Propagating African violets from leaves . . .
African violets are among the easiest of houseplants to propagate, because a leaf is all you need to produce more plants. One leaf may produce one baby, or it could produce 12! In nature, a fallen leaf will root all by itself with no help from humans, resulting in a large colony of clones. For hobbyists, vegetative propagation is a fairly straight-forward affair, and we are able to easily share leaves of our favorite plants with our friends without causing our parent plants any stress.
There are many different methods of starting new leaves, but here I share my way using a planting mix. Leaves are often rooted in water, as well, and this is also quite successful. I prefer to skip the water step to save time, since water roots will eventually need to re-acclimate to the planting mix anyway. I have found that, on average, a healthy young leaf will produce babies (mouse ears) in about 4-6 weeks, with babies large enough to separate and pot individually in another month or so. Sometimes, in just 4-5 months time, I may have blooming plants already.
There are many different methods of starting new leaves, but here I share my way using a planting mix. Leaves are often rooted in water, as well, and this is also quite successful. I prefer to skip the water step to save time, since water roots will eventually need to re-acclimate to the planting mix anyway. I have found that, on average, a healthy young leaf will produce babies (mouse ears) in about 4-6 weeks, with babies large enough to separate and pot individually in another month or so. Sometimes, in just 4-5 months time, I may have blooming plants already.
Receiving Leaf Orders ... from me and from others ...
Every vendor ships leaves a bit differently. Some are extravagantly packaged and labeled, some are simply sealed in a baggie. Some have moist cotton around each individual leaf, others don't. Some even have a white powdery preservative on the cut ends. Many sellers prefer to cut the stems before they ship, and sometimes - unfortunately - they are already cut very short, leaving you very little to work with.
Personally, I prefer to snap off my leaves and send them as-is if possible. I don't recut the stems unless they are too long to fit in the bag. This seems the most natural way, since the stem will be longer and more full of moisture to tide over the leaf until it reaches its destination. It also allows the recipient to trim the leaf to whatever length they wish, instead of having a sorry little nub to work with. Also, I don't use any moist material wrapped around the stem. Too many times, I've received leaves wrapped in cotton, and they were already starting to rot from being kept too wet. In my opinion, it's definitely preferable to have a limp leaf rather than an unsalvageable one!
So, when an order arrives, from any source, open each baggie and inspect the leaves closely. They should be healthy-looking and green, without brown rot spots/edges, and they should not show any signs of pests or resulting damage. The stems should be natural or cleanly cut, green and not glassy or brown. Sometimes, leaves are broken in transit. They can usually be salvaged by trimming away the damaged areas, and some people even choose to dust the trimmed portion with cinnamon, which acts as a natural fungicide. I have found, however, that as long as your knife is very sharp, cut leaf edges heal quite well on their own.
In a perfect world, each and every leaf you receive will be bright, healthy and ready to produce for you. Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever received an absolutely perfect order. A very low percentage of leaves in poor condition is usually acceptable to me, granted that faulty packaging didn't play a prominent role.
We should try to recognize that some damage, such as rot would not have occurred until the leaves were in transit. Weather and the way a parcel is treated along its route will always have some bearing on the condition. This is one reason why sellers usually send multiple leaves of one variety...it's simply built-in insurance and accounted for in cost.
I'll make one more point on receiving your order. You undoubtedly have a list of what you ordered from the vendor, and this may or may not coincide with what's in your box. You probably listed some substitutions on your order, or you may also have some extras on board. It never fails that if we vendors have a limited supply of one variety, that is the one that everyone wants to order. Substitutions are common in violet orders, because when a plant is exhausted of its healthy leaves, we must simply wait until they produce more. And of course, plants sometimes have growing issues during the season. Here at Three Oak Violets, I always try to check your order against inventory before accepting your payment, so that you can be prepared if something isn't currently available.
Cleaning and Setting New Leaves
Preparation is the key to success when it comes to setting your new leaves. Have everything ready when your box arrives. Even if you don't have special pots or trays with domes, you can plant your leaves in 3 oz. plastic bathroom cups and put a couple cups into a Ziploc baggie. I use those cups on almost all my small plants, and they can stay in them even when mature.
It's a good idea to disinfect your new leaves, especially if you aren't familiar with the vendor. In a large bowl, I mix one part household bleach to 9 or 10 parts lukewarm water. Each leaf is dunked and lightly massaged in the mix, and then it is rinsed thoroughly under the warm tap with the same gentle rubbing motion. Be sure to rinse ALL of the bleach residue off each leaf.
After the cleaning, I trim the petiole to about 3/4 to 1 inch and set each variety in its own cup half filled with warm water. To the soaking water, you can add a tiny amount of SuperThrive, but it isn't necessary. I've even heard that some people use sugar, but all you really need to do is soak the leaves so that they become firm again. This may take a couple hours or it could take overnight. It depends on how limp the leaves were to begin with.
It's a good idea to disinfect your new leaves, especially if you aren't familiar with the vendor. In a large bowl, I mix one part household bleach to 9 or 10 parts lukewarm water. Each leaf is dunked and lightly massaged in the mix, and then it is rinsed thoroughly under the warm tap with the same gentle rubbing motion. Be sure to rinse ALL of the bleach residue off each leaf.
After the cleaning, I trim the petiole to about 3/4 to 1 inch and set each variety in its own cup half filled with warm water. To the soaking water, you can add a tiny amount of SuperThrive, but it isn't necessary. I've even heard that some people use sugar, but all you really need to do is soak the leaves so that they become firm again. This may take a couple hours or it could take overnight. It depends on how limp the leaves were to begin with.
Once your leaves are firm again, get out your cups or pots. Be sure that each one has a drainage hole and is properly labeled with the variety you are planting. To avoid mistakes, I do each variety one at a time instead of filling all my cups with soil at once. Your planting mix should be slightly moist, but not wet. If you've accidentally gotten the mix too wet, don't worry. You can place the pot on top of some paper towel for a couple hours, and it will soak up some of the excess water.
Fill your pot almost up to the top with your soil. Use the point of a pencil or other object to make a shallow, slanted hole in the mix. Place the leaf into the hole about 1/8 inch past where you made your cut and gently rest the back of the leaf on the rim of the pot to keep it upright or slightly slanted. Do not plant the leaf too deeply or you will wait forever for babies! Then, gently push soil up and around the petiole. Run a very thin stream of warm water over the top of the soil again to moisten it one last time and settle the mix.
Fill your pot almost up to the top with your soil. Use the point of a pencil or other object to make a shallow, slanted hole in the mix. Place the leaf into the hole about 1/8 inch past where you made your cut and gently rest the back of the leaf on the rim of the pot to keep it upright or slightly slanted. Do not plant the leaf too deeply or you will wait forever for babies! Then, gently push soil up and around the petiole. Run a very thin stream of warm water over the top of the soil again to moisten it one last time and settle the mix.
Once the leaf pot is done, you should put it under cover to trap humidity. Use either a plastic Ziploc baggie or a tray with a clear dome. Once leaves are set, put them on your light stands or in a bright, room-temperature location. Whenever plants are kept under plastic cover, they should never be in direct sunlight or in overly warm areas. If they are kept too hot, too cold or too wet, they will rot.
After a week, check your leaves. If there is a lot of moisture on the inside of the cover, open it for a short time until some of this water evaporates. If the mix is too dry, give it another warm stream over the top of the soil and replace it under cover. Also check to make sure that the leaf is not limp, or that it has not lost contact with your mix. If you notice any brown, rotten spots on the leaf, trim them off right away with a very sharp knife and let the soil dry a bit more before you replace the cover. Weekly checks are a good idea until you are familiar with your growing environment and how the leaves will react.
After a couple weeks, a very slight tug on the leaf should give some resistance. This tells you that there are roots forming on the parent leaf. A good sign!
After a week, check your leaves. If there is a lot of moisture on the inside of the cover, open it for a short time until some of this water evaporates. If the mix is too dry, give it another warm stream over the top of the soil and replace it under cover. Also check to make sure that the leaf is not limp, or that it has not lost contact with your mix. If you notice any brown, rotten spots on the leaf, trim them off right away with a very sharp knife and let the soil dry a bit more before you replace the cover. Weekly checks are a good idea until you are familiar with your growing environment and how the leaves will react.
After a couple weeks, a very slight tug on the leaf should give some resistance. This tells you that there are roots forming on the parent leaf. A good sign!
Babies!
If all goes well, small tufts of green should poke up through the soil within a month or so. Keep checking the pots regularly to make sure the soil does not get too dry or too wet. During this time, if you need to water the leaf, you can use a very diluted fertilizer if you want to, but it isn't really necessary. If you do, use 1/4 to 1/2 the normal recommended dilution.
In about 8 weeks, your babies should be a healthy size. By this time, you can tell how many different little plantlets you have in your pot by looking for each main stem. Sometimes by 8 weeks, they are ready to separate from the parent leaf. I wait until the baby plants have leaves the size of a dime. On some very small miniatures, they will never be that big, so you have to use your judgment a bit. If the babies are sturdy, stocky and appear healthy, you can really separate any time you are comfortable handling them.
In about 8 weeks, your babies should be a healthy size. By this time, you can tell how many different little plantlets you have in your pot by looking for each main stem. Sometimes by 8 weeks, they are ready to separate from the parent leaf. I wait until the baby plants have leaves the size of a dime. On some very small miniatures, they will never be that big, so you have to use your judgment a bit. If the babies are sturdy, stocky and appear healthy, you can really separate any time you are comfortable handling them.
Separating the Babies
For beginners, this can be daunting, but also exciting. For small babies, it helps to wait a bit, especially if you're like me and have large hands and fingers. To begin, try to determine how many babies are in the pot, and then decide how many you plan on keeping. I know at first it seems like murder, but you really can't expect to keep every baby from every leaf you propagate. You will quickly run out of growing space! By keeping the largest one or two, you give yourself the best chance at quick growth and bloom.
Prepare your pots for the babies with drainage holes and labels. Use the same size pots that you used for planting your parent leaf, filled half way with your regular planting mix.
Prepare your pots for the babies with drainage holes and labels. Use the same size pots that you used for planting your parent leaf, filled half way with your regular planting mix.
Gently squeeze the outside of the pot and upend it until the entire clump comes out in your hand. Begin by pulling free the mother leaf. Try not to pull off the roots with it. You want to leave as many roots on the babies as possible. Determine where your babies begin and end. Look for the main stems of each plantlet.
On this example, you can barely make out the main stems of two large babies.
On this example, you can barely make out the main stems of two large babies.
Then, carefully start prying apart each main stem. The leaves of each baby will be intertwined, so you must work slowly and gently. Try to get as much root system as you can on each baby. However, if you have one or two stand-out babies that you know you want to keep, you can manipulate the roots as you separate so that each of those babies has an equal amount of roots attached. As you pull a baby loose, set it aside, so that you can compare them once they're all separated. If you break some of the delicate baby leaves, don't worry too much. Some of the lowest leaves will be removed anyway.
In some cases, it may be helpful to use a sharp knife or sucker plucker to cut through the roots cleanly between the babies.
In some cases, it may be helpful to use a sharp knife or sucker plucker to cut through the roots cleanly between the babies.
Once you get all the babies separated, you should decide which ones you will keep. If there is only one or two, the choice will be easy. But when you have 6 or more babies, you need to pick the best ones. Choose the babies that are biggest, sturdiest and have the best, most in-tact root systems. Sometimes, you have one or the other. Sometimes the largest baby has the fewest roots, or the smallest baby has the most. In most cases, the best root system is the better choice, even if the plant is tiny. Either way, with good care and proper potting, both babies will be indistinguishable within a month or two.
Here you can see two babies, both with approximately the same amount of roots attached.
Here you can see two babies, both with approximately the same amount of roots attached.
Potting the Babies
Now you are ready to pot up those babies you've chosen. By looking at the main stem of the plantlet, you will notice that there are very tiny baby leaves growing on the lowest row near the root system. As you follow the main stem upward, the size of these leaves will change. You want to remove all the tiniest lower leaves up to the point where the leaves are larger and more sturdy. Usually this is quite noticeable, but if you're a beginner, don't panic. It's not something that will really cause too much trouble, and the baby leaves can be removed later if you are nervous about pulling them off now.
This photo shows the larger plantlet with its baby leaves removed.
Place your baby inside your pot with the crown level with the rim. If need be, add or remove some soil to compensate for this. When the plantlet is centered inside the pot and at the proper depth, fill in all around the roots with more soil. You can lightly tap the side of the pot with your hand or use your scooping tool to help settle the soil, but do not pack it down tightly. You want it as light as possible while still anchoring your plant. Fill the soil up to the point just underneath your lowest leaves. Avoid filling the soil all the way up to the crown of your plant.
Once you've finished potting your plant, you have two choices on how best to water it. One way is to run a thin stream of water over the entire surface around your plant just until water droplets begin dripping out the drainage hole. Another way is to set the whole pot in a tray or saucer of water to soak up from the bottom. The second method takes quite a bit more time, and I've found that sometimes I get distracted and forget to remove them from the standing water. The advantage, however, is that you are not disrupting the surface of your soil, which can potentially dislodge your plant or knock it off center.
Once you've finished potting your plant, you have two choices on how best to water it. One way is to run a thin stream of water over the entire surface around your plant just until water droplets begin dripping out the drainage hole. Another way is to set the whole pot in a tray or saucer of water to soak up from the bottom. The second method takes quite a bit more time, and I've found that sometimes I get distracted and forget to remove them from the standing water. The advantage, however, is that you are not disrupting the surface of your soil, which can potentially dislodge your plant or knock it off center.
Either way you choose, when the soil is dark and moistened, you are all finished. I put all my newly planted babies back under cover for another 3-4 weeks to aid in humidity and root production. This isn't necessary, though, if you are diligent about their care and always keep them evenly moist. If you do put them under cover, you want to acclimate them to room air gradually after a few weeks. To do this, simply remove the cover or open the baggie for about an hour or so the first day and increasing to more every day for about 1-2 weeks.