How to propagate an African violet / saintpaulias

How to propagate an African violet?

 

It's actually very easy. If you'd like to grow your own baby African violet just snap off a green leaf of a healthy plant and put it in a shot glass filled half way with water. 

Place it in a windowsill with indirect sunlight and wait until roots will appear, in about 2 weeks. Don't forget to add some water to a shot glass when needed. Watch your plant because you don't want to overgrow the root system.

When roots will appear and develop a bit it's time to plant it. African violets likes smaller pots so at this stage I use plastic drinking cups.

So here is what you need to plant 1 leaf:

2 plastic cups

permanent marker

African violets soil mixture (you will find it at almost any garden center)

dull knife or similar tool for planting

sharp pointy knife or a tool for making holes in a cup

1 leaf with developed roots

lukewarm water

Liquid fertilizer for African violets (for future care, do not use when planting)

Make about 5 small drainage holes in a bottom of one glass, write the date of planting on a side with a permanent marker. 

Fill this glass with planting soil and water thoroughly with lukewarm water. The soil should be completely moist. Now, with your dull knife make about an inch hole in a middle of the soil and carefully place your rooted leaf. Hold it with one hand and move some soil to the middle to support the leaf. Stick this glass to another one and place it in a windowsill with bright indirect light and no drafts.

Water your new plant about once a week or more often, depends on how dry the air is in your area. Always use a lukewarm water to water it and some African violets fertilizer with each watering. Give it some time and you will see the small leaves will appear around the base of leaf. 

It will get bigger and bigger every day and one day you will see some little flowers appear!

When it happen you will know that your baby plant is happy and singing!

 

Insecticide soap for your garden

If you are a gardener, you probably will recognize this picture:

Aphids. I went to the garden to cut some fresh dill yesterday and found them everywhere. It's like they arrived overnight and got comfortable in our yard. 

Luckily I know what to do and it took me just half an hour to get rid of them. I made insecticide soap from vegetable oil, laundry detergent and water, sprayed the plants and I found aphids dead in the late afternoon.

I am going to continue growing the dill I sprayed and use it for the seeds for the next season. I still have some flower beds with herbs which were not infected by the insects. These plants we will be able to use for food.

I'd like to share the recipe of insecticide soap with you. It works great on plants and you can make it any time from your household items. It is also inexpensive compare to the store-bought insecticides and can be organic, depending on what ingredients you are using.

You will need:

1 cup vegetable oil

1 table spoon full of liquid laundry detergent (not concentrated, not citrus based)

Water as needed

1 pint jar, mixing bowl, spray bottle

Mix the first 2 ingredients and pour into in a jar. Now, mix 1 to 2 tea spoons of this mix with 1 cup of tap water. Pour it into a spray bottle.

Use your insecticide in the early morning on a dry non-windy day. Shake the content of your bottle and spray the plants preferably under the leaves of the infected plants. I always get so enthusiastic and I spray the entire plant.  

I have used this recipe for over decade now on my roses and tomato plants (now herbs, too!) and it always works for me.