Today in violets

I put down about 15 varieties of leaves today, most of them being girl foliage.  One of them had already rotted so I saved what I could of the leaf but I don't know if it'll survive.  If it doesn't, I'll be in search of another Navy Girl!

I also have babies coming up from my last set of leaves that I put down.  I didn't blog about that or take photos at the time but here are a few that are peeking through right now.

 Broadway Star Trail

 Buckeye Seductress

 Rob's Pewter Bells

 Malyshka Rusalka (Baby Mermaid) - I received a leaf of this a year ago and had a baby going strong in March before we moved.  I checked on the baby in early May just in time to save 3 leaves because it was rotting.  I was very upset but was excited today to see that one of the leaves has a baby coming up!  The other two leaves look good still, so maybe I'll have more coming up from them... it was a slow plant before, so it's hard to know for sure!

Double Black Cherry - Again, I was very upset when I realized that my plant was dying and I rushed to save a few leaves.  The leaves weren't in great shape but one of them has mouse ears!  Hoping to see babies popping up on the other two leaves that I saved!  Unfortunately, my French Lilac didn't make it either and no leaves could be saved by the time I discovered it.  I have one offer of a baby when they're big enough but I can't hold my breath since sometimes babies don't make it.

 I inherited this violet at one of our club meetings a few months ago.  I was supposed to give classes at work on African Violets and I wanted to use this as a demonstration but things have changed at work (including a promotion!), so those classes won't be happening.  Today was the day that I decided to go ahead and fix her up. :)

 I don't know why I decided to cut the neck so short.  Maybe because it was on such an angle?  Anyway, this is how short I cut it off...

   I removed some leaves and put them down as "insurance" for the plant and they're now domed with the rest of the babies.  Since we don't know what the plant is, some of the ladies in the club were very curious to see what they looked like after we revived them.  I lost the other two that I'd gotten but this one has been happy by the kitchen sink and a few other ladies also took some of them, so next year should be fun to see how they turned out!

 Renee also had a few troubles but she's coming through well.  I also put a leaf down from this plant as insurance as the woman that I got this one from has lost her plant.  It's been a rough year for violets so far!

Fertilizers

Someone asked me the other day what I use to fertilize my violets with so I thought I'd post about it here.

I use a variety of fertilizers, depending on the plant and the stage of development that its in.  I primarily use a fish and seaweed emulsion.  

AGE OLD FISH AND SEAWEED (3-3-2)  The original organic fertilizer is a blend of processed fish hydrolysates and North Atlantic sea kelp. Loaded with macro-nutrients Age Old Fish & Seaweed makes for an effective plant stress reducer, encourages root growth and is rich in carbohydrates.

http://www.ageoldorganics.com/products/liquid-fertilizers/

I use just under 1/2 oz per gallon of water in almost every watering as the primary fertilizer.

I also use Schultz African Violet Plus (8-14-9) when I think about it on a monthly basis or so.  It does have urea in it but if it's not used on a consistent basis then it is fine.  I use it to mix things up a bit for my violets and give them things that the fish emulsion doesn't give them.  

http://www.schultz.com/Products-and-Solutions/Plant-Food/African-Violet-Plus-Liquid-Plant-Food.aspx

http://www.schultz.com/~/media/Schultz/Files/Labels/SchultzAfrican%20VioletPlusMicronutrients-8-14-9-LABEL-AUG03-15-8105-4FLOZ.ashx

The last fertilizer that I just started using is a bloom booster by Fertilome, Blooming and Rooting Soluble Plant Food 9-59-8 (8 oz).  I just got it a few weeks ago but my plan is to give it to my adult plants once a month in a very reduced amount.  I've used it once and Simpler Times has gone bonkers and both French Lilac and Ness' Puppy Prints have both put out bloom stalks.  

http://www.fertilome.com/product.aspx?pid=7eca7da6-3ec6-46e8-932b-0db4c57745e1

I couldn't resist... this blossom was all alone and it looked so perfect!

Yes, it's my beloved Double Black Cherry :)

Double Black Cherry blossom

I accidentally snapped this off when I was taking another dead stalk off, so I thought I'd take advantage and take a photo.  For a vintage violet, this one is superb!

Double Black Cherry

Double Black Cherry (1178) 08/11/1960 (Omaha AVC/Mrs. C. Anderson) Double wine-red. Quilted. Standard

How does it grow for you?

It's such an easy plant to grow. I'd pretty much ignored it for the summer except for watering and the occasional fertilizer and it rewarded me with tons of blooms this time around!  It's also a huge plant - 18" across.

What conditions do you grow it in?

DBC has a south-facing window with the added benefit of lots of Full Spectrum CFL's in that corner as well (that window has a balcony overhanging it so it's not as bright as it could be). I wick water almost all of my violets and vary my fertilizers from fish emulsion to Miracle Grow All-Purpose to Schultz Violet fertilizer.
I'm in Denver, CO so it's pretty dry here. Humidity for my violets all comes from the trays beneath.

Would you recommend this variety?

Yes! This is an awesome vintage variety that has gorgeous blossoms and takes very little maintenance. The blossoms aren't huge but they are full and lots of them. The blossoms also last for a long time.

Where did you get it?

I bought it last March at our regional show and sale. I arrived about 5 minutes late (5 minutes after the doors opened) and it took forever to get through the line. By the time I got through, most of the teen/adult plants had sold but this one took my breath away. The blossoms were getting old at that point but it was still breathtaking and I had to have it. I waited in the sale area holding it until my boyfriend came back from the bank with cash… I didn't know they didn't take plastic!