Romaine asks Annie: Hi Annie, Where do you get the plastic water reservoirs? Thanks! Romaine, The white reservoir wicking saucers that I use were made by Volkmann Brothers, but I’ve had them for decades and, to my knowledge, …
Category: Ask Annie
Q&A – Texas Style Potting
Dianna asks Annie: Hi Annie, You showed us how to pot up ceramic pots ( some worked some didn’t). Now would you explain the Texas method of potting up? How often do you have to repot the violets you …
Q&A – Perlite
Janet asks Annie: Hi Annie, I noticed your perlite is big and chunky. What is your source? Even when I buy extra coarse my perlite seems much smaller than your. Smaller doesn’t seem as effective and creates a lot …
Q&A – When To Disbud A Young Plant?
Karin asks Annie: Hi Annie, You said you leave your young plants in the solo cup until they bloom, so you know whether they will bloom true, before they take up too much space. When they do start …
Q&A – Light: Too Little or Too Much?
Douglas asks Annie: I have a group of plants in an isolation area. The light is a 2ft 2-tube T12 fluorescent, about 14 inches above the tops of the plants. Most of the plants are growing flat, but a couple …
Q&A – Perlite in the Bottom of the Pot? Why?
Judy asked Annie: 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. …
Q&A – My Optimara Is Different Then Yours
Janice H. asked Annie: This morning on the podcast you showed your Optimara Ontario. I took a photo of my Optimara Ontario to share with you. Mine looks so different from yours with pointed leaves and growing so large. …
Q&A – Yellow Violets
Janice H. asked Annie: Should yellow-flowered violets be grown cool or warm to get true yellow? I have 2 violets with yellow blooms: Senk’s Alchemy Morning Star and Ajohn’s Winter Sun. Ajohn’s Winter Sun is now blooming, but the …
Q&A – Spilled Pollen vs. Thrips
Janice H. asked Annie: How does one tell the difference between spilled pollen and thrips? This morning in looking over my violets, I noticed a couple flowers with spilled pollen. A couple of my violets had thrips several years …
Q&A – Violets in Dish Gardens
Karin asked Annie: If you have several African violets in a dish garden or terrarium, do they all need to be in bloom? Or can you use some for texture and landscaping – using their shape and foliage, even …
Q&A – Follow-up to Lacey’s Determination Question
A few months ago, you might recall that Janice had a leaf of Lacey’s Determination that sprouted babies on the stem of the leaf rather than how we usually see African violet plantlets growing. Here is the photo from the original …
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Q&A – Could this be Nutrient Toxicity?
Elena from Peru asks Annie: Over the last three Summers my Teeny Boppers stop growing normally. The leaves become really tiny but they look healthy. I read that it can be nutrient toxicity and there is no solution. But when …
Q&A – What Type Of Lighting Are You Using For Your African Violets?
Ms. Wyman asks Annie: My question is about lighting, Which type of tube are you using and at what color temparture are yours? Hi Ms. Wyman, Thank you for your question – I use T12 tubes. They are all …
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Q&A – What Can I Do To Encourage More Buds On My Plants?
Alex asks Annie: I have 3 African Violet plants and they were all full of blooms for about 2 months. As the blooms died, I cut them off and so at present, there are very few blooms left. What …
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Q&A – Do AV’s Grow Better in Green Pots?
Judy asks Annie: At a recent meeting at our small AV club, one member told me that I should probably switch from using white AV pots to using green AV pots. She said she had heard that African Violets …
Q&A – The disclaimer and warning portions on the MiracleGro AV potting soil bag
Janice H. asks Annie: I was looking at the description for the MiracleGro AV potting soil. I was a bit concerned about the disclaimer and warning portions. Cancer causing ingredients?? Scary! Can you shed any further explanation on which …
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Q&A – Have You Ever Had A Pot Larger Than 4 Inches?
Chuck asks Annie: Good to be seeing your “All About African Violets” podcasts again. I was inspired from your first season to acquire Jersey Snow Flakes … and I, currently, have two plants which are growing/blooming fairly well. I …
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Q&A – Is the fantasy trait recessive?
Douglas asks Annie: I’m wondering if the fantasy (some types or all) gene is recessive and might show up in seedlings from a plant with no fantasy. I had a self cross of Kosmicheskaia Legenda-2, Blossom: Single-semidouble bright purple …
Q&A – Does my plant have the dreaded INSV?
Judy asks Annie: I’m hoping that you might help me identify something that one of my violets has picked up. I’m really nervous that it could be the dreaded INSV. And just so you know, I have also been …
Q&A – How long between bloom cycles?
Alex asks Annie: How long does it take for a new crop of flowers to appear when the last bunch has finished blooming? In other words, when should new buds begin appear at the crown? Hi Alex, The …