Leaf cuttings.
Remove a leaf or two from the bottom of a plant. Dip the cut end into rooting compound (this encourages the rooting process). These leaves then may be placed in small pots or into any container that you can control humidity.
Clear plastic containers used to ripen fruit are a perfect starter container. Place the bottom half into a drip pan, add potting soil and water. Place your leaves into the soil.
The top cover has a ventilation hole, which allows for evaporation and loss of some of the moisture. Watch this for a few days as you do not want things to mold and rot. You will hit a happy medium where this container will need only occasional watering.
You will find your leaves will produce roots and baby plants within a few months.
Using a small knife or scalpel remove the plantlets when they have a couple rows of leaves and enough stem to grow roots. Use the rooting compound again and place the stem into the potting soil right up to the bottom row of leaves.
Your can keep these small plants in the same starter container or pot them and place them into an aquarium set up for plants. Gravel in the bottom and a cover for humidity control.
Another form of propagation is a byproduct of crowning an older leggy plant.
To do this you remove the top portion of the plant leaving the stem and at least one row of leaves on the original plant. Take the top portion and dip it into a rooting hormone and place it into a new pot with fresh soil - removing enough leaves from the stem to have at least an inch of stem in the soil.
Water this thoroughly and then place it your nursery aquarium. This type of refurbishing an older plant ensures that an old keepsake violet always continues.
The absolutely grand thing about this method is the old rootstock with its row of leaves will be stimulated to grow. Having no crown this plant will grow several new crowns. Each of these will become a new plant when you decide to remove the plantlets and pot them.
Occasionally you will find a plant that will produce a small second crown on it’s own. This can be removed and then rooted. The original plant will be a better-looking specimen without the additional growth.
Site Map Home Boating Camping Cooking Dogs Fishing Gardening Old Time Radio Photography Vacation Ideas General Links Build your own website
Copyright © 2006 | Outdoor Activity Guide | All rights reserved
African violets such as this one are prolific bloomers with just a little attention.
