I just joined this Daves' Garden this morning as a paid member. I don't grow any gessies except African Violets, and really only a couple of them so far (a noid I've had for a long time and one leaf my friend gave me that has plantlets now). I think all gessies are so pretty, but I don't have much space and a dark house without room for racks. It's only been the last couple weeks I realized how many varieties of African Violets there are; it's a bit overwhelming, really. I've been looking at plants and supplies at online stores and reading a bit here and there. I figured I'd join here and get to learn a bit more and hopefully eventually get some more leaves to grow into plants. I've been reading that people trade, but don't know how that works; I don't have anything to trade, though, so I guess that's out until I get more plants.
Well, hope it was OK to post this. Looking forward to meeting everyone.
New to site and mostly new to African Violets, too
Welcome!
This is a great forum to learn about the gessies.At the top of the forum there's 3 stickies with some great info to learn about these plants and vendors to..
If you have any questions,just ask away.Theres always someone around that's more than willing to help you with the answers.
When your ready to try growing some leaves,send me a d-mail and I'll send you a few AV leaves to grow.
Have fun on Daves,theres lots of great forums.Jan
Welcome Annacanna! You will love this garden! There are so many kind and helpful people here! It can be a bit overwhelming at first with so many different forums but take your time and find the ones that interest you ... pop in and introduce yourself, I guarantee you will meet lots of nice folks!
I'm not growing African Violets at the moment but have in the past. It seems like I spend more time outdoors than in and just don't seem to have the time to properly care for them anymore. There are some great growers on this forum, very knowledgeable about these plants so if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. Until joining DG I had no idea there were so many different African Violets either ... standard size, miniatures, semi miniatures, trailing type ... all beautiful and addictive! I had so many questions in the beginning and everyone was so helpful.
Have fun!
Lin
Good morining, everyone! Welcome, annacanna! You haven't seen anything yet. There are so many different gessies it will boggle your mind. This is the forum you will want to be on so you have hit the right one. As Jan and Lin have said, there are some very knowledgeable members on here and are happy to jump right in and help. Before long you will have a house full so now is the time to start figuring out where you will put your new plants. (They are also enablers). They post all kinds of sites to go order from.
Connie
Welcome! Don't get overwhelmed. It is just fun to learn. You don't have to have a lot of them. There are small lights for a few plants that you can buy. Then you can grow just a few and get good results. We all love to show photos and learn from each other. Glad you are here.
Welcome Annacanna, ^_^
You will love it here.If you find more room for plants I'm sure you will have no problem getting some starts.I can always find something extra for you.
Lynn
I can also find some 'starts' for you..........welcome aboard!
gail
oh you will love it here,.everyone is always so helpful & so much to learn. Also the pictures sure do help.when you are ready for new gessies, i am sure if you post there will be someone willing to share. so glad you came/
mrsbonnie
Welcome!
Just a word of warning, though . . . Hide your debit card! Especially if you are scouring the internet sites!
Laughing at and with you, Nichole!! That ebay and vendor's sites get me in trouble all the time!
gail
I'm already looking forward to my next annual Rob's order! 11 months and 2 weeks to go!
Hey . . . wasn't it September we did that order from LLG? Hmm . . . .
See...enablers LOL
What a sweet welcome from all of you. And, how nice to offer leaves to me. Maybe I mispoke a bit when I wrote overwhelmed - not so much me at the moment, but that I'm not sure where to start. Thousands of varieties of AVs alone, let alone all those other pretty gessies. Whoever said they would boggle your mind is surely corrct.
With the Avs alone there are all the different sizes and types and foliage. This morning I went through a bunch of links on the site that I'd not seen before. Girl leaves are just so darling. I'd be afraid to start writing a list of what I like because it might not end! And you are saying you're enablers. maybe I better hide that debit card!
Is it worth joining AVSA if for now I mostly am interested in the violets? I do love magazines but they pile up on my bookshelf so I must be too busy to read them or maybe I'm just lazy. Just wondering what I'd get out of it. I also see they have software, First class, I think it was called. That is a bit tempting to learn more but maybe only people who show or stuff like that get it.
Oh, I found some of the links didn't work anymore. I dmed the person (is that how you say it?) but then thought the posts are so old that maybe that person isn't here anymore to change those post - remove the bad links, add new ones.
I also found that some of the links no longer work. Rachel's Reflections link no longer works, but I did find it. It's
www.rachelsreflections.org/ It's a wonderful site. loaded with all kinds of information, especially for us newbies.
Yes Annacanna, run and hide that card!! The people here just won't let you stop with just a couple!! LOL!! But I promise you, you will love it here!!
This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 4:02 AM
joining avsa is always worth it. there magazines are so helpful, not to mention the pictures, it sure is worth every penny.first class 2, there software is also very helpful if you are wanting to get any info on a particular violet. they list over thousands of violet, most with pictures also.i really love mine. but i have quite a few violets so it is helpful to me.
i can go on forever lol
bonnie
I did not have any violets two years ago when I met an extremely dangerous person ready to pass an incurable disease. Her userid is Critter. She gave me about five leaves in a shady deal we cooked up. Lordy Lordy now I have about twenty five or so after I gave half of them away this spring. From that I hear the disease is transmitable to just about anyone with no know cure. I'm just hoping for a bit of remission. Fish oil and kelp seem to support the root of this illness rather than cure or control the situation. My problem seems to be sexual. Every time I see a little girl with different skin tone, bi-color with white lace I split with the bucks and enable the illness to run on out of control.
Can't you just imagine a big rosey nosed hangover with nose in coffee reading this post. ROFLMAO
ohhhhh mmyyyyy toooooo funnyyyyyyy..........
bonnie
Oh, yes . . . beware of Critters articles! She wrote one early last year, and so of course that introduced me to Rob's Violet Barn . . . the rest is history!
LOL!!! That is so funny, doc!!!! LOL!!!!! No cure in site for any of us!!!!
Love it!!
Welcome.
But you should really run away now. It will soon be too late.
Probably already too late if you've been looking at the link's.
These av's and other gessies, they just love collecting people!
tish - near Atlanta, Georgia
I agree with Tish , if you aren't already hooked you had best run because this addiction is forever and it is soooooo nice :) WELCOME Annacanna :)
Connie
I think it was too late before I came sadly. The beginning was the leaf my friend gave me. I remember granny starting leaves in water so wasn't sure I could do it in the soil but it worked and now it has babies. The middle was when I found sites on line like the AVSA list of varieties. THat's when I learned how many there are just so many!
The act of joining a forum like this was the point of no return I am afraid or probably the babies, really. they are just so darling I want to see more like it now. But with girl foliage and large and small and red and purple and pink and fantasy and cupped (is that right term?) and heart and you name it.
This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 3:59 PM
Would you like some leaves? I took some leaves off my Windy Day, if you'd like more leaves to add to your collection!
Windy Day (7719) 06/15/1992 (Stork/Boone) Semidouble medium blue star/white-green ruffled edge. Dark green, pointed, ruffled/red back. Large
(I can't find my pic of Windy Day!!!)
Ok, I couldn't find it on my external hard drive, but here is a link to the bloom I posted before . . . http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=6828690
Not girl foliage, but still so cute!
This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 5:42 PM
Yea, you're right its too late. . . the flowers have you now!
And it's not sad until you have too many to water, ha.
I think cupped is called bell in av flower language.
I grew violets for many many years before i found a mini at the grocery store. That was the WOW for me. At that time, online was new!..my son was going away to college and set up our computer so we could send emails. I showed him my violet and he showed me there were violet places on the internet! Thats when I found a violet club about 5 miles from my house that had been meeting for years! I joined. I also discovered all the kinds of violets, just like you and I never knew there was anything different from the grocery store or walmart.! I'd always had a few violets but then I got more and more. I was digging leaves out of the trash can after the meetings were over!, ha. It was a couple years before I could actually throw leaves away myself. I rooted everything and had lots and lots to give away.
If you can find a club near you (on the AVSA website), thats the best way to get started. The members are great with help, questions and suggestions.
tish
Hmmmm...Well, there is a 12 step group.......NAAAAAH!
Our african violet club first meeting for the fall is September 14th and can't wait to see all my av buddies from the club.
Step 1: Buy a violet at the store
Step 2: Buy a bag of soilless mix
Step 3: Buy a small pot
Step 4: Repot new plant
Step 5: Stick leaves removed from new plant into soilless mix
Step 6: Put stuck leaves into a domed/contained space
Step 7: Water plant and leaves
Step 8: Join the AVSA in order to receive magazine
Step 9: Surf the 'net and purchase more plants and leaves at multiple websites
Step 10: Once order is received, repeat steps 3-7
Step 11: Read all articles in the AVSA magazine
Step 12: Start over at step 1!
LOL! That is good, Nichole!!!
I think I will join AVSA and maybe look for something in my area. I am in Chicago so there must be a club. Oh, that foliage is really cute on the Windy Day, I would love a leaf. I saw another one by Stork or Boone or maybe both that I liked but I don't remember. I initially thought I'd only see a couple that I liked so I jotted them on a notebook but now I have notes all over. I'm sunk. When I create a database I'll know that I'm officially obsessed. I admit to already downloading a few photos so I could remember ones that I like. Do ya'll still have friends or is your whole life gessies? I do spend a bit of time looking and reading about tomato varieties to plant in the spring or looking at flower catalogs like White Flower Farm but this is my first true plant obession.
"I'm sunk." Yep! No Vaccine for the bug you caught! LOL
Step 13 - post your Want list in the sticky thread! It can be updated any time!!!!
Friends . . . friends . . . you mean, like, real people?!?
I have many friends . . . just haven't met most of them!!!
This message was edited Aug 29, 2009 7:39 PM
And the good thing is...we can be in our p.j.s and no one knows...Hee, hee, hee
When I know that I am going to work on my plants, I stay in my pjs all day long!!!! Then I don't care if i get clorox, dirt, etc. on them. Of course my pjs consist of 5-7 year old elastic waist cotton Walmart long pants and only Hayne's white Tshirts so that they can all be washed in the machine with clorox...only cotton pjs allowed in my house!!
Nichole, you make me sick being so organized about making that good list!!!
Hmmmmm...I've never made a list.
Oh! and always isolate anything new for a few weeks!
tish
I am horrible about isolating new plant material.............
isolate? How do you do that? I don't really have more than one room to put them in or they would not get light. I am glad I joined as I am learning so much here.
Anna, I wish I would learn to isolate plants, but I can't really either. I have plants in every possible place in my house already. They say just to protect your own plants from others' bugs or whatever, to isolate the new ones for several weeks.................most of us are very careful to never send someone else a bug of any kind............we try anyway..........
I really don't have a place to isolate, either . . . but I do - in the case of receiving plants - repot the plants as soon as I can, then place them under a dome.