JD1stTimer's grow log.

[JD1stTimer]

I'm noticing visible growth every day now!! The upper leaves are getting noticably bigger, and the tiny baby leaves are growing too!  The new leaves are not as green as the mature leaves - does it look like it's time to fertilize? These pictures are extremely accurate in their color rendition - if anyone's camera's have a "flower" setting, don't hesitate to try it!! Also I finally found the "macro" focus mode, WOW!!

Arcy, I'm starting to wonder now if I pinched my plant properly back in the day... I'm still only getting growth at the very tip of the plant.  When I pinched the plant I only took the two baby leaves at the top while trying not to disturb the little pyramid-shaped tip of the stem.  I did nick the pyramid, and I'm wondering now if I should have cut completely through the pyramid.  Here's a pic, and you can see where the tip of the left leaf is gone due to the nick:

There is very little to no development of the lower nodes on the plant, as evidenced by these photos:

The lowest node of the plant - nothing noticeable since a few days after pinching


The next higher node - no noticeable growth ever


The next-to-last node - significant development of one leaf


Almost all growth is still in the top node, as shown above.

Something interesting I've noticed is that apparently this plant has a genetic irregularity causing a wrinkle in the leaf at two specific points.  I thought this was caused by environmental factors, possibly shipping trauma, but it is visible in the new leaf as well.  The odd thing is that it seems to only affect the leaves on the main central stem, and not those leaves which will be on side branches as they develop.  In these pics I have drawn a white circle around these wrinkles.  These are arranged from oldest (lowest) leaf to youngest (The growing tip):



And finally, the evidence that this is genetic and not environmental:

[zaorr]

I have seen something similar in my plant's and not just sally. I think it might also be an indicator for when the chemical concentrations suddenly changed in the root area like when fertilizer was added or the moment it ran out due to watering.

 

Nice looking greens.

[JD1stTimer]

I would be inclined to agree.... but... I repotted her and watered when that smallest leaf wasn't even formed yet, and I have NEVER fertilized her, and when I repotted her was the ONLY time I have watered her.  On the other note, should I fertilize now, and is this a good fert: *edit here it is * Jack's Classic African Violet 12-36-14 N 3.39% ammonia, .94% Nitrate, 7.67% Urea.  Boron .02%, Copper .05% Chelated, Iron .1% chelated, Manganese .05% chelated, Molybdenum .0009%, Zinc .05% chelated.  I don't see any calcium or magnesium, but I think those should be readily available in my tapwater.  On a related note, does anyone know if faucet-mount filter cartridges take out minerals from the water or just lead, chlorine, and organics?  I threw away the paperwork weeks ago.

[JD1stTimer]

Well, she is enjoying a bit of a growth spurt.  I had pinched her at the top some time ago, but her growth is all concentrated at the top.  No new growth below her third node.  Arcy, did I do something wrong?  Should I try making a cutting above the third node? I have six nodes total, but the top three only cover about 2.5 inches.  Here's a pic, the new leaves are the lighter-green, smaller leaves. The leaf at the very bottom has now come off (With a bit of manual pressure)

[Arcygenical]

If you want to absolutely, definitely, force outward growth... You should do what I do.

Point your light at the bottom of the plant (so the new stuff at the top doesn't get much).

Re-pinch the top, so long as it's already split into at least 2 branches, 1 node long.

Then, when the little protoleaves form at each of the other nodes, wait for them to get about 5mm in length, and remove the corresponding side big leaf. You don't remove these all at once, but over the course of a month (you have 4 big leaves at the bottom, so 1 a week).

Alternatively, you could very well take a cutting about 1" down from the 3rd node...

[Sea Mac]

At last I show up and start catching up on grow logs ...

Love your plant: has she taken a name for herself?

(Most of mine take names cause I talk to them by name: "Hey You" and they'd all turn to see which one I was talking to ... )

New growth means that a root ball is finally becoming established - congratulations!

No humidity tent required now?

[JD1stTimer]

Her name is Sally.  I don't know why, it's not very original or creative, but I called her that when she first arrived and she doesn't seem to dislike it any. She hasn't had a humidity tent since.. ohh... lets see here.. *scroll scroll*  February 13th.  She hasn't been watered since sometime before then.  This soil really holds water and there's four gallons of it.  It's mostly peat I think, it's called "Ferry Morse Seed and Cutting Starter Soil".  I thought it would be good since she's a new cutting.  Now I think it may not provide all the needs of a well established plant, so four gallons may be a bit much.  Should I try to get different soil around her, or just work with what she's in already?

Arcy, are you saying that my little side shoot should be pinched, and the main stem, once the side shoot has a noticeable node?  I don't want to put a light at the bottom of the plant because a lamp would look ridiculous next to my kitchen table (IMO), and I like the light right where it is in my ceiling fan.  I don't have four big leaves on the bottom node.  just two proto-leaves on the bottom node, two big leaves on the second node, one big leaf on the third node, one big leaf on the fourth, and four moderate-size leaves at the very top.  Leaves seem to grow in opposite pairs from the main stem.  Do you mean once the two side branches on bottom each start to develop, thus giving two big leaves on each side branch, equals four, then remove one of those each week.  I feel very confused.  Probably I'm too sleepy after having been awake for 21 hours, and working for 17 of them. Argh I'm going to bed.

[Sea Mac]

G'night!

[JD1stTimer]

Just made her first cutting this morning.  Will update with pics as soon as they are available.

[JD1stTimer]

Update:  One of my cats chewed a salvia quid, after nipping Sally completely to the soil level.  Sally had not grown any since my last update, despite mild fertilizers and what I think might not be quite enough light for very dense growth, but sufficient for trying to get some good cuttings from.  There was a ball of green slobber on the floor about three feet away from the flower pot.  The cat apparently did not experience much effects, he acted about the same as he does with catnip, rolling around and swatting invisible things.  He was salivating a bit, and he wasn't purring, and he usually purrs heavily under influence of catnip.  I hope he had a fun time.  I decided to pull Sally up because she has been developing brown spots along her stem, and I suspected root problems.  She had a mess of thin, tough, stringy brown roots that seemed almost dried up despite being in moist soil, with one clean white fuzzy-tipped root about 1.5 com long protruding from a blackened greenish-brown soft stem.  I guess I should have taken clones immediately after transplant shock went away.  I waited until she was adapted to house humidity to take a cutting and that cutting failed shortly before the brown spots started appearing.  I suppose the spores or whatever had already contaminated the leaves and stems.  I am wanting to buy a cutting from SalviaSource, and I am curious if all plants are rootbound at time of shipping.  Sally was not rootbound, and I wasn't wanting to brush soil off to check the root structure in a recently shipped plant of course.  I like to be able to see roots when I do the first repotting.