Debbie's African Violets

This is my Rob's Boolaroo trailer that has grown very leggy with long, bare stems hanging over the edge of the pot. There is also a large area of the soil that is not covered with foliage. The plant needs to be re-started so it can grow fuller and more compact. This technique for re-starting a trailer was posted on the African Violet Brat Pack forum recently. So I decided to re-start my Rob's Boolaroo and take photos of each step. I will be posting more photos as new growth appears.

Front view of Rob's Boolaroo growing

very leggy.

Rear view of Rob's Boolaroo. Notice the

gaps and bare spots.

Closeup view of long, leggy, bare stems.

This plant needs to be cut back and started over.

Using a very sharp knife or razor blade, cut off

each stem leaving a 1" stub. New growth will

sprout from the stubs. Put this pot back on the

light stand and wait. This plant was cut back on

April 3, 2006.

These are the crowns that were cut from

the plant. Trim the stems to about 1-1/2"

and scrape off any hard brown tissue.

The crowns that were cut from the plant

can now be potted in fresh soil and rooted

to start new plants. Water lightly and put the

crown cuttings under a dome until they are

rooted and show new growth from the center.

Make sure they don't dry out.

5/3/06 - It's been one month since cutting

the plant back, and new green growth

is beginning to sprout from the stubs.

6/3/06 - It's been 2 months since the trailer

was cut back, and it has sprouted several

new crowns.

7/6/06 - It's now been about 3 months since I cut

back this trailer. It has grown quite a few crowns

and even has a couple of buds. The plant is

beginning to fill the pot nicely.

#10

7/25/06 - This is Rob's Boolaroo after being

cut back almost 4 months ago. It has filled

out the pot and is blooming. This method for

re-starting a trailer has been a success!