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My question for Fred is 'How can you put up with all our 'newbie' questions? I have seen your posts elsewhere, and am grateful for your patience!'
Seriously, here is a question: How close can I 'crowd' my violets? Of course, I want to have as many as I can in each window... and they seem to do well , except I think they tend to 'grow away' from each other... Should I be careful to give each plant ample space around it's leaves?
MissyLoves Violets
A: Your violets to grow properly should not touch each other. This is what you are supposed to do but in my house it never happens. I try to keep them apart but with so many plants and so little space it's an impossible task. I am constantly removing rows of leaves.
As for putting up with all the questions, it really is fun for me. I enjoy talking about violets to anyone who will listen. I'm not always correct with what I say but most of what I pass on is just common sense. So if anyone here or anywhere finds what I say is incorrect, please correct me. Just remember for every violet grower there are different ways of growing. The biggest thing you can do for your violets is use common sense.
Fred in NJ |
| Ask Fred ?...hmmm....I'd like to know if the homemade soil mix that people make for their Av's really is better than say...schultz's AV potting soil...Does it really matter which soil you use???
Daisylight
A: Soil mix matters a great deal. Many of the commercial mixes that are on the market are much too heavy for violets at least the way many people grow. I myself use a mix that has 1 part potting soil, 1 part coarse vermiculite and 1 part coarse perlite.
I try to us a potting soil that has no fertilizer so I can control the food the plant receives.
Fred in NJ |
Wrangler's Jealous Heart is multi-crowned and seems a nice healthy plant. It along with the others, arrived April 1st. How long should I let it "adjust" to its new surroundings before trying to separate it? Marion
A: I would start taking off the suckers as soon as possible. The longer you leave them on the more they will destroy the symmetry of the plant. If you have to, remove some lower leaves to attain a nice symmetircal rosette. If you are not sure of what leaves to remove, slip a piece of paper over the leaf and it will let you see what the plant would look like without that leaf. You can also repot at that time also using your own mix. If the plant looks a bit wilted, slip it into a clear plastic bag and seal it for a few days. Keep it out of the sun so it doesn't cook. After it perks up, open the bag and let it harden off.
Hope this helps.
Fred in NJ |
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One of my violets I believe has thrips. How do you get rid of these little monsters? I have sprayed with Fungicide 3 by Garden Safe and I think the little devils just laughed at it. Are thrips drawn to certain violet colors more than others? They are on an unnamed reddish bloom but the Optimara Maui right beside it doesn't seem to have any. I had them several years ago along with a nice case of mites which I got rid of with Kelthane which is no longer available and fortunately hadn't seen any since until now.
Kmeridan
A: I have had success eradicating a small problem of thrips with Neem oil. Just make sure you spray for three successive weeks. Others have used a rid recipe. Not sure how well it works but some have had good luck with it. I saw the recipe posted here within the past two or three days.
Fred in NJ |
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I will only ask one for now. I separated some plantlets from one I bought at Lowes and most of them did fine when I put them in their individual little pots. A couple of the plantlets got all limp and sickly and 1 flat out died. What did I do wrong? They all had good roots, so why did some get droopy? I look forward to hearing from you.
Cam
A: As for you little suckers, whenever I remove a sucker and put it in soil mix, I enclose it in some kind of container. It is either a zip lock bag or a covered plastic dish. This creates a mini greenhouse environment which seems to help the plant get on its feet.
Fred in NJ |
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My question has to do with Lighting. My wonderful husband, John bought me for Christmas a 4 foot plant stand with 3 shelves and lights. How long should I have the lights on? They are all wired together with a timer so that they all come on at the same time. Right now I have it set for 8 hours (on @ 4:30pm - off @ 12:30am) My plants are in the front room that gets dark early in the day. Any suggestions? Thanks
Doreen
A: I keep my lights on for 10 hours a day. When I get nearer to show time (which is this weekend), I increase the time an hour a week until I get to 13 hours. The tops of my plants are about 12 inches from the light fixtures.
Hope this helps.
Fred in NJ |
These are only a few of the questions Fred has received over the past two months.... there will soon be another page added. Look for page 7! And don't forget to send in your questions.
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