All About African Violets

  Welcome to my Sunroom It’s a beautiful morning in Chicagoland – so glad I get to share it with you!  And yes, that buzzing was the microwave – I apologize!  I had no idea the microphone would pick that up all the way from the far end of the kitchen!  ==:-O Tips and Treasures This episode is a little different than usual – there will be no look at what’s on the stands because I’m going to take you back to National for a walk-through of the showroom.  I hope you will enjoy it! The Look at What’s On The Stands . . . will be back next episode! Get the Bail Money Ready! No shows listed on the AVSA website until September, but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind words and caring thoughts as I heal from the tumble I took at National.  Thank you!!!  :-) Time to Keep Moving Forward Thank you for joining me!     You can find All About African Violets: * Here! * On Facebook! * On Instagram! * On Pinterest!

  Welcome to my Sunroom * Coming back from Convention * Thanks for all your good wishes for my arm injury! Tips and Treasures * So, what do you do when you’re coming home from a big show? * What steps do you take? * Growing to Show, by Pauline Bartholomew A Look at the Stands * There is a lot of work that has to happen after a show – and sometimes it takes more than an afternoon to accomplish it. Get the Bail Money Ready Nothing on the AVSA site until September! Share your growing spaces and some of your favorite plants! If you would like to have your growing space featured in a post on the website, there is a form you can fill out and upload some photos! And yes, I really did ramp up! * Alchemy Yellow Star (9369) 09/24/2004 (D. Senk) Single yellow bell/variable purple fantasy. Medium green, heart-shaped, quilted, serrated. Semiminiature (Western). Note that this might actually be Alchemy Morning Star – the sleeve said one thing, and the stake said another. Guess we’ll find out when it eventually blooms :-D * Allegro Cupid Pink (J. Stromborg) Single pink pansy/darker eye, notched tips. Medium green, plain. Semiminiature * Allegro Watermelon Ruffles (10439) 11/17/2011 (J. Stromborg) Single-semidouble ruffled light pink pansy/dark pink patches, green-edged top petals. Dark green, heart-shaped, glossy, ruffled, serrated/red back. Semiminiature * Always Pink (3864) 02/03/1980 (T. Khoe) Single pink. Plain. Miniature trailer (Western) * Annabelle (8636) 07/18/1997 (K. Stork) Double pink two-tone star. Black-green/red back. Large * Austin’s Smile (9917) 03/22/2008 (Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses/P. Sorano) Single coral-pink frilled star/darker fantasy, raspberry edge. Dark green, ovate, quilted, serrated/red back. Standard * Biscayne Trail (S. Williams) Single-Semidouble lavender blue Variegated Champion girl foliage. Semiminiature trailer (User Database) * Cajun’s Christy (10936) 01/22/2018 (B. Thibodeaux) Single-semidouble purple star/white eye and rays, thin white edge, variable green on top petals. Variegated medium green and cream, plain, ovate. Standard * Fresh Air (10553) 06/21/2012 (K. Stork/S. Holtzmann) Single-semidouble lavender star. Dark green, plain, glossy/red back. Large * Heartland’s Lime Sherbet (D. Martens) Semidouble pale pink pansy/green edge, mostly upper petals. Dark green, quilted, serrated/red back. Standard * Jolly Fun (H. Pittman) Semidouble rose/white edge. Dark green, plain. Miniature (TX Hyb, DAVS 1648) * Jolly Kid (10454) 11/21/2011 (H. Pittman) Single purple sticktite pansy. Dark green, plain. Miniature (DAVS 1724, TX Hyb) * Jolly Maiden (10011) 11/22/2008 (H. Pittman) Single-semidouble white star/pink markings. Medium green, plain, pointed. Semiminiature (TX Hyb) * Joy’s Pink Halo (8569) 11/26/1996 (D. Hoover) Single-semidouble pink sticktite pansy. Variegated dark green, white and pink, plain, quilted, pebbled. Semiminiature (Western) * Kaboom (K. Stork) Single-semidouble red-rose large frilled pansy. Dark green, wavy. Standard * K’s Sage Wand (10797) 09/08/2015 (K. Hajner) Single-semidouble medium blue two-tone ruffled pansy/variable green on upper petals. Variegated medium green, white and pink, heart-shaped, quilted, wavy, serrated. Standard (Western) * Little Chippery Trail (7665) 01/31/1992 (Armstrong/Domiano) Double dark fuchsia star. Medium green, pointed. Miniature trailer (DAVS 1342) * Mark (3007) 09/20/1976 (Union County Chapter AVS/Ma...

  Hi Everyone!  I’m so excited to share this first Bonus Episode of this season of All About African Violets!!!  Before heading back to Nevada, Joyce Stork sat down with me in the Sunroom. I wasn’t able to post a “Behind the Scenes” post on Sunday – I hope this short overview of National will help take its place  :-) Enjoy! p.s.  Oh – and I thought it would be a Shorty, but we ran our mouths far longer than we realized  :-D    

  All About African Violets takes a slightly different format today!  Join me in my sunroom with special guest, Joyce Stork, as we get ready to head to Buffalo and the AVSA National Convention!

  SHOW NOTES Welcome to Episode 3. – It’s All About Sports – and I Don’t Mean Baseball! Today we’re going to talk about African violets sporting.   Welcome to my Sunroom * I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the “Shorty” of the Illinois show last week. I’m going to see about doing more of that! * Great discussion here and also in the FB Groups about potting mix! I hope you guys caught some of that! * African Violet Nerds * African Violet Buddies * Some amazing Growing Spaces have been shared – I hope you are enjoying seeing them. Don’t be shy!! Share yours!! * Same thing goes for your plants. We’ve seen some lovely plants on the website!! Tips and Treasures * Questions about Sports covered in this episode: * From Douglas: I put down a leaf of Alexandra, and the babies are coming up with both red stems and white stems. This has happened before with another plant and it affected the look of the blooms as well. Are both of these plants “true” and can they be shown under the plants name? Or is the plant with the red stems a sport? * From MrsJohnMT: Do you have any opinions on why there are so many sports during propagation? In my experiences, I have many more varieties not blooming true, some babies having light foliage among the babies with dark foliage as per the hybridizer’s description. When I began with AVs in the mid-80’s, I had very few off-type babies produced by leaf propagation. Sometime in the late 90’s, I began to notice a few among my babies. I realize some of the newer cultivars, with newer fantasy markings, color combinations, blossom traits, etc. MAY be less stable? But several of the cultivars I’ve had since the very beginning, and which produced 100% normal offspring in the first ten years, began to produce an occasional off-type baby. My soil recipe, fertilizer, water, lighting, etc. has continued with very, very little change. Any opinions?S. I have learned to look at the AVSA list of Known Sports. There are varieties that have already been registered as a sport of another cultivar. For example, Candy Swirls sported to a solid pink over darker foliage… all other traits were identical. The AVSA lists Colette as a sport of Candy Swirls which sounds the same as my sport. The AVSA list lists two other sports of Candy Swirls, so that tells me that particular variety does produce sports for other people. * Resources * AVSA List of Known Sports * AVSA Growing Tip * And the Michael Keaton movie was Multiplicity. A Look at the Stands * We’re about 3 weeks out from National and things are coming in to bloom! I’m in the process of putting everything on reservoirs.   Get the Bail Money Ready The spring show season is beginning to wind down. More details on the following shows can be found on the AVSA website – AVSA Events 05/11/2018 to 05/12/2018 * Billings Bloomers African Violet Club, Billings, MT 05/12/2018 * Edmonton African Violet & Gesneriad Society, Edmonton, Alberta

  SHOW NOTES Welcome to Episode 3.2 – It’s All About the Mix!  Today we’re going to talk about potting mix, Powdery Mildew, and some great reference books. Welcome to my Sunroom Such great questions and photos you guys have been sending in.  Please keep them coming!! I will be “reimagining” a lot of the teaching segments that appeared in previous seasons.  What were your favorites?  Is there something you’d specifically like to see/learn? Tips and Treasures Potting Mix: From Janice:  How do we get the manufacturers to stop adding fertilizer to potting soil and peat moss?  The full question can be found on this post. We don’t have control over how commercial companies package their mixes.  The majority of African violet growers do not grow for show, and most people do seem to prefer soil and/or perlite with fertilizer already in it for their houseplants. For my show plants, I use SunGro’s Sunshine Mix #1, which does contain some nutrients, but they are more incidental than anything else. Joyce Stork suggests a visit to a hydroponics store where the staff is quite prepared to sell to educated discerning growers. Joyce is using Sunshine Advanced Mix #4. There are other mixes that are available in some big box stores – just read the labels carefully, and whatever you do, don’t repot your entire collection all at one time! Books: You CAN Grow African Violets Growing to Show The AVSA Handbook for Growers, Exhibitors and Judges Powdery Mildew The product I used is called Immunox A Look at the Stands We’re about 6 weeks out from National. How to correctly pronounce “Wagga Wagga!” Get the Bail Money Ready It’s spring – there are a LOT of shows in the next few weeks!  More details on the following shows can be found on the AVSA website. 04/20/2018 to 04/21/2018 Bergen County African Violet Society, Dumont, NJ 07628 Memphis African Violet Society, Memphis, TN 04/21/2018 Naugatonic AVS, Stratford, CT Seattle African Violet Society and Puget Sound Gesneriad Society, Seattle, WA Illinois African Violet Society, Bloomingdale, IL 04/21/2018 to 04/22/2018 Albuquerque African Violet Club, Albuquerque, NM Capital District African Violet Society, Voorheesville, NY 04/27/2018 to 04/29/2018 The Evening African Violet Club of Des Moines Iowa, Des Moines, IA 04/28/2018 Lakeshore African Violet Society of Toronto, Etobicoe, Ontario, Canada Central Coast African Violet Society, Paso Robles, CA Portland African Violet Club, Portland, OR 04/28/2018 to 04/29/2018 Tidewater African Violet Society, Norfolk, VA African Violet and Gesneriad Society of Syracuse, Baldwinsville NY Bay State African violet Society, Boylston, MA 05/04/2018 to 05/06/2018 African Violet Society of Springfield, PA, Springfield, PA 05/05/2018 to 05/06/2018 Columbus African Violet Society, Columbus, OH Sho-Me African Violet Club, Kansas City, MO 05/05/2018 Garden State African Violet Club, West Windsor, NJ 05/05/2018 to 05/06/2018

All About African Violets begins Season 3 with questions answered, information shared, and an in-depth look at What’s on the Stands.

Host, Annie Rieck, announces return of popular podcast, All About African Violets on Sunday, April 1, 2018.