Growing to Show for Kansas City? Heres the assignment for this month! November 10 (28 weeks from convention week) • Look again for possible show varieties on your shelf. Ideally you would be growing three for every one that you hope to exhibit. Set all show plants on one shelf or light unit so that you always care for them first, even in busy weeks when others might be neglected. • Continue good maintenance of potential show plants. Maintain space between plants as they grow. Watch for suckering and remove suckers promptly. Rotate plants one-quarter turn, once a week. • Wash foliage so plants can absorb all the available light. Use tepid water from a gently running tap, allowing water to run off the end of the leaf and not into the center. Blot dry afterward with a soft sponge or cloth that does not leave lint on leaves. If very dirty, you may mist the plant with a sprayer filled with warm water and a drop of gentle liquid dish detergent such as Ivory or Palmolive. • Replace one light tube (particularly if you haven’t during the last year) in each light fixture. • Disbud weekly, checking for buds above and below the leaves, removing all promptly. • Groom off baby leaves and any leaves showing nicks or damage. • Evaluate pot size of standard African violets which should be approximately 1/3 the diameter of the plant. Goal is for show plant to be at least 9” in diameter for show, so plant should now be in at least a 3” pot. If you wish for the plant to grow larger than 9”, the pot size should ultimately be 4-6” in diameter. • Check closely for any evidence of insects or disease. • Control growing room temperatures at 72-75° F if possible. Keep fan running 24 hours a day to prevent outbreaks of powdery mildew.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 22:32:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015