The ULTIMATE Guide to Watering A f r i c a n v i o l e t s

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Harriet Pitts
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1 The ULTIMATE Guide to Watering A f r i c a n v i o l e t s By Larry and Nancy Schoepflin Rainbowviolets utnancy@gmail.com

2 1 How this E- Book will help you There are facts, references, suggestions, and helpful ideas about watering African violets. We will not tell you that a certain method is better than another. You will receive detailed explanations, photos, and options that are available for watering African violets, then experiment with all the methods. By the way, we did kill a few violets ourselves by giving them too much loving care so do not feel bad if you do. Please be careful when experimenting with something new; always try it out on one or two plants first for a week or two. We hope we help answer and clear up questions you might have. For choosing African violets This E-Book is protected by Law. Under no circumstances can this book be copied and sold as

3 2 What is in your water? What kind of water do you have? That is a silly question isn t it. First, contact your local water company; ask them to send you a water quality report, which will inform you about the amounts of chlorine, hardness, and minerals in your water. Chlorine in your water; an over amount is not good for violets, you may purchase a water tester from a pool or hardware store, in addition; ask your water company to send you a report of the concentration. If you have an abundance of chlorine in your water try this; fill a gallon container (empty milk container or bleach bottle etc.) leaving the lid off so chlorine can evaporate, do this a day before you re going to water, this helps a lot. This is another thing to be aware of if your violets look unhappy. Well water; if you have private well water, your violets may not thrive; have water tested, roots could be destroyed because of the strong minerals. Try using bottled water, not distilled water. Water softeners; if you have a water softener system no doubt, you have an abundance of salt in your water, a water softener uses sodium to help replace calcium and magnesium ions, it may harm your violets, take it into consideration if problems arise. There are salt free water softeners available now. Distilled and Reverse Osmosis Water all minerals have been removed from this water, plants and people need a certain amount of minerals for good health. Bottled Spring Water is a good choice if your tap water doesn t qualify.

4 3 About the watering process Things to consider and be aware of; what does your African violet soil less mix consists of? Will you need to add perlite or other ingredients? Roots need air pockets for healthy growth. What type of pot or container? Clay dries out very fast and fertilizers salts build up inside and out which stain the clay pots and is almost impossible to clean off, plastic or ceramic does not stain or collect residue. Lighting; if you use fluorescent lights your plants will grow faster and they will need to be watered more often, if you use natural light from a window, plants will stay wet longer but grow slower. You will need to add a good fertilizer to the water; there are vendors on the which is the Official African violet Society of America web site, explore the vendors page and purchase anything and everything you need there. Become a member and receive a beautiful magazine four times a year. * Over watering; plants rot from over saturated soil, roots can t process the liquid which prevents air from entering the root area. Indications; plant looks dull, wilted verses perky; stem is loose in the soil, total plant may collapse. Find treatments and tips on pages 10 * Under watering; top of soil is very dry to the touch, plants leaves and blossoms droop, whole plant may wilt, causes plant damage, dried up roots that can t be rehydrated, stunted growth, centers shrink down to nothing (sometimes will grow back again if your lucky) Find treatments and tips on pages 10 * Your weather conditions; if you live in a hot area and you don t have air conditioning your plants will dry out very fast. Plants do best in 65 to 80 degree temperatures but may survive warmer temperatures. Your plants will need misting several times a day if feasible and run a fan 24/7, check for dryness every day. * Water temperature; do not water your violets with freezing cold water, use tepid or Luke warm water. * Fertilizer; use a good fertilizer in the water every time you water. In addition, water your plants using plain water once a month to flush out old fertilizer salts. If you notice dark orange crusty specks in the crown area of your plant, your fertilizer may be too strong or it might be the type of fertilizer you re using. You might try Jack s (old Peter s formula) or Optimara, Dyna Grow, or Miracle Gro.

4 Watering methods Watering- Possible choices In the following pages, we will explain the different methods; bottom watering, capillary matting, ceramic self watering pots, terrariums, top watering,

Place about ¼ to ½ cup of water/fertilizer mix (mix according to fertilizer directions on package) in the plants saucer or tray, leave it for no more than two hours, or until the top of the soil

5 4 Watering methods Watering- Possible choices In the following pages, we will explain the different methods; bottom watering, capillary matting, ceramic self watering pots, terrariums, top watering, and wick watering. Bottom watering is when a potted plant absorbs liquid through the bottom drainage holes; the soil slurps it up like a sponge. Place about ¼ to ½ cup of water/fertilizer mix (mix according to fertilizer directions on package) in the plants saucer or tray, leave it for no more than two hours, or until the top of the soil feels damp, then remove any excess liquid, never leave plants sitting in water because plant might rot. Capillary matting is a piece of absorbable type of matting, sells by the foot, keep it damp most of the time but allowing it to dry out a little before watering again. Below is a piece of matting in one of my small trays, see diagram 1. Alternatives; use an old towel, cut into pieces that will fit your container, or use wet floral foam not the Styrofoam type see diagram 2. Purchase from craft store. To use it; slice sections lengthwise about one inch thick to fit your container; it s best to slice it when it s dry. Now, poor liquid in and let the section absorb it, it will become heavy, and will stay wet for several days, don t allow it to dry out, now set your potted plant on top, it will absorb moisture and give much need humidity, it should be soaking wet to begin with. Check top of soil of your plant to make sure it is drawing up the liquid, if not, check drainage holes for blockage. Add more liquid as needed. Try the capillary method with or without a wick. Diagram 1 Diagram 2

5 Ceramic self watering pots are a two piece pot, the inner pot is a clay material, and is removable, it absorbs moisture through it into the soil, and the outer part holds the liquid.

Diagram 3 Diagram 3 Terrarium type containers there are many types of terrariums on the market, they create humidity around your plant material, and you won t need to water as often.

Optional; place a piece of damp capillary matting, or paper towel in the bottom then set planted leaves, or plants on top.

6 5 Ceramic self watering pots are a two piece pot, the inner pot is a clay material, and is removable, it absorbs moisture through it into the soil, and the outer part holds the liquid. They come in assorted colors, sizes, and styles. Diagram 3 Diagram 3 Terrarium type containers there are many types of terrariums on the market, they create humidity around your plant material, and you won t need to water as often. The picture in diagram 4 is a clear plastic container with a lid that cookies come in, the taller the better. Optional; place a piece of damp capillary matting, or paper towel in the bottom then set planted leaves, or plants on top. This is good to use for miniature varieties and for plants that look unhappy, keep plants moist not soaking wet. Open the lid once in awhile to give plants fresh air and let moisture on the sides of container dry. You may wish to purchase pretty glass terrariums like in diagram 5 and set plants in it. Diagram 6 shows plants planted right in the terrarium, you ll need one inch perlite in the bottom then place moist soil less mix on top of it and place plants into soil. Purchase from a garden center, department or gift store. Use a soil mix of; half perlite and half violet mix for good root aeration. You may also use a fish aquarium with a top. Diagram 4 Diagram 5 Diagram 6

6 Oyama Pots: To be honest with you, I had never used this pot until my husband and I wrote this book and we wanted to try it so we purchased the 1 ½ inches and the 4 inch size,

This is not a reservoir type of system, watering is done on a schedule you will determine with time; plants stay moist from 5-10 days depending on the pot size, temperature.

7 6 Oyama Pots: To be honest with you, I had never used this pot until my husband and I wrote this book and we wanted to try it so we purchased the 1 ½ inches and the 4 inch size, found that it works great because the plants aren t soaking wet but always moist and it s easy. This is not a reservoir type of system, watering is done on a schedule you will determine with time; plants stay moist from 5-10 days depending on the pot size, temperature. These are available in several sizes. See diagram 7 Items you ll need: * Oyama Planter * A plant * Perlite * Soil less mixture * Water/Fertilizer Solution Directions will accompany your pots when you purchase them but here is a picture to give you an idea how to plant. Diagram 7

7 Texas Style Potting Method Texas Style Potting Method t his method requires a layer of perlite in the bottom of pot; the depth is determined by the pot size.

8 7 Texas Style Potting Method Texas Style Potting Method t his method requires a layer of perlite in the bottom of pot; the depth is determined by the pot size. (This is similar to the Oyama pot style) the first type is when each plant is watered on an individual basis which depends on each plant requirements. Determine this by touching the top of the soil or by the heaviness of the pot, if a pot feels light and dry to the touch it s time to water again, use this if you have a small collection of plants, if you have a large collection of plants this would be more difficult to keep track of and more time consuming. The second type; all plants receive water on the same day needed or not, every two or three days, depends on your environment and weather. Holes around pot Please note this step is optional, plant will receive aeration with or without the holes, and holes indicate where perlite is and aid in repotting by pushing an instrument through to lift root ball up. Set up; to make holes use a Philips screw driver to make small holes about the size of a petite pea, heat end over a gas stove or flame, you can also use a soldering iron and a damp sponge to wipe off the iron, this will clean and cool it. Depth of perlite the approximate depths; for a 2 to 2 ½ pot use; ½ to 1 of perlite in the bottom, for 3 to 4 inch use 1 to 1½; inch of perlite in the bottom, use 1 ½ to 2 of perlite for a 5 inch pot. Experiment with different numbers. Bottom layer of perlite should not exceed 3 inches for any size pot. Soil Layer scoop in the soil, needs to be 1/8 from top edge that way soil won t fall out of the pot and make a mess. Watering pour ¼ to ½ inch of water/fertilizer solution into the tray or saucer, your plant sits in.

Never let a potted plant sit in its drain off water.

9 8 Top watering this is done from the top, letting the surplus run out the bottom of the pot. Make sure there are drainage holes with adequate material like perlite added to your soil mix please refer to page 10 on how to mix the soil less mix. Never let a potted plant sit in its drain off water. Plants enjoy a total shower on top of their head but please be cautious if you belong to a violet club and are showing your plants, do not leave water puddled up on leaves because, they might develop ugly watermarks. See diagram 8, blot off as much liquid as you can with a tissue, furthermore, never leave water sit in the crown area. Diagram 8 Diagram 9 There are benefits to the plant by using this method; leaves are clean, shiny, and less problems with powdery mildew, it is a good idea to run a fan 24/7 for air circulation. There are multi purpose sprayers available in several sizes, similar to picture in diagram 9 you may also want to purchase a plastic bottle with a nozzle, which is helpful.

9 Wick watering; wicks are made from types of material that you insert through the bottom of the pot; the purpose is to draw up fertilizer/water solution into the soil less mix.

Don t use cotton because it will rot, You will need to replace wicks two or three months because they will become clogged with old fertilizer salts, calcium, and minerals from the water which will

You can make your own set up similar to the pictures below and set the whole thing into a nice pot that will accommodate it. This is an inexpensive way to wick water.

Now, all you need to do is cut a hole in the lid of a plastic type deli container, just big enough for the pot to fit in snuggly about one inch to prevent it from falling off, then place water with

10 9 Wick watering; wicks are made from types of material that you insert through the bottom of the pot; the purpose is to draw up fertilizer/water solution into the soil less mix. Wicks may be made f rom knitting yarn; white is best. Separate the strands of four ply polyester yarn, use one to four depending on size of pot. Nylon cord might work better for you. Don t use cotton because it will rot, You will need to replace wicks two or three months because they will become clogged with old fertilizer salts, calcium, and minerals from the water which will disable the wicking action. Check plants daily to make sure soil is still moist on top. You can make your own set up similar to the pictures below and set the whole thing into a nice pot that will accommodate it. This is an inexpensive way to wick water. Mix your soil less mix using; half perlite and half violet mix. Perlite will create little spaces around roots which enable them to breathe, this helps prevent rotting. Now, all you need to do is cut a hole in the lid of a plastic type deli container, just big enough for the pot to fit in snuggly about one inch to prevent it from falling off, then place water with fertilizer in the bottom reservoir. Slip nylon cord up through one of the pot holes, place a small piece of damp paper towel in the bottom of your pot to hold cord in place, now, add a little soil then plant as usual. The cord needs to be touching the bottom of the container, water should not touch the bottom of the pot or your plant will receive too much water and may rot. Now that you know the basic idea about wick, watering you also will be able to choose from an assortment of wicking pots that are available.

11 10 Important emergency treatments and helpful tips If you suspect your plant has been over watered and might be rotting Symptoms; pot feels very heavy, leaves look darker and dull verses shiny, and may look droopy. Do this; knock plant out of pot, wrap three or four layers of paper toweling around root ball to absorb some liquid, repeat as needed. Keep this way one to two hours then place into a clean pot and don t water it again until plants feels drier on top of the soil and lighter in weight, it will take two to three days if using fluorescent lights, longer if plants are grown in windows. If your plant has become very dry and is limp do to neglect (it happens to all of us sometimes) Do this, do not give plant a lot of liquid at this time since the roots won t be able to process the liquid, it s dehydrated and in shock. Depending on the size of the potted plant, give plant small amounts of plain Luke warm water only. Place the water close to the stem area for three or four days or until plant is re-hydrated-for a 2 2/1/2 size potted plant, give two tablespoons, one tablespoon more for each size larger, then place plant into a zip lock bag and blow your breath into it while zipping, leave it for 24 hours. Next day take plant out of bag, if it looks a little perkier give it a little plain water then back into the bag it goes, if you feel the plant doesn t look stronger, leave it in the bag until it does. Keep breathing into the bag and letting fresh air in from time to time adding small amounts of liquid daily. Continue watering cautiously until plant is back on a regular schedule and looking happy again.

12 11 Keeping plants moist while you are out of town or ill don t worry!! If you go out of town, vacation or will be laid up because of an illness, you can still keep your plants moist by using Zip lock baggies. Be prepared, and keep some on hand. We use them with great success. Suggestion; purchase gallon size bags for miniature size plants, available now in discount stores. They do have zip lock bags that are larger, and extra large, some are over twenty one inches long by 12 inches wide, this size is perfect for the standard black tray twenty one by eleven inches, and if you have large plants the larger ones would be best. This is very important; do not place plants that have just been watered in these bags because an over amount of moisture will build up inside the bag and your plants leaves will become mush. Instead; water plants one or two days before they will be placed in the bag, plants should be a little moist but not soaking wet or dry. After you have placed plant in the bag and you are sure it won t tip over, zip bag up half way then blow your breath into the bag and finish zipping it up. Plants can live like this for several weeks or longer. Plants thrive in these bags because they receive much needed humidity, another idea for you; if you have a plant that looks unhappy, put it in a bag and it is apt to perk up within 48 hours. Newly planted leaves Zip lock bags also work well for leaves as it is very important to keep them constantly moist especially the first three weeks, if they dry out they may not survive but it s possible they will. Place leaves in a pot or container. It s best if leaves do not touch the sides of the bag because sometimes the leaves turn to mush and rot. Put a label of your choice with variety name attached; water completely with plain water no fertilizer yet, start with a weak solution in one month, it s a good idea to set potted leaves in the bag in such a way that it doesn t tip over, like a saucer for example. Open or take potted leaves out of the bag for a few hours every week so leaves can receive fresh air, carbon monoxide and to allow bag to dry out a little bit. Just another tip; I never throw out a planted leaf that looks dead because sometimes the mother leaf will die off but roots may still be healthy and will produce a plantlet or two.

13 References: The AVSA African violet Handbook Our African violet Heritage by Anne Tinari Growing To Show by Pauline Bartholomew Please note: Rainbowviolets Greenhouse is no longer in business.

What s Old Is New Marsha Clark

What s Old Is New Marsha Clark Also known as Usambaraviolet, genus Saintpauliaof the family Gesneriaceae Violets grow on the floor of the rain forest They like warm, humid air 2 of 4 species are cultivated