How To Grow Faster Baby Violets
I used to grow violets from leaves stuck in a soilless mix and domed them until they rooted and started producing babies. Some of them took 2 months to start peeking babies through and some of them took 6 months! A few of them rotted no matter what I did. So I decided to give growing them in water another try. Are the babies gonna drown? Nope. They're going to keep on growing... under water.
THERE IS NO ARGUMENT HERE
First of all I have to say that no one method works the same for everybody. My way is not the only way or the "right way" to propagate african violets. Nobody can make that claim as there are people of differing opinions on the subject. I certainly don't claim that my way is the best way, just the way I've found that works the best for me. I'm sharing my experiences with you but I'm certainly no "expert". Be wary if someone says their way is the only "right way" or that all the "good" growers do it their way. That's simply not true. There are no hard and fast rules to propagating violets. You should put down leaves several different ways and decide for yourself what's the best way for you and your growing environment. I've even had babies develop from a piece of a leaf set in soilless medium! Give that one a try.
TRIAL AND ERROR
Years ago I tried to propagate violet leaves in water and I guess I just didn't have the patience to wait for them to root or I just didn't know how to make them succeed because I never grew one leaf in water back then. Nada... they just wouldn't grow for me. I figured it might have been my city water... but it was probably me.
Well, I decided to give it another try so I thought I would adjust my water to filter it over a mineral filter at the tap and then take the chloramine out of it (my city now adds chloramine) to give them the best chance to grow. I didn't add anything special to the water. There's a slight little bit of Optimara plant food in the gallon jug that I filled one of them up with but most of them don't have any plant food at all. Also, according to Doctor Optimara don't use water that has gone through a (salt filtered) water softener. It will alter the ph and increase the saline content of the water and make it hard for your roots to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow.
I got little condiment cups with lids and cut holes in the lids to stick the stems through. I sometimes cut the leaf by a third and always cut the stem at an angle with the cut facing up. Make sure your blade has been sterilized with alcohol so you don't introduce pathogens into the stem.
I actually overlooked one cup on the shelf for a while and when I discovered it again, it had a lot of roots on it and some baby leaves too. I thought, "OOPS!" So I planted it in my mix (about 40% sphagnum peat moss + 40% perlite + 20% vermiculite thrown in) with the babies peeking up and watered. Not very long after that, the babies just took off growing. So that's the way I've done it ever since.
I DON"T THINK SO
I haven't timed it but it seemed like the babies just grew faster for me in water so I stuck with it. I have a higher success rate growing them this way. Nobody has a 100% success rate with any method regardless of what they claim. Occasionally, you are going to lose a leaf no matter what you do. You might have gotten an older leaf, or introduced pathogens when you made a cut from a non-sterilized blade, or for some other reason you will kill a leaf or two in the process every now an then. It happens to everybody. That's why you usually get 2 leaves when you buy them. You're just not always going to get a fresh viable leaf. That's just the way it goes.
GROW TIME
I put these leaves down in water on April 11th and by May 15th, they already sprouted all these little tiny babies. That's only five weeks. I've had them produce babies in only 3 weeks but 4-5 weeks is average. That shaves off about a month from when I used to start them in just a potting mix first.
When you take them from water to soil, DON'T remove the mother leaf. Transplant them all together, don't separate them yet. Babies are not developed enough to make it on their own since they probably don't have their own roots yet. They still need the mother leaf to help them survive. All the babies don't have to be above the soil line. They will right themselves as they grow. I use 3 ounce plastic cups for each momma leaf and babies.
Some people think it's harder on the roots to go from water to soilless potting mix but I have not found that to be true. I moved the babies from water to a soilless mix on May 20, 2018. It might be harder for them to adjust if they were in a heavier soil/dirt mix because the delicate roots can't penetrate the dense soil to find the air they need - but I haven't experimented with that because I don't use a heavy mix or dirt. I just know they don't die back and start over when you transfer them to a soilless mix like peat/perlite/vermiculite in about a 40/40/20 ratio.
THERE IS NO ARGUMENT HERE
First of all I have to say that no one method works the same for everybody. My way is not the only way or the "right way" to propagate african violets. Nobody can make that claim as there are people of differing opinions on the subject. I certainly don't claim that my way is the best way, just the way I've found that works the best for me. I'm sharing my experiences with you but I'm certainly no "expert". Be wary if someone says their way is the only "right way" or that all the "good" growers do it their way. That's simply not true. There are no hard and fast rules to propagating violets. You should put down leaves several different ways and decide for yourself what's the best way for you and your growing environment. I've even had babies develop from a piece of a leaf set in soilless medium! Give that one a try.
TRIAL AND ERROR
Years ago I tried to propagate violet leaves in water and I guess I just didn't have the patience to wait for them to root or I just didn't know how to make them succeed because I never grew one leaf in water back then. Nada... they just wouldn't grow for me. I figured it might have been my city water... but it was probably me.
Well, I decided to give it another try so I thought I would adjust my water to filter it over a mineral filter at the tap and then take the chloramine out of it (my city now adds chloramine) to give them the best chance to grow. I didn't add anything special to the water. There's a slight little bit of Optimara plant food in the gallon jug that I filled one of them up with but most of them don't have any plant food at all. Also, according to Doctor Optimara don't use water that has gone through a (salt filtered) water softener. It will alter the ph and increase the saline content of the water and make it hard for your roots to absorb the nutrients it needs to grow.
I got little condiment cups with lids and cut holes in the lids to stick the stems through. I sometimes cut the leaf by a third and always cut the stem at an angle with the cut facing up. Make sure your blade has been sterilized with alcohol so you don't introduce pathogens into the stem.
I actually overlooked one cup on the shelf for a while and when I discovered it again, it had a lot of roots on it and some baby leaves too. I thought, "OOPS!" So I planted it in my mix (about 40% sphagnum peat moss + 40% perlite + 20% vermiculite thrown in) with the babies peeking up and watered. Not very long after that, the babies just took off growing. So that's the way I've done it ever since.
I DON"T THINK SO
I haven't timed it but it seemed like the babies just grew faster for me in water so I stuck with it. I have a higher success rate growing them this way. Nobody has a 100% success rate with any method regardless of what they claim. Occasionally, you are going to lose a leaf no matter what you do. You might have gotten an older leaf, or introduced pathogens when you made a cut from a non-sterilized blade, or for some other reason you will kill a leaf or two in the process every now an then. It happens to everybody. That's why you usually get 2 leaves when you buy them. You're just not always going to get a fresh viable leaf. That's just the way it goes.
GROW TIME
I put these leaves down in water on April 11th and by May 15th, they already sprouted all these little tiny babies. That's only five weeks. I've had them produce babies in only 3 weeks but 4-5 weeks is average. That shaves off about a month from when I used to start them in just a potting mix first.
When you take them from water to soil, DON'T remove the mother leaf. Transplant them all together, don't separate them yet. Babies are not developed enough to make it on their own since they probably don't have their own roots yet. They still need the mother leaf to help them survive. All the babies don't have to be above the soil line. They will right themselves as they grow. I use 3 ounce plastic cups for each momma leaf and babies.
Some people think it's harder on the roots to go from water to soilless potting mix but I have not found that to be true. I moved the babies from water to a soilless mix on May 20, 2018. It might be harder for them to adjust if they were in a heavier soil/dirt mix because the delicate roots can't penetrate the dense soil to find the air they need - but I haven't experimented with that because I don't use a heavy mix or dirt. I just know they don't die back and start over when you transfer them to a soilless mix like peat/perlite/vermiculite in about a 40/40/20 ratio.
WEAK ROOTS - I DON'T THINK SO
If your roots are dying when you transplant the babies and leaves to your mix, then they are suffocating. They die from lack of oxygen. The solution is to put them in an aerated mix. That way if you overwater them, they can still find some air to keep going until you figure out they're too wet and lighten your mix. If the roots die back from suffocation, they will then attempt to regrow their delicate root system when the soil dries out a little. Some people confuse this condition with "water roots" dying and "soil roots" developing, which IMO is a myth. Roots can develop just as robust in water as they do in soil. Hydroponics has already proven that to be true. EVERYTHING CAN BE ROOTED IN WATER because it's the water that they are seeking whether they get it in a cup or from the water in the soil.
They just keep going in a light soilless mix where they get enough air and they seem to adjust fine - bypassing all the problems they might have with a heavier soil AND water rooted plants are just as sturdy and hardy when they grow up as their potting mix started leaves. Mine are just as healthy and robust.
And did you know that you can take a perfectly good violet in potting mix, wash the roots off completely and grow it in nothing but water? You can grow just about anything in water. Roots adjust. Violet roots are amazingly adaptable. They want to survive! All plants will root in water. Plants don't take up soil - they take up water. Water has oxygen and that is the driving force. Plants take in oxygen and give of carbon dioxide. They don't need soil to live but they do need water and oxygen. Soil is the vehicle that holds them upright and gives them nutrients as it breaks down but they can thrive on nutrients in water just as easily.
So you might want to have a little experiment with your water and a leaf or two and see if you can get good results too. I'm always experimenting with them trying to find better ways to grow them - and you should too. I just put the rooting leaves in with my regular violets under the same bright lights. I just kind of stick them in the water and forget them until it's time to put them in a pot. Once I move them into a pot, I dome them for the extra humidity and keep them damp but not wet. It's the best way that works for me. :)
The same babies on 05/30/18 From leaf in water on 04/11/18 (That's only 7 weeks) As you can see, they just kept on growing without any problems. I have let them get pretty big in water before putting them in mix and they just keep going. There is no "adjustment period" if you use a light mix and transplant the mother leaf and all.
The same babies on 06/02/18 - only 3 days later. You can almost see them growing:
They just kept going and on 06/13/18 they were this big:
On 06-16-18 I separated the bigger plantlets into their own little pots to continue their growth on their own and left the smaller ones with the mother leaves, putting all back in their domed environment. Some varieties grow faster than others. Two weeks later they were still going strong.
07/01/18
Keep the soil barely damp and with a loose cover over them. They need a little air. If the inside of the cover has moisture on it, it needs to be vented a little. That's my secret to growing faster baby violets from leaves!
WHY STARTING IN WATER WORKS
Water is not solid, it has an incredible ability to hold oxygen. It is this oxygen that the plant needs to produce healthy growth for the roots and babies by performing what is called cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is where the plant takes in oxygen and gives off CO2 (carbon dioxide).
People wonder why the babies under water don't drown. It's because the mother leaf keeps it alive and growing. Once babies are formed, the exposure to some light may help them grow. My roots and underwater babies are exposed to light, sitting on the same shelves as my other plants while they take root. That may help the baby leaves get off to a better start than when I start them in a mix. That's just my theory.
Once in soil, the root system still needs water and oxygen to keep going. That's why lighter mixes provide the aeration that roots need without suffocating like they do in heavier soils. When taking them from water to a mix, the lighter mix provides them with constant wetness and air that they are already used to. So there is no "adjustment period" to speak of when using a soilless mix.
However, if you know you are going to grow your violets in a heavier soil or potting mix with little perlite, then you would probably do best to start your leaves in it directly so they don't suffer from trying to make such a large adjustment in growing conditions.
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NOTES
July 18,2018 - They're still growing strong and getting big. I think anyone can grow african violet babies from a leaf in water.
August 7, 2018 - My plants are still growing and I'm looking forward to seeing some buds soon I hope. A lot of times plants this young will produce a flower or two spontaneously before they are actually mature enough to produce a full bloom cycle. It's exciting!
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