So, even though it’s only January, I’m having thoughts of grandeur, acclaim and Best in Show rosettes right now. I know it’s not impossible, so I’ll prep a few plants and keep you informed of their progress. In the meantime, bye-bye pretty flowers. It’s been lovely.
I’m so sad. I need a support group! I’m saying goodbye to my pretty flowers. One of the reasons I take a break sending out leaves in the winter is because I really love letting my plants come into bloom, and I have to say I’ve been loving this winter’s bloom cycle! The plants that I put on wicks have done very well and really went crazy with the flowers. On some of the plants, this winter’s bloom bouquets were some of their biggest ever. But now…all good things must come to an end, right? If I want any hope of having show plants for the Illinois state show in April, it’s time to say good-bye to all the blooms, repot one more time and begin disbudding. BOO-HOO! Now that my new shipment of potting mix from Cape Cod Violetry has arrived, I have begun the process of repotting several plants that I hope to have a chance of showing on April 6th in Moline, IL. It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve had any plants in a judged show. I hope I don’t embarrass myself! Well, honestly, I just hope I have some plants to show to make it worth my trouble and the trip to travel there. While I know I can grow nice plants, I’m no longer as confident as I used to be about timing the bloom correctly. I’m a little bit loose on the 12-week schedule; I repot and disbud about 12 weeks out, but then I always waiver on when to stop disbudding. I’m always either too early or too late, and it never fails that what is about right for one plant isn’t even close for another. It’s all part of the learning curve. I know many growers like to pick and choose which plants they prep and plan to show. I’m not that good, folks. I realized a long time ago that I couldn’t really do that. For one reason, different plants grow best in different locations on my stands, so I don’t want to move them around just so that the show plants are all grouped together. But if they aren’t, I’m not going through the trouble of putting little colored flags on them or marking the pots with different labels. It’s just not gonna happen! That sounds like too much work to me. So, what I do is repot most of the plants that, for me, have a history of shaping up nicely and blooming well. I am pretty much of the mind that the more plants I repot and prep, the better my chances at having something to show in time. Law of percentages, right? So, even though it’s only January, I’m having thoughts of grandeur, acclaim and Best in Show rosettes right now. I know it’s not impossible, so I’ll prep a few plants and keep you informed of their progress. In the meantime, bye-bye pretty flowers. It’s been lovely. Here's my Rob's Whippoorwill going through the process.
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A recent discussion on the facebook page African Violet Nerds sparked this post about my wicking set up. When wicking, consider the three main components: potting mix, wicking material, and water reservoir. Potting Mix: Since the soil will be constantly damp, you need to use a mix that is very light and airy. This is achieved by using a lot of perlite in the mix. A minimum would be one part perlite to each part peat moss. More perlite would not hurt either. Vermiculite can also be added if desired, but it isn’t really necessary. I use the commercial soil mixed by Cape Cod Violetry. They make a regular potting mix and one specially formulated for wicking, which is what I use. I’ve had very good results with it. If you can only find a commercial mix sold in stores, add lots and lots of perlite before you attempt to use it for wicking! There are many variations on the mix used for wicking. Many growers fill the lower half of the pot with perlite and like the results. I’m happy with my method, and if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Wicking Material: The best thing to use is something inorganic, such as nylon twine. Cotton will eventually rot away, and it also tends to wick a bit too much water than is wanted. Here is a photo of the nylon twine I use for my plants. I use the same size twine for small ones and standards. You can always add two wicks to a large pot if you wanted to. Make sure the wick goes up almost all the way to the top of the pot, but still below the soil surface. Check the wick periodically to be sure the roots haven’t plugged the hole or cut off the water movement. Also be sure that the wick is completely saturated before using it. Water Reservoir: You’ll need something to hold the water for the wicks. The wicks dangle inside the reservoir and pull up the water as the plant requires it. It’s a very easy way to set up plants to give away to friends, since it’s fairly fail-proof. The reservoir can be just about anything. I’ve used jars, butter or sour cream containers. Right now, I use the cheap Ziploc food containers that come 3 or 4 in a pack. I soldered or cut holes in the lids for the wick to go into. If you grow in large trays, you can also use the tray as the reservoir and add egg crating to the top to set your plants on. Algae: Algae will grow in the reservoir and can be unsightly. There are a lot of different ways of managing this, but I just choose to wipe them out each time I refill them. You can also line the reservoirs with plastic baggies and dispose of them periodically. Some folks go to the trouble of painting their reservoirs black to block out the light, and other people have used copper inside the reservoirs to prevent the growth of algae. (I admit I tried this years ago and got mixed results and a whole lot of nasty looking pennies.) They also make a product called Physan 20 that will prevent algae from growing in reservoirs. Keep in mind:
If you're going to try wicking your violets, keep in mind that once you set the plant on top of a reservoir, it will be closer to the lights. You may have to adjust the amount of time your light is on. Also, I do not keep wicked violets on lower shelves during the winter, as they can easily get chilled. Other growers sometimes do not have good results wicking in the winter if their plant room gets chilly. And as always, with everything in the violet realm, try wicking on just a few plants at first! Do not risk your entire collection on an experiment. Even though it works well for many people, the learning curve can be discouraging. Keep trying, because wicking can produce some absolutely stunning results! A new year is upon us already! Can you believe it? What has happened in your violet room this year? What kinds of changes do you need to make for next year? Do you have any violet resolutions? I know I do.
I am putting into print right now my vow to take better care of my violets in 2013. I want to be more consistent with their care and stop forgetting or putting off their regular watering! I also want to be more diligent about repotting some of my little ones mid-year in addition to the mass-repotting event I do in the winter. I know that many of my little minis would benefit greatly from repotting every 6 months. It’s easy to say that now while nothing is going on outside in the gardens. It’s all too easy to let the violets go when the rose and clematis need tidying up and the hosta beds need weeding. But, that’s what resolutions are all about, right? I want to TRY! Another goal I have this year is to improve my repotting area. I need more light and table space, and I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to achieve that. But I’m going to try to resolve that problem also! Also, who doesn’t want to get more violets in 2013?? I want more!! I’d love to add another stand, but I don’t have the space for it right now. But, maybe sometime this year I’ll work something out! You never know. :-) Happy New Year! |
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