Use the sterilized knife to cut through the root ball that lies in between the several crowns. Make sure there are an equal number of stems and roots in each crown. Cut through the roots without employing a sawing motion as this could harm the African violet severely and permanently.
Can an African violet plant be divided?
African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha), which have fuzzy foliage and cheerful flowers, give container gardens a year-round boost of color. Although they can thrive in a protected location outside in USDA plant hardiness zones 11 and 12, they are extremely cold sensitive and must be cultivated indoors in most climates.
The multiplication of African violets can be done in a variety of ways, including division and cuttings. The plants frequently produce numerous crowns that can be divided and used to grow new plants. More quickly than other methods, division propagation produces mature African violet plants. To ensure success, they must be handled carefully as they are prone to damage.
When is the best time to divide African violets?
Because of their lengthy lives, repotting these flowers is crucial. Ryan McEnaney, public relations and communications specialist for Bailey Nurseries, advises consumers to keep in mind that African violets can live for up to 50 years. To avoid becoming overly root-bound, plants can be repotted into larger pots as they mature. It’s probably time to relocate your African violet when it has doubled or quadrupled the size of your container and the leaves are beginning to wilt, according to McEnaney.
However, you don’t have to repot your plants right away. If your African violet appears to have outgrown its container, don’t rush to relocate it, advises Brian Parker, senior merchant for Live Goods at Home Depot. “African violets are best when their roots are in a little bound condition,” he adds. “They will produce and perform for years and years with just a simple routine of the right light and food,” the speaker said.
How should an African violet cutting be taken?
The most common technique of propagating African violets is via leaf cuttings since it is both simple and effective. This project should be completed in the spring. Take a healthy leaf and its stem from the plant’s base using a sterilized knife or pair of scissors. Reduce the stem to roughly 1-1.5 inches in length (2.5-3.8 cm.).
Consider dipping the stem’s tip into some rooting hormone. Put the cutting in a hole dug in potting soil that is one inch (2.5 cm) deep. Water the area surrounding it thoroughly with lukewarm water while pressing the soil firmly.
By covering the pot with a plastic bag and fastening it with a rubber band, you can give your cutting a little greenhouse atmosphere. Just be sure to occasionally let the cutting have some fresh air. Keep the soil in the pot just moist and place it somewhere sunny.
Usually, roots start to grow after 3 to 4 weeks. In 6 to 8 weeks, new, little plants typically develop leaves. At the base of the cutting, many plants ought to sprout. Carefully pluck or chop away the young, little plants to separate them. You will receive a brand-new plant from each of them.
How can an African violet that has broken rooted?
African violet leaves that fall off can be rooted to grow new plants. A leaf with between 1 and 1 1/2 inches of stem attached is required. In a pot filled with wet sand or vermiculite, insert the stem, firm it up so the leaf stands up, and water well. To keep the air wet, put the potted leaf in a plastic bag, but make sure the bag doesn’t touch the leaf. Four to six weeks pass between the formation of the roots and the development of the leaves.
Do African violets grow in number?
By only sticking one of a plant’s leaves into some soil, some plants can be multiplied. These so-called leaf cuttings need to develop roots and branches in order to produce new plants.
If the bottom end of a jade leaf is placed in soil that is occasionally watered, it will sprout roots easily. Such cuttings can occasionally remain dormant, producing new roots but no branches. New shoots are certain to appear by bringing a small piece of the old stem along with the leaf cutting.
Rex begonias and African violets both grow quickly from leaf cuttings. To multiply either of these plants, use the entire leaf or even a portion of it.
Always have your pot of soil ready before you remove the cutting since a disconnected begonia or African violet leaf wilts quickly. And instead of using actual soil, root the cuttings in a sterilized, porous, moisture-retaining mixture. Ideal materials include moist peat moss, pure sand, perlite, or a 1-to-1 mixture of both of these.
African violets and begonias can be multiplied using a variety of leaf cuttings. Take the stalk of an African violet leaf and cut it off. A new plant will grow at the base of the stalk once you insert the stalk into the rooting medium.
A lot of new plants will grow along the cut edge if you cut off the far half of an African violet or begonia leaf and add the cut end of the detached half to the mixture.
Alternately, lightly score a leaf’s veins on the underside before laying it flat on the rooting medium. A new plant will emerge at each cut if you place a few pebbles on the leaf to keep it pressed up against the mixture.
Or you can make tiny, triangular pieces from a single leaf, each with a big vein. Each triangle that is planted upright and partially in the soil will sprout additional shoots.
Are African violets tolerant of root binding?
Respected Master Gardener: Although it keeps growing taller and leaning to one side, my African violet is blossoming. Dare I repot it?
Reply: Yes! Because they require less maintenance and light than many other plants, African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) have long been a favored indoor plant. Violets are available in a wide variety of hues, as well as various leaf and foliage colors and sizes, from tiny to enormous. They will need to be repotted, nevertheless, if they have a bright place, are well-fed, and receive careful watering. African violets should not simply be moved into a larger container because they prefer to be root-bound and frequently won’t flower until they are. It’s time to perform some surgery if your plant is beginning to resemble a fuzzy version of a palm tree with a barren stalk and all the leaves at the top. Any baby plants you find should be carefully clipped off and rooted in little pots. It takes a few weeks, but it’s always good to have extras to enjoy or trade. Save a few healthy bottom leaves to root in water or moist vermiculite. Cut the stem of the main plant just below the first set of desired leaves. With a gentle scrape of your knife, you can initiate the root-producing process on the stem. A sprinkle of rooting hormone would also be beneficial. After that, plant the entire thing in brand-new African violet potting soil and give it a good watering, making sure to allow any extra water drain. Keep the soil damp but not drenched. It is advised to use plastic or ceramic pots with good drainage. Salts build up along the top rim of clay pots because they dry out too soon. When your plant starts producing new leaves once more, start fertilizing with a very small amount of fertilizer every time you water. Remove faded flowers, keep water off the leaves, and occasionally brush them with a soft brush to remove dust. In order to prevent root rot, water carefully from the top or the bottom, making sure there is no stagnant water. Every time you water, turn the pot a little to prevent the plant from leaning toward the light.
Answer: Only seasoned gardeners are aware of this code! Zone 3 is actually a guide to assist gardeners in determining what should endure our winter temperatures. Known as the USDA Hardiness Zone Map in full (
), using the typical winter low, zones are displayed in 5-degree increments, corresponding to 3a and 3b. The average of the lowest temperature, not the low temps on average. Since Brainerd reached 33 below zero this week, let’s hope that’s the lowest we go this winter before averaging that number with previous winters. That serves as our data point for the winter of 2021–2022, even if the remainder of the season is kind to us. The good news is that we have a lot more protection against exposed plants freezing thanks to our deep covering of snow. Just keep in mind that the hardiness zone numbers are only guidelines and not strict laws. As we demonstrated last week, we are probably only safe buying Zone 3b plants because Minnesota no longer shows any Zone 2 (40 to 50 degrees below zero), southern parts of the state have become Zone 5a (15 to 20 degrees below zero), and Brainerd is almost considered Zone 4a (25 to 30 degrees below zero) (30 to 35 degrees below zero). Remember that your yard can include covered places where the temperatures aren’t quite as low, or you might be a gambler and want to take a chance on planting that Zone 4 or 5 plant. With a little extra care, my Zone 5 roses have endured for many years. Until the ground freezes, keep the roots moist. You can also add more mulch. Pay close attention while purchasing perennials from seed catalogs. The country as a whole refers to perennials, but we frequently have to plant them up here as annuals.
Respected Master Gardener: Some companies including the hospital use a lot of salt to thaw their pavements. We should reduce our use because the lake and river discharge is poor.
Excellent inquiry, answered. Because there is currently no simple way to remove it, the high amounts of chloride in our rivers are essentially permanent. Five litres of water are permanently contaminated by one teaspoon of salt. The majority of us have observed what occurs in our yards when the snow plow grinds up salt on the margins along the road or when the grass doesn’t grow well next to our sidewalks in the spring. Fish and other aquatic species are badly impacted. On slippery walkways, use sand, clay kitty litter, or chicken grit to add some traction. Use just enough salta coffee mug for ten patches of the sidewalk! Keep salt from running into the gutter or the grass by sweeping it up off of dry pavement. When sidewalks are shoveled, the wind and sun will usually keep them clear without the need for salt.
Respected Master Gardener: Can I try any odd flowering houseplants than the normal ones?
Answer: The following are three unusual flowering houseplants, albeit availability may be a problem. One of the most exotic and simple to grow potted plants is the bird of paradise, a relative of the banana. In addition to its beautiful fans of blue-green leaves, which are attractive year-round, mature plants also send up stalks topped with interesting bird-like flowers in the warm seasons. These flowers have the colors peacock blue and golden orange. A lily family member called clivia is more unique than an amaryllis and easier to grow than an orchid. It has thick clusters of orange flowers that emerge against a backdrop of leathery, black, evergreen foliage. There are several yellow cultivars, but they are rather pricey and hard to find. Another choice is a zebra plant. When not in bloom, it is not only a lovely houseplant thanks to its dark leaves with eye-catching, light-colored veins, but it also produces spikes of long-lasting waxy bright yellow flowers. Due to their need for high humidity and consistent watering, zebra plants do have a reputation for being fairly challenging to grow.
What should you do with a leggy African violet?
African violets are beautiful indoor flowering plants. They bring delight and vivid colors indoors. Growing one is doable for both novice and expert gardeners.
They have certain watering and lighting needs, so they might be a little needy. As a result, African violets occasionally get “leggy.” Leggy is when a plant tip has new growth. The majority of the plant’s energy is diverted from the bottom by this new growth.
Grow lights or positioning the plant close to a thinly curtained window can provide the bright, indirect light that African violets need to thrive. Sometimes, gardeners mistakenly believe that indirect light is poor light. Your plant will develop longer stems as it reaches for light when it isn’t getting enough of it.
African violet leaves dislike becoming wet. To allow it to dry between waterings, the soil in your pot has to drain well. To maintain it, make sure to water the soil and not the plant. Leaves are more prone to mold, rot, and fungus growth if they remain damp. The blossoms will attempt to elude the fungus or mold by growing leggy.
The lowest leaves of African violets ultimately turn yellow and drop off the plant, leaving the other stalks barren. Plants naturally lose the rosette of leaves at the base as they get older. This may also make the plant appear leggy.
Repotting to give it a new home and fertilizing with Espoma’s Violet! liquid plant food are the best ways to deal with African violets that are too lanky. This will keep your plant from getting too leggy and encourage the growth of new leaves, which will also improve the appearance of your blooms’ hues.
Should African violets be repotted?
Mold potting is one of the most used techniques for potting up plants. The technique is fairly straightforward, but it also reduces the risk of shock.
drainage. If you are watering from the top, this is crucial. In the event that a bottom-watering
employing a self-watering system, grouping your plants together, or misting around the plants
You should be aware that many of them are created with the intention of accommodating