this plant. All that it says for ‘Sunset TYail’ is ‘Single pink. Plain’. The plant was hybridized in 1979. ‘Sunset Trail’ is definitely an African violet worth keeping around. 6 Canadian growers had a big presence again this year. Nonna Russell from Nepean, ON won the best semiminiature m the show with ‘Lyon’s June Bug’. This plant has semidouble fuchsia pansy blossoms which look stunning against the vanegated green and white foliage. Loma also had the best miniature in the show with ‘Orchard’s Bumble Magnet’ This delightful miniature has double pink star blossoms and medium green foliage. It occurred to me that I have seen ‘Orchard’s Bumble Magnet’ listed for awards repeatedly over die years so I looked to the ‘Honor Roll of African violets’ to find out how it has done in the past. ‘Orchard’s Bumble Magnet’ was on the ‘Honor Roll’ for 2004 which means that the variety has to be on the ‘Best Varieties List’ fix 5 consecutive years. I think I better add ‘Orchard’s Bumble Magnet’ to my collection! Another Canadian grower that has done well at AVSA conventions is Beverly Williams from Brooklin, ON. This year Beverly won the 2nd best collection of AVSA miniatures/semiminiatures with the semi- miniatures ‘Plumberry Glow’, ‘Von’s Small Gift’, and ‘Ode to Grace’. ‘Plumberry Glow’ has single white sticktite pansy blossoms with plum patches. The leaves are variegated medium green and cream. This plant is one of the newer varieties that has become a favorite. If you don’t already have it, it’s worth a try. ‘Von’s Small Gift’ has single mauve two-tone sticktite pansy blossoms with variegated medium green and white foliage. ‘Ode to Grace’ has a single-semidouble bright pink blossom with a white frilled edge. The leaves are medium green. The collection of these three semiminiatures looked lovely. A familiar name in my convention reports on miniatures and semiminiatures in the Amateur Horticultural division is Kathy Lahti from Annandale, MN. Kathy had lots to do at the convention, and she travels for, yet she always manages to bring beautiful plants. Kathy won the best Holtkamp Col¬ lection with ‘Optimara Little Crystal’, ‘Optimara Rose Quartz’, mid Optimara Little Opal’. ‘Optimara i iftle Crystal’ is a mini¬ ature with single-semidouble white wasp blossoms. The leaves are medium green. ‘Optimara Rose Quartz’ has single¬ semidouble pink blossoms against medium green foliage. ‘Optimara Little Opal’ has single white bell blossoms with a purple-blue center and light green leaves. Kathy also won the best Robinson Collection with the semiminiatures ‘Rob’s Strobe Light’, ‘Rob’s Lucky Stroke’, and ‘Rob’s Fuddy Duddy'. ‘Rob’s Strobe Light’ is a chimera with single medium blue pansy and white striped blossoms. The leaves are medium green. ‘Rob’s Lucky Stroke’ has semidouble chimera dark pink and white striped blossoms against medium green foliage. ‘Rob’s Fuddy Duddy’ has blossoms that are semidouble dark mauve-purple sticktite pansy. The leaves are dark green. Both collections exhibited were beautiful. I have a lot more to tell you about the Commercial division and some plants that really stood out to me in the show and my experience in the commercial salesroom, but you'll have to wait until next time. Happy growing! 8 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Plumberry Glow Exhibited by: Kathy Lahti Hybridized by: Lyon Greenhouses/Sorano Semiminiatwre September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 9 Effects of Various Light Intensities on Germination of African Violet Seeds By Ronn Nadeau Nadeau African Violet Seeds History and Objectives We first reported on African violet seed germination in this magazine more than thirty years ago (Nadeau, AVM, 1978 and 1982). We stopped retail sale of our seeds in 1988 and since then have sold only wholesale. Now, as we resume retail selling using the internet, we are renewing efforts at finding the easiest and most reproducible methods for even green- thumbed-challenged growers to have fun and success while growing African violets from seeds. Abstract Experiments were conducted on African violet seeds to test the effects of light intensity on percent germination and time to start of germination, using 40-watt cool white fluores¬ cent tubes. More specifically, we wanted to focus in on results from an earlier experiment in which it had been found that light of relatively higher intensity caused poorer germination than light of slightly lower intensity. In this study, the light of higher intensity, 12.5 EV (with seeds only 2.5 inches from the tubes), resulted in a poor germination rate and longer time to onset of germination compared to germination results under light of slightly lower intensity (12.0 EV), thereby corroborating our earlier data. In this study we also learned that relatively dim fight (9.0 EV, 28 inches below the tubes), resulted in delayed onset of germination and reduced percent germination. In light of more normal intensities (10.0, 11.0, and 12.0 EV), germination was relatively high. Light intensities at the germination mix surfaces were controlled by placing the ger¬ mination pots at certain distances beneath the fluorescent tubes, the distances chosen to cor¬ respond to the desired intensities as measured using an incident light meter. Materials The African violet seeds were taken from the main batch of frailer Selection seeds at our company, Nadeau African Violet Seeds. The origin and nature of our seeds is discussed at our website, NadeauAfricanVioletSeeds.com. The germination medium was Fafard Seed Starter Potting Mix, purchased at Lowe’s. Pots were 3 1/2 inch square, Kord, no. SQN0350. Plastic sand¬ wich bags used to enclose the germination pots were of the “pleated and close” type, 6.5" x 5.5" x 1". A single 2-tube 4-foot fluorescent light fixture was used. The tubes were 4-foot Philips Alto 40-watt, cool white, purchased at Home Depot. They were operated on a cycle of 14 hours on, 10 hours off. Light intensities were measured with a Minolta Auto Meter IIIF incident light meter. At various times, Accu-Rite digital thermometer probes (from Lowes) were placed in the germination mixes until the temperatures had equilibrated to determine the temperature the seeds were experiencing. To aid in counting out 100-seed samples, a No. 5 OptiVisor, Donegan Optical Company, was employed. Methods Each part of the experiment was conducted in duplicate, -A and -B pots. Fafard Seed Starter Potting Mix was com* 10 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 bined with tap water in a ratio of 3:1 (mix:water, vol/vol). Moistened mix was put in 3 1/2 inch pots to within 1/2 inch of the top of the pot. The surface of the mix in each pot was lightly tamped down with a spoon to smooth the surface onto which the seeds would be sown. The Trailer Selection seeds (100 for each pot) were counted out ahead of time and placed in small packets. After all the pots were properly labeled (date, EV, -A or -B) and ready for sowing, 100 seeds were sprinkled over the mix surfaces of each pot, and the pots were enclosed in plastic sandwich bags with the flaps folded under the pots. The pots were placed directly beneath a fluorescent light fixture at various distances from the bottoms of the tubes such that the “tube to seed” distances resulted in light inten¬ sities of 9.0,10.0,11.0,12.0, and 12.5 EV at the seeds. See Photo 1 and Table 1. For reference, sunlight on a clear St. Louis day at noon at the start of summer gave a reading of 15.5 EV, which is 8 times more intense than 12.5 EV light. An article on EV at Wikipedia says that offices and work areas usually have 7 - 8 EV light and home interiors around 5 - 7 EV light. To determine percent germination values, the counting of newly germinated seedlings began at 10 days after sowing and was repeated at 12,15,19,23, and 33 days after sowing. Results and Discussion It has long been known that African violet seeds absolute¬ ly will not germinate if the germination pot is kept in the dark. They do germinate well in the presence of medium intensity fluorescent light, so we wondered if they might germinate even better, quicker, and in higher percentage, if the pots were placed close to the fluorescent tubes during the germination period. Therefore, in an earlier experiment we placed some germination pots close to the tubes and, to our surprise, this resulted in very poor germination! In order to see if this unexpected finding was reproducible, we conducted the experiment reported here. To remove a source of variability, only seeds from our Trailer Selection batch were used, seeds that consistently have yielded a percent germination rate close to 50% under our ordinary test conditions. The data from this experiment (Ictble 1) indicate that African violet seeds are sensitive to light intensities of 12.5 EV, causing them to germinate more slowly and at a reduced percent germination rate. This is a puzzling result. We considered the possibility that the close proximity of the seeds to the fluorescent tubes might have caused over¬ heating within the plastic bags holding the germination pots, with subsequent damage to the seeds. However, tem¬ perature probes placed near the surface in the germination mixes showed that the temperature was only 2 - 3 degrees Fahrenheit higher in the 12.5 EV pots (poor germination) compared to the 12.0 EV pots (good germination). It seems unlikely that such a small temperature difference could by itself account for this dramatic effect. We will try to figure out the reason through further experimentation. Germination was also significantly lower in dim 9.0 EV light, 33%, and by the 33rd day after sowing, the dim light seedlings were considerably smaller than the 11.0 EV seedlings. The 10.0 EV seedling size was inter¬ mediate between the 9.0 and 11.0 EV seedlings at the 33rd day. Based on our objective of understanding the conditions that will work best for our customers, the main conclusion is that African violet seed growers can confidently place their germination containers under fluorescent tubes at dis¬ tances such that the seeds are anywhere from 8-15 inches from the tubes. This would especially apply if they use the same kind of fluorescent tubes as were used in this study. Further Work African violet seeds are rather persnickety when it comes to the medium upon which they are sown. We have studied ten commercially available seed germination materials and found that only four of them give optimal results. We hope to report our germination mix findings in an upcoming issue of the African Violet Magazine. References 1. Nadeau, Ronn. “Growing African Violets From Seed.” African Violet Magazine jammy 1978: 7. 2. Nadeau, Ronn. “Shedding Light on the Secrets of Saintpaulia Seed Germination.” African Violet Magazine March 1982:36. Table 1. Effect of Light Intensity on Time to Onset of Germination and Percent Germination. Tube to Seed Distance (Inches) Light Intensity (EV) 10 12 Days After Sowing 15 19 23 33 Percent Germination 28.0 9.0 0 4 14 20 29 33 18.5 10.0 0 7 17 36 43 50 10.3 11.0 0 7 21 40 50 53 5.0 12.0 0 1 17 36 50 49 2.5 12.5 0 0 2 7 10 16 African Violet Magazine 11 Sassy Sadie Exhibited and Hybridized by -. Paul Sorano/Lyon Greenhouses Semiminiature 12 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Breaking News 3rd Best New Cultivar/Commercial 2009 AVSA National Show Exhibited and Hybridized by: Kent Stork/Kent’s Flowers Standard Episcia ‘Thad’s Red Crocodile* Exhibited by: Leonard Re Hybridized by: Thad Scaggs September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 13 Guilty as Charged: Managing Your African Violet Addiction By MaryS. Schaeffer I had a good chuckle reading Elmer Godney’s article. For Beginners in the May issue of African Violet Magazine. He talked about the lack of restraint often exhibited by new growers and the consequences of their reckless acquisition of too many violets, too quickly. I confess; I have committed virtually every infraction mentioned by Godeny in his article and then perhaps a few more. Although at one point 1 did start to despair. I’m too stubborn to give in and found a solution to what looked like an insurmountable amount of repotting and grooming. Background Just as Godeny wrote, I put down every leaf, carefully nurtured every sucker, and potted up all those babies. What’s more, after separat¬ ing off a number of babies, I’d carefully add soil to the pot so the mother leaf could go into production a second and perhaps a third time. When 1 only had a handful of violets this was not a bad thing. I had violets to share with family and friends and had flowers all winter. Plus, I mailed a few violets to family members with their Christmas presents as a kind of surprise bonus. This was not a bad outcome for someone who had only purchased a dozen or so violets. Then the lunacy set in. At one point, on a mid-November cloudy day when natural sunlight was at a premium, I mentioned to my sister that I had two big trays with about 100 leaf pots. I said that 1 was moving them each afternoon from the sunroom to the living room so they could get both morning and afternoon sunlight and probably should have my head examined for doing that. “Oh, that’s not when you should have sought professional help,” was her sardonic response. She was in complete agreement with Godeny. As I continued to pot up all the babies, you can just imagine what happened. I stood looking around at ray collection in mid-January; I was disheartened. The collection had gotten the best of me - it was looking ratty and I had no idea how I would ever find the time or energy to get it back in shape. Then a light went off. The Answer Yes, many - make that most - of my approximately 300 plants needed repotting, and there were leaf pots with babies waiting to be potted up. I could see weekends of grueling work ahead of me, and my plants were supposed to be firn. 1 like repotting and grooming, as long as the amount is reasonable. The “Eureka” moment occurred when I realized 1 did not have to do it all in one weekend, or two for that matter. I reasoned that if I repotted ten plants a day I would be finished in less than a month - and ten per day is certainly a reasonable amount. Once I reached that decision, the burden was lifted. Now, you may be thinking that this would mean a lot of wasted effort getting your potting mix and accou¬ trements out every day. And I would agree - if that were the case. About the same time I had a conversation with one of the very experienced growers from our local dub, Libby Behrnake. She hap¬ pened to mention that she had temporarily converted her dining room table into a repotting center as she was starting to get her plants ready for our spring show. So, that’s what I did. Since we have an old table in the dining room and really only use it for the holidays, I con¬ verted it to my potting center and slowly began working on my plants. I often work from home, and when I need a break from work, I go into the dining room and pot up a few plants. Within a few weeks, my plants were looking better. The Swapping Tray Reluctantly I stopped potting up every single baby. Now, 1 take two or three off each mother leaf and pot them up. I t^n put momma back in the pot and add some additional soil, u needed. The leaf pot then goes into my trade tray. Once isee the leaf is continuing to produce babies, I add it to myh 3 ® list I also no longer put down leaves from every single plant I purchase or acquire. Believe me; that was a hard adjustment to make. However, if I am being totally honest, I will own up to sometimes putting down several leaf pots of the same September • October 2009 I stood looking around at my collection in mid-January; I was disheartened. The collection had gotten the best of me - it was looking ratty and I had no idea how I would ever find the time or energy to get it back in shape. 14 African Violet Magazine plant. This usually happens when really good leaves are broken or taken off of a good plant. But, those extra leaf pots go into my trade tray, and are not destined for my permanent collection. Some might not see this last step as controlling my collection, but rather feeding the frenzy. And, they are pro¬ bably correct. But, at least I now have only one or two of each plant instead of eight or nine. Many growers take these extra plants to their local shows for trading or sale - or perhaps to just give to friends. This is another solution rather than “wasting” all those extra babies. Now, I just have to make sure I get the dining room table cleaned off in time for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll probably always grow too many violets, but to my way of thinking, that’s probably better than not enough. Tight Crowns and Stunted Growth By Deanna Stewart I am an avid reader of the AVM, and although this is certainly not new information, I think it deserves empha¬ sis. For over a year, I struggled with African violets that had tight, brittle crowns and stunted growth. I searched for mites, decreased my lights, adjusted room tempera¬ ture, and discarded dozens of plants. I had utilized wick-watering exclusively for years so did not think it was the fertilizer. However, after reducing both my fertilizer and algicide to half of the recom¬ mended strength, I now have thriving, beautiful new African violets. Perhaps a change in brand of potting mix contributed to the problem. Still, it remains a puzzle to me why this did not happen previously, but I am now a believer that regular doses of fertilizer used in wick-water- ing tubs is very toxic. Other members who may have similar experiences may want to proactively reduce amounts of fertilizer in water for wick-watering. YOU HAVE NEW MEMBERS! NOW WHAT? By Kathy Bell Membership & Promotion Committee Some of you have been getting New Member information from Sylvia Leeds, member of the AVSA Membership and Promotion Committee, and I know that you have contacted them, right? They joined your local group from newspaper ads, shows, and word of mouth. And now, they’re interested in joining AVSA! Good job! So, how do we keep them and get them involved? One very successful project is a Mentor Program. This has been a great tool for my local club. When some¬ one joins our club, one of the first things we do is pair them with a mentor. A mentor has knowledge and experience in growing African violets and is willing to spend time with the new member. If possible, a mentor may live close to the per¬ son they will be mentoring. They will contact the new mem¬ ber shortly after they join, welcome them to the club, offer hands-on help, and answer violet questions. Sometimes new members are hesitant, not wanting to be a bother, and need reassurance that you are happy to help them and others become good growers. I always tell them, “Please! Bother me!” We encourage our mentors to go to the new member’s house, see their growing set up - and give them helpful suggestions and information to help them grow beautiful violets. After all, if a new member cannot grow beautiful African violets, they will lose interest, and your club will never see them again. A mentor gives the new member a chance to ask ques¬ tions one-on-one and to ask those questions they might have been uncomfortable to ask at the club meeting. They may look forward to the meetings if they know someone there, and you may even make a new friend! In my club, a new member is mentored for two years, which also makes them eligible to enter our shows as a novice for two years. There are several mentors in my club, and they are happy to help any of the members in the club, whether they are new or not. Most mentors have more than one person they mentor - right now I have five! I am proud to say that the last two people I have men¬ tored have won Best In Show! They were thrilled and so was I! They are now giving programs at our meetings, and I hope they will become mentors in the near future. We always need mentors and members to take on some of the duties of the club meetings and shows. I have found that if they feel as though they belong, they will be happy to help and get involved. I do hope your club will try a Mentor Program, and see if it doesn’t help your membership. We all need to be more active in our clubs to keep them going and growing! September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 15 Milky Way Trail Exhibited, by: Hans Inpijn Hybridized by: / Stahl Semiminiature Trailer 16 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 3610 Gray Drive • Mesquite, TX 75150 Email: lbpfoster@sbcglobal.net Shows and Judges Bill Foster, Shows and Judges Committee he convention in Reno was great! Lynn Lombard, Barbara Elkin, and all their committee people should be commended for a fine job. We also need to thank our members who brought their entries to present a beautiful show and the commercial members for the nice selection of plants they brought for us to bring home with us. Just in case you missed the announcement in the last issue of the African Violet Magazine , Paul Sorano will be sponsoring a new amateur collection beginning with the 2010 AVSA Convention. The collection will be Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses Collection. Any plants registered by Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses will be eligible for this class. The same basic rules will apply as used for the other special collections. Paul is offering an award of $200 for the best collection and $100 for the second best collection. You have plenty of time to get your collection ready for the next AVSA Convention. The following judges will attain the status of Master Judges in 2009: Winston Goretsky and Irene Henry, Canada, Janet Tyler, Iowa, Kathy Lahti, Minnesota (Kathy actually earned this honor in 2008), Joyce Stork, Nebraska, Edna McCauley and Patricia Sutton, Oklahoma, Ann Shirley, Tennessee, and Ruth Goeke, Texas. Congratulations to all of you for your many years of dedication. Elinor Skelton, who has served on the Shows & Judges Committee for many years as Judging School Registrar has decided to retire. Thanks, Elinor, for the many years of out¬ standing service. We will miss you. Ruth Loomis will be assuming the duties of registering your schools. You will find Ruth’s address on the inside cover of the AVM. Register your schools early. Ruth will accept requests for school registrations by e-mail. Here is a rule change: Page 39, third paragraph under Classification Committee should be replaced with the fol¬ lowing paragraph: Any variety or cultivar that is listed in the Master Variety List or hybridizer’s list as variable, such as a double white with an occasional touch of pink or green, should be entered in the multicolor class if it is showing the touch of pink or green. A blossom described as blue with a variable white, or any edge, should be entered in the edged class if an edge is present. To assist the judges, the classifi¬ cation committee should add “Variable” in parentheses under the variety name on the entry tag. This has been discussed frequently, and both amateur and commercial members agreed that it was time for a change. Page 47, at the end of the paragraph beginning with Best-in-Show, add (Shows with an award for Best Standard, please note that this award should be selected from the standard cultivars; Best Species should not be considered for this award). Judges Breakfast, as usual, was a lively meet¬ ing. Here are some of the questions and discussions.- In a recent local AVSA show, a judge (who is also a teacher) would not judge an underwater arrangement because the water had a yellowish tint. Should it have been eliminatedjrom consideration? No, page 70 in the Handbook states that points may be deducted for cloudy or murky water, but the entry should have been judged. Is it possible for an African violet in an unusual con¬ tainer to be Best-in Show? Yes, but the entry being considered should be re-judged using the scale of points used for other specimen plants. The relation to the container would not be considered. If a plant has a chimera leaf, in what class should it be entered? It should be entered in the proper variegated foliage class. Why can’t we have special guidelinesfor judging the wasp plants in the Judges’ Handbook? We don’t need special guidelines. The wasp plants are judged by the same scale of points as the other specimen plants. Judges should be familiar with this type of plant. Also, a class may be added to the show schedule for wasp plants. Please speak again to the fact that the highest scoring plant in the show is Best-in-Show, even if judged by more than one panel The highest scoring plant in the show is, indeed, supposed to be Best-in-Show. Members have complained that some judges vote on Best-in-Show and ignore the scores on plants in collections. It has also been reported that the final panel selects a plant with a lower score. Judges should always respect the point-scoring of another panel. It is disrespectful to re-judge another panel’s work. The Judges’ chair or the Show chair may question this if they are aware of it before the judges leave. Judges who refuse to adhere to the rules set forth in the Handbook may have their certificates revoked. This question comes up quite often. May the container shape for underwater arrangements be stated in the schedule? Yes, in fact, many schedules do state container size for these classes. The column is getting lengthy. I will talk to you again in January. Good luck with your fall shows and have a wonderful holiday season. September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 17 For Beginners By Elmer Godeny 11473 Denham Rd. • Gonzales, LA 70737 . 1/ Email: ekgprof@eatel.net Boy.... is it s I write this column, it is a beautiful July day in Louisiana. The sun is shin¬ ing, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. In fact, we haven’t seen many clouds in the sky lately. We haven’t had a drop of rain in over four weeks! The temperatures have been in the upper 90’s with a heat index in the triple digits for the past few weeks. My lawn, which should be a beau¬ tiful green, is an orangey-brown, and what is left of the grass crunches under my feet. Cracks are begin¬ ning to develop in the soft. I won’t even mention what is going on in everyone’s flowerbeds {I think you get the idea!). Needless to say, South Louisiana is currently going through a drought. We need rain badly! Please send some our way! Hopefully, by the time this column is published, we will have had some rain. Now, you may ask yourself, “Why is he describing the weather in Louisiana in a column in the African Violet Magazine What does this have to do with African violets? Aren’t African violets indoor plants?” The weather outside has a lot of influence on your indoor plants, especially your African violets. If you don’t believe me, check your plant in the fall and winter. Even though I grow my African violet plants indoors, their growth slows in the colder months as compared to the wanner months. Leaves do not propagate as quickly in the winter as they do in the summer. Notice how your indoor African violet plants seem to come alive with increased vigor in the spring months as the weather begins to warm. This is why the vast majority of African violet shows and sales in the United States are in the spring and early summer months. As a biologist, I would like to know why this phenom¬ enon occurs. My plants are grown under timed-lights with the window blinds drawn, so it is not because of increased lighting. My house is kept at a pretty constant temperature year-round, using either heating or air conditioning, so there isn’t much of a temperature difference throughout the year. Lastly, I wick water my plants. The containers of fertilizer water keep the humidity in my growing room pretty constant year round (I have humidity meters in my growing room). So how do these indoor plants know what is going on outside? But, back to the point of this column, I was talking about the dry, hot weather we are having in South Louisiana this summer. My goal of this column is to discuss ideas to keep your plants happy without breaking your bank account in the 18 African Violet Magazine hot summer months. Before we begin, we need to determine from where the heat in our growing room(s) is coming. 1 can name two sources of heat: (1) the outside temperatures and (2) electronic equipment within the growing room, including, but not limited to, the lights and fans. Let’s cover ways to eliminate heat from these sources separately. There is little you can do to eliminate heat from outdoor sources. Air conditioning can decrease the temperatures in your home and in your growing area(s), but in the very hot weather, air conditioning can make your electric bills skyrocket. One way to decrease your electric bill is to raise the air conditioning temperature a degree or two. You really won’t notice the difference, and the cash savings are impressive. Another good way to reduce the temperature in your growing area(s) is to close the blinds or shades on the win¬ dow, if one is present. An outside awning would also do the trick. The purpose of these methods is to reduce direct sunlight from entering and heating your room. Electronic equipment in your growing area is also impor¬ tant in the temperature around your African violets, perhaps more important than the outside temperature which is mainly cooled by air conditioning. The ballasts in the light fixtures of the growing carts give off a lot of heat. Place your hand on one that has been on for a few hours and feel the heat. Multi¬ ply the heat by the number of light fixtures in your room. This greatly increases the temperature around your plants because the light fixtures are so close to the plants. One way to reduce the heat given off by the ballasts is to replace the old ballasts with new electronic, low-heat ballasts. Replacing ballasts is not difficult; it requires about ten minutes of your time, a screwdriver, and a small pair of wire cutters. Another way to reduce the temperature around your African violets is to stagger the timing of the light fixtures so they are not all on and producing heat at one time. Tty not to have the lights on during the hottest part of the day. You may even want to have your lights come on at night or early morning when the temperature is coolest outside. Reducing the length of the time the lights are on each day also reduces the heat output. However; in order to bloom, African violets wffl require at least ten hours of light. Placing fans around your African violet growing area(s) can reaUy decrease temperatures. The fans circulate the air, September • October 2009 mixing the warm air with the cool air, thus reducing the room temperature. A second benefit of circulating the air with fans is that it reduces the likelihood of powdery mildew on the foliage. I have four oscillating fans on the floor of my growing room, placed between each of my growing carts. 1 point the fans about two-thirds up towards the ceiling and away from the growing carts toward the doorway. This circulates the air toward the ceiling and out of the room, allowing fresh, cooler air from the house to enter. I keep my ceiling fan on, pushing the air down towards the floor. Air circulation is very impor¬ tant in lowering the temperature in your growing area(s). Growing African violets in the heat of summer is not difficult as judged by the feet that many excellent growers live in the south. However, it does take some special planning so your hobby doesn’t make you file bankruptcy. Remember that African violets grow best under conditions that are comfortable for you, i.e., temperatures, humidity, no drafts, etc. For best growth, reduce the temperatures in your growing area(s) so your plants are happy. If your plants are happy, you will be happy with the results. Reclassification of the Species We are in the process of revising the section of the Handbook that covers Saintpaulia species. When our revisions are complete, Paul Kroll will submit the revision to be published in the African Violet Magazine. Until this project is completed, please refer to First Class for information on the reclassification of the species. Bill Foster, Shows & Judges’ Chairman September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 19 Question By Ralph Robinson P.O. Box 9 • Naples, NY 14512 Email: robsviolet@aolcom s is always the case, we are for too busy to reply to mail (or e-mail), though we do read all of it Should you want a personal reply, we are more than willing to answer phone calls made during our normal business hours (12-5 pm EST), since we can work and talk at the same time. For those with access to the Internet, we can be reached at robsviolet@aol.com or /C) Question: Thanks so much for sending my violets, rm wondering how you water your W violets. The soil comes all the way up to the pot ™ rim and the potting material tends to make the water bead up rather than sink in right away. At the same time, I am trying like heck not to get any water on the leaves. What’s your trick? via our web-site at www.violetbam.com. The web-site also contains a wealth of information (and answers to many of your questions). Question: My violet seems to have a problem I’m hoping you can help me identify. There appears to be a white powdery stiff on the leaves and on the stems of the blossoms. What is this, and what can I do to get the plant healthy again? Answer: The “powdery stuff* you see is appropriately known as “powdery mildew." It is a very common problem on violets, but it’s rarely lethal and will do little lasting damage beyond perhaps marring the plant’s foliage, and being unsightly while it’s on the plant. Mildew is in the air at all times; we just happen to notice it when conditions are conducive to it appearing on our plants. This usually means cool night temperatures, stagnant air about the plant, and to a lesser extent, higher humidity. The best strategy is to make the environment less accommodating for mildew. Improving air circulation is a good place to start, since doing this will also tend to mod¬ erate temperatures within your growing area. If your plants are overcrowded, give them some space to “breathe.” If leaves from neighboring plants are touching (or overlap¬ ping), move them far enough apart so that no leaves touch and air has a chance to move about the plants once given their “own space", you’ll notice violets have a better shape and look nicer. Adding a small fan in your growing area can help, too. You needn’t blow air at the plants, just gently circulate the air in the room. As for treatments, you can try one or more of the fol¬ lowing: 1) gently wash the plant using a mild dish soap and room temperature water, 2) apply a small amount of powdered sulfur to the plant (found at your local pharmacy for a few dollars), then immediately remove with soft-bristled brush, or 3) spray with Neem oil, if you have a larger number of plants that need to be treated. All are non-chemical, non-toxic treatments that are effective and can be done safely in the home. Mildew on blossoms is too difficult to treat without damaging the blossoms, so it's best to simply remove blossoms that have already been affected. 20 African Violet Magazine Answer: We’re pretty fussy about the level and firmness of the soil - plants ship better that way and as for violets, they certainly look better this way. We water both from the top and from the bottom, depending upon the age and kind of plant. When they’re young, we usually top water. As they mature, and have a more developed root system, they are better able to process larger amounts of water, so we’ll bottom water. We do this either by pouring a measured amount of water into a tray holding many plants, or by placing plants on acrylic matting (blankets) that can be made wet when needed. Top watering is always the best means since it allows you more control over how much water you are providing each plant. Unfortunately, it’s also the most time consuming (and for us, costly), which is a concern when you grow a very large number of plants. As for getting the leaves wet, this is made out to be more of a problem than it actually is. After all, doesn’t “mother nature” water her plants this way - from the top? Getting the leaves wet only poses a problem when they stay wet, and when the temperature of the water is significantly different than the leaf. The resulting marking on the leaves is a consequence of the temperature difference, not the water itself. This means using room temperature water for your plants. It should feel just slightly cool to your touch. Remember, your body temperature is much higher than that in the room! It also means keeping plants with wet leaves out of direct sun or cold drafts. Finally, about the water “beading” atop the soil. Lite many growers, we use a “soilless” mix, made up entirely of peat, vermiculite, and perlite. Our mix has a small amount of a “wetting” agent that makes absorbing water easier. Over time, though, this breaks down and/or is leached from the soil. Also, though peat moss is a very absorbent material (making it a great material for potting mixes), it also can become very difficult to “re-wet” once it becomes completely dry, or nearly so. To avoid this, don’t let your soil mix gP completely dry, to the point where it begins to shrink and separate from the pot sides. Water when the soil surface is just “dry to the touch,” but not yet “crispy” dry. If it & and doesn’t absorb water readily, try one or more of the following. Pre-moisten the soil surface, water lightly, give & some time to absorb, then come back later and water me 16 September • October 2009 thoroughly. You can also try “roughing up” the soil surface with your fingertip. Over time, the soil surface can become hard and smooth, so breaking this up gives the water places to make its way into the soil. Lastly, you can try this trick. Adding a “wetting agent” to the water. Soap works well for this purpose. Adding a few drops of mild dish detergent to your watering can often works wonders. Don’t get carried away though, since you don’t want too much of this accumulating around the root system over time. Question: I’ve noticed that when repotting, you will remove a lot of the plant’s leaves as well as roots. Do I need to do this, and if so, how can I tell how much of each to remove? Answer: There’s no need to do this, especially when potting into a larger size pot. When repotting into the same size pot, however, there are benefits. Though not necessary, by pruning the plant and roots back, we’re giving the plant a “fresh start," so to speak. Our intention in repotting is to encourage new, healthy, growth, not necessarily save old growth. It also means we can go a longer time before having to repot again! We’ll usually prune the plant down to the center (youngest) four to six leaves, and the root ball to a third to a half of its original size when repotting into the same size pot. There’s no need to be this extreme, though. An attrac¬ tive, blooming plant can keep its appearance after repotting with only minimal pruning of leaves and roots - removing just enough of both to allow any “neck” to be buried and for the exchange of old soil for new to encourage new root growth. A rough “rule of thumb” would be to remove approximately equal proportions of foliage and root, since a smaller root system is able to support less of a plant. Minor pruning of foliage allows for only minor pruning of the root ball, while extensive pruning of the plant requires more extensive pruning of the roots. Question: I have a number of violets in my collec¬ tion. All of them are doing great except one. I have tried everything I know to encourage its growth. It was planted and watered exactly the same as the others. Why? Answer: We’ve paraphrased this particular person’s question - it’s actually a few related questions, and something we’ll hear from growers often. To begin, it’s important to remember that your violets are living organ¬ isms and, like other living things you are familiar with (you, your family, your pets, etc.), each will respond differently to their environment and what they are provided. Though their general needs might be the same, there will be differences from plant to plant - there are always exceptions. Caring for all plants the same may be just the wrong thing to do for these exceptional plants. One example that springs to mind is one of our minia¬ ture varieties, ‘Rob’s Rinky Dink’. In most every way, it’s a very nice variety. It grows and shapes well, and blooms heavily and often. But you cannot grow it well if you treat it the same as others. This is a variety that demands far less water than others. It abhors being wet and will shed one or two rotting leaves every time it’s watered improperly or excessively. Being a commercial grower, this is a problem, since we need to be able to water large numbers of plants at the same time, as efficiently as possible. A solution? Water on the same schedule, but pot this variety in a lighter, more porous, soil mix (add more perlite to the mix, for example). Or, do this. Since we “mat water” most of our violets, we’ll place varieties like this one off of the mat on the edge of the shelves, so it doesn’t stand on a wet mat and has access to less water. We could give examples of other varieties that like more or less light, fertilizer, heat or cold, and so on. You get the point. We can give our plants the same general care, but recognize their special needs and make the appropriate accommodations. Question: I am going to use violets you are send¬ ing me as table favors at a parly. They come in plas¬ tic pots, but I like the appearance of terra cotta, so am thinking of repotting them. If this isn’t possible, I’d like to wrap the pots in decorative foil or paper. Any advice? Answer: Again, a question paraphrased from comments of a number of our customers. The last thing you want to do as you’re preparing an event is repot small flowering plants! It’s messy, time consuming, and unless you’re really careful (and experienced), likely to damage the plants. Since appearance is what’s most important here, it's simpler just to place the potted plant into a pot of the same size but desired appearance. Find a terra cotta pot only very slightly larger than the pot the plant is currently in. Then “slip” the terra cotta pot over the outside of the plastic pot you’re hiding. It will have the same appearance without the problems of repotting. As for decorating with foil or paper, we suggest doing the following. Assuming the wrapping material used can retain a shape, wrap an empty pot of the same size used for the potted plant, using it as a “mold.” Make as many decorative coverings as needed, then slip the potted plants into them just prior to the event. One last thing. If plants are overly wet, tape over the drainage holes or insert a small piece of plastic inside the outer pot or wrapper. This will keep the plants from “bleeding” water onto the table cloth in front of your guests! September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 21 ‘Rhapsodie Sophia’: To Hell and Back By Linda D. Garramone Many years ago, I was shopping my local garden center and walked past a stand of trays containing many African violets. One in particular caught my eye. It was a rose pink violet. The container held a plant variety indicator noting the name ‘Rhapsodie Sophia.’ I don’t know why the name stuck with me. I had bought plants, and after losing the indicator, never could remember their names. I had just been through an infestation that devastated my plant collection and was looking to rebuild. After that, my new plants survived my attempts at figuring out lighting, potting mixtures, container preferences, and watering issues, etc. They intrepidly endured the dog knocking over my plant stand and several instances of being at ground zero for rambunctious bouts of kitty tag. In October 2006, I read the Most Wanted variety list in African Violet Magazine a request for ‘Rhapsodie Sophia.’ I was happy to contact Barbara Elkin and advised her that I had Sophia and would be happy to share. Linda of San Diego, CA, was put in touch with me, and I promised her that I would start a plantlet and send it to her. I had sent her a photograph of Sophia, and she had remarked how healthy it looked. I was thrilled at the opportunity to assist someone in finding a rare variety. The thrill of helping a fellow violet fancier did not last long. I started to notice that an outer leaf was turning brown. I plucked it off and started what I thought was a healthy looking leaf. My leaf did not take, and more outer leaves, very slowly one by one, turned brown and wilted. With a growing sense of urgency, I contacted local violet society experts. Bill and Katharine Paauwe. They were leaving for a trip, but Bill most graciously agreed to spare me a moment and examine my specimen. He quickly surmised an infestation of some sort, recommended spraying the plants with Neem oil, and generously provided some. I followed instructions, my plants responded, and the leaves stayed green. Ominously, several weeks later, the browning leaves returned. I bought Physan 20 in the next salvo in the battle against the browning leaves. As I read the directions for the product, the instructions seemed to all but indicate the use of a hazmat suit. Another call to ever patient Bill calmed me and I fired away at the cursed brown scourge. Why were my plants failing? When we speak of “root rot” just exactly what is it? This was not only a matter of curiosity, but quite literally life and death. Through African Violet Magazine I contacted Sue Haffher and Dr. Jeff Smith, who charitably provided information and encouragement in deciphering the problem and providing methods to get the leaves to root 1 also contacted the county cooperative to see if they could diagnose the problem with an actual plant sample in their hands, 1 needed to know exactly what I was fighting 22 African Violet Magazine in order to have the proper arsenal to launch against it The results were frustratingly inclusive. While researching the local county cooperative, 1 learned about the plant pathology department at Cornell University. So on to Cornell went the next sample in January 2007. Karen L Snover, Director of the Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic, and Sandra Jensen Ttacy, Plant Disease Diagnostician of the Department of Plant Pathology at Cornell University, worked with me to solve this riddle. Their first tests were similarly inclusive with the results being atypical of common pathogens. They asked my permission to test further, but virus and mite testing produced no culprits. Relentlessly, they continued testing and found a bacterial as well as fungal infection, specifically Erwinia chrysanthemi (soft rot) and Cylindrocarpon sp./spp. A grim prognosis was given and the continued use of Physan 20 recommended as the only registered pesticide in New York State law approved for combating Cylindrocarpon . I prepared a solution of 3/4 tablespoon of Physan 20 to a gallon of water. I dunked each plant in the bath and held each plant under the surface for ten minutes while chatting on the phone to a friend. I used the same mixture to water my plants, treating systemically, thereby battling this unseen foe inside and out. I immediately lost one plant, but the others survived. The leaves stopped browning. The initial new plant growth was comprised of twilight zone twisted and deformed leaves. Following that, however, further new growth appeared and looked strong and healthy. A couple of plants produced numerous new crowns. Best of all, ‘Rhapsodie Sophia’ was producing healthy leaves again. Maybe a rooting of a leaf was going to possible. AND THEN... 1 noticed that Sophia’s development was a bit slower than the rest of my collection. The other plants had even produced blossoms, yet maddeningly, only Sophia was not recovering with the same vigor. I decided to look at what was not so obvious, the root system. The neck below the surface was for all intents and purposes a gooey mush with only about 1/2-inch of the plant neck being salvageable. Sophia had also developed two crowns. One was already becoming black at its base. I then planted the rootless second crown and one healthy looking leaf in potting mix and placed them in plastic bags. The leaf failed, and the crown still showed no new roots. In a last ditch effort, I separated the crown’s five leaves and put each of them in water, knowing this would produce “water roots” and not proper plant roots. Three leaves quickly failed. The last two leaves, one picture perfect and the other resembling a bent-eared puppy* survived. They both started to show root growth. The perfect one started to brown on its edges. I tried to trim the brown September • October 2009 and see if the leaf would continue to survive, but in quick order it showed that it was not to be. The bent-eared puppy leaf kept on growing roots. I transferred it to potting medium and placed it inside a plastic baggie. It continued to thrive. Now I waited in unbearable anticipation for several more weeks. Then I noticed a small greenish object in the potting medium. Could this be a plantlet pushing through or just moss or algae? I watched inter¬ minably for this presence to make its true self known. I was constantly checking on it, popping in to check its progress like a bizarre cuckoo clock. After what seemed an eternity, my moment arrived. I was able to determine that the green sub¬ stance I spotted was indeed a plantlet springing forth as new life amid catastrophic devastation. The immense thrill and relief of that moment cannot be adequately described. The most important aspect of this was it meant I was hopefully going to be able to keep my word. I watched the young plantlet and a sister plant grow forth. The mother leaf started to brown and I removed the mother leaf probably far too early, but there was no other option. One young Sophia looked picture perfect and her sister looked to be the bent-eared puppy spitting image of her mother. Sophia and her sister grew, but with alarming lethargy. Finally in January 2008,1 informed Linda that 1 would ship Sophia to her when the weather was warm enough to sustain her trans¬ port. In March, I contacted her again to work out when she would be home so Sophia would not fell prey to theft or other mischief. Tragically, I received the news that there was a death in her family, and that I should wait for a better time to finally send Sophia to her. In April, Linda asked for me to send Sophia as a source of consolation. I rapidly made arrange¬ ments. I was encouraged with the news that Sophia safely arrived and was doing well, and further updates have been greatly rewarding. I am sure that at the onset, almost anyone else would have given up on this project and told Linda that the plant foiled and died, so sorry. At one time, 1 may have been one of them, but I have been taking martial arts classes. I firmly believe that I have benefited through these arts to pursue insurmountable challenges. Though no one would guess that I would apply the mindset that I have acquired there to battling a plant that was as focused on dying as I was keeping her alive. Some may take issue with my methods not being in keeping with proper propagating or growing procedures. As Dr. Bill Cosby once said, “in a moment of desperation, an intelligent person will give the ridiculous a try.” I was not only desperate, but in the zone of being goal-oriented, and nothing was going to stop me, period, from achieving my desired objective. I am if nothing else, tenacious (ok. I’m stubborn and hard-headed, but there is no quit in me). The rule book of proper procedures was not taking me where I needed to go, so I went on without it and devised my own path with the result: Mission accomplished. Recently, I attended the Sweet Water AVS plant show in West Sayville, NY. A friend of mine saw a couple of plants at the sales table that she really wanted, but could not afford all of them. I bought one of the plants and told her that I would start a leaf for her. After all, growing violets is easy. AVSA DONATION FUND LEVELS Thumbprint (Under $25) m Geneva ($100-$499) 4^ Two-tone ($25-$49) ^ Fantasy ($500-$999) ^ Multicolor ($50-$99) Chimera (Over $1000) September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 23 WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY PLANT? By Sue Gardner “My plant is leaning to one side. What can I do?” The usual reason why plants lean to one side is because they are stretching toward a light source. The light coming though a window is stronger than light within a room. Plants need light to grow and flower, so they lean toward the strongest light source. Plants grown on a windowsill naturally lean toward the window. Always turn your plants every few days. Some growers turn the plants by 90° at a time. This means four turns expose all sides of the plant to the strong light If you do this, you will find your plants will grow evenly and do not lean. If you grow under fluorescent fight, you wifi find that plants grown on the end of a shelf, or on the outer ends, will also lean toward the strongest light from the tubes. You will have to turn these plants to maintain even growth and prevent leaning. Plants grown directly under the center of the tubes do not lean. Another reason why plants grow or lean to one side is because they leaned to one side when repotted. Plantlets often do not have enough roots to support them in an upright position. If they are allowed to lean to one side they often grow that way for a period of time. A knob of stem tissue forms on the other side causing some leaning to continue throughout the life of the plant. Sometimes you can coned the lean when repotting, but the plant usually seems to have greater leaf growth on one side during its life. To prevent this, support weak plants with stakes or hairpins in an upright position until they are strong enough to support themselves. Some plants seem to be genetically programmed to grow sideways. I have had a few hybrids and species that do this. Despite turning many times or even if they are grown directly under fluorescent light tubes, they still lean to one side. You have to live with this if you love the plant. Otherwise, only grow the ones that do not lean! From the Newsletter of the Early Mom AV Group, Australia VWAT IS IK Y0uR TOOLBOX? By Marge Huntley a recent meeting, three of our experienced growers showed us what they kept in their tool boxes. The containers were much the same, plastic, with two or three compartments and a carrying handle, and easily found. • A small towel - Handy for cleaning. • A tray to repot on - (Of course, I had to put in my bit about individual sheets of newspaper helping to stop the spread of “nasties”). • A small tile - To roll yam on before cutting into wicks which are then soaked in water with a drop of detergent The detergent removes the dressing from the yam and makes it a better conveyer of water. • Tweezers - For getting in where fingers cannot. • Spoons - In different sizes for handling mix when repotting. • Cotton wool - To wrap cut stem ends of leaves being taken to club meetings for sale. • White electricians’ tape - For labeling pots with plant names. Can be moved to next pot size when potting up Don’t forget the date on a separate piece! • Skewer - To remove plant from poL • Syringe - To measure liquid fertilizer. • Brushes - To clean leaves and pot after repotting 24 African Violet Magazine • Blades and knives - For cutting stems. When a large plant needs to have the root ball reduced, the bottom can be cut off with a sharp knife. • Tooth picks, straws, hairpins - For retaining a leaf which must be moved to improve symmetry of plant. • Magnifying glass - For close inspection when looking for potential trouble. • Sucker plucker - This handy tool has a pointy end for cutting and a scoop end which is great for removal of suckers or side shoots of plants. (Careful, it bites. Put a piece of cork over the ends when not in use.) • Scissors - What do you think? Wipes - To clean up leaves, or suck up water drops on leaves. • Spray bottles - Use with hot water to spray around plants to improve humidity on hot days. • A jar - To clean tools, such as Sucker plucker, blades, and tweezers. • The best tools of all are your clever eyes and useful hands. Use them well and you will succeed! From the Newsletter of the Early Mom AV Group, Australia September • October 2009 A Family Portrait By Georgene Albrecht 101 Oak Heights Drive • Oakdale, PA 15071 Email: georgena@Veri2ton.net nSr> r£-> rQn djb djb djb djb djb djb djb cX) &S (K) (X) <*> hirita sinensis (chu REE ta ) is known for the glorious patterns on the foliage. Someone recently asked me which “other” gesneriad was the easiest to grow. After eliminating Streptocarpus, Episcia, and Sinningia, the conclusion became some Chirita because they are very tolerant of inconsistent watering and require a minimum of fertilizing and repotting, C. sinensis is my choice. As long as bright, indirect light is available about 10 hours a day, they grow well. Normal home temperatures seem to be fine, but they can tolerate cooler temps if neces¬ sary. This is why I place them on my lower shelves in the light garden. The family is very diverse in cul¬ tural needs. The popular hybrids of today are the flat rosette types. Most have lavender, bell-shaped, pen¬ dulous blooms. Many are available from our AVM advertisers. Look for them. All the varieties and species of the rosette forms of Chirita that I have grown seem to have thick, succu- lent-like foliage. They can store moisture; this is a big clue not to over- water or over-pot them. The fibrous roots seem tolerant of fertilizer salts and dryness. In fact, they seem to love being in the same smelly, small pots for many months. The only times my chiritas have died is when they were repotted. Keep them in small pots and never allow them to stand in water. Top watering seems to be best. But, some people wick water. Who knows? Whatever works for you in your growing conditions. If you have a Chirita that grows a “trunk" just like our violets do, try cutting the bottom third of the soil ball away and scrape some of the lower “trunk” to encourage roots when replanting lower in the same size pot. The pot should never be more than one-third the width of the Chirita. I never remove leaves that are healthy. If lower leaves start to decline and yellow, it’s a sure sign they are sacrificing lower leaves to make new ones or blooms. Repot and give a little more light to see of that rejuvenates the plant Reproduction for most is either by seed, crown cutting, or leaf. I put my leaf down just like an African violet, sometimes taking a small amount of the “trunk” attached to the leaf stem to insert in the rooting medium. Use a very light, sphagnum medium to root them. That medium should have some builder’s sand added to the rooting mix. Rooting hormone is never necessary; in feet, it may damage tissue. Place the cut¬ ting in a container or plastic bag and water sparingly, making sure no water is on the cut¬ ting. Dry it with a paper towel. Poke a couple of holes in the plastic bag to allow a little air flow. The foliage on chiritas can be so spectacular. The one tiny Chirita with plain foliage that blooms the most for me is Chirita tamiana. Every collection MUST HAVE this precious plant. African Violet Magazine 25 THE FORTUNATE ACCIDENT By Don Geiss The beautiful chimera, ‘Monique,’ finally went out of flower, and it was ready for surgery to reproduce it. By surgery, I mean that the core, or tiny top leaves and a section of the roots and stem, were going to be removed as a way to duplicate the plant. It is one of the ways to ensure that the new plants will have a flower that resembles those of the mother plant. Leaf propagation is not successful with chimeras. The surgery would allow me to replant the core piece that had been removed although few, if any, roots would accompany it. The spot in the cen¬ ter that was opened up by the coring, would at some future date yield baby plants that would all bloom true to the original ‘Monique’ - white with blue stripe. Once I started the operation, something went horribly wrong. As the exacts knife was drawn around the plant, one side of it fell away from the main body. There was no way a circular core could be removed. Now, there were two halves of the plant! Perhaps then, I thought, by planting the broken half, but leaving a little bit of the raw core exposed, baby plants might grow out in a similar fashion to my original plan. I also thought if that works, the other, larger half of the plant could again be halved and both replanted. So, I hacked away. Truthfully, these were the most horrible looking plants in my collection. Odd-sized leaves stuck up from every direction, and a small bit of the support stem stood up above the level of the soil. I moved the oddities to the furthest reaches of my water¬ ing tray. The three of them sat there looking out of place among the beauties on my shelves. It was many weeks later The babies were removed from the mother plants and pot¬ ted in three-ounce solo cups. There was again a wait of many weeks before the plants matured enough to begin forming buds. The big day finally arrived, and each began to open. Every one bore the mother’s color of light blue stripes and white background. It was lots of fun duplicating a chimera even if the pro¬ cess was slightly unusual. Next, I’ll try ‘Suncoast Peppermint Cathy’. But this time. I’ll try to do it the more accepted way. as I routinely glanced at one of them that I noticed a flower bud. Soon, the other two also produced flower buds, and little leaves began to form among the older ones, as ^ well as along the exposed part of the Once - stem. Days later, the buds opened to the striped color of the original, which was my goal. What was rewarding was that the plants grew leaves, and what was once ugly slowly began to resemble a finished plant again. The small leaves that had appeared at the exposed side of the crown grew until babies began to form. Each plant yielded two or three, as I had hoped. There was little need I started the operation something went horribly wrong. As the exacta knife was drawn around the plant one side of it Jell away from the main body. There was no way a circular core could be removed for more, as shelf space was limited. Coming Events Deadlines January Issue-November 1 July Issue - May 1 March Issue - Januaiy 1 September Issue - July 1 May Issue - March 1 November Issue - September 1 26 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 AVSA BOOSTER FUND Shirley Berger 2822 So. Mainsail Dr. Avon Park, FL 33825-6032 Contributions: March 16, 2009 - May 15, 2009 Geneva African Violet Club of Morris County, NJ In memory of Joy Phillips, one of our charter members for the African Violet Council of Florida African Violet Society of Greater TUlsa, OK For the website upgrade African Violet Society of Greater TUlsa, OK For the Editor’s new computer Ellen Bloomfield, Round Lake, 1L Ellen Bloomfield, Round Lake, IL John and Judith Carter, Broken Arrow, OK For the Editor’s new computer Richmond African Violet Society, VA For the website upgrade Multicolored African Violet Club of Ocala, FL For the Editors new computer African Violet Club of Morris County, NJ In lieu of judges’ expenses /Janet Riemer, Judy Niemira, Holly Pohl Paul Krott, Fred Hill, Susan Hanna African Violet Society of Greater TUlsa, OK In honor of Ron and Jan Davidson,for their help in judging our spring show. African Violet Society of Philadelphia, PA In memory of Alice Easter, our long-time friend and member African Violet Society of Philadelphia, PA In lieu of speakers fee / Susan Amao Mary Boland, Alexandria, VA Geri Gordon, Helen Ackel Itsuka, Wayne Coley, Duane Champion Fox Valley African Violet Society, In lieu senk’s Alchemy Parakeet ’ consistently made Photo Credit: Eric Ensley September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 33 in the flowers and is more pronounced when the plant is older and more mature. 1 think the growing conditions affect the amount of pigment too.The ideal situation would be to get a consistent yellow that extends over the full flower in every bloom cycle.We are not there yet.” My favorite response, the most upbeat of the lot, came from Agnetha Widell of Sweden: “not as close as possible - but do remember it took ‘breeders’ to put ‘really yellow’ into begonias - we have glorious future ahead - LUCKY US!” Several people referenced time lines of twenty-five to thirty years to put yellow into petunias, orchids, begonias, etc.; it is clear that any improvements will need time to develop. 6. 1 was very surprised by the answers to this question about ‘what lies beyond.’ Eighty-five percent of the people who responded said that orange is the next great frontier for African violet hybridizers! This overwhelming majority either indicates that we enthusiasts think alike or that somebody knows something... A few people added some very interesting ‘additional comments.’ Jeff Jackson (hybridizer of the ‘Imp’s’ series) said: “A good growing show plant with intense yellow color is just around the comer (I’m very optimistic) "and further added: “Genetics and the mutation rate in African violets will always leave the door open for more interesting flower shapes, colors, and leaf traits.Miniatures, wasps, trailers, crown and mosaic variegation really have very little variety in their categories. I think in the next ten years, we’ll see that change dramatically.” On the other side of the equation, Joyce Stork commented: “... searching for the new and the weird is a bad idea if it sacrifices vitality and form. We prefer to concentrate on sturdy sym¬ metrical foliage and excellent bloom count Stability and con¬ sistency in many growing environments is also important. We’ve noticed that many of the show winners across the country are old hybrids ... the newer novelty flower colors are fun but they often aren’t on show-worthy plants.” Ralph Robinson said: “like most breakthroughs, the next “great thing” likely will be more a matter of luck...and some¬ one being wise enough to recognize the possibilities and work with it.” Jeff Smith feels that “the yellow pigment seems to decay faster than other colors so the flowers don’t last as long. This is another problem that needs work.” Finally, Dale Martens expressed a vote of confidence for extreme longifolia and wasp hybridizer David Senk, as follows: “ I think David Senk will be the one to create a strong yellow.” For those unfamiliar with his hybrids, David Senk has been upending the conventions of African violet hybridization for years with his interesting and unusual varieties, among them some of the best yellows we have seen in many years. He discovered a yellow seeding he came to call ‘HDY (Home Depot Yellow) and worked its genes into the crosses that produced his Alchemy series - including such intense yellows as ‘Senk’s Alchemy Parakeet,’ ‘Alchemy Gold,’ ‘Senk’s Alchemy Morning Star’ and my personal favorite, ‘Alchemy Antique Bells.’ Dr. Jeff Smith says of ‘Senk’s Alchemy Parakeet’: “I’ve seen Alchemy Parakeet develop some nice deep gold flowers with blue edges” (author’s note: I have per¬ sonally grown all of the Senk hybrids mentioned here and I can attest to the reliability of their yellow coloration). While David Senk may indeed be working on a true yellow even as we speak, his imagination is clearly running above and beyond anything in the canary family. He responded: “The holy grail is ORANGE!” African violet hybridizers and enthusiasts alike have been ‘chasing the canary’ for twenty years now; whether your own African violet ‘holy grail’ is yellow, orange, green, or even turquoise (as Swedish grower Agnetha Widdell suggested in her response), it’s dear that exdting things are on the way in the not-so-distant future. Perhaps you might even try to pick a shade or shape and make some crosses of your own. Who knows? You might just be the one to come up with the next ‘big break’ in the ever-evolving world of the amazing African violet! Special thanks to: Gary Beck, Nolan Blansit, Nancy Braun, Travis Davis, Barbara Elkin, June Huebbe, Jeff Jackson, Vladimir Kalginjrom Russia (who reported the responses of twenty five Russian survey respondents), Dale Martens, George McDonald, Dr. Ralph and Olive Ma Robinson, Raymond Russell, David Senk, Dr. Jeff Smith, Paul Sorano, Joyce and Kent Stork, Janet Stromborg, Fay Wagman, Agnetha Widdell (who polled more than a dozen Swedish enthusiasts) and to AVSA Magazine editor Ruth Rumseyfor asking me to research and write this piece. AVSA OFFICE HOURS M&ndaif- Tfumckf 9:00 Jim - 4:00 pm 34 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Plant Symmetry By Dr. Jeff Smith In my opinion, plant symmetry is a matter of genetics and culture. There is a definate genetic component in that some plants will have nice flat foliage that shapes without any real effort on the part of grower. Hybridizers have been selecting for this trait for generations; this is the type of foliage we want in show plants. It actually surprises many outside of the African violet world that we put such an emphasis on well shaped foliage in our show plants. Many think that overall plant size and number of blooms are the most important features in a show plant. In contrast to our show plants, there are also plenty of other plants out there that shaping their foliage is a real challenge. Some plants throw leaves out at odd angles and twists and don’t have much overall symmetry. While this can be cultural. I’m certain there is a genetic component to these plants too. If the same cultivar grows badly for several people, I’m inclined to think the reason is genetic not cultural. Culture plays a large part, particularly the direction and amount of the light as you mention. With most of us growing plants under artificial light, we don’t have to worry as much about phototropism or plants bending toward the light. Still, it doesn’t hurt to give some rotation to your plants under the lights just to even out their exposure and keep the growth even on all sides. One thing you may not have noticed regarding culture is that the size of the leaves can change depending on your growing conditions. This is most apparent if you have allowed a plant to become stressed by filling up the pot and delaying transplanting too long. The leaves will be smaller than usual under these conditions. When you do pot up the plant into a larger pot, the next set of leaves will grow to their maximum size. This can give you rows of smaller ver¬ sus rows of larger leaves, spoiling the symmetry. This is one of the reasons why it is important to gradually pot up a large show plant at regular intervals during its increase in size; this will be the only way to keep the leaves of the same size over several months growth. From Lone Star AVC Newsletter. Response to a question from AV International, an on-line group for Africanviolet lovers. Metropolitan St. Louis African Violet Council RECOGNIZING EARLY SIGNS OF SOME PESTS AND DISEASES By Sue Gardner Australia Problems in African violets can have various causes. Lack of water, light, or fertilizer can be three cultural causes. Over¬ watering is often a cause. However, the problems caused by pests or diseases can create havoc in our collections if not quickly dealt with. Pests can be insects, fungi, or mites. These are usually transmitted by people, other newly purchased plants, pets, or breezes blowing into areas from the outside. How do we recognise the first signs of pests - before they take holds of all our plants? Here are a few tips. Recognizing Fungal attack If you see the following white powdery substance on leaves or flowers, you know you have powdery mildew. The early signs on flower stems are shown. Spray with a recommended mildew control. Drooping plant? If your plant droops, as shown in the picture, take it out of the pot to see condition of the roots. The picture shows roots rotted away. The next picture shows that the fungus infection has travelled up into the tissue of the stem, so that a crown cutting is not possible. A leaf cutting is the best option. 36 African Violet Magazine If the roots are not rotten, you may see a white fuzzy patch in the potting mix. Soil Mealy Bugs can also cause plants to become sick. When you look carefully for a minute or two, can you see small oval whitish insects moving slowly in die potting mix? In the first picture, early signs of mealy bug in the potting mix are shown. In the next one, the infestation has advanced, and the third shows mealy bugs in the bottom of a reservoir. If you find soil mealy bug, it is best to take a crown cutting, wash it well, and plant Keep the cutting covered until new roots grow and are found to be free of mealy bug. Pollen spilled on petals If you see some pollen on petals, look more closely. Thp the pollen sacs and watch for small, elongated insects running rapidly over the petals. Do this several times to be sure. Use a magnifying glass to see them better. They are Thrips! Disbud after spraying with a pyrethrum spray. Thrips are very hard to eradicate. Disbud several times for greatest effect. Alternatively, use a metered spray dispenser, which seems to eradicate them successfully. Chewed Leaves Are there brown, green black, or fawn insects chewing the foliage on your plant? These are aphids. Spray, then wash off the dead bodies! The picture shows leaves damaged by Aphids. Does the crown of your plant have the following symptoms? a) Excessively hairy c) Grey appearance b) Stunted or deformed growth d) Flower stalks short, fat, or deformed If the grey appearance is caused by fine hairlike growth it could be BoUytis. However, the usual cause of these symptoms is Cyclamen or other mite. Throw plant out and treat other plants on shelf by spraying with miticide. The first picture shows a plant « with thickened deformed peti- ■ oles and in the second one, the ■ center is grey and dry and not developing. Both plants had ■ mites. So if you see something 1 similar, check your plant before * i * ' | mites spread further. These pictures are not meant to put you off growing African violets. It is best to be able to recognize signs of pests and diseases so that you can deal with them before they become a big September . October 2009 African Violet Magazine 37 2009 AVSA LIBRARY MESSAGE By Anne Nicholas, Library Chairman Last year, the AVSA Library committee introduced new DVDs and CDs that were educational, enjoyable, and professionally produced. These items included 2 DVDs: “Get Your Violet Kicks on Route 66” (the 2008 Thlsa show), New Introductions (“From Tucson to TUlsa”), and 3 CDs: “The Pittman Way of Growing,” “The Other Gesneriads “(Growing and Judging), and “African Violet Troubles.” Each DVD or CD has beautiful photography, and all the DVDs and one of the CDs have an audio narrative. These items have sold very well, especially for use as club programs, and continue to have great sales on the AVSA website and through the AVSA office. In April, the AVSA Library committee introduced 2 new products at the 2009 AVSA Convention. One is a 2 DVD set on the origin, culture, and new classification system of the Species. This DVD set is more expensive because of its vast four-part content. The other DVD introduced in Reno is an update of the older 35mm slide show on Trailers by Bev Promersberger. This wonderful DVD not only includes Bev’s outstanding instructions and methods of growing trailers, but also includes her original audio narrative. Both of these new programs are now available on the website and through the AVSA office. We have also produced a CD, DVD, and 35mm slide show of the Reno show winners, available through the AVSA office and website. We are pleased to announce that the cost of Library Rentals has been reduced. Any new rental pro¬ gram will be priced at $15.00, and all rental materials over two-years-old will rent for $10.00. As always, the AVSA Library committee members donate so much time, effort, and talent to these products. This com¬ mittee works year around, and 1 cannot thank them enough. These wonderful, talented folks include Janet Castiglione, Dr. Barb Burde, Marjorie Bullard, Tom Glembocki, Libbie Glembocki, Richard Follett, Dr. Richard Nicholas, and Jacquie Eisenhut. DVDs and CDs of past National Conventions and Shows, as well interesting instructional programs on growing African violets are now available for purchase through the AVSA office and on the AVSA web site - AVSA.org. _ See the entire list of these items on page 31. AVSA LIBRARY RENTALS ORDER ALL LIBRARY MATERIALS FROM AVSA OFFICE DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF LIBRARY MATERIALS SECTION 1: CONVENTION SHOWS The following are slide programs of outstanding exhibits at National Convention shows; they are especially entertaining for members not attending conventions. 197L “GO WILD IN OMAHA - 2000" (C) (80 Slides) Omaha 2000. 200L “CHICAGO SHOW BEAUTIES - 2001 ” Chicago. (80 Slides). 201L “MR. VIOLET GOES TO WASHINGTON” (C) (80 Slides) 2G2L “BEST OF THE 90’S” (C) (80 Slides) 1990-1999. 203L “35th ANNUAL AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY OF CANADA CONVENTION & SHOW” May 1-5, 2002 (80 Slides). 204L “LOUISIANA LAGNIAPPE” (Q (80 Slides). 206L 2003 CANADIAN NATIONAL AV SHOW (80 Slides). 207L “A FIESTA OF VIOLETS” - 2004 (C) (80 Slides). TUcson, AZ. 209L “VIOLETS REIGN IN THE QUEEN CITY - Cincinnati 2005 (80 Slides). 210L “VIOLETS VACATION IN MINNESOTA” - 2006 - (C) (80 Slides). 211L “COLORADO FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE PRAIRIE” - 2007 - (Q (80 Slides). 212L “GET YOUR VIOLET KICKS ON ROUTE 66” - (Q (80 Slides) 2008 Ttilsa. OK. 221L “AFRICAN VIOLETS AROUND THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITY” - 2009 Reno, NV. (C) (80 slides). SECTION H: NEW INTRODUCTIONS The following is a series of programs compiled from slides of new cultivars submitted by hybridizers and commercial members. 199L “NEW INTRODUCTIONS - 2001” (48 slides) 205L “NEW INTRODUCTIONS OF 2002 AND 2003” (C) (50 SECTION m : AFRICAN VIOLET LIFE Section HI is a series of slide programs relative primarily to African violet culture and related subjects. They are somewhat dated but with much helpful information for the novice grower. 140L “MULTIPLYING SAINTPAULIAS” (65 Slides) Basic program on African violet propagation including leaf cuttings, plant division, seed, and grafting. Slides show how to produce and plant seeds. 147L “THE AFRICAN VIOLET PLANT” (77 Slides) A good, basic program identifying leaf types, blossom form and colors, and diseases that affect the foliage. 150L “THE PITTMAN WAY OF GROWING VIOLETS” (C) (84 Slides) A step-by-step visual program on growing and grooming miniature and semiminiature African violets. 151L “THE SAINTPAULIA SPECIES” (79 Slides) A comprehensive, educational, workshop-type program. Very thorough and some¬ what technical. A depicted work by Neva Anderson. 161L “POINTERS IN JUDGING” (C) (74 Slides) A revised version of workshop program for judges and exhibitors. Emphasis on grooming of plants in preparation for showing. 182L “TRAILERS MAKING THEM DO WHAT I WANT THEM TO DO” (C) (70 Slides) (1997) Bev Promersberger demonstrates how she grows trailers that make the “Winners Circle". 194L “DESIGNING FOR SHOW” (66 Slides) Program includes step- by-step instruction for construction of a terrarium followed by lovely examples of the different design types for exhibition. SECTION IV: GESNERIADS Listed below are programs identifying African violet cousins, their care, and propagation. 139L “MEET THE FAMILY” (Q (60 Slides) A vivid look at some of the other members of the gesneriad family, compiled and narrated by Margaret Waguespack. An informative program for those who want to broaden their growing horizons or for those who just want to “meet the family". 38 African Violet Magazine 157L PROGRAM-PLANNING PACKET: Suggestions 158L 32L “AFRICAN VIOLET PESTS” (C) (52 Slides) A short, succinct program by Dr. Charles L Cole with vivid illustration of common African violet pests. 52L “VIOLET TROUBLES” (63 Slides) Pests, diseases, and results of poor culture exhibited in the program. An oldie, but good basic information. SECTION VI: SPECIAL PROGRAMS 187L “30TH AVSC CONVENTION - TORONTO 1997” Slides of the Canadian Show. (80 slides). “AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY OF CANADA Convention fit Show, Ottawa, 2001”, (87 Slides). VIDEO TAPES AND DVDS “AFRICAN VIOLETS IN THE NEW GARDEN” Ken Froboese talks violets - a visit with Ken in his greenhouse, Hill Country African Violets. “GROWING BEAUTIFUL AFRICAN VIOLET TRAILERS” (28 minutes). Anna Jean Landgren demonstrates how she grows trailers. One of a series of presentations for TV by members of Illinois State AV Society. 86L “TEACHING THE TRICKS” (27 minutes) A second presentation of the cable TV productions - this one shows Jean Willey instructing new grower TYacy Bruns in the basics of African violet growing. Particularly good for novice growers. “RAGS TO RICHES” - Another cable 1 . series of House Plant How-tos. This is by Andrea Worell a j groom c r redo those African \ 89L “PROPAGATING YOUR POSIES” - This Worell, shows how she starts African v gesneriads. Another of the House Plant F PACKETS Packets are loaned for a period of one m 2. Requests for two or more packets will be filled whenever possible. by FIRST, THIRD, OR FOURTH CLASS check to AVSA at DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF PACKETS JUST FOR FUN PACKET: “Violet Carol” Christmas skit in one act A fun way to celebrate the holidays with a skit performed by your club members. This is an original skit written by Kent Stork of Kent’s Flowers, Fremont, NE, and donated to the AVSA Library. NEWSLETTER/MAGAZINE PACKET: Anyone desiring to start a newsletter or magazine would find this packet helpful. 159L YEARBOOK COLLECTION PACKET: This packet RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR USE OF AVSA LIBRARY MATERIALS Library materials are available for use by AVSA members and affiliates REQUEST FOR MATERIALS Send requests to the AVSA Office, 2375 North St. Beaumont, Texas 77702. If you do not have an AVSA order form, please include in your request (1) Name of affiliate, (2) Name of person ordering and person’s membership number, (3) Shipping address, (4) Name of slide program or packet, (5) whether or not cassette (where available) is desired, (6) Date to be shown. Order forms are included in shipment for future use. SLIDE PROGRAMS - VIDEO TAPES 1. Make request for reservation three (3) months in advance of date desired with information outlined above. Give first second, and third choices of slide programs for each reservation date. 2. Slide programs and video tapes are shipped using a special shipping box. Please use the special box to return the programs to the AVSA office immediately after scheduled reserved date. Return by UPS or First Class Mail only. For First Class, we request that you insure the program for $50.00. If you use UPS, the package is automatically insured for $100.00. For members in other countries: please return programs postpaid by the safest and most expeditious postal means available. A $5.00 PER WEEK PENALTY WILL BE ASSESSED FOR ANY PROGRAM NOT POSTMARKED WITHIN FOUR (4) DAYS AFTER SCHEDULED RESERVED DATE, UNLESS OTHER ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE. Return programs to: AVSA OFFICE 2375 NORTH STREET BEAUMONT, TEXAS 77702 3 special requests for two or more slide programs for the same date may be made and will be filled when possible, but such requests are not encouraged because of the great demand for slide programs and the limited number available. 4. The cost of programs from 2008 and 2009 are $15.00. All AVSA LIBRARY ORDERS .1, A„CA .it,,,™ rpmiests must be made in writing. After you have emailed office and make sure that your request has been received. Sbtimber . October 2009 African Violet Magazine 39 You’re Never Too Old... By Pat Knight Tidewater African Violet Society Nell Pace, 97, won Best in Show at the Tidewater African Violet Show in Norfolk, Virginia, “Violets on Vacation" on May 2, 2009 with her plant ‘Victorian Ribbons.’ The plant also won the following categories: Best in Class; Best Standard; Best Variegated; Best Chimera; Best Lyons; and a TYi-Color Ribbon. “Nell" was bom Myfanwy Morgan in England on June 20th, 1911. Her mother brought her and her three siblings to Virginia when she was very young. When Nell was 3, her mother passed away and a very kind lady in the Larchmont neighborhood of Norfolk, Laura Butt, adopted all four of the children. After graduating from high school, Nell went on to further her education and graduated from Norfolk Memorial as a Registered Nurse. During her training there, she met and married Charles Pace in 1932, and together they raised three children. After Chades passed away, a few years later Nell married Ray Kundtz. Ray owned a greenhouse in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach where they raised all kinds of plants. Ray also loved African violets, so he and Nell decided to join the only group in the area at the time, the Pioneer African Violet Society in 1976. Around 1980 the group changed its name to the Tidewater African Violet Society (TAVS) and Ray and Nell continued to be members for many years. A few years later Ray passed away, but Nell continued to be a member of TAVS because of her love for African violets. Nell has been our club’s “Sunshine Lady" for over twenty years, mailing out cards for every occasion to all of our members and never missing a beat. Nell has been a long-time member of AV5A and over the years, she has come to love and grow the “other” gesneriads, and is also a member of the Gesneriad Society. When able, Nell will go to local African Violet Shows, MAAVS Conventions, and even AVSA National Conventions, enjoying all the beautiful plants and taking many new babies home to enjoy and grow for next year’s show. Today, Nell lives in a senior apartment complex in Norfolk on the 9th floor and, occasion¬ ally, when the elevator goes out, she has to climb the stairs. At 98 now, she can still do it! When Nell is not working on her plants, she loves to knit and crochet, do crewel work and tatting. But her first love is her plants, and it really shows. In her small apartment she has a 4-tiered light stand where she’s able to grow all of her plants, and she even has a small step stool that she has to climb to tend to the plants on the top shelf. She wick-waters all of her plants with filtered water, uses Optimara Potting Mix, a variety of fertilizers, and SupeiThrive. When our club was getting ready for our show this year, we found out that Nell wasn’t feeling well, and wouldn’t be able to bring in her plants for the show. One of our members went over to her apartment, picked up her plants, and entered them for her. She wasn’t able to get to the show on the day of judging, but when we all found out that her plant won “Best in Show,” we called her to let her know the big news. She was shocked, but thrilled. The last day of the show, her daughter brought her to the show so that she could see for herself that she had won the big prize. We were able to capture that happy moment, and I’m sure it’ll be something she will always remember. So, the moral of this story is that you’re never too old for anything, especially growing a prize winning African violet! 40 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Raleigh 2010 Convention - Specific Awards It won’t be long before we are packing our bags for the next convention in beautiful Raleigh, S.C.! Here is the list of Specific Variety and Collection Awards donated so for for the 2010 convention show which should be lovely! The awards that we give are important because they encourage people to show their plants, and they serve as a reward for their hard work. We would especially like to invite those who are mem¬ bers residing along the East Coast to talk with your club mem¬ bers and donate one or two awards for this convention which will be held in your area. All awards will be listed in the con¬ vention book. Many thanks to those members and affiliates who make our awards possible through their donations, and we encourage each of you to consider giving an award. To be part of this convention effort, please send your awards (payable in U.S. funds) to: Judith Carter, AVSA Awards Chair 1825 W. Lincoln St. Broken Arrow, OK 74012-8509 Email: AVSAawards@valomet.com The deadline to be included on the Jan/Feb AVM Awards page is October 15th, 2009. Please include an email address or telephone contact. Specific Amateur Awards Best Aca’s Red Ember - $25 - John and Doris Brownlie (Canada) Best Concord - $100 - Kazuo Horikoshi (Tokyo, Japan) Best Dolores’ Sugar Candy - $25 - Dolores Harrington (MN) Best Emilie Savage - $25 - Linda & Jim Owens (OH) Best Everdina - $50 - Hans Inpijn (CA) Best Lilian Jarrett Variegated - $ 100 - Anne TInari (NY) ^ Lyon’s Carnation Sprinkles - $25 - Cathleen Graves (WA) Best The King-$25 - Janet Riemer (CT) ^ Na ncy Hayes - $25 - Nancy Hayes (CT) ^ Optimara Oklahoma - $25 - John & Judy Carter (OK) Best Precious Pink - $25 - Hortense & Ray Pittman (TX) Best Rebel’s Minnesota Haze - $25 - Ruth Bann (MN) Best Rebel’s Minnesota Haze - $100 - Minnesota Convention Committee Rosie Ruffles - $25 - Dolores Harrington (MN) Best The Alps - $100 - Kazuo Horikoshi (Tokyo, Japan) Best Rodeo Country - $75 - Spring Branch AVC (TX) Amateur Collections Best Holtkamp Collection $300/coin - Holtkamp Greenhouses m 2nd Best Holtkamp Collection $200 - Holtkamp Greenhouses (TN) 3rd Best Holtkamp Collection $100 - Holtkamp Greenhouses (TN) Best Buckeye Collection $200 - Pat’s Patch/Pat Hancock (OH) 2nd Best Buckeye Collection $100 - Pat’s Patch/Pat Hancock (OH) Best Robinson Collection $150 - Ralph & Olive Ma Robinson (NY) 2nd Best Robinson Collection $50 - Ralph & Olive Ma Robinson (NY) Best Lyon’s Greenhouse Collection $200 - Paul Sorano (NY) 2nd Best Lyon’s Greenhouse Collection $100 - Paul Sorano (NY) Best Russian Hybrid Collection $300 - Vladimir & Thtiana Kalgin (Moscow, Russia) 2nd Best Russian Hybrid Collection $200 - Vladimir & Tatiana Kalgin (Moscow, Russia) 3rd Best Russian Hybrid Collection $100 - Vladimir & Tatiana Kalgin (Moscow, Russia) Commercial Collections Best Holtkamp Collection $300 - Holtkamp Greenhouses (TN) 2nd Best Holtkamp Collection $200 - Holtkamp Greenhouses (TN) 3rd Best Holtkamp Collection $100 - Holtkamp Greenhouses (TN) Specific Other Gesneriad Awards Best Ozark Sinningia $35 - David Harris (MO) Best Thad’s Episcia - $25 - Thad Scaggs (FL) This listing has only Specific Variety and Collection Awards. For all current awards, go to AVSA.org, click on National Convention and then Awards. A full awards list will appear in the January/Februaiy AVM. Specific variety awards for Raleigh closed June 15th, 2009. They are now being accepted for the 2011 AVSA Convention. September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 41 “And the winners are By Mary J. Corondan VC OF BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: ^ Picasso, Happy Cricket, Ma’s Debutante; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Gleeful Elf, Smitten Kitten, Rob's Twinkle Blue; Best in Show/Best Trailer: Rob’s Galiwinku; Best Standard: Picasso; Best Semiminiature: Rob's Fiddle Faddle; Best Miniature: Gleeful Elf; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Sandy Skalski. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Jersey Snow Drops, Optimara EverPraise, Tiger; Best AVSA — Mini/Semi Collection: Jolly Orchid, Orchard’s Bumble Magnet, Shirt’s Red Sky; Best Species: Saintpaulia velutina ; Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus *Kim’ ; Best Design, Susan Amao. Design Sweepstakes, Laurel Brown. AVC OF MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Buckeye Freckles Galore, Rebel’s Rose Bud, Jersey Snow Flakes; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Cranberry Swirl, Ness’ Sno Fun, Rob’s Suicidal Squirrel- Best in Show/Best Standard: Rebel’s Rose Bud; Best Men Ramblin’ Lace; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Bob Kurzynski. Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia clone grandifolia #237, Saintpaulia clone orbicularis var. purpurea, Saintpaulia clone velutina lite; Best Species: Saintpaulia done grandifolia #237; Best Gesneriad: Petrocosmea rosettifolia, Alicia Belyo. Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Satin Rose, Jill Fischer. Best Miniature: Rob’s Chilly Willy, Karyn Cichocki. Best Design,- Design Sweepstakes, Emilia Rykowski. AV AND GESNERIAD SOCIETY OF WESTERN NEW YORK, NY - Winners: Best in Show/Best Standard: Simpler Times, Elaine Geiger. Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Miss Sniffles Barbara Donsky. Best Men Rob’s Jinda Lee, Margaret Jasinski. Best Species: Saintpaulia tongwensis, Doreen Cesari. Best Gesneriad: Chirita ‘Bridal Veil’, Paul Kroll. Best Design, Judy Niemira. AVS OF DAYTON, OH - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Wrangler’s Dixie Celebration, Christmas Dream, Powwow; Best in Show/Best Standard: Wrangler’s Dixie Celebration, Anne Thomas. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Maggie Lee, Ma’s Debutante, Optimara Martinique Stacie Hecht. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Celina Elegance, Jolly Eyes, Lollipop Kid; Best Semiminiature: Celina Elegance; Best Miniature: Jolly Blue Clouds, Pat Hancock. Best Species: Saintpaulia subspecies grotei, Dieter Johnson Best Gesneriad: Kohleria ‘Napoleon V’; Best Design- Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Mel Grice. AVS OF ROCHESTER, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection.* Lela Marie, Waterdancer, Blue Draeon- Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection.- Ness’ Satin Rose, Plumbeny Glow, Sunshine Lady; Best in Show/Best Standard: 42 African Violet Magazine 434 Plumwood Way • Fairview, TX 75069 Email: mcorondan@yahoo.com Waterdance; Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Satin Rose; | Best Miniature: Honey Blue Ace; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Doug Burdick. Best Men Ramblin’ Amethyst, Jim Murphy. Best Species: Saintpaulia velutina var. lite, Barbara Gogoll. Best Design, ! Trudy Murphy. Design Sweepstakes, Barbara Festenstein. AVS OF SPRINGFIELD, DELAWARE COUNTY, PA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Connecticut, Optimara Colorado II, Optimara Kentucky; 2nd Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia velutina, Saintpaulia rupicola, Saintpaulia orbicularis var. purpurea; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Irish Flirt, Rob’s Scrumptious, Rob’s Pink Buttercups; Best in Show/Best Trailer/Best Species: Saintpaulia rupicola; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Joan Santino. Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia grandifolia #237, Saintpaulia grandifolia #299, Saintpaulia orbicularis, Peggy Mooney. Best Standard: Optimara EverPraise; Best Gesneriad: Chirita ebumean; Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Barbara Jones. Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Peggy Mooney. AVS OF SYRACUSE, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Buffalo Hunt, Ma’s Show Girl, EK-Dikaia Orkhideia, Barbara Ellison. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Scarlet Sky, Rebel’s Splatter Kake, EK- Goluboglazaia, Karen Dupree. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Suicidal Squirrel, Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Teen Thunder; Best in Show/Best Miniature: Rob’s Chilly Willy; Best Standard: Bob Serbin; Best Semiminiature: Teen Thunder; Best Trailer.- Nancy Hayes; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Lee Hoke. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Jitterbug, Frosted Denim, Orchard’s Bumble Magnet; Best Species: Saintpaulia shumensis; Best Gesneriad: Chirita brassacoides ‘Marble Leaf, Donna Coleman. Best Design, Penny Moore. Design Sweepstakes, Robin Yager. ALBUQUERQUE AVC, NM - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Hiroshige, Optimara Georgia, Rhapsodie Michelle; Best Standard: Optimara Georgia, Debra Chase. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Boondoggle, Robs Snake Charmer, Rob’s Squeeze Toy; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Pat Dockerty. Best Semiminiature: Lyon’s Fireworks Teresa Dominguez. Best Gesneriad: Episcia Sliver Skies’, June Spooner. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Martha Mitchell. BERGEN COUNTY AVS, NJ - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Alliance, Optimara Haiti, Windy Day; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Cecil Grimes. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Picasso, Optimara Haiti, Impostor; Best in Show/Best Standard: Picasso, Samira James. Best September • October 2009 Semiminiature: Plum Delicious, Barbara Church. Best Gesneriad: Petrocosmea minor, Best Design, Lee Borey. Design Sweepstakes, Debi Powell. CAPITAL DISTRICT AVS, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Harbor Blue, Smokey Moon, Goluboi Utman; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Ooey Gooey, Mac’s Southern Springtime; Rob’s Boogie Woogie; Best Standard: Optimara Everjoy; Best Trailer: Ramblin’ Lassie; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Margaret Califano. Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Lollipop Kid; Best species: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies velutina; Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Texas Hot Chili’, Alvin Breisch. Best Miniature: Rob’s Zippity Doo, Helen Tanski. Best Design, Andrea Freeman. Design Sweepstakes, Vincent Ozimek. CENTRAL JERSEY AVS, NJ - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rhapsodie Mary, Maas’ Janet, Picturesque; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Little Pro, Wee Be, Little Prize; Best in Show/Best Standard: Rhapsodie Maiy; Best Semiminiature; Wee Be; Best Trailer: Milky Way Trail; Best Species: Saintpaulia subspecies grandifolia; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Ron Ennis. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Mac’s Black Jack, Mac’s Kismet’s Knight, Mac’s Quaintly Quintessential, George McDonald. Best Miniature: Rob’s Rinky Dink, Anthony Metta. Best Gesneriad: Episcia ‘Kee Wee’ ; Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Jan Murasko. CHATTANOOGA AVS, GA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara EverGrace, EK-Goluboglazaia Rossiia, Buckeye Cranberry Sparkler; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Outer Orbit, Rob’s Zoot Suit, Ness’ Cranberry Swirl; Best in Show/Best Standard: Optimara EverGrace, Tom Greer. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Saintpaulia clone difficilis, Saintpaulia clone confusa, Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies ionantha var. ionantha; Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia clone difficilis, Saintpaulia done confusa, Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies ionantha var. ionantha; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Outer Orbit, Thunder Surprise, Shirks Happy Tears; Best Semiminiature: Shirt’s Happy Tears; Best Miniature: Jolly Orchid; Best Species: Saintpaulia clone confusa; Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Danny Tidwell. Best Trailer: Rob’s Gundaroo, Christel Collier. Best Gesneriad: Aeschynanthus hildebrandii, Ramona Hodges. Best Design, Bob Green. CINCINNATI AVS, OH - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Buckeye Seductress, Plenty of Pepper, Apache ”^ amo - Sancy McIntosh. Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia 5b clone difficilis, Saintpaulia 5b clone velutina, aintpaulia 8 rupicola; Best Species: Saintpaulia 5b clone V r* tina ' ^ren Malott. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: ^jroara Little Ottawa, Rob’s Hopscotch, Rob’s Calypso Beat; °est in Show/Best Semiminiature: Kentucky Gooseberries; Best “^mature: Everdina; Best Trailer: Ramblin’ Spots; Horticulture weepstakes, Penny Wichman. Best Standard: Buckeye Nohdity, Pat Hancock. Best Gesneriad: Kohleria ‘Napoleon ; Best Design, Mel Grice. Design Sweepstakes (tie): Mel September • October 2009 Grice and Sandy McIntosh. DELAWARE AV AND GESNERIAD SOCIETY, DE - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ming Blue, Rebel’s Night Breezes, Ma’s Party Music; Best Gesneriad: Chirita ‘Kazu’; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Libby Beanke. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Kaylih Marie, Anna Kreeck, Buckeye Cranberry Sparkler; Best in Show/Best Standard: Black Magic, Nancy Muray. Best Semiminiature: Burgundy Kid; Best Trailer: Pixie Blue, Barbara Borleske. Best Miniature: Rob’s Shutterbug, Bobbie Lafashia. Best Design, Terry Celano. Design Sweepstakes, Carol Callaghan. THE EARLY BIRD VC, AL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Caribbean Blue, Halo’s Aglitter, Ma’s Wonder Woman; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Boogie Woogie, Snuggles Little Dreamer, Rob's Kitten Caboodle; Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Kitten Caboodle; Best Miniature: Rob’s Lucky Number; Best Trailer: Rob’s Lilli PiUi; Best Gesneriad: Aeschynanthus hildebrandii; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Ramona Hodges. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rhapsodie Evelyn, Rhapsodie Natalie, Glacier Queen, lerry Goodall. Best in Show/Best Standard: Tiger’s Son, Sandra Campbell. Best Design, Donna Henderson. FANTASY AVC, FL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ma’s White Elephant, Funambule, The Alps; Best Standard: Funambule; Best Trailer: Cherokee TTail; Best Gesneriad: Sinningia ‘Peridot's Darth Vader’; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Thad Skaggs. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rodeo Country, Ness’ Candy Pink, The King; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Definitely Darryl, Ness’ Satin Rose, Lemon Drop; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Definitely Darryl; Design Sweepstakes, Sally Scaggs. Best Design, Ronnie Ashcroft. FIRST AVS OF WICHITA FALLS, TX - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Ness’ Viking Maiden, Sweet Tea, Honeylove; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Boogie Woogie; Best Standard: Ness’ Viking Maiden; Best Design, Allene Peek. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Sheer Peach, Optimara little Arapahoe, Rob’s Kitten Caboodle; Best Trailer: Teenie Bopper; Best Species.- Saintpaulia rupicola; Best Gesneriad: Chirita USBRG-98-083; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Gail Elmore. Design Sweepstakes. Mary Smith. FIRST LAKELAND AVS, FL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Graffiti, Kaylih Marie, Dignitaire; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Jolly Magic, Tfeen Thunder; Best in Show/Best Standard: Heinz’s Imagine; Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Miniature: Dean’s Rosalie; Horticulture Sweepstakes; Christel Collier. Best Trailer- Rob’s Gundaroo; Best Species: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies pendula, Carol Ann Burrell. Best Gesneriad: Chintopsis repanda vat guilinensis; Design Sweepstakes, Kelly Ates. Best Design, Eiyth Hendershot. GARDEN STATE AVC, PA - Winners: Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Lyon’s Little Sweetheart; Best Miniature: Mac’s Blackjack; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Clyde African Violet Magazine 43 Ashton. Best Standard: Optimara Everjoy; Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Luanne Arico. Best Species: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies ionantha var. ionantha, Fred Hill. Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Gloria’, Marika Demeter. LAKESHORE AVS, ONTARIO - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Saintpaulia clone ionantha, Saintpaulia clone tongwensis, Saintpaulia clone rupicola ; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Norton’s Elaine, Rob’s Fuddy Duddy, Plumberry Glow; Best Semiminiature: Ness’ Cranberry Swirl; Best Trailer: Beacon Trail; Best Species: Saintpaulia clone ionantha ; Best Gesneriad: Chirita ‘Destiny’, Beverley Williams. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Buckeye Cranberry Sparkler, Pink Sensation, Lonestar Lady; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Ooey Gooey, Rob’s Combustible Pigeon, Optimara Little Aztec; Best in Show/Best Standard: Therese-, Horticulture Sweepstakes, Tony Hulleman. Best Miniature: Pink Dove, Brett Flewelling. Best Design, Ursula Eley. Design Sweepstakes, Marina DeSouza. LONG ISLAND AVS, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Opera’s Romeo, Rebel’s Restless Heart, Winter Ice; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Pewter Bells, Snuggles, Ness’ Sno Fun; Best in Show: Winter Ice; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Lois Szostak. Best Species: Saintpaulia rupicola Mather; Best Gesneriad: Chirita sinensis, Dorothy Vogt 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Enchanted April, Red Lion, Lela Marie, Marie Schnaufer. Best Semiminiature: Cool Blue; Best Design, Rosemary Macaluso. Best Miniature: Little Darlin’; Design Sweepstakes, Diane Lohan. Best Trailer: Pixie Trail, Jeanne Maier. MAGIC KNIGHT AVS, TX - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Vintage Wme, EK-Snezhnyi Bars, Neon Fireflier; Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies ionantha var. ionantha, Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies orbicularis; Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies grotei; Best Semiminiature: Thunder Surprise; Best Miniature: Jolly Orchid, Danny Tidwell. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Honey Blue Ace, Shirt's Hawaiian Lei, Jolly Orchid, Ken Froboese. Best Standard: Lonestar Lady; Best Gesneriad: Chirita sinensis ‘Hisako’, Irene Harney. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Jane Rexilius. MONTROSE AND BURBANK AVS, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Slap Happy, Rob’s Squeeze Toy, Rob’s Mad Cat; Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Slap Happy; Best Miniature: Orchard’s Bumble Magnet; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Chris Hedberg. Best in Show/Best Standard: Harmony’s Little Stinker. Bemadine Poulsen. Best Trailer: Teeny Bopper; Best Species: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies ionantha var. ionantha, Luis Pineda. Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Bristol’s Party Girl’, Hanna Olsen. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Leslie Cox. NAUGATONIC AVS, CT - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rhapsodie Juliana, Rhapsodie Betty, Rhapsodie Rebecca; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Sno Fun, 44 African Violet Magazine Cupid’s Jewel, Crimson Magic; Best in Show/Best Trailer: Ellie Gardner; Best Standard: Rhapsodie Betty; Best Miniature: Lil Periscope; Best Gesneriad: Columnea ‘Cascading Beauty’; Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes; Design Sweepstakes, Edna Rourke. Best Semiminiature: Lil Glimpse o’ Spring, Donald Goodwin. QUAD CITIES AVS, IL - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optical Illusion, Dixie’s Angel Kisses, Optimara EverGrace; Best Species Collection: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies grandifolia, Saintpaulia ionantha var. diplotricha, Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies grotei-. Best Miniature: Jolly Gala; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Judi DuPont. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Winnergreen, Rob’s Boogie Woogie, Rob’s Outer Orbit; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Winnergreen; Best Standard: Optimara EverGrace; Best Trailer: Milky Way Trail, LuAnn Christenson. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Slow Dancin’, Ness’ Sno Fun, Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Species: Saintpaulia rupicola, John Jugenheimer. Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Dale’s Scarlet Macaw’, Dale Martens. Best Design, Susan Massick. Design Sweepstakes (tie), LuAnn Christenson and Susan Massick. QUAD CITIES AVS, IL (2008) - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Deep Sky, Hot Thmales, Ma’s Watermelon; Best Semiminiature: Cool Teen, Sue Schinckel. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Optimara Molokai, Optimara EverGrace, Ultra Violet Billy, Carol Boyd. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Thunder Surprise, Rob’s Gizmo, Ness’ Crinkle Blue; Best Miniature: Frosted Denim, LuAnn Christenson. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Crinkle Blue, Rob’s Cool Fruit, Slow Dancin’; Horticulture Sweepstakes, John Jugenheimer. Best in Show/Best Standard: Heartland’s Lime Sherbet; Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Different Drummer’, Dale Martens. Best Trailer/Best Species: Saintpaulia ionantha, Judi DuPont. RICHMOND AVS, VA - Winners: Best in Show/Best Standard: Taffeta Blue, Harry Livesay. Best Semiminiature: Rebel’s Meg; Best Miniature: Optimara Little Moonstone; Best Tfailer: Pixie Blue, Nell Reese. Best Species: Saintpaulia ionantha subspecies velutina, Carolyn Smith. Best Gesneriad: Columnea hirta ‘Light Prince’, Kathryn Hedgepeth. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Barbara Stewart. Horticulture Sweepstakes, Josane Wagner. SOCIETE DES SAINTPAULIA DE MONTREAL QUEBEC - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Blue Mink, Frozen in Tme, Funambule; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Ness’ Cranberry Swirl, Rob’s Dandy Lion, Rob’s Pewter Bells; Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Dandy Lion; Best Design; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Annie Simard. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Winter Ice, Ma’s Pillow Talk, Frozen in Time; 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Dust Storm, Rob’s Match Point, Cool Blue, Marie Gagnon. Best in Show/Best Standard: Marching Band, Clement Perreault. Best Trailer/Best Spades: Saintpaulia rupicola, Diane Taillon. September • October 2009 Best Gesneriad: Kohleria hirsuta ‘Trinidad’, Monique Beaucage. Design Sweepstakes,Johanne Burdeleau. SUNDOWNERS AVS, LA - Winners: Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Boogie Woogie, Rob’s Outer Orbit, Rob's Suicidal Squirrel; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Boogie Woogie; Best Standard: Granger’s Wonderland; Best Miniature: Rob’s Cloudy Skies: Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Bristol’s 5th Element’; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Laura Moser. 2nd Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Precious Pink, Definitely Darryl, Cool Teen; Best Trailer: Pixie Blue, Belinda Thibodeaux. Best Species: Saintpaulia grotei, George Ramirez. Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Elmer Godeny. SWEET WATER AVS, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Blushing Ivory, Wild Irish Rose, Rebel’s Minnesota Haze; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Lucky Ladybug; Best Standard: Optimara Ontario; Design Sweepstakes, Carolyn Klein. Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Cool Blue, Rob’s Mad Cat, Aca’s Daphne; Best Gesneriad: Chirita ‘Vertigo’, Esperanza Kesler. Best Miniature: Optimara Little Diamond, Marilyn Heinrich. Best Trailer: Rolling Pink Cloudburst; Best Species: Saintpaulia subspecies pendula ; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Joyce Rodler. Best Design, Jeanne Damaso. TRI-COUNTIES AVS, CA - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: The Alps, Frozen in Time, Ness’ Coral Sunset, Dorothy Kosowsky. 2nd Best AVSA Standard Collection: Royal Rage, Apache Diamond, Optimara Molokai; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Suicidal Squirrel, Rob's Inner Orbit, Joy’s Pink Halo; Best in Show/Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Suicidal Squirrel; Best Miniature: Jolly Jubilee; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Diane Miller. Best Standard: Fisherman's Paradise, Vivien Mitchell. Best Trailer: Tiny Wood Tail, Ralph Cox. Best Species: Saintpaulia tongwensis , Nancy DiPaola. Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus Lavender Rosette’; Best Design; Design Sweepstakes, Leonard Re. UNPREDICTABLE AVS, MO - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: Rainbow’s Limelight, Ness’ White Bear, Rhapsodie Katja; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Love Bite, Rob’s Twinkle Pink, Frosted Denim; Best Semiminiature: Winnergreen; Best Miniature: Rob’s Tvinkle Pink; Best Gesneriad: Streptocarpus ‘Bristol’s Nose Print’; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Pat Inbody. Best in Show/Best Trailer: Linda Darnell, Dick Fans. Best Standard: Ness’ Bangle Blue, Sue Hill. Best Species: Saintpaulia grandifolia #299 clone; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Linda Golubski. WINDSOR AVS, NY - Winners: Best AVSA Standard Collection: B-Man's Melila, Nancy Reagan, Optimara Molokai; Best AVSA Mini/Semi Collection: Rob’s Boogie Woogie, Rob's Cool Fruit, Rob’s Calypso Beat; Best in Show/Best Standard: B- Man’s Melila; Best Semiminiature: Rob’s Boogie Woogie; Horticulture Sweepstakes, Charlotte Howson. Best Miniature: Jolly Joy, Nancy Hayes. Best Gesneriad: Alsobia dianthiflora, Cindy Fagan. Best Design, Joyce Dickey. Design Sweepstakes, Marcia Kilpatrick. Anne & Frank Tlnari Endowment Fund Janet Riemer • 256 Pennington-Harbourton Rd. • Pennington, NJ 08534 April 20,2009 - June 9,2009 ^Geneva ^ Two-tone Rocky Mountain African Violet Council * Linda Wheaton Seattle African Violet Society DonGeiss ^"Multicolor (in memory of Chuck Callentine) Antral Jersey African Violet Society (in memory of Charlotte Lynn) Marge Farrand Nan cyG. Hayes (in honor ofStampede African Violet Society) Nancy g. Hayes %> ™ Thumbprint Bergen County African Violet Society (NJ) (in lieu ofjudging expenses for Laurel Brown) fa memory of Linda Owens’father) mcan Violet Society of Greater TUlsa Alice A. Inlow Susan Amao ( in honor of Judith M. Carter, President) Nancy DiPaola Joyce Martins Patricia Miklica Irene Schubert Charlotte Rosengrant Janice Sorensen Total this period $502 s African Violet Magazine 45 ^ber. October 20 09 PREPARE TO OVER-WINTER TUBERS & RHIZOMES By Marge Huntley Tuber - A woody food and water-storage root, very hard, round, and almost indestructible. Rhizome - A specialized portion of the root which carries the plant through dormancy. Gesneriad rhizomes are elongated, scaly, and vary in thickness according to the plant species. Sinningia is the most commonly grown tuberous plant. Florist’s Gloxinia is really Sinningia speciosa and has a sturdy tuber. Many of these have been discarded by buyers who think their plant has died, when it has simply gone into dormancy. Rhizomatous plants include Achimenes, Diastema, Eucodonia, Gloxinia (the real one), Kohleria, and Pearcea. Tuberous plants These get very shabby after flowering and should be taken off wick-watering so that you can gradually lessen the amount of water given. Trim off all dead foliage, leaving the balance to die off in its own time. Leave a good stub when foliage is eventually trimmed. This seems to prevent the tuber from becoming “blind” and refusing to sprout. Over-wintering tuberous and rhizomatous plants should not be allowed to become bone dry, but should be given a little water. In a couple of months, new growth will show on the tuber and now is time to re-pot. The above holds for all Sinningia except the tiny S.pusilla, White Sprite etc. They do not die down but should be repotted at least once a year. Keep spent stems trimmed. Rhizomatous plants. During growth and flowering, there will be very few, if any, rhizomes in the potting mix. They develop when flower¬ ing has ceased and the foliage starts to become shabby. Nature steps in, producing rhizomes to enable the species to continue. We can help this rhizome development by stressing the plants a little by reducing water. Remove from reservoirs, water occasionally till all growth has died. Trim (no need for stubs). Rhizomes can be stored in their pot of soil but need a little water to prevent the dry soil from desiccating the rhi¬ zomes. Or, rhizomes can be harvested and stored in barely damp vermiculite in a labeled plastic bag. As rhizomes show their first growth (easier to see if out of a pot), they should be planted. Some have a shorter dormancy time than others. Follow the Moon Signs for putting down leaves and suckers, planting baby plants, transplanting larger plants and killing pests. The “water” signs are the most fruitful. CANCER rules growth and promotes healthy, fast growing plants. SCORPIO rules the sexual and reproductive organs of plants. Plant and transplant vines and trailers. PISCES rules water-seeking in the root system and helps develop a good root system. For best results, use 1st and 2nd quarters of the Moon. Bulbs, root crops, and vines do best when planted in the 3rd Quarter of the Moon. The “earth” signs are semi-fruitful. TAURUS, LIBRA, and CAPRICORN: Good times to plant and transplant. 46 African Violet Magazine Moon signs usually run in 2 1/2 day cycles, and some¬ times 3 days. The first day the Moon is in a sign is the best and so on, down the length of the cycle. The “air” signs are barren. AQUARIUS, GEMINI, and VIRGO: Destroy pests and suckers when the Moon is in the 4th Quarter. The “fire” signs and are the most barren. ARIES, LEO, AND SAGITTARIUS: These signs are the best to kill pests, especially when the Moon is in the 4th Quarter. MOON PHASES The Moon grows progressively larger (waxes) and smaller (wanes) through approximately 29 1/2 days (the “lunation cycle) as a result of a relationship between the Sun, Moon, and the Earth. September • October 2009 Mooh S(*9hs ehdf Gutcfe P)(m^9 ^9 Moon S(’9ns v4// tables use Eastern Time. Please calculate the difference between your time zone and Eastern. Moon tn tfries 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 if Barren and dry, airy and masculine. Used for destroying noxious growths, weeds and pests, and for cultivation. Moot* to Cornier Very fruitful and moist, watery and feminine. This is the most productive sign; used extensively for planting and irrigation. Moot* to beo Barren and dry, fiery and masculine. This is the most barren sign, used only for killing weeds and for cultivation. Moon In 'Yirgo Moon In Libra 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 to Scorpio watery and feminine. Neady as for the same purposes. Especially Veryfri productive a dry, fiery and masculine. Used for planting lay, and for cultivation. Moon In Capricorn and dry, earthy and feminine. Used for Moon to Dquartu s dry, airy and masculine. Used for cultivation loxious growths, weeds, and pests. Moon to Pisces and feminine. Used along Reprinted with pemissionjtom published by Llewellyn 1 September • j Violet Magazine 47 Temperatures By Stan Sudol Gesneriads are a versatile family of plants. Some prefer wanner temperatures and some prefer cooler, but usually it is different genera and specie. Most can tolerate a reasonable departure from their preferred range of temperature. Humans and many animals have preferences as well. Some of us like it warmer and some colder, and in some cases a change is necessary due to health conditions. This affects our relationship with our house plants, and they sulk or will not bloom, or go into hibernation, perhaps even die. I have a preference, and that is warmer. In the winter season, during the daytime the thermostat is set at 73°F (23° C) and at 68°F (20°C) at night. However, there have been a couple of nights that 1 got up from under the covers and upped it to 72°F (22° C) for the rest of the night. In the summer, the day temp is 79°F (26° C) and the night is 82°F (28° C). This is mainly due to the higher humidity. It is also higher in the summer due to the cost of running the air conditioner. I have two growing areas. One light stand is in the kitchen and receives any benefits of extra heat and humidity from the cooking envi¬ ronment, although this may not be a big issue as I grow most of my plants under large plastic domes. The other light stand is in a basement that does not get much benefit from my thermostat manipulations, as the vents are turned very low and it gets quite cool in the winter, about 59°F (15° Q at night. Plants such as episcias have succumbed to these conditions. I was quite surprised at some individuals 1 growing con¬ ditions as discussed on Gesneriphiles Internet Group with their homes set at 55° F (13° Q. I know that some of our members have told us they keep their temperature quite low as weD. If they can cope with it personally and the plants are also happy, great. Last March, I purchased an Aeschynanthus plant from my local fruit market It was in a ten-inch hanging ha^ 48 African Violet Magazine and was full of dark red flowers and packed with stems. It seemed just too nice to pass up. I had it in the house for several days before I noticed white puffy things all over it, noticeably in the leaf axils. I guess they were mealie bugs, by the hundreds. I made a fast decision; outside with you all! Well, this was only the end of March. I thought that tem¬ peratures and exposure would probably do it in. I envisioned a pile of white fluff sitting below the plant. I placed it on a hang¬ ing basket bracket, fully exposed to nature, facing a westerly direction and left it to its own resources. During the period from March to May, we had snow, cold winds, rain, sunshine, and temperatures below what I expected the plant to survive. Most of the flowers fell off, but occasionally, I would see a few new flowers come up. Out of pity, I did water it, hop¬ ing its demise would be less painful. I think I even turned it a couple of times. As our summer season emerged, it bloomed non stop. I kept it away from the other plants that I sum¬ mer outdoors, as it still showed the fluffy mealy bugs. I tried vari¬ ous treatments, and all failed to eradicate the pests. It was the last plant I brought in from the outdoors late in the fall, as temperatures plummeted to below freezing temperatures. It sat in the kitchen for three days, and all the leaves and flowers fell off. K was a bit of a miracle that it survived at all at the beginning. I gave it to our recycle bin. There is a moral to this story. It liked the cold spring outdoors, it liked the heat of the summer outdoors, and even when other plants were brought in as the cool fall started, it liked it until I forced it in when a hard frost was imminent It did not like my kitchen! Toronto Gesneriad Society Newsletter September • October 2009 The Once and Future Violet in Raleigh, NC By Tom Glembocki The 64th Annual AVSA ■Convention and Show will take place from April 11 to April 18 at the Hilton North Raleigh, in Raleigh, NC. April is a perfect time to vacation in the Carolinas. If you’re planning to drive to The Once and Future Violet, or fly, you should plan to come early to take advantage the beauty of spring in the area. Our convention has been sche¬ duled to occur at the peak of the Carolina spring blooming season. The azaleas and the dogwoods will be in full bloom, and the shirt-sleeve weather will allow you to enjoy being out of doors. Make sure you come early in the week to take advan¬ tage of tours highlighting the natural beauty of this area. (In order to document the progress of spring for the 2010 con¬ vention, I took photographs outdoors on April 11, 2009 - the exact date the convention will begin in 2010.) Plan to time your trip to take advantage of the convention tours. We will be visiting Juniper Level Botanic Gardens, the home of Plant Delights Nursery. The Nursery is not open to the public, but we will be able to go behind the scenes to observe hybridization and research by owner Tony Avent and his staff. Plant Delights is strictly a perennial nursery with the motto “Friends don’t allow friends to plant annuals.” For foodies, we’re planning a night out to The Pit Barbecue Restaurant in downtown Raleigh. Pitmaster Ed Wilson is a celebrity chef, regularly featured on the Food Channel, Good Morning America, and the Today Show. The Pit is going to accommodate our AVSA group in a reserved area of the restaurant on Tuesday night April 13. Dogwood blooms at the peak of their display, azaleas in a multitude of colors, accompanied by flowering bulbs of all varieties - tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths - where are we? It must be Duke Gardens, one of the top ten horticultural gar¬ dens in the US according to Southern Living Magazine. We have planned a full day at Duke, with a docent-led tour of these beau¬ tiful gardens, the historic Duke Home¬ stead, where George Washington Duke got his start, and the Cathedral-like Duke chapel, icon of the University. On another tour date, we’ll be visiting the JC Ralston Arboretum in Raleigh. The Ralston is more of a University Research station with field trials of various flowering annuals, trees, and shrubs. Demonstration gardens complement the trial gardens, showing how plants can be used in a home landscape. Seagrove, North Carolina, is home to almost 200 pottery studios. We are scheduling a tour of the Seagrove area with stops at a handful of studios and pottery shops. A trip to the state capitol of North Carolina would not be complete without a trip to downtown and the capitol government complex. Heading downtown, we will travel through dogwood and azalea-lined streets of beautiful Victorian homes. Once again, because it will be the peak of spring, our tour of the Capitol build¬ ing and the Governor’s Mansion will be a florific treat. The grounds sur¬ rounding the Mansion could qualify Theformal gardens at Duke Gardens for their own one of the Top Ten horticultural gardens place on lists ^ the United States. of botanical gardens. One of our more unique tours will be a visit to the Hall of King Richard. Of course, “The King” is none other than Richard Petty, and the Richard Petty Museum is sure to invoke the car racing bug in all of us. If racing is not for you, Lynda Owens Petty, wife of Richard, is an avid doll collector. Her collection of almost 1,000 antique, modem, and rare dolls occupies a comer of the museum. In addition to the historic Petty race cars, trophies, and racing related paraphernalia, Richard was a collector of pocket watches, rifles, pistols, knives, and other interesting objects. Please come early, and enjoy the surrounding area before getting down to business for the 64th Annual AVSA Convention. See you in Raleigh! Dogwoods in bloom on 4/11/09. "The Once and Future Violet" begins on this same day in 2010. September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 49 Capillary Matting Capillary mats are not new, but they are causing a great stir in the horticultural world today. Many of us in the New York chapter are now “on the mats” and thrilled with our success. Marty Mines, our unofficial mat expert, has prepared these questions and answers about the capillary mats. We encourage you to try. What is mat watering? Plant pots are placed on a non-woven matting which is kept moist. By the weight of the pot and its contents, the soil mix makes contact with the moist mat and absorbs the moisture it needs. What are its advantages? There is an appreciable savings in time — your plants need not be individually watered, just water the mat. There is also a humidity increase around your plants from the moist mat. In mat watering, the potting mix becomes lightly and uniformly watered. Gesneriads, most begonias, and many other house plants grow and bloom as you have never seen them before. African violets do very well, and the danger of leaf spotting is eliminated. How are the mats contained? If your plants are in trays, the mats can be cut to the size of your tray and positioned at the bottom. The felt-like side of the mat should be uppermost so the pots can sink slightly into its surface. How is the mat watered - how much, how often? Add enough water to the mat in the tray to make it uniformly moist. Avoid standing puddles if you can, but even a thin layer of standing water for a short period of time seems to have no harmful effect. Some users keep the mat fairly moist all the time; others permit the mat to get quite dry between waterings. You can develop your own “feel” for the permissible dryness of your mat by watching your plants for signs of wilting or by lifting a test pot to heft the weight and so note the need for water. When my mats are dry, I add three quarts of water to each of my large trays, thus watering my plants for another few days. However, this amount of water may be different at other times, depending on temperature, humidity, and the load of plants. Plants take the amount of water they require. If you are using a mat on a plastic protective sheet (i.e. without benefit of a tray to contain the water) it is best to have the end of the mat in a water reservoir. The reservoir should not be so low that water will have to climb a considerable vertical distance, nor should it be so high as to allow the water to “siphon” into your growing area. The water will, through capillary action, move along the mat into your growing area, and thence through the soil in your pots to the roots of the plants. What potting mix works best? A loose porous mix is best - either soil or soilless. A loose mix has many large air spaces. The water absorbed at the bottom rises by capillary action in and around the particles that are adjacent to and touching each other. The larger and wider air spaces are not filled with the water - thus the roots have both the water and the air they need. If the mix contains small fine clay particles, the water rising by capillary action will fill all the space, air spaces as well, and the roots will lack oxygen and may rot. All mixes made for gesneriads are loose and porous and will work well on mats. My soilless mix of one part vermi- culite, one part perlite, and two parts sphagnum peat works beautifully. It is always lightly and uniformly moist. Before placing new plants on the mat, inspect and remove crock and pebbles that may be found at the bottom of the pot. Are there any special techniques that have been developed with mat watering? A sure method of reproducing a plant is to place a tip cutting in your porous potting mix, in a 2 1/2" pot, and place a plastic sandwich bag over the pot, sealing it with a mbber band. The bottom of the pot is not covered by the plastic bag and sits as usual on the mat. Water slightly from the top to settle the mix around the cutting before enclosing with the plastic bag. After 2-3 weeks, or when you notice that the cutting has started to grow, cut off the top of the plastic bag with scissors. This reduces humidity inside the bag and permits the rooted cutting to start adjusting to normal outside humidity. After a week or two more, remove the remains of the plastic bag. When using propagation boxes (such as shoe boxes and freezer dishes), I make a few holes in the underside of the box and then treat it as if it was a pot. I fill with my usual propagation mix and whatever plant material I wish, and then cover it with either a lid or polyethylene. I leave the bottom uncovered and on the matting. Sufficient water will be absorbed by capillary action to maintain optimum moisture. Do plants have to be watered from the top to start capillary action? I water my pots from the top the first time to wash down the mix so that it makes close contact to the mat, through the pot drain holes. Establishing or re-establishing capillary 50 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 action does not seem necessary, even after the mat has almost dried out. When the mat is moistened, the surface tension of the water to the pot pulls the water up into the pot where it meets some of the mix and starts its farther rise in the pot. What pots works best? I have worked with 1" to 6" pots, although mostly with 2 1/2" pots. I have had heavily blooming plants in 6” pots, repotted by steps from 2 1/2" pots, and never watered from the top. Almost all my experience has been with plastic pots. The small projections found at the bottom of most plastic pots do not seem, to interfere with absorption. Some clay pots have worked well for me. In other cases, I thought I detected wilting and presumed it was from excessive mois¬ ture loss through the sides of the pot. I put a plug of sphag¬ num moss in the pot's drain hole to increase and water intake, and the wilting usually vanishes. How about fertilizing? I add my fertilizer to the water every time I water the mat. I use 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of a complete 18-18-18 fer¬ tilizer. Other mat users, I have heard, are using slow-release fertilizers in their potting mix or are adding a heavier fertilizer concentration to the mat water but are doing this at intervals rather than at each watering. How about accumulation of algae and insects? After a period of use, algae may develop on the surface of the mat. This will be more likely if fertilizer has been used to excess. With the algae and bits of organic debris accumula¬ tions may come springtails. If algae build-up occurs (it may after 2-3 months use of my mats) I remove pots from the mat and place the mat in a pail containing a bit of Tide and a half cup of Clorox. After a half-hour soak, I rinse a few times to get rid of the remnants of Clorox and the mat is clean, algae-free, and ready for reuse (I've just thrown it in the washer with detergent and bleach and it has come out fine - Ron Myhr). Before I replace the pots I lightly sprinkle both sides of the mat with a systemic insecticide, such as Isotox systemic granules. Best procedures are preventative. Quick algae growth indicates over-fertilization. Reduce the amount of fertilizer. Keep matting clear of fallen bloom and potting mix. Be cautious about using insecticides which are sold to be applied as sprays, as an additive to mat water. Some which are excellent as sprays will cause fatal injury to some plant species if added in the recommended spray strength to the water used to moisten the mats. Use only those systemic insecticides designed to be placed in the potting mix, on the mat, or as additives to the water. How about salt accumulations at the surface of the pot? This is inherent in the capillary method and cannot be avoided. After two years of experience, however, I have rarely had a plant that seems to be affected by surface salt build-up. When I do find build-up, I leach with tepid water, about five times the pot’s volume, and then replace the pot on the mat. Toronto Gesneriad Society Newsletter. Reprinted from the TGS newsletter Vol. 7 No. 4 April 1983. Originally published in the Glox News, newsletter of the Greater New York chapter. AVSA 2010 Convention Raleigh, North Carolina April 11 - April 18, 2010 w Joy Phillips Charier Member of the African Violet Club of Morris County, New Jersey, passed away in February 2009 She was 91 years of age Joy was a short story writer and was active in her church and community. She was an avid gardener and grower of African violets. She and her wonderful desserts wfll be missed by all the club members. In Memory Joy Phillips September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 51 Rob *s Zoot Suit From 2nd Best Robinson Collection 2009AVSA National Show Exhibited by: Andrea Worrell Hybridized by: R. Robinson Semiminiature 52 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Rosy Cheeks Exhibited by: Loma Russell Hybridized by: Sorano/Lyon Greenhouses Semiminiature Texas Space Dust Exhibited by: Richard Nicholas Hybridized by: H. Pittman Miniature September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 53 FLORAL DESIGN - AN ART Composing a beautiful picture is an art. Whether you choose stone, brick, or living materials, such as flowers and foliage, the art must be learned before your picture can be successful. Creating a flower arrangement is not like making a cake, using a well-used and tested recipe. One must use imagination and creativity rather than being technically perfect. There is a way of making people feel at home when they begin to learn a new art. A close relationship exists among all the arts which helps accomplish this attitude. Almost every¬ one has had some knowledge of the art of musical composi¬ tion, the dance, painting, interior decorating, landscape designing, and the art of cooking. We need to feel at home with the art of designing with plants and flowers. You would not expect to know all about musical composition in five easy lessons, nor would expect to understand all there is to know about painting without many lessons and lots of practice. So, don’t be discouraged if you are not an expert flower designer after you read a few books and enter a few flower shows. Have no feeling of inferiority because you are not able to create beautiful designs with flowers instinctively. This is an art that requires study and practice. THE MECHANICS OF THE ART - Let us begin at the most logical place to start - the beginning. To have com¬ mand of the art of flower arranging you must be some¬ what of an inventor, an engineer, and a mechanic. You must be inventive because there is no limit of ideas for design. To achieve a proper foundation for your arrangement you must have the right tools and you must know how to use them. Today, we have a good choice of mechanics to help us. One of the most popular is the pin holder. It comes in various sizes and prices. Floral clay is used to anchor the holder in a dish or container. Fine sharp flower shears, or small pruning clippers, a small bundle of wire in different gauges, a roll of scotch tape, green florist tape, glass or plastic tubes, floral sticks...and you are ready to tackle almost any design problem. Crushed chicken wire is quite popular with some flower arrangers. It is usually bunched in a mass and stuffed into a deep receptacle that has a wide opening at the top. The only In a well-balancedflowei arr&tigement, the eye can move rhythmically throughout. It is like looking at a well-planned house of a pleasing pattern. One sees a unified building, not a collection of doors, windows, and chimneys. disadvantage with this method is that the wire tends to crush the stems. Oasis is a substance that professional florists use because it absorbs water like a sponge and supports the flower stems when wet. It is light in weight and clean - a good way to transport arranged flowers. Marbles, pebbles, shells, granite pieces, and coal can be used effectively, not only to hold stems in glass containers, but also as a camouflage to conceal the pin holders or wire netting. They come in many colors so you can greatly enhance the beauty of your design. CONTAINERS - By the term container, we mean any¬ thing capable of holding flowers, foliage, and associated mate¬ rials in water. Much care be taken in selecting a suitable con¬ tainer for an arrangement. There are many containers from which the flower designer, may choose. Thke a look in your cupboard. Pottery, china, and porcelain are good choices. Simple forms and solid color glazes are best for the floral design. Containers of copper and pewter are two fine metals for arranging. The Japanese and Chinese consider the flo¬ wer container as the earth from which plants and flowers grow and for this reason make extensive use of bronze. A great variety of glass containers give the flower arranger a wonderful assort¬ ment of textures and colors. Alabaster and milk glass can be used much like white por¬ celain or pottery. If you have clear glass containers, you need not throw them away. Tty brushing them with a light coating of emulsion paint using a pastel color. There are not too many pitfalls in selecting a container for floral design. The container should have good basic form without too many fussy variations. Clean simple lines are best, especially for the novice designer. Whatever type of container you use, whether it be simple or elaborate, conventional or unorthodox, keep the following points in mind: • Plan your entire composition beginning with the container. • Visualize in your mind’s eye what you intend to do, and then do it. • Do not be afraid to try out new ideas. 54 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 • Employ your knowledge of the mechanics and principles of flower arranging. • Relax and be creative. Now we are faced with a vase, some flowers, and some foliage. What are you going to do? Just put all the materials into the container, not troubling to attempt anything more than making sure the stems touch the bottom so that the flowers have a drink? No architect ever built a house that way! In a well-balanced flower arrangement, the eye can move rhythmically throughout. It is like looking at a well-planned house of a pleasing pattern. One sees a unified building, not a collection of doors, windows, and chimneys. If you have assembled all of your necessary tools, physically as well as mentally, you are now ready to begin the exciting experience of building your first truly creative flower arrangement. There are five basic, practical rules which govern all flower arranging which I will briefly discuss. 1. Measure your container. You are required to know its greatest diameter if the container is long or round; its greatest height if it is tall. This measurement, plus half again, is the minimum visual measurement for your main stem and the height of your flower arrangement. 2. Centralize the stems. Every stem must spring from the center of your composition, from its focal point, or you will not achieve a sense of unity. Keep a picture of how all the spokes spring from the hub of a wheel. 3. Vary your stem lengths. Cut them in such a way that no major materials stand shoulder to shoulder or directly above each other, thereby forming a straight line. 4. Avoid crossed stems. Avoid crossing stems where they are visible. There are exceptions to this rule, but on the whole, when crossing of stems does occur, it should be under the water level of the container. 5. Let the flowers and foliage embrace your container. This rule is very important, because flower arranging, unlike many other arts, requires an all important third dimension which gives it depth as well as breadth and height. As you fill in your arrangement this effect is enhanced by placing all the stems at different angles. Keeping these five basic rules in mind, we also design by following certain principles which are basic to all arts. They ure: balance, scale, proportion, rhythm, contrast, variety, and dominance. The first three: balance, scale, and proportion are closely related. Balance is generally thought of in terms of weight and the force of gravity. 1- Balance is achieved by the weight being equally dis¬ tributed on either side of an imaginary central line. 2 - Balance is achieved by conveying a visual effect of equal weight, even though both sides are irregular in form or shape. In a flower arrangement, it is the visual weight of the September • October 2009 plant material, container, base, accessories, and so on that must be considered for a well-balanced composition. In traditional arranging, we place the items with greatest weight, largest forms, strongest colors, and thickest lines, low in the design. Proportion is closely linked with scale. We can sum up our reaction in three words - we say ‘It looks right’ or ‘It looks wrong: Scale can be defined as meaning “the size relationship of the component parts of a composition, involving at all times a sense of proportion between flowers, foliage, con¬ tainer, site and function." Rhythm can best be described as a sense of movement which flows through the main lines of any work of art, whether it be a flower arrangement, a picture, or a building. Its purpose is to direct your eye so that the shape of the whole composition is followed and absorbed, your attention held throughout, and your eye drawn back to rest at the focal point. Movement can vary. Some rhythms are sharp and stac¬ cato, others lazy, swift, or exciting. Some of the different feel¬ ings rhythm produces can convey a restless mood, peace, serenity, or gaiety. Contrast and variety give life its spice. Nature is never monotonous. There is variety in landscape, hills, mountains, meadows, rivers, and sky in the overall landscape. Yet they are all put together for a whole, unified effect. In flower arranging, variety and contrast are necessary to prevent monotony. The eye soon becomes bored with sameness. To achieve the contrast, use pointed or rounded forms, dull or shiny materials, and rough or smooth surfaces. Much depends on how the materials are arranged. All the contrasting ele¬ ments, materials, the different forms, colors, textures, lines of movement and special organization should be balanced and rhythmically related to give a continuity throughout. Dominance is the last principle to consider and is best described as giving proper emphasis to the parts and to the whole in design. Viewing and arranging are easier when one basic idea is stressed. Dominance helps to bring a sense of order. Dominance is achieved usually with one focal point, but a number of areas of interest. It is only when they are well balanced and integrated that the total effect is achieved. With these principles in mind, you as the artist must find your way through garden and woodland. As you learn through constant practice, these principles will become your guide, lending your fingers speed, so that you will choose without confusion and create without labor just as a pianist makes his piano speak - seemingly without effort and without a visible score! Let’s discuss the elements which designers use to commu¬ nicate ideas and meaning, just as words and sounds are used in the art of music and poetry. Just as the principles of design are all interrelated, so are the elements of design. I will discuss each one separately. LINE: A line represents the visual movement between two points. It is a powerful design element and is used both as African Violet Magazine 55 a unit of construction and of expression in art. Line is popu¬ larly defined as a straight vertical or horizontal stroke drawn with a writing instrument. Simple linear shapes are encoun¬ tered daily in the form of telephone poles, fences, lanes divid¬ ing traffic, and lamp posts. All are so common place that they are scarcely noticed. In flower arrangements, lines are needed to create a path of motion that will take the eye smoothly through the struc¬ ture of the design. Certain plants lend to line material better than others. Iris spears, pampas grass, bare twigs and fine ivy are often referred to as line material. The simplest designs are composed of strong branches. A heavy line is more likely to hold attention because it creates a well-defined pattern against a wall or in space. Therefore, one strong well-shaped branch is likely to have sufficient structural form to make a complete arrangement. Look for stray limbs along the highway blown there in a storm. Dumps are also most rewarding. Concealed in the debris, you may find a bough with a lovely flowing line exactly suited to your purpose. Variations in line are endless. A line can move quickly or slowly, smoothly or jerkily. Graceful curves are relaxing. Broken lines that change abruptly or zig-zag, are exciting as they cause the eye to move rapidly with little time to adjust to new directions. Vertical lines remind us of tree trunks and church spires that have the uplifting effect of dignity and aspiration. Horizontal line is associated with the horizon or open plains, or the sea, and gives a feeling of peace and calm. Lines that spiral upward suggest growth and vigor, or joy and gaiety. FORM: As with lines, forms can be delicate, graceful, massive, powerful, distorted, ffee-form, or geometric. In floral art the words form and shape are used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. A flat leaf is a shape; it has only two dimensions. A blossom is a form; it has depth. Since flower arrangements are three dimensional, like sculpture rather than painting, depth is an important factor in determining how plant materials are placed. Depth can be achieved by placing shorter materials behind taller ones, graduating length of stems in the central area, placing darker colors to the rear to draw the eye back in space, leaving space between stems, and finishing an arrangement at the back. If this is left bare, a design seems to fall away to nothing. A few sprigs of foliage or flowers added at the back, cover exposed mechanics and stems and complete the design as well. SPACE: We usually regard space as emptiness without definition or limits. In a design we mark off space or enclose it, or we cut out sections in a solid and leave them open, the space assumes shape. Just as a doughnut has a round opening that is part of the design; a lattice has a pattern of interesting lines and square holes, so the pattern of an arrangement is made up of solids and spaces. Space plays a much more dynamic and important role in modem arrangements. Spaces in a pattern are more interesting when they are irregular. The spaces become as interesting as the solid items. The container also plays an important part in creating spatial interest. Crossing lines and overlapping planes can also create a feeling of depth. Rough textures appear to advance, smooth ones to recede. Careful grouping of advancing and receding lines, and of texture is needed to prevent a confused mass. TEXTURE: The flower arranger uses texture to enhance an arrangement, just as in buying clothes or furnishing fabrics. In plant material, the surface appearance is determined by the structure and formation of the plant tissues, which can vary from smooth to coarse, hard to soft, shining to dull, and tough to fragile. Flowers and foliage, like humans, come in markedly diffe¬ rent sizes and shapes. To fit them into their proper categories it helps to think of them as men and women. Strong textured, tough leaves like the evergreen, camellia, and magnolia leaves, and the sword-like yucca, have a definite quality of robust masculinity. Their ideal partners are to be found in richly feminine flowers such as camellias, magnolias, chrysanthemums, and some hybrid roses, all of which possess a strong velvety texture of petal. The main thing to avoid is the marriage of the large and robust, combined with the tiniest and most delicate. In nature such human combinations do occur. However, the human race continues normal development, raising neither giants nor pygmies. In a flower arrangement it results only in a misal¬ liance. Using texture well is important, because the way it is distributed in an arrangement will affect its balance, rhythm and force of the design. COLOR: Arranging flowers increases color perception. Color sets the tone of the arrangement as cheerful or somber, casual or formal, modem or traditional, delicate or dramatic. Although it is but one element of design, it influences all the others. Even if we chose to, we could not avoid using color in our floral pictures. Even an all-green foliage arrangement is a color picture, direct from nature’s own paint box, and provides a profusion of hues, with their varying tints and tones. Because of the vast amount of material that has been written on color in art and floral design books, I will only briefly mention how color works. First, imagine the rainbow as a complete circle with red and violet merging into each other. You have now created in your mind the color circle. The central band of our circle represents the true hues of the spectrum. The outer circle, with the addition of some white portrays the tints. The inner circle, with addition of some black gives us the shades. Whatever design you plan, be it horizontal, an asymmet¬ rical triangle, a fan, etc., always apply the shades in their greatest intensity down low in your arrangement. A deeper colored flower is visually the heavier flower, therefore keep it down toward the base, and much into the focal point of your arrangement, so as to anchor it Set the vertical outlines with the lightest tint in the highest position. This is the ideal position for buds. Make certain it is 56 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 the bud of a flower which is light in coloring. Horizontal extremities can afford to be deeper in tone. Work from the outer edges blending the color values gradually inward toward the deepest shade at the base and, through this correct placement of color; you will always achieve color balance. I Now that I have discussed the elements of design and how they are all related to each other, you will want to try your hand at designing your own arrangement. Originally from the Newsletter of the Lone Star AV Council, Tfexas. (Previously this article appeared in the AVM in 1986 and 1987.) Affiliate Update Lynne Wilson, Affiliate Chairman XgTo^ Mary Thompson is interested in starting a club in the San Luis Obispo area of California. Mary’s contact information is below: Mary Thompson 725-6th St. Paso Robles, Calif.93446 805-459-6070 znailadyl@aol.com GROOMING YOUR AFRICAN VIOLETS Grooming is a two-fold activity: the first part is keeping the plant, soil, and pot clean. The second is controlling the plant’s pattern of growth. Both of these activities, when maintained on a regular basis, improve the appearance of your plants. They also alert you to problems such as insects and diseases, before they get to the uncontrollable stage. 1. Pick off dead or dying blossoms or those fading lower leaves as soon as they are discovered. By keeping the plant free of decaying flowers and leaves, you will help prevent infections from fungi and viruses. 2. Be sure to remove the stubs all the way back to the main stem. When you bend a stem in one direction, it will snap off. In case a stub is left, a pair of long tweezers or small pointed scissors will be very helpful in removing stubs of blossom stems and leaves. 3. Re-potting is necessary when you remove the lower row (or rows) of leaves, especially when it results in a long neck Be sure to check if the plant looks under-potted. 4 - Did you get soil on the leaves when repotting? On a particularly hairy specimen, a soft brush will help dislodge heavy dirt. Place the plant where the run-off can drain away and use either a watering can or soft spray to wash the leaves. Use only room temperature or warm water. This is a good opportunity to ‘leach’ the soil of accumulat¬ ed fertilizer salts, which can cause the lower leaves to rot ^d/or cause a dangerous pH imbalance in the soil. To leach: let the water flow over; on, between the leaves, September • October 2009 and through the soil. The volume of water should be at least two or three times the volume of the soil. Be sure the plant is dry before exposing to natural light! 5. A perfectly symmetrical, single-crowned variety viewed from above should be centered in the pot and not growing off-balance. Turning the plant towards the strongest light every day, or at least once a week, will prevent any one-sided growth. The largest leaves should be those growing in the bottom row. Gently lift and rearrange any leaves which overlap each other or are out of sequence. Remove baby leaves if possible. The leaf stems should grow straight out from the central stem like spokes of a wheel. They can be gently eased into position and held with toothpicks until they will stay in place. If a great distance is to be adjusted, either do it in stages or when the plant is slightly limp to prevent breakage. Have well-distributed bloom clusters around the crown rather than blooming heavy on one side of the plant Blossom stems may be moved while still young so that they each emerge from the right or left of a leaf, usually in the second row. Good grooming makes your plants look their best and is also a protection from diseases and pests. Clean leaves can more easily process light into energy for faster, more vigorous growth. From Violets Agrowing, publication of the Cape AVS Courtesy of Portland African Violet Society African Violet Magazine 57 c Splash and Dash By Marie Montague This is a good enough tide for the way I’ve been treating my violets for the past two years. It got to the point where I knew just exactly how long they could live without water and still survive! I’ve read articles suggesting that one should cut back their collections if they become too large. I’ve even sug¬ gested that others do so. Yes, 130 different varieties, with two or more plants of each is what might be considered too large for anyone. After the first of the year, I had to make a decision on whether to toss everything or to mend my ways. It had been two years without a good show for me, and taking care of the plants was not as much fun as in the past. I decided to just pull out the bleach, oxy-clean, and perfect glass, and clean the basement and disbud, groom, and toss some plants. I filled a garbage bag when I came across the trailers. There was no way I could groom. I decided to break down as many as I could and pot up. Next, the species...this started to be fun...and since it was snowy and icy outside, why not just continue? At a violet meeting at my home in March, I decided to put everyone to work. Down to the basement we went and potted up many plants. Everyone went home with set leaves in bag¬ gies. It was fun for our new members and long-timers as well. It’s snowing outside and we’re playing in the dirt! Then, I really started to look at the plants more closely and thought I just might have some plants to enter. On a closer look, there were fifteen standards well over 12” across, and even a plant of ‘Tiger’ that was 18 inches across! There were no gaps, and the leaves looked great on most of them. Then I had a horrible thought. If all looked great for show, how would I bring all of them to the show? It was then that I Soon, it was time to mm up the lights just a little. With an electric bill approaching $160+ each month, I wasn’t anxious to increase all the lights. So, I placed as many plants as I could under just a few of them, and made sure all bulbs were working. Approaching show time, I took a look at the pictures from last year’s show. Nobody was entering very, very large plants, and they all looked beautiful. Most of my standards needed to be reduced in size. While repotting earlier in the year, I placed the plants 1/2 inch lower in the pots so 1 could add more soil. Eighteen leaves were taken off ‘Ode to Beauty’ alone, and it needed to be re-potted, even this close to the show. Well, it looked pretty goal at entry, but started to droop mid-show. Yes, some plants take a while to recover after repotting. The show has come and gone, and it was a successful show for me. I am still tossing plants and will continue to do so. And, yes, I will keep growing for the near future as I carefully select the plants I want to keep. Growing is won¬ derful therapy during the long New England winters when everyone is itching to be outside in the garden, but there are other things in life. Reduce, Reduce, Reduce! From Ye Bay Stater, publication of the Bay State AYS Membership Application Application for Membership Recommended by The African Violet Society of America, Inc. 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 Membership wns’ow^ar from date paid and includes 6 issues of the AFRICAN VIOLET Magazine. □ NewMember □Renewal Mem.#- I Individual Membership USA ($30.00) □ Associate Member USA ($ 15.00-no magazine) (Must reside at same address as a person having any other Class of membership) Q International Individual, Canada ($35.00) Q International Associate, Canada ($17.50) Q International Individual, other than Canada ($40.00) Q International Associate, other than Canada ($20.00) □ Commercial USA ($60.00) Q Commercial Canada ($65.00) Q Commercial International, other than Canada ($70.00) □ Affiliate Chapter, including local, state, regional, and Judge’s councils, USA ($35.00) Q Affiliate Chapter, Canada ($40.00) Q Affiliate Chapter International, other than Canada ($45.00) □ Library ($30.00) □ Life Member USA ($1,000.00) Q Life Member International ($1,500. Make checks payable to AVSA, Inc. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: please remit in US$ with a draft or check on a USA bank. International Postal money orders accepted. Dues ar VISA / MC accepted Security Code_- African Violet Magazine 59 tPatty’d Plante d CLntiquM W 3k* 7 51 92C Millington Winfield, JCantaa 67156 African Violets and their relatives. Send $2.00 for our Fall catalog or Visit our web site at www.pattvsplantsandantiques.com Hours: 10:00 AM until 5:30 PM Tues. thru Sat. or by appointment, ph. 620-402-6282 email: pattv@ppa.kscoxmail.com OUT OF AFRICA Blooming African Violets, Streptocarpus, Episcia, Kohleria, and other Gesneriads S. Mikita 2842 Brown St. (219) 763-4861 Portage, IN 46368 Send $1 for Catalog Garys-Out-ot-Africa.com garymikita@cs.com REED'S 100’s African violets and supplies Online growing help and photos Greenhouse Fast °f an supple Online Message forums wwwilEEDSGREENHOUSE.com VioletSuppry.com • Unique soiless blend of coir, sphagnum, hydrocks and vermiculite. Rated #7 in tests. • * Wick Mix " also available. - Oyama Pots - Wick Saucers - AgroSun Light Bulbs - Self-watering Pots - Urea-free Fertilizer BE Contact Us for a FREE CATALOG WWW.AFRICANVIOLETBOOKS.COM African Violets: Back to the Basics African Violets: Gifts from Nature Author: Melvin J. Robey MRS STREP STREPS \ Streptocarpus, Chiritas, Kohlerias, plus i Email for list of available plants by mail order. Kathy Spissman, 4086 Brownlee Dr., Tucker, GA 30084,770-939-5289 Call for an appointment and directions when you are in s area. Tucker is just a few miles east of Atlanta, Georgia, s on EBAY - Kathystrep • Mrsstrepstreps@comcast.net Cryptanthus rod patterns of stripes, bars, and zig zags rear round in every shade of the rainbow, first class stamp for cultural information or $3.00 for a sample of our color quarterly journal. THE CRYPTANTHUS SOCIETY Carole Richtmyer - Secretary Travis«sfiolets. P. O. BOX 42 OCHLOCKNEE, GA. 31773 NEW 2009 SHIPPING SEASON! 3 FREE VIOLETS!!! Phone: 1-229-574-5167 1-229-574-5236 Fax: 1-229-574-5605 E-mail: tviolets@aol.com http://travisviolets.com THIS SPECIAL WILL SHIP b order for this offer is 12 plants (Not including Specials), leties of African violets from the leading hybridizers, feat s BUCKEYES, SORAS, PITTMANS and others COMMERCIAL MEMBER: AVSA AND DAVS 60 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 ^elective. *^ardener_ m B ■^Premium African Violets Many Colors to Collect For Someone Special The Favorite Blooming Indoor Plant The most comprehensive site for Optimara Products! Download a free 10 page catalog or Order On-line www.selectivegardener.com BELISLES VIOLET HOUSE FEATURING COLLECTIONS. HEIRLOOM VIOLETS. CHOICE GESNERIADS, AND UNUSUAL HOUSEPLANTS P.O.BOX 111 • RADISSON, Wl 54867 VISIT US ATWWW.BELISLEVIOLETHOUSE.COM CATALOGS AVAILABLE FOR $3.00 EACH Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses, Inc. PO Box 249 Dept AV Dolgeville, NY 13329 “Where The Violets Are!” Quality hybrids since 1954 Introducing a few “STARS” of some of our NEW varieties to tempt you for 2009: ~ Including: ~ Playful Kisses Sassy Sadie Cosmic Blast Rainy Day Lovin’ Lunar Eclipse Rocki "’ Rokm l D . Blueberry Kisses Ramblrn PmkPizzaz Double Jeopardy Little Busybody To receive our 2009 color I I: $3.00 U.S. / $5.00 International (US Funds) uses are open year round. No appointments necessary! Phone(315)429-8291 Located in the foothills of the beautiful Adirondack mountains! lust 10 minutes off Visit our website at: www.lyndonlyon.com September • October 2009 African Violet Magazine 61 2205 College Or (361)575-1344 JoS Violets rican Violets, Epicias, and more yw.geocities.com/ipsviolets or send stamped envelope Victoria, TX 77901 josviolets@yahoo.com ^llWi African Violets and Gesneriads Send $2.00 for catalog to Pat’s Pets 4189 Jarvis Rd. • Hillsboro, MO 63050 Phone (636) 789-3604 E-mail: patspets@sbcglobal.net www.patspets1.com Oyama Self Watering Planters If interested in becoming a dealer Call: (907) 338-4510 or Email: violets@alaska.com JACK’S VIOLETS Quality Violets on eBay Hundreds of Varieties Visit our eBay Store at: http://stores.ebay.com/Jacks -Violets September Follow this link to the storefront The Planter Depot Oyama Self Watering Planters African Violet Growing Supplies Oyama Planters Leaf Support Rings Sharon Rosenzweig Soil-less Wicking Mix Framingham, MA Fertilizer 50&-877-8076 Pest Control Products email: avplanter s@ eomcast.net Growing Supplies web C, e dar Creek Violet* ^ P.O.Box 113 ^ Stanford, KY 40484 Ph-606-282-3432 African Violets, Chiritas, Columneas & Other Gesneriads.Plants or Cuttings! Current Catalog $3.00 Or order online at www.orderafncanviolets.com Special: 25 leaves (our choice) for $28.00 ppd. Six plants (our choice) $30.00 ppd. You may choose mini/semi, standard, trailers or mi Visa, Mastercard, Discover Card, AMX African Violets & Gesneriads nnlngia Heaven' - Home of the Ozark series -It's a sin not to own a Sinningla!" Ph: (417) 887-8904 Shirley's Bloomin' Blossoms 14464 Limerick Lane Cement City, Michigan 49233 List $2 Vintage, Variegated, and Fancy Leaves $1.50 each Special - 12 leaves (my choice) $10, plus $8 shipping Make checks out to Shirley Wiggins Achimenes, Aeschynanthus, Chirita, Columnea, Dry mama, Eptscta Kohleria Nematanthus, Petrocosmea, Sinmngm, Streptocarpus . . .These and many other gesneriads are the perfect companions for your Afr,can violets. Purchase our 56-page Gesneriad Society for c credit card number with street, Seattle, WA9812 ^nd the next four quarte i^estsource of gesneri; -—^-UTvnw Gesneriads” for US$10 postpaid anywhere, or join The manual “How toKnow a elsew here. Go to www.gesneriadsociety.org or send check or me year for US$25 ^^^^Tneriad Society, Dept AVM, PMB 637, 1122 E Pike i expirations date and CVV of “ H ow to Know and Grow Gesneriads,” two back issues \2 USA. New members recei . P y ckage of mixed gesneriad seeds, access to the world’s ;rly issues of our journal Gesnenaas , p and many other benefits._ - - • October 2009 The Association for plant & flower people who grow in hobby greenhouses and windows! Quarterly Magazine Growing & Maintenance Help & Advice Hobby Greenhouse Association 8 Glen Terrace, Bedford, MA 01730-2048 Dues: USA $19 (Caiada end Mexico, $21 US funds!MO) ($22 Overseas, US funds/MO) Sample magazine $3.50 Directory of Greenhou se Manufacturers $2.50 Visit the African Violet Society of America, Inc. at utWuf.at/sa.orq African Violets & Supplies Standards, Miniatures Trailers, Wasps, Leaves, Species, and Vintage Varieties Our catalog is available online with many pictures. Send $3 for our print version with descriptions only. Visit our website www.violetgallery.com Email mpetry@embarqmail.com Phone (717) 528-8268 1590 Cranberry Road, York Springs, PA 17372 ^ dG ^o. NA> _ Apex, NC At the Peak of Violetry 319-362-0530 libbie@blue 64 African Violet Magazine September • October 2009 Looking for Orchid Information? Log Oni AMERICAN ORCHID SO C I E T Y exchange platform for orchid growers throughout the world. The American Orchid Society's popular information source - just ask 30,000 members worldwide. On-site membership application is available along with convenient, secured shopping in The AOS BookShop and Orchid Emporium. Dept. AVMAG, 16700 AOS L< 4-2100 ^ 3 1753 003615413 African Violets & Episcias Plants and Leaf Cuttings Steven Spachek 234 W. Mally Blvd. San Antonio, Texas 78221-3832 • (210) 922-0208 Where the passion for the violets lives Tina Drouin • 6920 St-Fran ? ois N. Sherbrooke (Quebec) • Canada JIC 0A5 • (819) 276-0561 J^an S 'lAJorksliop n Made Award Ribbons and 1 $an ^tXu/uLon OUR37TH YEAR CAPE COD VIOLETRY John & Barbara Cook 587 Shawmut Ave, New Bedford, MA 02740-4620 Ph. (508) 993-2386 i or send $2.00 (refundable with order) to OVER 500,000 PLASTIC POTS IN STOCK FROM 1-1/2” to 8” Standard - Tub - Square White - Green - Terracotta Oyama Planters - All Sizes and Colors Dandy Pots Swift’s Moist Rites Wick Water Reservoirs Permanest Tray 3” and 6” Clear Domes Labels 3”-4”-5” Pesticides and many other products Fertilizers Dyna-Gro - Optimara - Peters - Shultz - Others Growing Media African Violet Mix and Wicking Mix Vermiculite - Perlite - Peat Moss Physan 20 — Phyton 27 Superthrive Manufacturers of ELISA’S AFRICAN VIOLET SUPPORT RINGS & J F IND RINGS