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A Guide To Chimera African Violet Propagation Using Keikigrow Plus By Janet Stromborg The instructions and photos on this page show one method of propagating chimera African violets which are violets that have two different colors in the flowers that are usually, but not always, in a pinwheel pattern. Generally speaking they must be propagated by suckers. This is because a chimera African violet has two different types of cells in the leaf and stem. One genetic type is located in the skin cells and the other type is located in the middle cells. When a leaf from a chimera African violet is put down to root, either one cell type or the other will generally produce plantlets. As a result, the vast majority of plantlets will bloom with only one color rather than the bicolor pattern. By using Keikigrow Plus, we can induce sucker formation just above the flower "bracts" which are the tiny leaves that can be found on the flower stems of blooming African violets. Keikigrow Plus is a plant growth hormone (more precisely the cytokinin benzyladenine) which promotes cell division. It is produced by Plant Hormones Canada and sold in a lanolin based paste with added vitamins. It was originally introduced in the orchid industry to propagate orchids and took its name from the word "keiki" which is the Hawaiian word for "baby". Keikigrow Plus should be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator
when not in use. Just before use it should be removed from the
refrigerator and allowed to warm and soften for a few minutes before
applying it to the bloom stalk. A sharp, pointed object such as a
needle, bent paper clip or toothpick makes an ideal applicator. |
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Keikigrow Plus and possible applicators (bent paperclip, toothpick, needle)
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| Plants to be treated should have a blossom
stem that has flowers with well defined stripes and good shape as well
as the largest possible bracts beneath the flowers.
The arrows point to the bracts on this flower stem of
Northern Reflections |
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This is too much Keikigrow Plus!
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| The flower stalk should be very gently
scratched with the Keikigrow covered applicator on both sides of the
stem just at the point where the bracts join the stem. Great care must
be taken to avoid damaging the stem which will be supporting the
plantlets that will develop later.
Gently scratch in the Keikigrow Plus at the point
where the bracts join the flower stem. |
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| The treated flower stem should be labeled so
that it is not accidently removed while grooming other faded flowers. A
highly visible, waterproof tag can be made from brightly colored paper
by sticking it to one end of a long strip of clear plastic tape and then
doubling the other end of the tape over to seal the paper between the
two layers of tape. A hole punched in one end with a paper punch and
then cut at one side, makes a tag that is easy to attach just below the
treated bracts. |
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| The treated plants should be fed and watered
on a regular basis just as they were before being treated. Within about
two weeks, the first signs of cell division will be visible where the
Keikigrow Plus was applied. A magnifying glass makes watching the growth
process much easier. At first the new growth may appear as just a small
yellowish blob about the size of a pin head, but as the weeks pass, it
will begin to look more and more like tiny leaves. Sometimes, instead of
plantlets, a secondary blossom stalk will grow from the point where the
bracts were treated. These will grow very quickly and may eventually
have buds that open or buds that abort and dry up without ever opening. |
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| The new plantlets may appear in clusters of
several white to yellowish babies growing from the same point and the
first leaf of each individual plant may be cone shaped at first, but
will later turn green and unfurl to look more like a normal violet leaf. |
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| Treated bracts may continue to produce new
growth even after plantlets have begun to grow quite large on one side |
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| If a plant has had more than one blossom
stalk treated with Keikigrow Plus, there can be several types of new
growth being supported by the plant at one time. The photo below shows a
plant with a well developed cluster of plantlets on one flower stem as
well as secondary bloom stems on two others. Often the secondary bloom
stems will be thicker than the original ones and may carry both aborted
and developing buds. |
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| Arrows clockwise from bottom left show
1)cluster of plantlets at age 2 months 2)secondary bloom stalk growing
from one side of treated bract 3)aborted flower bud on secondary bloom
stalk 4)normal flower bud on secondary bloom stalk 5)thickened stem of
secondary bloom stalk |
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| If the flowers are left on the treated bloom
stalks, the ovaries may begin to swell resembling a developing seed pod.
However these "pods" contain no seeds. Also some of the
developing plantlets may have flower buds on them. |
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As the clusters of plantlets grow, some individual
plants may show signs of being stronger and will grow faster than
others. Also, some bloom stalks on the same plant will grow plantlets
faster than others, even though they were all treated at the same time. |
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Arrow shows cluster of
smaller plantlets on right compared to larger plantlets on the left.
Both bloom stalks were treated on the same day, both are 3 months
old
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As the babies grow larger and stronger, they can eventually be separated and rooted like a sucker that has been removed from the trunk of any African violet. |
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| For more information on Keikigrow Plus and
the company Plant Hormones Canada please go to this website: http://www.orchidmall.com/hormones/index.htm
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| Return to Rachel's Reflections | |
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