Question:  Several of my violets have developed abnormal growth patterns.  Flowers are small, do not open fully, and/or are deformed.  Flower stalks are short.  Center growth is stunted, leaves are short and not fully developed.  Centers are not gray, but some leaves have splotches or varied shades of green.  The flowers are the main problem.  I do have thrips.  Could they be causing the damage?

Answer:  It's likely that they are.  Thrips can deform blossoms, mark them, and lead to them fading or dropping prematurely.  Though they prefer, and are most easily seen on the blossoms, they spend a good deal of their life on other parts of the plant and will migrate there when the blossoms are removed.  This is one reason why thrips can be so difficult to deal with.  Removing the infected blossoms is necessary to control them but, when this is done, other symptoms can arise elsewhere. 

We've found that when we've disbudded violets with a know infestation, the plant can exhibit the symptoms described by this grower.  Thrips will feed on the foliage, leaving small, brown, "freckles".  The center growth also may not develop normally which, in extreme cases, might lead one to falsely believe they are dealing with a cyclamen mite infestation.  Infected leaves might also become more brittle and curl around the edges.

Question:  A white crust has appeared on the soil surface of my plants, as well as "brownish crystals" on the leaves in the center.  The crown of one plant has rotted.  I wick-water and use a soil mix containing one-third perlite. 

Answer:  These are some of the symptoms of a violet that is being kept too wet.  Though convenient, wicking is no better than any other method of watering.  Unless done properly, violets will be no better off than if watered by some other means.  Judging by the volume of phone calls we get, improper wick-watering practices is one of the most common problems among hobbyists.

As for the white crust on the soil surface, this is another disadvantage of wick, or other methods where water is supplied from the bottom of the pot.  When wicking, water is fed into the soil through the bottom of the pot via a wick, then works its way up to the top soil surface.  Because of this, anything in the water will also work its way to the soil surface and, if not consumed by the plant, remain there.  This crust is either (or both) excess fertilizer salts or minerals found in the water used.  Usually this is only unsightly but, if ignored, can become a problem, possibly burning and/or rotting off petioles or even the plant's crown.  Because of this, it is a good practice to regularly repot plants to eliminate the excess minerals and salts with the old soil.  Occasional leaching of the soil is also recommended.  Top water plants thoroughly so that minerals and salts are washed through and out of the pot bottom.

Question:  Is it better to remove a damaged leaf, spoiling symmetry, or to keep it?

Answer:  If the plant is being exhibited, this is a judgment call.  points can be lost for both gaps in symmetry, and for damaged leaves.  If it is not a showplant, it becomes a trade-off between the appearance of the plant and the plant's health.  When the leaf is basically healthy, but looks unattractive, this depends, again, on whether the gap is more of less unattractive than the leaf.  If the leaf is not healthy, it should be removed.  Only healthy leaves are helpful in processing energy and producing food for the plant.  Removing diseased and dying leaves also reduced the chances of spreading the problem of one leaf to other areas of the plant.  A clean, well-groomed plant is a healthier plant.

Question:  I just acquired a violet from a relative that had not been repotted in quite some time.  As a result, it has developed a very long and twisted stem.  is it possible to get rid of this awful looking stem and save the plant?

Answer:  Yes.  Normally we eliminate a violet's "neck" by repotting and covering it with fresh soil.  This is done by removing some of the old soil from the bottom of the root ball, lowering the plant in the pot (not necessarily a bigger pot), and adding fresh soil to the top of the pot, burying the neck.  Once covered with soil, the neck will eventually produce new roots.  If violets are repotted on a regular basis, about every 5-6 months, necks never have the chance to become long and twisted like the one described above.

When a neck becomes this long, repotting is no longer possible, since all, or nearly all, of the root ball would need to be removed to lower the plant enough in the pot to be able to bury the neck.  In this case, drastic measures need to be taken.  Remove all but the healthiest 4-6 leaves in the center of the plant.  Then cut away and discard the entire root ball and old soil, leaving only the fresh, center, growth and perhaps 1/4" to 1/8" of the stem.

Fill a 2 1/2" or 3" pot with moist soil.  Press the plant crown into the soil, being sure that its short remaining stem is firmly anchored.  Enclose in a clear plastic bag and place in a bright (not too bright or hot) location.  In about a month the plant will be rooted and can be removed from the bag--like new!

Question:  What is a "chimera", and why are they so much more expensive?  Are they more difficult to grow?

Answer:  A chimera is a plant, due to its genetic make-up, which can be propagated only by suckers to produce an identical (in foliage and blossom) plant.  In the violet hobby, the term usually refers to varieties having pinwheel striped blossoms.  Identical blooming plants of these varieties can on be produced when propagated by suckers.  When done by leaf cuttings, the plants produced usually will bloom without the pinwheel pattern, and in a solid color.  Because propagation by sucker is more costly in terms of time and growing space, and produces fewer plants than by leaf cutting, commercial growers pass along these additional costs in the form of higher prices.  Once successfully propagated, these varieties are no more difficult to grow than are other varieties.

Question:  The blooms on a few of my varieties, 'Irish Flirt' and 'Rob's Denim Demon', to name two, don't want to open fully.  Any reason why?

Answer:  This was a phone call that we received from a customer.  Since the plants were being grown during the summer months, we asked whether she considered her growing conditions to be very warm--she said they were.  This is the most likely explanation for the small flowers.  Many kinds of stress, high temperatures (say, above 80f degrees for a prolonged period) in particular, can cause blooms to be small or not fully open.  This can be more of a problem for some varieties, too.  Varieties with very double, frilled, or green flowers often have this trait.  Though both of the varieties mentioned are among our favorites, they do, sometimes, behave this way.

Question:  Recently, I have experienced a problem with the center growth on some of my violets.  On some otherwise healthy plants, the center growth has disappeared.  The plant would remain healthy, then eventually sprout suckers from the center.

Answer:  Though there might be another explanation, this seems to happen to us most commonly on certain varieties, suggesting that this might be a problem that is inherited.  Yellow-blossomed varieties, for example, are notorious for suddenly losing their center growth.  This is assuming, of course, that the plant is otherwise healthy and free of pests and disease.

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