Tips From Other Violet Lovers

 Marie Montague realized that the covers for plant trays were looking pretty bad, but $60.00 to replace them wasn't appealing. She covered them with oxy-clean and let it set. Are they clear enough so enough light gets through to her violets? Absolutely and she is happy about not having to replace them. She will now use Perfect Glass to make them even cleaner and clearer.

 Chris Mason has tried covering the bulbs on his plant stands with saran wrap to reduce the light on his violets. This is a good remedy when you cannot move the lights further away from the plants as they are not adjustable. Yes, you could also reduce the time the lights are on, but Chris feels this is a good option.

 Joan on avconnectionn explains that if you want to propagate using a particular leaf that has no stem at all, you can make a new one if the leaf is large enough by using your razor blade and cutting up along side the stem on both sides. Then trim away the leaf portion which is no longer attached. It should look like a smaller leaf with a stem again.

 Wendy B on avconnectionn recommends Greenlight Fungaway for POWDERY MILDEW. It is a systemic and one bottle will last forever. You basically add a tiny amount to a quart of warm water and lightly mist over plants. There is a slight gasoline odor but it dissipates quickly. The plants absorb the ingredient and it kills the mildew. I've had one bottle for several years and have only had to treat my plants two or three times. It is a miracle cure as far as I'm concerned. There is a yard version and one for houseplants, so be sure to get the correct one. I've tried other cures, but this stuff just plain works the first time. Their website is: http://www.greenlightco.com/products/Fungicides.htm

 And speaking of powdery mildew since it is that time of year again, let’s repeat Pat Couture’s recipe which is ¼ tsp of the concentrated Lysol, a squirt of liquid dish soap mixed in with your gallon of water.