1 - Use the little plastic cell packs that outdoor annuals are bought in.  I wash these thoroughly, fill with violet soil, poke a hole in the center of each with a pencil and drop in my new plantlet.  I start the cut leaves in a Styrofoam cup - after the plantlets are strong enough to split up, I use this method to plant them individually and let the new babies get some strong, sturdy roots!  With four or six being in one cell pack, it  makes it so easy to care for.

 

2 - I had a minor case of gnats with one plant I brought home.  Instead of using the sticky pokes you purchase and place in pots to catch them, I cut up one strip of a window-style fly strip (measured approx. 12 in. X 2 in.) and is very sticky on both sides.  I used popsicle sticks and laid the cut up strips on several sticks, removed the remaining paper and stuck them in my plant pots.  Before I knew it, the sticky paper was filling up with gnats and my problem cleared up!

 

3 - I purchased five piece set of children's paint brushes at the local dollar store.  These work great for dusting the soil and dirt off the leaves - they were packed with several sizes in one package, so each has a different use.  The real thin one is great for separating the leaves and getting stuck soil from the leaf stems that are packed so tight.

 

I found the perfect thing yesterday while shopping at Wal-Mart in the Travel goodie section. You know where you buy all the small tooth paste, deodorant, shampoo's etc ??   for that dream vacation ??   Check out the small clear plastic hair spray bottles next time your there, the ones which are about the size of two pill bottles stacked on top of one another , and about the same diameter........it's the perfect mister to use for misting your plants with neem oil or what ever !  It sprays a finer mist then the expensive commercial misters, and it only cost a dollar !!!   You can normally find them where they keep the plastic travel soap holders. 

When repotting take a piece of stiff paper and cut a straight line to the centre then cut a circle large enough for the 'neck'. Slip the paper around the stem beneath the leaves and tape the slit temporarily. You can now avoid getting soil on the leaves when filling the top portion of the pot. Untape and remove carefully when you're finished.

 

Curtis B. - Southern Ontario, Canada

Hello -

I was just reading your suggestions on bathing an african violet where you suggested blowing off any moisture that accidentally get into the center of the plant.  A can of compressed air (used for cleaning computer equipment) does the trick for me!  Blowing off the center of the plant sometimes gets soil into my eyes.

 

Justina Aragon

Wicks

Yogurt cups, cottage cheese containers, etc., make excellent reservoirs for wick watering. Simply make two holes of different sizes in the lid--one for inserting the wick and the other for adding water as needed. Because the fumes from burning holes with a soldering gun can be harmful, I use appropriately sized (diameter) brass tubes available in most craft, hobby, and hardware stores to "punch" holes. To make a punch, cut the tubing into six-inch pieces with a hacksaw and then bevel the outer edge of one end of the the tubing with a file and then twist the file handle in the end of the tube to remove the burr that is created by the filing. Place the container lid on a piece of wood that has a sparse grain pattern such as white pine. Heavy rubber padding, such as the foot pads used by people who work standing in place, can be substituted. Place the "sharpened" end of the tube where you want to locate a hole and strike the other end firmly with either a wooden or rubber mallet, or a heavy piece of wood. Hammers with a metal head tend to damage the struck end of the tube. I use two different sizes of tubing; 1/4 inch for the wick hole and 1/2 or 5/8 inch for the watering hole. You will need a short piece of solid rod for each tube to use to periodically clear the accumulated discs from your "punch". Don't let too many accumulate between cleanings as they are sometimes hard to remove.

 

Yes, I know that I just said that the fumes from melting plastic can be harmful; yet I use a soldering gun to cut my nylon wicks. This seals the ends as they are cut, keeping them from fraying. I use a nylon string that I get in the paint department of Wal-Mart. I use both the size 18 and 36. To make cutting simple, I use round items such as wooden dowels, glass bottles,etc., that have a circumference approximately the length of the wicks that I prefer as a "form". I use masking tape to tape one end of the string near the end of my "form", and proceed to wind the string around the "form" in snug wraps to the other end. I then cut the wound string from the spool by touching the hot soldering gun to it. I then proceed to run the tip of the gun the length of my "form" in a straight line in alignment with the taped down end of the string. Voila! I now have as many equal-length wicks as I had wraps around the "form".  A side benefit is that the wicks are lightly bonded together at each end, keeping them manageable  (you may need to separate them by cutting the connection with a sharp knife or scissors), . The ends are also bonded together to keep the wicks from fraying when you try to insert them into either a pot or into a reservoir. (NOTE: you do not apply enough heat to a glass jar or bottle to cause it to break.)

 

I use an inexpensive 1 1/2 inch synthetic bristled paint brush to clean potting material off leaves when I repot. This same brush is often sold in supermarkets as a basting brush. They are cheaper in the paint section of the discount stores. Just make sure that the brush you use on your plants is never used for basting as it is nearly impossible to remove any fats or oils from the brush once it has been contaminated. If this happens, it is simpler to buy a new brush for your plants. (I know! My wife used my first one for basting!!)

Happy Growing!

Frank G. Schlicht, PhD

I purchased a 1/2 sheet cake for the 4th of July....decided it was the perfect little greenhouse. I get about 50 solo cups in it. They come with a black bottom and clear top...locks into place. So you can move them easily to see inside. They are tall so if you use a larger cup for starting...no problem. I didn't think eating 5 cakes would be good for me...so I asked the locally bakery how much to buy only the container...$1.50 much cheaper than anything else out there...

Tami

An inexpensive soldering iron makes quick work of burning drainage holes in dozens of 2" solo cups. You don't need a heavy duty one. The $10 electric model (at Menards or Home Depot) works fine, and has a stand for resting the hot tip on. 

  ~~Patti in Illinois

I'm a Salvadorian graphic design student, and I'm "cultivating" a new passion for african violets. My class schedule doesn't leave me much time for taking care of the big garden outside anymore, so I have these violets that keep me company when I work. As we cut a lot of paper, cardboard, etc., I usually find old x-acto knives in my drawers, just wanted to share with you that the point ended ones,  #9 x-acto knives, are wonderful tools to cut old leaves that are kinda out of reach, without damaging the smallest leaves. I also use my big soft artist brushes (squirrel or camel fur) to brush the dust off the leaves.

   Kat

Hint: Don't buy charcoal at pet shops. Instead, by it at your local Well Supply shop (look in the phone book); it is much better quality and inexpensive - you can also buy it in bulk.

Rgds,

Warm water no good, but Lysol did turn the leaf Gold!  

Anyway I got a spray that is safe!

 

SAFER BRAND-GARDEN FUNGICIDE

Active Ingred.-Sulfur 0.40

Just spray till soaked

Good results

$ 4.95=32 0z

Thanks a bunch Freddie

I use a one gallon pump insecticide sprayer with just water in it for washing off violet leaves, and settling the soil in a newly potted plant.   The nozzle is adjustable and when I really pump it up, the stream of water is forceful enough to remove the stickiest bits of peat moss from the hairy leaves.  I can also adjust the nozzle to get a fine mist that's perfect for dampening the soil surface and rinsing the outside of the pot.

• "Sucker plucker" - double-ended tool with a sharp, triangular blade at one end and a curved, pointed blade at the other. For trimming petioles or cutting out suckers or crowns. An Exacto knife and a nut pick will work if you can't find this specialized tool.   (Note:  I found recently that this tool is actually for working with ceramics and can be found at your local ceramics shop for about $1, instead of buying it from an AV supplier for $4, 5, or more!)
• 1-inch nylon paintbrush with feathered tips - for cleaning leaves.
• Baby medicine spoon - Looks like a spoon with a plastic test tube attached. Measures liquids without spilling.
• Bread knife - for cross-cutting the root ball when repotting a "necky" plant (serrated blade works better than a straight blade).
• 6" blunt-ended needle with eye large enough to insert wicking material, to add wick to an already-potted plant.
• Fingernail scissors - for cutting lengths of wick, or for trimming blossom pedicels when disbudding. Ones with rounded tips are less likely to accidentally damage foliage.
• Plastic travel bottle with dropper opening - for dispensing Superthrive by the drop.
• Soil Scoop - wedge-shaped plastic scoop with an opening at the "handle" end to allow you to add potting medium around a plant without getting it all over the leaves.
• Soldering iron - for punching drainage holes in plastic Solo cups.
• Sports water bottle - Gives an even more tightly directed stream of water than a narrow-spouted watering pitcher. A turkey baster works as well, but holds only a few ounces of water at a time.
• Spray bottles - for insecticides, fungicides, foliar feeding.
• Zip-lock bags - for enclosing newly-potted leaves in their own miniature greenhouse.