This brings me back to when I grew a lot of african violets. Really brings back good memories 🥰 I also used to cut the edges of those solo cups and I had so many sharp pieces of plastic all over the place 😆 My family used to complain about it all the time haha!
Thank you so so much for this video! I very much appreciate you taking my request and producing this lovely video. It is the only video on UA-cam that covers miniature african violet overview details, your full environment setup, propagation and care all in one video with hands on instruction and details. I am obsessed with this video! You answered so many questions I hadn’t articulated (like the thickness of the wick and how high the wick sits in the pot of soil - it’s so nice to learn that these things don’t matter and are not factors that I need to worry about in my own setup - what a relief). I now have 17 African violets, 3 are standards and the rest of the 14 are semi-miniatures and miniatures.. of which, I am wick watering 11 of them. I had 2 of these wick watered miniatures in terracotta pots initially for about a week or two and saw them decline pretty rapidly.. and after I learned from you that you ended up killing your plants that way, I made sure to repot them into plastic pots that now nest in the decorative terracotta pots and continue to safely be wick watered thru the plastic pots.. So, you’ve already saved my plants from imminent death - thank you! For the few miniatures that I am not wick-watering, I would love to see a hand-watering video (covering details like ‘should I panic when my buds dry up and die’) so that I may have the same confidence in my watering routine as you’ve given me for wick-watering. Is that video coming as well by any chance? 😊 Even if it’s not, this video has been tremendously helpful, thank you. I am so grateful for your generous instruction and the energy you’ve devoted to sharing your successes. I hope you are having the loveliest week! ❤️🌸❤️🌸❤️
Thank you for your feedback! So glad you find it helpful. Will try putting together the hand-watering video, too - although I am not an expert, as most of my violets are wick-watered - so will do my best. Stay tuned! :-)
Gray Turtle Your best is THE BEST my dear. You must have been an award-winning teacher; you are a true gem on UA-cam. Thank you again - I’m really looking forward to all of your future videos. 🙂 ❤️🌸❤️🌸❤️
I have about 15 violets and have had good success with watering from the top. I feel this is nature's way. Never had an issue with over watering. With dozens of plants, it might not be practical?
@@michellegrovak I agree - I switched to wick watering only after I felt that I don't have enough time to continue watering all of my plants by hand. Wick watering is especially helpful with miniatures, as their potting mix dries fast because of the small pot size, and therefore requires more frequent watering than with standards.
@@michellegrovak Thank you for sharing! Can you please your routine? How often do you water and how much? I’m dying to hear all about it. And do you have standards or miniatures as well?
I'm so happy to have found your channel. Your video was so informative. I getting back into violets after 10 years. So I have subscribed and plan on watching all your video;s.
The domed dessert cups is just what I need for growing babies from leaves. I had tried salad containers previously but their seal was not tight enough to keep out air and got too dry. thank you!
Love your videos. I wanted to share I sometimes put a small piece of paper towel in the bottom of the pot to keep the soil in but it disintegrates pretty easily
Appreciate your feedback! It's not easy to find pots smaller than 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter locally, so I got to be creative and find alternative things to use as pots - one of my microminis grew in a cup from a shampoo bottle, about 3 cm in diameter :-). What size pots do you use for microminis?
I usually let the mix sit for a few days for all of the ingredients to blend in. It can be used right away after mixing, too - I have done it and haven’t noticed any significant difference. I usually use up one batch in a month or so, it stores well.
In the summer, I alternate the fertilizers weekly: 1 week Dyna-Gro, and 1 week Jack's Classic - the reason being that each of them has a slightly different contents, e.g. Dyna-Gro has Cobalt, and Jack's doesn't. In the winter, when the growing temps cool down, and the plant growth slows down, I stay away from the fertilizers that have urea-derived Nitrogen, so I plan on keeping using Dyna-Gro, with 100% urea-free Nitrogen, and take a break from Jack's, which has 17.9% Urea Nitrogen, in the winter. There are different opinions in the AV community on the urea-based Nitrogen's impact on African Violets, some growers think it's ok to use it, while others believe it can be harmful. I follow Optimara's AV care instructions available here: www.optimara.com/africanvioletcare2.html, stating that "urea is known to cause Root Burn on African Violets. The damage caused by Root Burn reduces an African Violet's ability to properly absorb water and nutrients." So, when selecting a fertilizer for my AVs, I read the label carefully, to see if the Nitrogen component has any urea in it. Thank you for your question about mites/insects video! I've been using systemic insecticide in my potting mix, so fingers crossed I won't see any insects around, lol! I did plan on making an insecticide video sometime in the future, to discuss the benefits of the systemic and spray insecticides, hope I can put it together by the end of the year!
Gray Turtle Thank you so much for the information. Recently, I had to throw away 6 AV’s due mites. I received an order from a place which sent the plants infected. I’m newbie, so I didn’t notice from the beginning.
@@Alexxa1130 So sorry about that! I always spray new plants with insecticidal soap, repot into my potting mix with the systemic insect control, and quarantine them for a few months, to be on the safe side. Try searching mites in African Violet Nerds FB group, lots of helpful info there!
@@grayturtleviolets I saw in one of your violet videos you were talking about putting one of your violets back in your greenhouse because the outer leaves had gone a bit limp and the edges were curling under. I have found an excellent cure for that! It works overnight! 1 Tablespoon of sugar to 17 Oz of water, I then add my african violet fertilizer to it and feed my violets with the mixture. The leaves lose all the limpness and firm right back up over night! Not sure what is in the sugar that helps them so much. But it works amazing for the violets!
I use regular 4-ply 100% acrylic yarn, any kind will do. Here is more info on how I wick water my plants, with a demo: ua-cam.com/video/iHcYCCjPVGo/v-deo.html
very interesting n i m inspired...however i m in the tropics...there are nurseries selling these plants but m reluctant to buy them as i dont have the knowledge...can i place them near a window in my house...can the plant survive in the house...
They do very well in diffused natural light, normally near east/west-facing windows with sheer curtains - at 65F-79F temperature and 40%-60% humidity. Happy growing!
I keep mine in domed and vented propagation containers - they keep moisture well inside and don't require watering as often as those that are grown in open air, so maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I also use zippered plastic bags to propagate leaves, those hardly require any watering, because the moisture always stays inside. The best guide is to feel the top of the soil: if it's dry to the touch, then it's time to water. Best to use room-temperature or tepid water, rather than cold, cold water can shock the plant's roots.
This was very helpful! I have a few babies to separate and transplant. The mother leaves are starting to rot even though the babies are still very tiny. Maybe it is from over watering. Do you know why?
Thank you! That happened to me, too - usually when the mother leaf is not strong enough to survive the overwatering. In this case, I just remove the damaged section of the mother leaf, or the entire leaf if all of it is gone, and keep the babies domed. Some of them do survive without the parent leaf.
I can never find the small pots on Amazon except square ones. Can you please provide link to the 3 in ones you got. Also what type of soldering iron do you use for holes on plastic pots ? Thank you again!
Any soldering iron will do. I’m not sure what brand mine is, it’s s very basic, old one. The 3in pots are from Violet Barn, supplies section: www.violetbarn.com/store/plastic-pots-fertilizer-etc.html
@@SS11660 I couldn’t find the exact ones I am using, here is the similar ones, 9 oz dessert cups with lids: 9 oz Clear Plastic Cups with Lids (No Hole) _ (25 Sets) Disposable Plastic cups for Parfait/Salad/Fruit/Snack, Plastic Dessert Cups for Party, Clear Disposable Plastic Togo Cups for Kids No Leaking a.co/d/7ZCr45m. I get the 3oz solo cups from Walmart.
Thank you again.I don't have enough plants to justify the big greenhouse. dome containers like you use . And plastic bags take up too much shelf space. Hard to match up cups to the dessert domes without knowing the sizes , so thank you. Also trouble finding small cups anywhere here. 5 Oz , 3 in wide is smallest I found at Walmart and 150 cups per bag. Will keep looking. Appreciate your time and willingness to share information.
I usually wait a few weeks for them to grow roots filling the little plastic cup before repotting to a larger pot, and use a new pot that is one-third of the crown diameter.
Question. I bought a mini and have several regular size ones. I evidently haven’t kept the tags. Is there a place on the web where I might identify these plants?
I would say, unless you can contact the seller for the variety identification, it is almost impossible to identify them otherwise - there are thousands of African Violet varieties and some look quite similar, so African Violet growers usually refer to unnamed varieties as those without an ID, or "NOIDs."
If the crown center looks alive, remove all leaves that were frost-damaged, repot in fresh potting mix and place in a warm place with indirect sunlight. If the crown center is gone, but there are leaves that still look alive, try propagating them, sometimes even a segment of a leaf can root and produce babies. Hope you can rescue it!
There are four different types of African Violets based on their size: miniatures (3-6 inches or less), semiminiatures (6-8 inches), standards (8-16 inches), and large (above 16 inches). They can grow larger sometimes, when potted in a pot size that is larger than recommended for a particular type. For example, I had a semiminiature potted in a 3.5 inch pot that grew like a small standard, at 9 inches across, whereas the largest pot size for semiminiatures should not exceed 2.5-3 inches.
Such a great video, thank you! I am wondering what size the dessert cup with dome is ... is it 9 oz or 12 oz? A fabulous idea for a DIY greenhouse as they can be placed anywhere, even in between other plants! 😊
I usually through it away, unless it is a rare variety and I want to use it for the 2nd round. In this case, if the mother leaf is still strong and healthy, I usually pot it up together with the roots, to propagate again.
This brings me back to when I grew a lot of african violets. Really brings back good memories 🥰 I also used to cut the edges of those solo cups and I had so many sharp pieces of plastic all over the place 😆 My family used to complain about it all the time haha!
Thank you so so much for this video! I very much appreciate you taking my request and producing this lovely video. It is the only video on UA-cam that covers miniature african violet overview details, your full environment setup, propagation and care all in one video with hands on instruction and details. I am obsessed with this video! You answered so many questions I hadn’t articulated (like the thickness of the wick and how high the wick sits in the pot of soil - it’s so nice to learn that these things don’t matter and are not factors that I need to worry about in my own setup - what a relief). I now have 17 African violets, 3 are standards and the rest of the 14 are semi-miniatures and miniatures.. of which, I am wick watering 11 of them. I had 2 of these wick watered miniatures in terracotta pots initially for about a week or two and saw them decline pretty rapidly.. and after I learned from you that you ended up killing your plants that way, I made sure to repot them into plastic pots that now nest in the decorative terracotta pots and continue to safely be wick watered thru the plastic pots.. So, you’ve already saved my plants from imminent death - thank you! For the few miniatures that I am not wick-watering, I would love to see a hand-watering video (covering details like ‘should I panic when my buds dry up and die’) so that I may have the same confidence in my watering routine as you’ve given me for wick-watering. Is that video coming as well by any chance? 😊 Even if it’s not, this video has been tremendously helpful, thank you. I am so grateful for your generous instruction and the energy you’ve devoted to sharing your successes. I hope you are having the loveliest week!
❤️🌸❤️🌸❤️
Thank you for your feedback! So glad you find it helpful. Will try putting together the hand-watering video, too - although I am not an expert, as most of my violets are wick-watered - so will do my best. Stay tuned! :-)
Gray Turtle Your best is THE BEST my dear. You must have been an award-winning teacher; you are a true gem on UA-cam. Thank you again - I’m really looking forward to all of your future videos. 🙂
❤️🌸❤️🌸❤️
I have about 15 violets and have had good success with watering from the top. I feel this is nature's way. Never had an issue with over watering. With dozens of plants, it might not be practical?
@@michellegrovak I agree - I switched to wick watering only after I felt that I don't have enough time to continue watering all of my plants by hand. Wick watering is especially helpful with miniatures, as their potting mix dries fast because of the small pot size, and therefore requires more frequent watering than with standards.
@@michellegrovak Thank you for sharing! Can you please your routine? How often do you water and how much? I’m dying to hear all about it. And do you have standards or miniatures as well?
Such a nice demo ever on growing African violets. You have great knowledge. So thankful to you. I love African violets.
So glad you find it helpful! Appreciate your feedback!
Thank you for making this fantastic video full of great detail and info.
you make it look so easy! thank you for sharing this, i hope to have success one day with this help 😊
@@plaidribbon appreciate your feedback! Happy growing!🌸
So glad your video popped up. Very informative!! New subscriber 😊
@@sharonclaye1300 Appreciate your feedback! Welcome to the channel!🌸
I'm so happy to have found your channel. Your video was so informative. I getting back into violets after 10 years. So I have subscribed and plan on watching all your video;s.
Oh, I am so glad! Welcome and happy growing!
Hello
Nice to meet you
New Subscriber here from Amman Jordan The Middle East
Love African Violets
Hello and welcome! Thank you for subscribing to my channel!
I love your videos. You explain the steps so well.
Thank you! I am so glad!
Love your content and you!!!
Great video, very clear and precise.
Thank you so much! Glad you like it!
Very informative! I appreciate the pot size info.
Appreciate your feedback. Thank you for watching!
You are growing so many! Are you going to sell them? Very informative video. You are a good teacher.
Thank you! I used to teach in the past :-) I mostly grow for my own collection, and sell on ebay (grayturtleviolets), when I have extras.
Thank you!
Very informative video, I am going to purchase my second African Violet thanks to you!
Oh, I am so glad! Happy growing!
Lovely video
Thank you!
The domed dessert cups is just what I need for growing babies from leaves. I had tried salad containers previously but their seal was not tight enough to keep out air and got too dry. thank you!
You are so welcome! Happy to share!
Love your videos. I wanted to share I sometimes put a small piece of paper towel in the bottom of the pot to keep the soil in but it disintegrates pretty easily
That's a great tip, thank you for sharing!
A coffee filter works great too.
Thank you for this video it's wonderful
You are very welcome! Happy to share!
I love your video thank you so much. It answers a lot of my questions though it is hard to find everything you have used.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Great info 👍!
In Ukraine we use smaller pots for micro mini violets! Thx for video!
Appreciate your feedback! It's not easy to find pots smaller than 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter locally, so I got to be creative and find alternative things to use as pots - one of my microminis grew in a cup from a shampoo bottle, about 3 cm in diameter :-). What size pots do you use for microminis?
@@grayturtleviolets we have same situation. But I try bye much pots in country via post for all year))))
Thank you for the video. One question: do you have to let the mix sit for one week before using it, or will the mix last up to one week? Thank you!
I usually let the mix sit for a few days for all of the ingredients to blend in. It can be used right away after mixing, too - I have done it and haven’t noticed any significant difference. I usually use up one batch in a month or so, it stores well.
Hello! When do you determine to switch from one fertilizer to other? In addition, could you please make a video about mites or insects?
In the summer, I alternate the fertilizers weekly: 1 week Dyna-Gro, and 1 week Jack's Classic - the reason being that each of them has a slightly different contents, e.g. Dyna-Gro has Cobalt, and Jack's doesn't. In the winter, when the growing temps cool down, and the plant growth slows down, I stay away from the fertilizers that have urea-derived Nitrogen, so I plan on keeping using Dyna-Gro, with 100% urea-free Nitrogen, and take a break from Jack's, which has 17.9% Urea Nitrogen, in the winter. There are different opinions in the AV community on the urea-based Nitrogen's impact on African Violets, some growers think it's ok to use it, while others believe it can be harmful. I follow Optimara's AV care instructions available here: www.optimara.com/africanvioletcare2.html, stating that "urea is known to cause Root Burn on African Violets. The damage caused by Root Burn reduces an African Violet's ability to properly absorb water and nutrients." So, when selecting a fertilizer for my AVs, I read the label carefully, to see if the Nitrogen component has any urea in it. Thank you for your question about mites/insects video! I've been using systemic insecticide in my potting mix, so fingers crossed I won't see any insects around, lol! I did plan on making an insecticide video sometime in the future, to discuss the benefits of the systemic and spray insecticides, hope I can put it together by the end of the year!
Gray Turtle Thank you so much for the information. Recently, I had to throw away 6 AV’s due mites. I received an order from a place which sent the plants infected. I’m newbie, so I didn’t notice from the beginning.
@@Alexxa1130 So sorry about that! I always spray new plants with insecticidal soap, repot into my potting mix with the systemic insect control, and quarantine them for a few months, to be on the safe side. Try searching mites in African Violet Nerds FB group, lots of helpful info there!
@@grayturtleviolets I saw in one of your violet videos you were talking about putting one of your violets back in your greenhouse because the outer leaves had gone a bit limp and the edges were curling under. I have found an excellent cure for that! It works overnight! 1 Tablespoon of sugar to 17 Oz of water, I then add my african violet fertilizer to it and feed my violets with the mixture. The leaves lose all the limpness and firm right back up over night! Not sure what is in the sugar that helps them so much. But it works amazing for the violets!
@@soniawatkins8892 So interesting! Adding to my AV care notes, thank you for the tip!
What do you use to wick the water to your plants? Can you tell us about them? Thank you for all your information.
I use regular 4-ply 100% acrylic yarn, any kind will do. Here is more info on how I wick water my plants, with a demo: ua-cam.com/video/iHcYCCjPVGo/v-deo.html
very interesting n i m inspired...however i m in the tropics...there are nurseries selling these plants but m reluctant to buy them as i dont have the knowledge...can i place them near a window in my house...can the plant survive in the house...
They do very well in diffused natural light, normally near east/west-facing windows with sheer curtains - at 65F-79F temperature and 40%-60% humidity. Happy growing!
How often do you water them during the propagation and after? Why do you have to use warm water for?
I keep mine in domed and vented propagation containers - they keep moisture well inside and don't require watering as often as those that are grown in open air, so maybe once a week or once every two weeks. I also use zippered plastic bags to propagate leaves, those hardly require any watering, because the moisture always stays inside. The best guide is to feel the top of the soil: if it's dry to the touch, then it's time to water. Best to use room-temperature or tepid water, rather than cold, cold water can shock the plant's roots.
@@grayturtleviolets, tqsm.
This was very helpful! I have a few babies to separate and transplant. The mother leaves are starting to rot even though the babies are still very tiny. Maybe it is from over watering. Do you know why?
Thank you! That happened to me, too - usually when the mother leaf is not strong enough to survive the overwatering. In this case, I just remove the damaged section of the mother leaf, or the entire leaf if all of it is gone, and keep the babies domed. Some of them do survive without the parent leaf.
I still have a lot to learn. Do you sell leaves or plugs on Etsy? I’d buy from you.
@@JY-zq5jk I sell on ebay (grayturtleviolets), when I have extras. Thank you for your interest!
I can never find the small pots on Amazon except square ones. Can you please provide link to the 3 in ones you got. Also what type of soldering iron do you use for holes on plastic pots ? Thank you again!
Any soldering iron will do. I’m not sure what brand mine is, it’s s very basic, old one. The 3in pots are from Violet Barn, supplies section: www.violetbarn.com/store/plastic-pots-fertilizer-etc.html
@@grayturtleviolets thank you! !
Could you provide link to the domed desert cups and the cups you use inside the domes on Amazon. Or tell What size .? Thank you!
@@SS11660 I couldn’t find the exact ones I am using, here is the similar ones, 9 oz dessert cups with lids: 9 oz Clear Plastic Cups with Lids (No Hole) _ (25 Sets) Disposable Plastic cups for Parfait/Salad/Fruit/Snack, Plastic Dessert Cups for Party, Clear Disposable Plastic Togo Cups for Kids No Leaking a.co/d/7ZCr45m. I get the 3oz solo cups from Walmart.
Thank you again.I don't have enough plants to justify the big greenhouse. dome containers like you use . And plastic bags take up too much shelf space. Hard to match up cups to the dessert domes without knowing the sizes , so thank you.
Also trouble finding small cups anywhere here. 5 Oz , 3 in wide is smallest I found at Walmart and 150 cups per bag. Will keep looking.
Appreciate your time and willingness to share information.
I have not seen a good selection of miniatures for sale online. Where did you get these please?
Rob’s site, Violet Barn, usually has great selection: www.violetbarn.com/store/miniature-african-violets.html
Do you repot the mother leaf again?
@@jeannemilliman8529 If the mother leaf looks healthy, it can produce the second round of offspring, when repotted in fresh potting mix.
Do you sell your violets? I love your voice and love watching your videos. Your so informative and relaxing! Thank you Carolyn
Appreciate your feedback! I offer my extras occasionally on eBay (grayturtleviolets) in warm shipping season. Thanks for your interest!
How soon do I plant suckers with roots, in its onn pot?
I usually wait a few weeks for them to grow roots filling the little plastic cup before repotting to a larger pot, and use a new pot that is one-third of the crown diameter.
Question. I bought a mini and have several regular size ones. I evidently haven’t kept the tags. Is there a place on the web where I might identify these plants?
I would say, unless you can contact the seller for the variety identification, it is almost impossible to identify them otherwise - there are thousands of African Violet varieties and some look quite similar, so African Violet growers usually refer to unnamed varieties as those without an ID, or "NOIDs."
I found it outside after a freeze. What can I do to help it grow back it leafs and flowers?
If the crown center looks alive, remove all leaves that were frost-damaged, repot in fresh potting mix and place in a warm place with indirect sunlight. If the crown center is gone, but there are leaves that still look alive, try propagating them, sometimes even a segment of a leaf can root and produce babies. Hope you can rescue it!
@@grayturtleviolets Thank you so very much.
@@shrimpbynightbythomas8212 You are very welcome!
Very helpful! Thank you so much Gray Turtle 🌷🌹🥀
You are very welcome! Happy to share!
Hi where do you buy your pots ....thanks.
Violet Barn, check out their Supplies section!
Hi...im curious as to why there are Mini African violets and bigger size ones?will the minis grow into a big full size one?thank you
There are four different types of African Violets based on their size: miniatures (3-6 inches or less), semiminiatures (6-8 inches), standards (8-16 inches), and large (above 16 inches). They can grow larger sometimes, when potted in a pot size that is larger than recommended for a particular type. For example, I had a semiminiature potted in a 3.5 inch pot that grew like a small standard, at 9 inches across, whereas the largest pot size for semiminiatures should not exceed 2.5-3 inches.
@@grayturtleviolets hi...thanks a lot for explaining..i appreciate it!
Wow it's very nice your episcia me to episcia lover's ilike your episcia here in the Philippines 🇵🇭no hove episcia blue
Glad you like them. Just got three new episcia varieties, will be featuring them in my future videos - stay tuned!
Such a great video, thank you! I am wondering what size the dessert cup with dome is ... is it 9 oz or 12 oz? A fabulous idea for a DIY greenhouse as they can be placed anywhere, even in between other plants! 😊
Thank you! I put them between other plants, too, to save on space. Mine is 9 oz: www.amazon.com/Golden-Apple-Plastic-Disposable-Dessert/dp/B078B1YTJ8/
@@grayturtleviolets Thank you so much! 💕
💗
How do you handle the mother leave after you separating the babies from it?
Do you keep the mother leave? Or through it away?
I usually through it away, unless it is a rare variety and I want to use it for the 2nd round. In this case, if the mother leaf is still strong and healthy, I usually pot it up together with the roots, to propagate again.
Do you have any African Violets for sale?
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He habilitado los subtítulos automáticos, seleccione español en la configuración de traducción automática.
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