February Already??

2/23/2016

Hello again all you violet peeps. It’s almost springtime...yay! I’ve been getting several inquiries lately, and of course everyone is confused because I’ve been a bad girl and failed to keep up with my blog. Sorry! Life is constantly getting in my way, and I’ve had a problem lately because I just don’t know what to write about! I could just take lots of pictures and share them with you (I mean, who doesn’t love pictures of violets!) but doesn’t that just get old after a while? And I try not to go over the top tooting my own horn here, like, “Hey- look at my gorgeous plants!” Of course, not every single violet on my shelves is gorgeous. Come for a visit and you will see for yourself that every grower has a few problem children sucking us dry….the ones we just can’t seem to let go even though they just don’t thrive for us. (I’m trying to get better about moving those kinds onward, but you know how that goes.)

Years ago, we used to drool all over the place when we had the chance to look at pretty violet pictures, and I even remember the days of drooling over the paper catalogs (we don’t so much have those anymore!) The Violet Barn used to have a great little pamphlet catalog with color photos, and I picked some of my very first varieties from those pictures. Of course now we have unprecedented access to beautiful violet pictures all over the internet. It just didn’t used to be that way. We diehards had to learn the “hard way” how to truly understand a description so that we wouldn’t be disappointed when the plant bloomed. Not anymore! Now we can see almost any violet we want before we decide if we want to grow it. And of course First Class has spoiled us, as well as the endless sites on the internet and facebook where we get to chat and learn from others who also enjoy the hobby. The times have changed, that much is certain - for the better, I do believe, but for those who are newer to the hobby, you can’t fully understand that feeling of anticipation waiting for the first bloom on a plant that you have NEVER seen a photograph of. Most of us now create our wish lists based on photos. And with that said, here are some pics for you to enjoy...

Getting back to business, I want you all to know that while I've been bad about keeping the blog as updated as I would like these days, the plants are doing well and I’ll be able to sell leaves this year. The plants did not really like being in the cold basement this winter. Fortunately for me, it was a mild winter this year thanks to El Nino, so I have another 8 or 9 months to make a plan for next winter. Actually I already have a plan, but it probably really will take all that time to implement it.

If you are thinking of placing an order with me, please know that as of right now, the inventory lists on this site are up-to-date, so make those wish lists and send them off to me whenever you can. While I won’t be sending out any boxes until it's warm enough here in Chicago, getting your lists early will help me a lot. I can repot (and pamper) those varieties first and even put down some “insurance” leaves. The orders will be sent out in the order in which I receive them, and since I don’t have several duplicates of each variety, get your name on the list soon before I run low! Some of the more popular varieties are quick to sell out in the spring, so the early birdies get the wormies. :-)

As always, friends....Happy Growing!

4 Comments

Janice

2/29/2016 01:47:15 pm

I'm curious as to how you kept your violets in the cold basement. I have a similar problem. The basement gets to 55 at night. My violets are on shelves with humidity tents which only brings the temp up to 60. By wrapping the shelf units in mylar blankets, I've been able to get the temp up to 68 on the lowest shelf of the unit. I have lost quite a few violets due to the cooler temps and trying to figure out how much to water.

Amy @ Three Oak

2/29/2016 03:05:58 pm

Hi Janice! The average temp on my stands was around 60 degrees most of the winter, but I admit I didn't really watch the temp much. Instead I just kept an eye on the plants. I noticed some curling under and discoloration/marring of leaves. I was incredibly diligent about watering only in the early part of the day and making sure no plant actually sat in water too long. I had 2 plants develop some root rot, but I noticed immediately and saved them. Our basement is unfinished, and the plant area is not enclosed in a "room" so I didn't even bother with a small heater, although that's what I would have used if I'd had more problems. I didn't cover the stands with anything, though I did pull them away from the walls as much as I could. I think covering them could have helped. My husband suggested that we install some insulation panels on the outside walls, and I think that's what we are going to do. He is also going to route a heater duct to the growing area. If those things aren't enough, I'll probably use a small thermostat-controlled oil heater next winter.

Janice

3/1/2016 06:39:40 am

I guess my problem is that I noticed my plants being distressed too late. I lost about 10 plants. My basement is unfinished also, but I did put rigid insulation along the floor near the shelves and under the shelves. There is a heat register near the plants, but that isn't enough to warm them. I water early in the day and now water only about every 2 weeks. The plants seem to have improved a bit and even a few are blooming or sending up buds. But there are still a couple that are more sensitive and those I brought upstairs so that I can keep a closer eye on them. It seems that everyday these plants are losing a leaf or two. I've even repotted a couple using more perlite for better drainage. I was tempted to buy a small electric heater and I'm thinking that is what I'll have to do this fall. Or bring the violets upstairs even though I don't have space for them. My other houseplants love the cooler basement. After reading your post, I'm going to pull the shelves away from the wall a bit further. Now they are about 2" from the wall. Thanks for sharing!

Amy @ Three Oak

3/1/2016 11:39:26 am

Ok, yes that can definitely be an issue. I do (did) have a tendency to check on the plants every couple days but changed that routine to daily when it began getting colder. If you are manually (top or bottom) watering your plants, it's very easy to give them more than they can utilize in cold temps. And of course the heavier the soil, the less often they need it. I have some plants wicked, but most are bottom or top watered and I use a very porous and light wicking mix on everything, which really helps them to not hold so much cold water. In general, for those of us who have to grow in cold basements, diligence is likely the best we can do, like you said, to catch problems before they kill our plants. I've been pulling trays out and checking plants individually also to see if they are holding too much water. A couple plants I actually had to remove from their pots and wrap in paper towel to absorb excess water. In community trays it's even more difficult to notice problems since every plant will have a different amount of roots and this use differing amounts of water, so I think your practice of watering every couple weeks is probably good. After all, better too little than too much. Good luck to you...I hope you can get through the winter without any further losses!

February Already??

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