Curiosity of Variegation

Multiplying African Violets 

Tiger Trail (6897) 07/13/1988 (P. Harris) Double bright fuchsia/pale pink back. Variegated, quilted, glossy. Standard trailer.  

I received 4 leaves of this plant in September and need to check with my friend in Montana to see if they came off the same plant? It's a curious thing! 
I'm watching the differences of variegation in leaves growing out right before my eyes. One solo cup of leaves has pink variegation and one has white? 
Same variety . . .
Is it something I've done? :)

Their tray has them both together, just off center from the middle of the shelf, fairly direct beneath the tubes.
My thinking was that I might have put 2 with more variegation in one pot and 2 greener ones in the other.  From the picture I cropped taken at the time, this doesn't really seem to be so. I remember trimming just a snip from the side of one; one leaf was mushy on the edge so it got trimmed heavily,  trying to be sure a few plantlets grew. 
I trimmed the others only after babies appeared and the mother leaf was awkward in the tray.

Leaves have been set on my shelves to produce new plantlets in 3 waves of time - which only seemed farther spaced apart than I remembered, once I checked the dates on the cups.
So it shouldn't have come to much surprise to find all the babies are at about the same stage.  
August 20 - Ebay batch of misfit clearance sale plants. 
September 14 - Montana to Maine box of joy, towards replacing some old favorites and new. 
And the Round Robin leaves arrived September 19.

In answer to my questions, Tiger Trail's history has been detailed here!

Snip of tray photo - Sept 17th arrival - tag not showing but I can tell!

  

Making Kids Cry

That kind of week!

Lollipop Kid had a water bottle tip over onto it when I went to set it down on the wire rack shelving and crushed a leaf over the edge of its pot.  I didn't notice the damage when it happened, but the next day found this sad tear rolling out of the leaky break.

Earlier in the day Jax went after a buzzing housefly that was bouncing off one of the T-8 bulbs and knocked a tray of plants on the lower shelf sliding sideways. Not too much damage, other than a few tipped starter plants. I took Beca's Pink Crochet out of the self-watering planter and yanked a row of haloing leaves off, so it was smaller anyways. 
It has a few less leaves now.

I potted up 2 leaf pots of babies for this variety, but it's very pink (possibly unacceptable *) blossoms aren't likely to make my future Favorites List. 
The spooning/haloing leaves only makes it worse. 


It was not too hard to keep only 4 of the nearly 20 plantlets produced by 3 leaves. I tried to pick just a couple of the larger plantlets WITHOUT spooning leaves. I don't know if it's something I'm doing (or not doing) but Beca'a Pink Crochet is racking up a longer list of "cons" than "pros"...the word "crochet" might not save it!
 
* Pink has to pass the Acceptable Pink test in our household, as defined by daughter Stephani. ;) 

Later still in the day, I went to take something out of Jax's mouth, while holding a leaf pot in my other hand. She made a grab for the leaf cup of Optimara Little Moonstone and chomped a slice in one of the 2 leaves.
Luckily, not the one actually just starting to pop up babies. 

Trinket Terrific is surviving it's rough treatment for some sort of bug. it's putting on growth finally, but not sure I trust it to be pest free yet. Or ever. Yanked off all its roots (twice) and sloshed it up an down, first rubbing alcohol, then Safer Soap treatment the next week when aphid-like bug was found on the backs of several Round Robin leaves. They all got treated.
They should probably have all been pitched.
 
below left:
Reflections of Spring has the biggest blossoms ever! 
Rob's Heat Wave will make my Favorites List!

Rob's Heat Wave family photo

 
I had too many leaves set in the solo cup, so tried to move one off on its own. Broke the mother leaf right off. These very tiny babies trying to survive on their own are Exhibit-A for why "you should not be at it all the time".

Leaf Grafting Experiment Update

Babies are popping up!

Both variegated and light green leaves began showing by October 15th from the leaves I'm attempting to propagate by grafting stems. This method is mentioned in the vintage AV books but seems to be viewed more skeptically now.

But wouldn't it be cool? ;)

Update November 1, 2012
Picture shows they're growing. Variegated leaves seem more frilly than the mother leaf. Light green leaf of Lime Jewel is curly and frilled to the point of unruly. Heaven's Reflection's variegation seems different? Time will tell!

Trying very hard to keep my twitchy fingers from attempting to separate too soon. I want to grow out as many of the babies as possible to see if there are any changes.

(This post changed thanks to auto save. Tried to correct a typo and the whole thing disappeared.)

The ROUND ROBIN experience

"African Violets Are Good Travelers" *

They change their clime, not their disposition, who run beyond the sea.

~HORACE

The NEW Complete Book of African Violets by Helen Van Pelt Wilson @1951, 1963.

* (Title and quote from Chapter 15 Heading) 
Chapter 15 is a step-by-step sketched guide for packing plants and leaves for mailing.
 

Carolyn K. Rector, author of how to grow African Violets  mentions running a Round Robin. @1951.

Sometimes things don't go as planned. They don't even go anything like you imagine.

So you need to regroup and change course. It's helpful if there are friendly Voices to lift your resolve [and your mindset] when it's needed most.

My name was 3rd in a recent Violet Voice Round Robin. I anxiously awaited delivery for days and days. Our mail service has been sketchy for the last year, with mail going to all the wrong boxes - off by one or two addresses, either side of us. We usually sort it out amongst ourselves. But you just never know where your mail might land or be certain every person who gets wrong mail will value its safe return into the system.

And delays are not good when it comes to plant material inside hot boxes!

When the Round Robin delivery time went into week 2, there was cause for concern. It had to cross through US/Canadian customs before getting to me and was taking its own, sweet time. And appears to have been frisked at the border, if lack of tape was any indication!

The smell of rotting leaves, once the box arrived September 20th at nearly 4 pm, was horrific. Most of the starting packets were baggies of brown-goo mush. A few wedges were cut from leaves with any sign of green life. A long shot with nothing to lose! 

(The remaining wedge of "International" was doing the best of these attempts, but I fear it's starting to fail. Really wanted that one to have a happily ever-after [ironic name] outcome!)

I was in denial for over an hour. THIS Round Robin was STILL going to go exactly as planned and I would get it back into the mail stream for the next person in line. Except, in my heart and in my head I felt nothing was ready to go back into the box and not be turned to goo if it meant four or five more days with USPS.

My anxiety was through the roof. (What if everyone thought I was one of "those kind of people?")

As a "starting over" grower I didn't have replacement leaves for a new box. Thankfully, PLAN B went into effect and the next person in line FIXED EVERYTHING by starting a new box. 

Plants and leaves in my care were "planted" to stay a while. Time to recover.

I hesitated naming what came out of the box until they proved to be survivors. JINX?

UPDATE Nov. 2nd: A few weeks in I noticed Petite Blarney Plantlet was actually 2 so decided to separate. DISCOVERED WHITE FUZZ & BUG. Panic subsided and treated rather than tossing the lot. Playing with fire? I hope not! 
Plantlets have been tipped out and checked weekly. 

{Roots removed and reset like sucker.}

* Babies beginning to appear marked.
Lost marked with strike line... or deleted.

Ness' Crinkle Blue - Baby Plantlet  - {treated twice}

Ness' Satin Rose - Baby Plantlet  - 1 leaf saved, plantlet tossed

* Persian Prince - 3 leaves - {1 leaf tossed/treatment caused to fail}

Little Bo Peep - Baby Plantlet - 3 leaves saved, plantlet tossed

Petite Blarney - Baby Plantlet + 2 leaves {TREATED MULTIPLE TIMES}

Trinket Terrific - Baby Plantlet - {treated 3 times}

* Mickey Mouse - 2 leaves

Mikinda Girl - 6 leaves

* Frosted Whisper - 2 leaves

* Teen Bride - 4 leaves

Pacific Pearl - 3 leaves ? do I still have this one - need to check!

* Foster Trail - 3 leaves (+ 2 half leaves)

Sassy Sister - Partial leaf - nearly whole

Rob's Squeeze Toy - 1/2 leaf

* Rob's oolong - 2 leaves

* Blue Dragon - 2 leaves

* Opt. Little Moonstone - 2 leaves

Futuriste - 1 3/4 leaves

S. ionantha 1/2 leaf

* Von's Baby Jay - 2 leaves

Opt. Little Crystal - 3 leaves

1 stem of Strep. "White Butterfly"

♥ Wishes Fulfilled - Some of these (Plantlets & Persian Prince) are the ones I dared mention I would really like most, when asked if we had any wishlists. I have risked treating rather than tossing at discovery of aphid-like bugs on backs of some leaves and base of most of the plantlets. Hope I don't regret this choice!

"What did you do to my Ma?" ;)

Ma's Second Thoughts

I started updating my newest African Violet arrivals in the tab section at the top, rather than individually. While I was editing the pictures I took to tell part of the story, it became clear I may be a little too rough with my handling of new arrivals. 

I once proclaimed this to be @LaurieCare - a risk factor all plants coming into contact with me faced. 

 Perhaps I need to refine my er... technique...quite a bit!

Ma's Second Thoughts (before)

Ma's Second Thoughts (after)

Elise

Time will tell how well their recovery goes. But the enjoyment of the moment did my inner well-being a world of good.
My recovery is well under way! ;)

(Perhaps a  patch of light hanging over a few plants on the kitchen counter should be prescribed instead of so many anti-depressant pills?)

I picked up a new shop light & package of T8 tubes at Home Depot a week or two ago. 

THEY DON'T BUZZ!!

So, when HD sent me an email with a $10 off coupon I decided to replace the other one as well.  Mine were all from about 2003, I suspect.

Headed to the garden center checkout. She declined the coupon! The lights weren't technically found in the garden center. The fine print I neglected to read apparently would have pointed out the coupon came with strings. I asked for someone higher-up to plead my case to. (I tried the nice "Customer is always right" approach" of pleading, with some begging thrown in for good measure.)

Invoked "I'm a valued customer...it says so right on that coupon!"

Okay, she was pretty insistent it wouldn't do any good: I may have said "I should just walk away and go to Lowe's." oops!

Turns out whomever she finally spoke with once she picked up the phone to give it shot asked if the "Customer was being Nice About It?"  She said yes... ?

I got the discount.

AND LIGHTS THAT DON'T BUZZ!

Experiment #1

Forsyth Pot Propagation

In the AVSA African Violet Magazine from July/August 2010 Sue Haffner's QUESTION BOX answers a reader's question about "Forsyth Pots" (or "Forsyth Gardens"). She had never heard of it and had to do a little research, describing it as "an old fashioned method of rooting cuttings of all sorts of plants" using a clay pot (with the hole plugged) filled with water and placed in the center of a larger pot filled with vermiculite. 

The leaf or other plant cuttings are placed around the rim.

The outer pot could be plastic, but the center pot must be clay so that the water soaks through to the rooting leaves. I had to make plant stake markers to identify my leaves as nothing would stick to the damp clay pot. 

Rob's Combustible Pigeon, Storybook Princess and Kandy Kitchen.

This PDF file from the University of Minnesota Extension Service describes the process more fully.

They note: * Plants that are somewhat difficult to root also have a better chance in a forsythe pot. 

For African Violet leaves they suggest you:

"...poke the petiole into the vermiculite so there is contact between the underside of the leaf blade and the moist vermiculite.  New plantlets will form at the base of the leaf blade."

It is not necessary that you "poke" the leaf all the way down so the the bottom touches the vermiculite as pictured on page 18 of the file. IMHO.

*Nobody seems to know who Forsythe was . . . ?

Update* This method may have been invented by a Mr. Forsyth as described in The Book of the Garden from 1853. That would make it an idea that's been around a while!

UPDATE September 17, 2012

Fuzzy mold growing on the outer clay pot drove home why clay pot use is widely discontinued! 

Wiped it down with handi-wipe. ASAP! Will consider moving it farther away from plants if mold returns too soon. 

Leaves are surprisingly still firm, although one seems to be "birth marking". I thought it was going mushy, but the discolored sections on the leaf seem firm. 

• I wonder if straight vermiculite causes it?
• Constant moist conditions of the method?
  
  
  UPDATE October 15, 2012: ENDED EXPERIMENT.

Mold on outside of pot and rims not acceptable risk for contaminating surroundings. Green algae build up inside smaller pot a cesspool of primordial goo! I quit this one. 100% vermiculite will NOT be my choice for propagating leaves. Roots went straight down but no sign of babies in this time frame. Normal soil less mix seems to have a faster success rate.