Janice H. asks Annie:
Q I put down a leaf of Lacey’s Determination on 21 July 2017. It has finally sprouted babies this March. But the babies are not in the usual place. They have emerged on the leaf and the leaf stem. I have never had this happen to me before.
Question #1: Should I keep them like this or place the leaf flat on the soil?
Question #2: How do I remove the plantlets when they are large enough to be removed from the mother leaf?
Plantlets growing from the leaf and stem
A Janice, thanks for your question about the babies on your leaf of Lacey’s Determination. This was a new one on me, so I checked in with both Joyce Stork and Dr. Jeff Smith.
Here’s what Joyce said: “This probably happened because of a small crack or injury to the leaf at that location. Once the plantlets are big enough that she is comfortable handling them, they may be “popped” off, much like a sucker. They will root quickly in moist potting mix under cover of a dome or in a clear plastic bag. I’d do it sooner (in a month or so) rather than waiting months for them to grow. Little plants are durable and these will be easy to handle without bruising them.”
Dr. Jeff agrees. He said: “I’ve seen babies start on all kinds of strange places on a leaf. If you can get them to a decent size they can be removed and rooted like a sucker. They rarely form roots when they grow in these positions, but they can be rooted like you’d do with a sucker. Sometimes they can’t get enough water to survive so getting them large enough to move off can be a challenge. They don’t actually have to be very large to move successfully. I wouldn’t wait until they reach thumb sized. I’d try a little earlier.”
I hope this helps!
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Thanks to all for the quick response to my question! I was a bit worried about what to do, but now it appears that it shouldn’t be a scary situation. I’ve had good luck with rooting suckers in the past. It will be an interesting journey in growing violets. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on their progress.
You’re welcome, Janice! And yes, would love for you to share their progress!
Today I removed the suckers from the mother leaf. I was able to get 3 babies. There were a couple very tiny babies that I tossed. I put each one in their own 2 oz. condiment cup. And then into a ziploc bag. The mother leaf had mildew on it and was rather crisp. Joyce Stork was so right about the babies appearing above a crack in the stem. I hadn’t noticed it when I put the leaf down, so I’m not sure when it cracked.