Still waiting for my leaves to make plantlets--meanwhile

[Tomikin]

I am a new member here, but I grew violets many years ago. So it is like relearning, altho some of my comments may reflect some knowledge about violets that are still true. what I have done to get back into violets again is to study all the violet magazines and order some new leaves. I have been too antsy to wait for months on the leaves to have grown plants so I mentioned that I got some violets from Costco. Well, as you may have already learned those commercial violets are especially potted with lots of peat to hold the moisture and survive total trauma that commercial violets go through. They are actually sprayed with a cold water hose! well, I have been reviving and futzing over these traggly guys for weeks now under modern lights etc. The bright lights are a shock to them and then they grow new compact leaves etc. Well, I was amazed at how beautiful and hardy these unnamed commercial violets can be, I have some real beauties already . As they go out of bloom I am taking them down and repotting them with the new modern pots that self water and an especially light mix etc. It is just too bad that the sellers do not give their names, but they are by no means shabby specimens these days. They are so lovely I have decided to give them non-registered home grown names to keep track of them. A couple of them perfectly match pictures of some registered plants from Optimara. Anyway the result is that hey these hardy commercial guys are often very nice indeed given the chance. This is sorted fun like adopting a poor bedraggled dog out of a pound. I tell you if you love and baby your violets they respond and make you proud. I've got differ shades of red, a pale pink and white, a large sky blue guy. a read prolific bloomer in light lavender and three different fancy types of varigation I had never seen before that I am now bringing back into bloom. Believe me they were all on the half prize disaster shelf and I rescued them just to have something to mess with while the pedigree greenhouse violet leaves were in potting mix watched daily for any signs of life. Wish me luck. I am having one hell of a good time at any rate.

[Sparkles]

I used to rescue some of them myself. I've become much more concerned about it as my collection grows. I didn't care about thrips or mealies or anything when I had 2-10 AVs. Now I have hundreds and would have a LOT of work if I brought in some pests.

If I did get one, I'd isolate it in a large baggies or a plastic shoebox with clear lid, etc. I wouldn't let it out for 4-6 months! I always listened when people said to isolate, but figured it was a bit overboard. After last winter and spring when several growers I know lost everything, I decided that it wasn't going overboard!

Enjoy those plants. I hope your new leaves provide many lovely plants.

[aireseneca]

Hey Sparkles,

I was wondering what period to call an isolation period....I have violets from 4 different sources, all reputable. But, as you said, growers have been wiped out (really?! commercial or private?)

Do you have a checklist of symptoms that you are looking for to be sure that all is well?

Looking forward to your thoughts!
Nancy (OH)

[Tomikin]

Nancy we used to get mealy bugs in the old days when we used unsterilized soil and that was a nightmare. With the modern planting techniques and sterile soil etc, I don't hear much groaning about mealy bugs any more. You can get harmless gnats and bugs that use soil to laid eggs. They are brown and like a tiny beattle here but they seem to just nest in the soil and fly away without chewing on the plant. I had those in the houseplants before but so far not in the violets. I guess they come from the nursery and are not native to the desert here. Now I have heard good and bad things about thrips. I know they eat the pollen and in nature they fertilize the stamens with pollen. They are nasty looking things aren't they? So how do we get these? So far none here. It would seem to me that sticky plant strips are a good precaution on your violet shelves and beware of infected soil. Violets are like a high stakes games. the trick is to always be on top of things. I know some of you are working and strapped for time. I suggest getting into self watering pots. they are pricey but make it all easier. One can have a quiet hour with the violets to unwind and putter. They will thrive and entertain you no end if you make them a real hobby. I can be with them and listen to the news etc. The only thing is repotting--what a mess that is no matter how hard I try. I've got violet soil all over. What a mess. So you gals can offer me tips on how to clean as you go or whatever works. I have violet soil in my sneakers, under my nails, on my cereal. I've got to get a program that works. Give me details-- how to ideas on how to repot and not eat perlite in your cereal. It is hot here to work outdoors so I use the kitchen counter--I know-- groan--it's a guy thing I guess. Supermess.

[Sparkles]

Hey Sparkles,

I was wondering what period to call an isolation period....I have violets from 4 different sources, all reputable. But, as you said, growers have been wiped out (really?! commercial or private?)

Do you have a checklist of symptoms that you are looking for to be sure that all is well?

Looking forward to your thoughts!
Nancy (OH)

Hi Nancy,

I do not know of any commercial growers wiped out. I know of a few hobby hybridizers and growers who have been. These people lost hundreds to thousands of plants. The person who lost the least still lost over 50 plants. I'd be devastated if I lost 5, but 50, or 200, or 1000???? That's a lot of time, money and effort lost.

You cannot often tell when you purchase a plant if it is symptom free -from pest or disease. Sure, you can see very obvious things, but most growers - commercial or hobby would notice it, too, and not send it. I have not ordered from Ebay, but others have indicated that some of the plants they've gotten are very sad. So, in that cawse, you're just looking for the obviuos. In terms of the hidden stuff, there's no way of knowing until it spreads - that takes weeks to months. In terms of INSV, the symptoms can take many months to show. Worse, some plants can by asymptomatic, but carriers of INSV. Since thrips are the only way to spread INSV, the first time you get thrips, you run the risk of infecting everything you own.

I absolutely refuse to be scared plant-less, though!

Each person makes her/his own decision about how to handle. Here's what I've chosen to do:
1. All new plant material - leaf, sucker, plant - goes into its own container. I usually don't get just one of something, but if I did, it would go into a plastic baggie. If I get quite a few, they go into a covered container. Some people use plant trays and lids, others use clear shoe boxes or other plastic containers. Just use something that light can get through, but bugs or containers can't get out.

2. All new plants are put into a large box or plastic bag, with a blue sticky trap for at least 24 hours. If ANYTHING in on the sticky trap, then I have to decide what to do. So far, I've not had to make that decision. If it was clearly a fungus gnat, I'd probably just isolate. If it was anything else, I'd probably toss them, but again, not sure 'cus it hasn't happened, thankfully.

3. One in their isolation chamber, they stay there for at least 3 months. If it's a fellow hobby grower I know and I'm sure would contact me if he/she had problems, at 3 months I'm likely to remove them. By that time, he/she would have had issues with just about anything that could affect me, so I feel 95% comfortable. INSV could still be a problem, but I'm willing to chance it.

4. Keep blue sticky traps on my stands. These prob ably won't catch anything until I've got a bunch, but at least I know I have something. If it's thrips, I'd start treating immediately. I would make sure I knew what I was treating before I treated.

5. Other plants - from vendors or hobby growers I do not know - I'd keep in their isolation chambers for 5-6 months. From what I can tell, no one is positive of how long INSV takes to show up, but by most accounts, it is within 6 months for AVs. By 6 months, any eggs should have hatched, any lone mealies would have reproduced and I'd have an infestation, etc. If I see no signs, then I repot and add to the rest of my collection. But, one person on another forum who recently lost all her plants to INSV, is now isolating for a year. Maybe if I'd had that issue, I would, too.

6. If I need to move something around for more or less light, I might take it out of its container group and put it in a baggie. I ordered baggies in 3x3" 3x4", 4x4", 6x4" to house small plants and babies. I keep sandwich size ones for moderate size ones. If I have a large one that seems to need isolation, I'd cut it down first.

Hope that helps.

[aireseneca]

Thanks Sparkles! That is the most thorough and complete isolation description I have yet read. At the moment, I have three different rooms to keep the violets separated. As one set is plantlets and one is leaves put down, I have been looking into domes for the leaves as there are quite a few. At this rate, I'm going to run out of rooms to put new ones in! Has anyone ever compared AVs to potato chips?!?

[aireseneca]

Dear Tomikin,

I found that repotting on a plastic pan that used to be the floor of a dog crate was great! The dimensions are 18 x 24" and the sides are just under an inch high so they don't get in my way and still helps to control some of the "overage." I made a mess too as I potted up 20 odd leaves.

I can really relate to the unwind and putter feeling; when I look over my violets and take care of them, I can just feel the stress melt away from me. How can you be uptight with a flower?

Hope the next round of potting goes better for you!

[QuiltedViolet]

Well, all of mine are small but I like this as a mini potting tray
Reed's Greenhouse
The sides are nice and high. Easy to clean.