I have kept an african violet for 4.5 years and it is now about to begin its 10th consecutive flowering. I've monitored the rate of watering and notice that a few weeks before the plant flowers there is a marked increase in water uptake. I'm also surprised about the variation in the amount of water needed by the plant which is now around 14 inches (35cm) in diameter. Normally it needs only about 300 ml every 20 - 30 days which surprises me for such a large plant. However, in the build up to flowering it needs 300 ml every 4 - 5 days. I guess it is building up reserves for the burst of energy that is flowering. Has anyone else seen similar or have a more informed explanation. Best wishes from Scotland Chris
Hello Chris from a fellow Scot!!! What part of the country are you from? I'm from Livingston Village in West lothian myself. I hope you're going to enjoy being a member of GardenStew as much as I do. Now about your African Violets. The watering pattern you describe is exactly the same for the ones I have here. Most of the time they prefer to be almost dry except for, as you say, just a few weeks before flowering when their water intake does increase dramatically. AV's have fleshy leaves and stems which means that they can store water efficiently when it becomes unavaiable to them in the form of rain and the hairs on the leaves prevent them from being damaged by pests to a great extent so virtually no moisture is lost through damage. In their home environment obtaining water is never reliable so they have to utilise every drop so that they can survive. Mine are flowering well at the moment as I'm watering them roughly every 4-6 days now. Have you ever tried taking leaf cuttings and growing new plants from them? I must get around to giving it a try once my plants have stopped flowering. Cheers.
Houseplant Watering Patterns Hi Eileen, Small world...I live in Dumbarton. Thanks for the AV info. I'm a polymer chemist with plenty of knowledge and experience of osmosis, transport mechanisms, controlled delivery and hydrogels but do not have specific knowledge of plants. I use my watering method to monitor the uptake by plants and have been amazed at how different plants establish their own water-use rhythm. I started investigating plants' water use through keeping basil and other herbs in my kitchen for cooking. I now keep lots of plants and enjoy discovering the different watering patterns. I think that many people who kill plants too soon do so because they can't remember when and how much they watered their plants. Feast and famine or lottery watering. The plants are not able to establish any kind of equilibrium and suffer as a result. I've not tried transplanting AV's yet but plan to give it a go. Here's a picture of my first AV which the UK St Paulia Society described as "almost show standard". This was taken during its second flowering. It's now like one of the family! Nice to hear from you Chris
The pic I posted is the plant I rescued from my mothers house after her death so I've only had it with me for a few months now but it's perking up quite nicely again. Mmmmm although maybe not such a good idea to have posted a pic of it after seeing your gorgeous AV Chris!!! Can't say I agree with the StPS though ............I think it is show standard. What other plants have you been monitoring as I'd be really interested to know all about their water - use rhythms too? Bye for now.
African Violet's Watering Patterns See below charts of my african violet's water usage since I put it on my membrane osmosis watering system at the beginning of February 2001. I've included an exploded chart with clearer detail of the increase in water use prior to flowering. The plant was originally about 4 inches in diameter. Its peak size was about 16 inches between the second and third flowerings. As it begins its 10th consecutive flowering, the diameter is about 12 inches. The average leaf size is now smaller and more regular than during the earlier flowerings - there are 4 (maybe 5) concentric leaf rings compared to 2 - 3 rings at the beginning. I think it is interesting to see how the overall rate of water use has decreased as the plant has grown in size. I guess this is due to the larger plant being able to hold and retain more water in its structure (thanks Eileen!). I think that I am also seeing a pattern of 2 flowerings per season. From beginning to end, flowerings last on average 10 weeks. I have not used any specialist fertilizers, just regular houseplant Miracle Gro Pour & Feed (capful every 2 - 4 weeks directly into the compost). The plant has been re-potted once. I have kept watering pattern data on many plants including chrysanthemum, begonia, basil, rosemary, poinsettia, hedera (ivy), small conifer, orange tree (from seed), cyclamen and others. They all show variations in the rate of water use (like rolling steps) but differ from the african violet in that the water use generally increases as the plants get bigger. - http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a118/ ... tern01.jpg - http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a118/ ... tern02.jpg Hope this makes sense. Chris
