Will They Shape Up for Show, Part III
When last we saw our Shape Up for Show candidates, it was July (!)
OK, I'm a little pokey . . .
I went a little crazy last summer and fall, buying a huge number of leaves and plantlets to increase my collection, and I think I bit off more than I can safely chew . . . normally I roll with about 50 varieties - right now, I have 147. (Yes, really). I did spend yesterday and part of Friday night working with the plants, and I'll spend more time today - and probably next weekend, too. A lot of work . . .
I separated a lot of clumps of baby plantlets yesterday and will be doing a lot more of that today. I am getting ready for a speaking engagement at the end of February for the Windy City Indoor Gardeners. They meet at the Oak Park Conservatory, which is just an awesome place. I've spoken to them about African violets a couple of times already. Really nice group! If you're in the Oak Park, Illinois area, come on by on February 26th at 1:30 p.m. It's always good to see something green as we get toward the end of winter :-)
When I say I'm getting ready for this, I mean that I like to take plant material with me for their giveaway/raffle table. That's why I'm working on potting up babies so much right now - they need a few weeks to get established and grow a little :-)
OK - back to Rainbow's Limelight ("RL) and Decelle's Triomphe (DT).
Let's take a look at progress thus far. Here is RL:
L to R: May 2011, July 2011, January 2012
I repotted again yesterday and here is RL now:
I probably should have taken that bottom right leaf, but it's going to go shortly. RL is definitely looking better - you can really SEE the benefits of repotting when you look at the trio photo. It seems to be shaping up into a much better rosette shape. I was a little concerned about it back in July, but it's definitely looking better now. I think there's hope for National :-)
What about DT?
Again, L to R: May 2011, July 2011, January 2012
And after repotting yesterday:
Again - looking better than when we last checked in. I really took it down to the center crown. The rosette is looking good to me, and I'm hoping this one will shape up, too :-)
I have moved both of these plants onto my guest room light cart. It seems to be the best place in the house for show plants. I'll be checking in again with these before June :-)
The African Violet Society of America's annual convention will be held in Detroit, Michigan, from June 3-10, 2012. Convention info is available on the new AVSA website! 2012 is the year you want to attend, because it's going to be a joint show with the African Violet Society of Canada!
Detroit is an easy drive for me, and I'm planning to attend and (obviously) hope to take plants to show :-) If you're close to that area, the showroom will be open to the public on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I believe there is a small charge to enter the showroom, but it's nominal, and will definitely be worth it. To my knowledge there has never been a joint show before - it's going to be awesome!
OK, I'm a little pokey . . .
I went a little crazy last summer and fall, buying a huge number of leaves and plantlets to increase my collection, and I think I bit off more than I can safely chew . . . normally I roll with about 50 varieties - right now, I have 147. (Yes, really). I did spend yesterday and part of Friday night working with the plants, and I'll spend more time today - and probably next weekend, too. A lot of work . . .
I separated a lot of clumps of baby plantlets yesterday and will be doing a lot more of that today. I am getting ready for a speaking engagement at the end of February for the Windy City Indoor Gardeners. They meet at the Oak Park Conservatory, which is just an awesome place. I've spoken to them about African violets a couple of times already. Really nice group! If you're in the Oak Park, Illinois area, come on by on February 26th at 1:30 p.m. It's always good to see something green as we get toward the end of winter :-)
When I say I'm getting ready for this, I mean that I like to take plant material with me for their giveaway/raffle table. That's why I'm working on potting up babies so much right now - they need a few weeks to get established and grow a little :-)
OK - back to Rainbow's Limelight ("RL) and Decelle's Triomphe (DT).
Let's take a look at progress thus far. Here is RL:
L to R: May 2011, July 2011, January 2012
I repotted again yesterday and here is RL now:
I probably should have taken that bottom right leaf, but it's going to go shortly. RL is definitely looking better - you can really SEE the benefits of repotting when you look at the trio photo. It seems to be shaping up into a much better rosette shape. I was a little concerned about it back in July, but it's definitely looking better now. I think there's hope for National :-)
What about DT?
Again, L to R: May 2011, July 2011, January 2012
And after repotting yesterday:
Again - looking better than when we last checked in. I really took it down to the center crown. The rosette is looking good to me, and I'm hoping this one will shape up, too :-)
I have moved both of these plants onto my guest room light cart. It seems to be the best place in the house for show plants. I'll be checking in again with these before June :-)
The African Violet Society of America's annual convention will be held in Detroit, Michigan, from June 3-10, 2012. Convention info is available on the new AVSA website! 2012 is the year you want to attend, because it's going to be a joint show with the African Violet Society of Canada!
Detroit is an easy drive for me, and I'm planning to attend and (obviously) hope to take plants to show :-) If you're close to that area, the showroom will be open to the public on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I believe there is a small charge to enter the showroom, but it's nominal, and will definitely be worth it. To my knowledge there has never been a joint show before - it's going to be awesome!
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