All About African Violets – Episode 3.013 – Potting Styles – Really?

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Welcome to my Sunroom

• Come on in – bring your tea!
• The days are getting shorter here in the Northern hemisphere

Tips and Treasures

• First, I have a couple of questions for you!
  • Is anyone having difficulty accessing the podcast on their phone directly from the website?
  • Android phone users: Would you advise how you are watching the podcast?
• The Chatter
• After the episode where I demonstrated how I pot, I got a few questions about this topic, so I thought today would be a good time to discuss.
  • You probably saw Judy’s question about using perlite. It appeared on the website on September 5^th:
    • I heard you say on one of your episodes that you use perlite in the bottom of your pots. I believe that there are different schools of thought on using perlite in the bottom of pots. What is the advantage to using perlite in the bottom of the pot?
      • First – just to clarify: I use coarse perlite in the bottom of the plastic pots you see on my stands. When I am using a self-watering pot (like the one the Big-Box Violet is in) I do not use any perlite in bottom.For the plants you see on my shelves, I use what is called the Modified Texas-Style of potting, and that layer of coarse perlite is part of that potting style. The coarse perlite in the bottom of the pot gives the roots of the plant airspace, which they need in order to grow well. In addition, that layer provides some “insurance” against over-watering. I will explain this style of potting and why I use it, in the next episode of the podcast.
    • I also got a message from Cathy, saying: “I have tried over and over with wick watering and it has failed to the point that I have almost lost two plants over it. I did everything I was supposed to do and someone told me who grows a lot of AVs, that it could be my environment and some plants don’t do well on the wick watering. Could that be the case?
  • So let’s talk about potting styles!!
  • SURPRISE!!!! These questions aren’t really about potting styles at all – they are about WATERING
  • Watering Methods:
    • Top
    • Bottom
      • Texas-Style
      • Modified Texas Style
    • Wick
      • Modified Texas Style
    • Mat
      • Self-Watering Pots
      • Modified Texas Style
  • Growing to Show, by Pauline Bartholomew
  • You CAN Grow African Violets, by Joyce and Kent Stork

A Look at the Stands

• A look at what’s on the Stands.
• Some results from my test with the LED lighting.

Get the Bail Money Ready

• 09/21/2018 to 09/22/2018, Dallas Metro African Violet Societies, Fall Sale, North Haven Gardens, Dallas, TX
• 09/28/2018 to 09/29/2018, Cedar Valley African Valley Club, Display and Sale, Crossroads Mall, Waterloo, IA 50702
• 09/29/2018, Delaware African Violet and Gesneriad Society, Show & Sale, with Workshops (fee required), Delaware Center for Horticulture, Wilmington, DE
• 09/29/2018, Rocky Mountain African Violet Council, Multiple Clubs Sale, Tagawa Gardens, Centennial, CO

Show Us Your Growing spaces!!! https://allaboutafricanviolets.com/2018/03/29/show-us-your-growing-space/

Show Us Your Plants!!!: https://allaboutafricanviolets.com/2018/03/29/show-us-your-plants/

Keep Moving Forward

Thank you for joining me today, and thank you for the star ratings and reviews on iTunes and Facebook

If you have a question, you can ask me at, Ask Annie! https://allaboutafricanviolets.com/2018/03/31/got-a-question-ask-annie/

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