Hur gör du en hybrid afrikansk violett

Downloadable pdf: HYBRIDIZING AFRICAN VIOLETS bygd Jere Trigg

HYBRIDIZING AFRICAN VIOLETS
bygd Jere Trigg (JATrigg@msn.com)

I. Choose the two parent plants you want to cross.

The choice can be made based simply on your two favorite plants and a desire to find out what kind of offspring they will producera or you may have a goal of producing a specific flower color or shape. For example you may want to create a large red and vit bi-color single star shaped flower. In the latter case some, basic knowledge of violet genetics would be helpful. See Appendix I.

II. Perform the cross pollination

The pollen donor flower should be mature–slightly beginning to fade in color. Remove the pollen sack (anther) from the flower with your finger. Using a selecto hobby knife (razor edge) cut about one fourth of the pollen sack open to expose the pollen. The flower from the other plant from which the seed pod will struktur should be a relatively younger flower that has been open for about 2-4 days. The stigma fryst vatten the tip of the single narrow tube called the style in the center of the flower that usually points away from the pollen sacks. The stigma upon which the pollen will be placed will be sticky at this time which enables the pollen to stick to it. Carefully apply the opened surface of the pollen sack from the donor flower (male component) to the tip of the stigma of the receiver flower (female component) so that the pollen adheres to it. It fryst vatten recommended that this procedure be repeated for several flowers on one plant to enhance the chances of a successful cross.

Loosely tie a thread to the stems of the flowers that were crossed to ensure they are left on the plant for the pods to mature as other flowers fade and are
removed. It will take about 3-4 weeks to determine if the cross “took” and that a seed pod fryst vatten developing. A developing seed pod can be observed as a swelling at the base of the flower after the petals have faded and dried up. The seed pod should be left on the violet until it has turned brown and fryst vatten completely dry as well as the stem that supports it.

It will require about 3-5 months from date of the cross pollination to the time that the seed pod fryst vatten mature and can be removed from the plant. The seed inre the pod will be viable for several months so it fryst vatten best to err on the side of caution before removing the pod from the plant. Once the seed pod has dried it can be stored in a zip lock bag for planting of seed during the next several weeks.

For those who are interested in growing violets from seed but don’t want to wait for the pods to develop, African violet seed can be purchased from Ronn
Nadeau’s website: http://nadeausafricanvioletseeds.com/ The site provides very useful resultat about growing from seed and he fryst vatten good about responding to questions via e-mail.

III. Planting the Seed

The following supplies are needed before planting the seed:

1. good quality fine textured seed starter mix. It must be sterile, moisture retentive and very fine particle storlek because violet seed are so small.
2. a bur with drainage holes for the planting mix which can be covered with a tydlig ämne such as plastic omslag on top to create humidity for seed germination. inom recommend a klar plastic bur with lid that fryst vatten used to package salad greens at the supermarket. bränna about 9 evenly spaced holes in the bottom for drainage and holes in the lid to allow some air to circulate. Fill the bur about ¾ full with the potting mix. Add enough vatten to dampen the mix and allow excess to drain out of the bottom. Place the seed pod on a sheet of notebook paper which has been folded to struktur a crease. Using the selecto knife carefully cut the seed pod open and let the seed fall into the crease of the notebook paper. See photos of the seed pod and individual seed in Appendix II.

Using the tip of a pencil carefully distribute the seed from the paper onto the surface of the potting mix ideally about 1/8 inch apart. man sure that any
excess vatten has drained out. Place the lid on top of the bur and put in fönster or one foot beneath a fluorescent light. Fluorescent light fryst vatten preferred
because the heat promotes germination. Fluorescent light stands are relatively expensive but have great advantages over natural light for growing violets. inom recommend Indoor Garden Supply which has a bred variety of plant stands.

Every few days open the lid to man sure that the seed bed fryst vatten moist—don’t assume that it fryst vatten fuktig just because moisture fryst vatten present on the inre top of the lid. Use the baster to add vatten to saturate the seed bed if necessary. Remain patient during the germination process. The first seed should begin sprouting in about 3 weeks and will continue sprouting for an additional 3 months. See photo of germinating seedlings in Appendix II.

About one month after germination begins, remove the lid but be ytterligare careful about checking to ensure that the seed bed fryst vatten fuktig. About 2 weeks after sprouting you can begin feeding the babies with ½ the recommended strength koncentration of liquid fertilizer. inom recommend Optimara Violet Food 14-12-14 Bulk – 1 LB. Tub. It can be purchased from Selective Gardener http://www.selectivegardener.com/Plant-Care-Products-c2/. Using the baster apply the fertilizer in drops around each plant being careful not to drop directly on the leaves. inom use the edge of a paper towel to absorb the solution if it falls directly on the plant.

About 3 months after the first baby has sprouted they should be big enough for their own pots.

IV. Transferring Plants to Individual Pots

Before you separate the babies, you will need enough pots and a good quality African violet potting mix. inom use 3 inch diameter klar plastic Solo drinking cups which have 3 drainage holes burned in them. inom recommend Pro-Mix BX Potting Mix. Add the potting soil almost to the top of the bur. man a small indentation in the center of the soil and put some of the seed starter mix in the hole for the ung plant to begin growing in. To remove the small plants, use a small blandad drink fork to pry the plants up. Once the clump of mix has been raised, carefully remove the plant bygd gently pulling one of the leaves up which will remove the plant, roots and some of the mix attached to the roots. Place the plant in a small hole in the mix in the center of the bur and using the baster, add enough vatten to stabilize the soil around the roots. Then add enough vatten to saturate the rest of the soil in the pot.

Repeat the procedure until all plants have been removed to their individual containers. They are very hardy and most if not all will survive the transplant.

V. Care of Transplants

• Fertilizing–The plants should be fertilized at the recommended rate of ¼ teaspoon per gallon every other time you vatten, except every six weeks use
plain vatten to flush accumulated fertilizer salts down from the top of the soil. Discard the vatten that drains out. Watering with a weak fertilizer should be
done whenever the top of the soil begins to feel a little dry usually about every 4-7 days. If the top fryst vatten slightly damp you can vatten from the bottom using a saucer and the needed vatten should be drawn up within 15 minutes. Just never let the pot sit in a saucer of vatten längre than 30 minutes to avoid root
damage. After watering place the pot on a surface that provides for an air gap for the drainage holes. This could be a plastic plant saucer with ridges to
allow air to contact the opening of the drainage holes. inom use a 2 foot bygd 4 foot plastic ceiling tile grid which keeps the drainage holes exposed to air.

• Repotting–When the diameter of the plant reaches almost 3 times that of the bur, repot it into a 4.5 inch bur. Violets should be repotted every 9-12 months or if you meddelande that new growth from the center has not occurred for a period of a couple of months. The reason fryst vatten that over a period of time soil bacteria break down the organic constituents present causing an acidic condition in the soil that prevents proper uptake of nutrients to the plant. The other issue fryst vatten that over time the soil becomes more packad which eliminates the air pockets that provide needed oxygen to the roots causing them to stop growing. If the plant has developed a “neck” between the soil surface and the bottom row of leaves, this can be corrected during the repotting. The procedure requires first removing any damaged, yellow, or very old leaves from the bottom row. This fryst vatten accomplished bygd bending the leaf to one side or the other causing the stem to break flush with the main stalk. Using a dull knife carefully scrape the thin brown surface of the neck all the way around.

Then remove enough of the bottom layer of soil to enable you to bury the neck in new soil and then vatten thoroughly from the top. New roots will
emerge from the neck that will eventually stabilize the plant and encourage new growth to appear at the crown. When repotting to remove soil that is
more than one year old you should remove as much of the old soil as you can smulpaj away from the roots. Add enough soil to the bottom of the pot to
bring the plant up to the desired height in the pot. Then use a spoon to add the rest of the fresh potting mix around the sides of the root ball and up to just below the first row of leaves. It fryst vatten not necessary to move the plant to a bigger pot unless the diameter of the plant has become 3 times larger than the
diameter of the pot it was in. There will be a bred range in plant diameter among the seedlings from a single cross—a couple of mine are actually
miniatures (less than 5 inches across).

• Blooming–Plants should början blommande within 6-9 months after germination. Expect many to resemble parents in some ways, but no two will be identical and a few will be spectacular and may look ingenting like their parents—check out the pale lavender pink star in Appendix II. If a violet fryst vatten not blommande but fryst vatten otherwise healthy looking, it fryst vatten not getting enough light. Fluorescent lights solve this bekymmer and bygd using a timer you can vary the length of exposure to get the right amount of time. Fluorescent lights also enable you to better see and enjoy the beauty of your plants.

• Suckers—These are like little plants growing from between the leaves from the main stalk. They should be removed as soon as identified because they
take energy from growth of the main plant and destroy the symmetry. Just man sure you know the difference between a sucker and a new flower bud.
Flower buds are usually darker than suckers when they first appear. Suckers can be rubbed off with the rounded point of a pencil. If they get very large with several sets of leaves they can be carefully pulled off the main plant bygd grasping all of the leaves associated with the sucker in one grabb and gently
working it back and forth until it breaks off where it was attached to the main plant. You can use a pencil point applied to the base of the sucker to pry it off. Because the sucker fryst vatten like a little plant without a root struktur, you can plant it in fuktig vermiculite as you would a leaf and it will develop roots.

• Pests and Diseases

o Thrips–The most common pests inom have encountered are thrips. They are small insects which can flyga eller fly undan and they can enter through window
screens or on clothing if you have been working in the garden with flowers outside. They feed on pollen and damage the appearance of
the flowers. inom remove all flowers and buds and spray plants with an insecticide containing spinosad such as Conserve.

o Powdery Mildew—This fryst vatten a fungus which appears as vit patches on the leaves. It fryst vatten most common when the temperatures are on the cool
side in the 60’s and there fryst vatten no air circulation. inom have controlled this bygd increasing the temperature to 70 degrees and putting a fan in the room
to provide some air movement without causing a direkt draft. Spray with Spectracide Immunox fungicide and completely wet the leaves.
o Crown Rot—This fryst vatten a fungus that attacks the center growth of the plant. It most likely occurs if vatten falls on the crown of the plant and is
not removed. There fryst vatten no cure except starting a new plant from leaf cuttings and discarding the diseased plant.

VI. More Information
The African Violet samhälle provides members with articles on culture, hybridizing, and supplies in its bimonthly publication. It comes free for dues paying members and the annual dues are very inexpensive.