P. yungfuensis is a clumper and makes lots of rosettes, and can form really cool red undersides.

What lovely plants! That foliage -

I went to using a mix of half perlite and half Pro Mix (a quality peat-based potting mix) for AVs a while ago. If I were to try Primulas, should I lighten that further?

I think that might be enough. Maybe a bit more perlite

I think half perlite would be plenty. But you could do more if you want. It will just mean more watering. At the local gesneriad club, someone had for sale a Primulina 'Finella' that I bought. It had two crowns in a tiny pot and grew rather slowly. When I transplanted it, I discovered he had been growing in pure perlite. No wonder! Here they are last October, both were one plant that was growing in the little 2 inch pot on the right.


When I transplanted, I use 1:4 potting soil to perlite. (I didn't know if the previous grower had put it in pure perlite for a reason.... so I didn't want to change the soil make-up too much.) They are doing so much better now, and next time they will get 1:1 potting soil to perlite. One bloomed in December. The dusky lavender is surprisingly pleasing.


And here they are now, much happier. but still requiring more water than what I would like.


In other "news", a small Loki is blooming now.


And the funky Patina on its way.

That patina is fun. Apparently there is a patina sport/mutant without the orangered hairs, but gray ones

Also got a senescing stick that I rooted of Sinningia reitzii. With all new growth, the stick goes half way down the pot. I wonder where the tuber will develop. Also got a couple rhizomes of Kohleria 'Bud's Little Gollum' that are coming up now.

Looking good!

@adknative
Nice violets!

Nearly 'all' the leaf cuttings I started in November now need to be separated and repotted, but I am ordering another new set of shelves in about two weeks with another set of LED lights, so will have plenty of space to set the pots then.

I currently have (8) 10x20 trays of pots with plantlets ... most have 'several' per cutting, so I will need the space. (At least my grow room has space for the shelves.)

Trying to upload newer pics of the plantlets on the leaf cuttings, but I am at work (only a 12-hr shift today) and keep having folks who need something, so a bit distracted. Because our shifts are long, bosses do not care if we do 'other things' at work (so long as the work gets done). I likely should wait till later, when it slows down.

adknative said:

Nearly 'all' the leaf cuttings I started in November now need to be separated and repotted, but I am ordering another new set of shelves in about two weeks with another set of LED lights, so will have plenty of space to set the pots then.

I currently have (8) 10x20 trays of pots with plantlets ... most have 'several' per cutting, so I will need the space. (At least my grow room has space for the shelves.)

Trying to upload newer pics of the plantlets on the leaf cuttings, but I am at work (only a 12-hr shift today) and keep having folks who need something, so a bit distracted. Because our shifts are long, bosses do not care if we do 'other things' at work (so long as the work gets done). I likely should wait till later, when it slows down.

Sounds good! Let us know how the new racks go!

Having said that ... I do have a question for you. Using (2) different leaf cuttings for one variety, it does not always appear that the plantlets are 'quite' the same from one leaf to the companion leaf cutting. Particularly with:

African Violet (Streptocarpus 'PT Iunaia Pastushka') aka 'Young Shepherdess' is the original parent.

These are the two leaf cuttings with their plantlets. "Number 2" seems to match the parent, with pale green underside of the leaves.


Number 1 has pink undersides.


They were started the same day and have been side by side (same conditions / temp, etc.) the entire time. Same age. Same parent. Does it seem that the pink underside of #1 is (possibly) a mutation, or does it appear 'normal'?

Of course, ultimately ... when they bloom... I should have a better idea, but most of my leaf cuttings have matching plantlets from one pot to its sib's pot. This seems curious.

It could be a chimera

Mutation (or "sport") is more likely than chimera. I'd keep both and mark the one you're unsure of with a question mark or "sport?" after the name. The different ones could grow out of it, or you could have something new on your hands.

critterologist said: Mutation (or "sport") is more likely than chimera. I'd keep both and mark the one you're unsure of with a question mark or "sport?" after the name. The different ones could grow out of it, or you could have something new on your hands.

Yea, sport. Wrong thing!

As said, it might be a sport, but it is way too early to know. So many things can affect growth, and you may think conditions are exactly the same but they might not be. Only time will tell.

I appreciate the input from each of you! I have been starting AV from leaf cuttings since I was in college (more years ago than we want to go into), the point being: I've always reliably gotten the 'same' plant from a cutting as the parent plant, time after time after time.

This one has been 'off' from the first tiny leaves popping through the soil. The leaves came up pink... whereas leaf cutting number 2, the leaves came up pale green. This is the 'odd' one when it first showed above dirt...


Were it not for the absolute fact that I only handle one variety of cuttings at a time and tag everything as I pot it, I would have wondered if this was a different leaf cutting. But I 'never' do more than one variety at a time for that precise reason: no chance of mislabeling.

Leaf number 2 (as you can see) even the smallest leaves are pale green.



On the other hand... 'Young Shepherdess' is actually the registered African Violet (Streptocarpus 'PT Iunaia Pastushka') and from the Russian/Ukrainian genetics. And, from what I have read, they are a younger, less 'settled' group and more likely to have oddities... whereas, the older varieties (particularly here in the US) have been bred for so many generations the genetics are more consistent.

Am I correct...?

Not sure about the genetics, but the Russian/Ukrainian lines definitely do exhibit quite some sports.... which is why many growers ship multiple leaves, to increase the general success and hopefully have at least one plant bloom "true"

Another variety with what appears to be a notable difference between the two leaf cuttings... this time, Lyndon Lyon's 'Lovestruck' ... which is noted for the red backside on the leaves.

Leaf cutting #1


Leaf cutting #2


The difference in the degree / intensity of the raspberry red tones in the second cutting seems rather distinctive. It will be interesting to see if there is a difference when they bloom.

Are these leaf cuttings you purchased or ones from your plants? I'm sure you want at least one plantlet to grow true to the parent, but the possibility of sports is interesting!