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Essential Care of African Violets
Taking time to trim dead leaves and spent flowers, including the stalks, not only makes your plant look better, but it contributes to the overall health of your plant. Dead foliage can cause rot, which can attract fungus knats and other pests. Taking close care of your plants takes time, and if you own 40-50 plants or more, you can spend several hours each week examining each plant for suckers, removing lower leaves that are yellowing and flowers that are turning brown around the edges. When trimming spent flowers, it is important to remove the stalk as well, because if left on the plant, rot can begin, which can lead to more serious problems such as botyris blight. At the same time, check your plants for disease, including thrips (signs are spilled pollen on the flowers), white powdery mildew (signs are white circles on flowers or leaves, or white powder on flower stalks) and mites (signs are small, curling crown leaves that appear thickened or hairy). Tiny brown flies that fly up from the plants and the soil are fungus knats, and are more annoying than pose a threat to the health of the plant. Take time to look for problems of overwatering (soil too wet or algae growth), dryness, or over exposure to the sun (browning out of leaves around the edges). These are problems that can be corrected with your watering schedule or by moving plants to a more shaded location. |
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