posted
African Violets (Saintpaulia), are fairly easy to propagate by seeds, division or by leaf cuttings.
Leaf cuttings can be struck during any season of the year, but the winter months when the plant is less inclined to bloom seemed to work the best for me.
Prepare a cutting tray or pot by filling it with a mixture of peat moss and vermiculite. Allow about 4 square inches of surface area for each cutting you intend to take. Water the soil well to be sure that it is settled and moist. Using a nail or small stick, make evenly spaced, slightly angled cutting holes (the same depth as the length of your stems)
Select a good healthy leaf and remove it (with stem) from the plant by reaching in as close to the crown of the plant as possible, grasping the stem and gently twisting it until it pulls free.
With a sharp, sterile knife, cut the stem at an slight angle (try to match the angle of the leaf), 1 - 1 1/2 inchs from the leaf. Insert your cutting into your rooting media deep enough that about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of the base of the leaf is covered by the soil mix. Gently press the soil around the cutting.
Keep the rooting media moist, but not soggy. Place the tray in a warm (70-75 degrees F.), bright spot (no bright sun though!) The cuttings should begin to produce roots in about two weeks, you should have a new plantlet in about eight weeks!
Bottom heat and a grow light will speed up the process considerably...
* * * * Plants: 11227 | From: Cedar Hill Washington | Registered: Aug 2002
| Seeded: 209.179.168.55
posted
Hey Bill your right , I have never done a leaf rooting before , but one of my favorite customers that used to come in the greenhouse always made more plants this way ..
She had stunning violets
In fact I remember getting awesome violets from julius roehrs , they came in a 4 " syrofoam container.. They were stunning and I have never seen anything so exquisite come out of a growers house in the way of violets like these ..
He stopped growing them , I was told because of cost . At this time Canada grower took the market but the product was so inferior compared to the perfection of the others .. Did you ever see Their violets ?
We also had a grower who grew nothing but the sinningia minitures and other miniture plants as well . The very tiny ficus that looked like a sort of ivy .. I loved them ..
Plants: 19 | From: PA | Registered: Oct 2003
| Seeded: 65.73.166.100
posted
I have 2 minis in a terraruim.I ought to try rooting a few leaves.do you think could just do them in my terraruim.I have a fact sheet on growing them and been visiting over at a yahoo AV thing.they even play AV bingo
* * * * I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden..doing whatever the Hell I want!
posted
I'm new but wanted to add my 2 cents worth...I root my AV leaf cuttings in my terrariums as well as other plants that will handle the moisture and humidity. Clear 2 liter pop bottles make great terrariums for rooting AV leaves also. More often than not I usually have plantlets quicker using this method.
* * * * Practice random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of beauty.... Plants: 34 | From: Quebeck, TN | Registered: Nov 2003
| Seeded: 204.116.106.141
loz
guest
posted
Good tips bill....I have 3 beautiful AV's and I've never even thought of doing this before...I may try it out and if they root I'll give them to my mom ......
Seeded: 63.49.143.201
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African Violets (Saintpaulia), are fairly easy to propagate by seeds, division or by leaf cuttings. ![[flower]](graemlins/flower.gif)
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