If you miss out this time, don’t fret. That doesn’t mean you can’t still get the membership and the magazine. Membership is very reasonably priced, currently $30, but is set to increase to $35 in November. For membership, visit: http://www.avsa.org/membership
Do you remember that line in the movie "A Christmas Story" when the father wins the coveted "major" award? Well, that's my line for this blog, and I can't believe I forgot to talk about it up until now. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you probably know that I sometimes submit articles to the AVSA for inclusion in their magazine. I haven’t been so good about it lately, though, mainly because I’ve been busy. Although I didn’t attend the National Convention this year, my dear friend Andrea Worrell brought back with her an award that AVSA presented to me for an article I wrote entitled, “Recognizing and Correcting Light Problems.” Many fantastic contributors have come along recently who are very knowledgeable and technical with their information. I really can’t compete with that, so I, on the other hand, tend to write for the layperson, sharing personal experiences combined with little nuggets of wisdom I have learned over the years. My article on light problems was intended to encourage growers to really look at their plants regularly for telltale signs of what a violet may need. They do indeed “talk” to us if we are willing listeners. I was given a very nice certificate that is suitable for framing, and I intend to do just that. I have won similar awards two other times from AVSA, and they are also framed. I’m proud of the contributions I have made and will continue to do my best to offer sound advice or personal accounts that may help other growers. My goal is to win the coveted silver pen award. :) A girl can dream! That just means I have to keep writing! Anyway, my point is that one of the perks of winning an article award is that I get to gift someone an honorary one-year membership to AVSA. The award is for new AVSA members only who live in the USA. As a huge thank you for being faithful readers, the first visitor to comment on this blog will be named as my honorary member. Keep in mind that included in the membership is 6 issues of the African Violet Magazine. It’s a great publication, and almost 15 years later, I still get excited when each issue shows up in my mailbox. So, won’t you be my honorary reader?
If you miss out this time, don’t fret. That doesn’t mean you can’t still get the membership and the magazine. Membership is very reasonably priced, currently $30, but is set to increase to $35 in November. For membership, visit: http://www.avsa.org/membership
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I’ve said a temporary goodbye to all my flowers. They’ve been plucked off now that all the shows are over for now. After a fertilizer break the past few weeks, I’ll be re-introducing some very diluted food soon. I do switch fertilizers. Some growers swear by one or two brands of food, but I use several different kinds. It seems to me that the plants would like variety, but who knows? At the Illinois show, Dale Martens asked what fertilizer I use after a compliment on my healthy-looking leaves. At the time, the only thing I could think of was Peter’s, which I use frequently. (But it’s only one of several I use in rotation, especially before a show. The one most likely responsible for healthy green leaves is Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro, which I use in rotation with Bloom Plus before a show.) “Oh, the one with urea?” She asked, surprised. When I first got into violets, there was a relatively new concern about using urea-based fertilizers on African violets. The claim, or worry, was that excessive amounts of urea burn the roots of violets, and it is indeed true. However, I have found that by using a high dilution rate (less than ¼ tsp. per gallon of water,) this has never been an issue for me, and certainly not a good enough reason to stop using what I consider to be a safe and effective fertilizer. We’re always told to feed our violets, and we definitely should or we won’t see many flowers. But use common sense. Too much of a good thing is not a better thing. A very light, but regular feeding should be given to violets with a short break of plain water every 4-5 weeks (again, this is my opinion.) Since I wick water now, I generally refill my reservoirs twice with fertilized water. Then, I leach out each pot and fill the reservoirs about half way with plain water. When that is used, I resume feeding. I have used, and will continue to use, several types and brands of fertilizers in rotation. I see nothing wrong with that, but I have used my current ones for many years now. The only possible problem I see is that when asked, I cannot specify which fertilizer did a good, or bad, thing. When you first begin in the hobby, I recommend using a bit more caution. Try one or two fertilizers and give them at least a couple months to respond. Then you can introduce another kind if you like. Whatever you do, do it slowly and with just a few plants. This way you will not risk your entire collection to something not yet proven in your growing conditions.
Here is a short list of the most common fertilizers I regularly use: Peters African Violet 12-36-14 Miracle Grow African violet 7-7-7 Dyna Gro Foliage Pro 9-3-6 Schultz Bloom Plus 10-60-10 I also occasionally use Bounty, Schultz brand African violet fertilizer (which also has urea in it,) and regular Miracle Grow (non-African violet type.) When used sparingly, I think most fertilizers are safe. Just keep in mind that African violets have very delicate roots and cannot handle a lot of fertilizer. Also, remember to never fertilize your violets if the soil is dry. When allowed to dry, some of the tiny feeder roots will die off, making the main roots especially susceptible to burning from fertilizers. Hope this helps! Keep growing. :-) The big buzz right now in the violet world is the melancholy over the end of the AVSA National Convention, which was held in Austin, TX last week. I was unable to attend this year, so I had to do what many others did and live vicariously through posted photos. One thing I think we would all agree on is that the plants were simply outstanding, and I’m sure they were even better in person. What struck me this year was that there were over 1,000 plants entered into the show, and that number is just outstanding.
People have been growing African violets for decades now. The faces and names of prominent violet people have changed; the way we grow the plants has changed, and we now have over 16,000 named hybrids in the database. With the advent of the internet, the violet world has been forced to learn and grow in new ways. Long gone are the days when magazine advertisements were the only ways to spread the news of the latest hybrids. Nowadays, we’re able to see breathtaking photos of brand new international hybrids before they’ve even been named. I think sometimes we forget how much has changed in such little time, and this got me thinking (sometimes a dangerous thing!) I wonder what some folks from the past would think of this new, instantaneous way of experiencing the violet world. Would they revel in the speed at which information and media can travel? Or would they yearn again for the old days when anticipation and excitement led to a possible deeper passion for the hobby? The truth is, many violet fans out there today are still unable to embrace the technology that brings the show plants into our homes on 24+-inch, full-color screens. They don’t know what blogs are, and they really don’t get Facebook. I understand the need to reach out into the abyss of the web, to spread images and information that the public demands instant access to, and I definitely try to do my part, however small. But I guess I encourage everyone to keep trying to bridge the gaps between the technological generations, helping to bring them together in creative new ways. New technology may come naturally to some, but certainly not to all, and we’re in the age where it is changing daily. Keeping up with it is hard, even for me. And even though having all this instant information at our fingertips is a true treasure of innovation, let’s not disregard the tangible sentiment that brought violet hobbyists together in the first place. I hope we won’t eventually turn to strictly “virtual” meetings and shows. What a sad day that would be indeed! |
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