Wicks
and Wicking Action
by George B. Starr from The Dixie News July/August/September 2000This
is one view of the use of wicks for growing violets. There are conflicting views and
certainly each viewpoint has merit. It has been found that synthetic fibers, e.g.,
acrylic, nylon or polyester, work best because unlike natural fibers such as cotton they
do not rotor promote fungi growth. We use #3-1/2 braided Nylon cord with an
untwisted center. We usually have about 4000 plants at a given time.
Extensive testing on wicks and wicking action have shown some
surprising results. A test, using 12 sizes of wicks from a small thread to macramé cord
about 1/4 inch diameter, showed unexpected answers to some questions. Twelve
violets (same variety, same size, same size pot with the same soil) were used to
test the 12 sizes of wicks. The wicks were pulled up into the soil the same distance.
(Additional tests were made with the wicks in the pot in various places and configurations
and it made very little difference in the overall growth and health of the violets. There
were small differences in the uniformity of moisture, especially in larger pots such as
bulb pans where two wicks produced more uniform moisture in the soil.) Tile pots were set
on a grid with all 12 pots the same distance from the bottom of the pot to the water
surface. (Another test showed that, with our nylon wicks, the maximum distance water would
travel up the wick was about 4 inch.)
There
did not appear to be any wick too big. These and subsequent tests showed that the wick,
regardless of size, would carry only as much water up to the soil as the soil would
accept. Once the soil has taken up all the water it will hold, no more water will be
transferred from the wick. This appears to mean that the key factor is: "how much
water will the soil hold?" A wick too small would not carry up enough water for a
large plant, for a plant in air conditioning or any situation where evaporation or use of
water exceeded the amount of water the wick could transport.
The
wicks failed when the soil got too wet or too dry. Perhaps an ideal situation would be 1/3
soil, 1/3 water, and 1/3 air. The soil and the plant will get too wet when:
1) The
soil holds too much water when the soil composition is too heavy. (The addition of perlite
or something similar will help keep the soil "light" and help prevent packing.)
2) The
soil has been pressed too tightly.
3) The
plant has not been re-potted often enough. When the violet is not re-potted often enough,
at least 3 adverse conditions will occur. First, the pH drops. With our soil, our water,
and our growing conditions, the soil starts with a pH of about 6.8. After about 6 months
it drops to about 4.2. A low pH deters proper uptake of nutrients needed by the plant and
it also speeds up deterioration of some of the soil components. Breakdown of the soil will
help it hold too much water and
4) As
the roots grow they take up space and begin to help fill the pot and they pack the soil so
it will hold too much water.
The soil
will get too dry when:
1) The
wick is too small for the conditions or
2) When
the water supply is cut off and the wick and/or the soil have become completely dry
(gradually re-wetting the soil and the wick will re-start the wicking action) or
3) The
soil has dried enough for it to pull away from the inside of the pot leaving a space
between the soil and the inside of the pot, allowing additional drying, or
4) The
wick has become plugged-up with algae or minerals from the fertilizer or hard water. Algae
grow where the water or wet surfaces are  exposed
to sufficient light. The Starrlight African Violet Lamp and the ShoGro African Violet Pot
have mat watering systems where no light reaches the water. We also make a reservoir using
a quart sherbet container, painting the outside with an opaque paint and a using a mat for
watering the violet. When we use mats, we insert the wick up into the soil through two
holes in the plastic pot, leaving the wick across the bottom of the pot to assure good
contact between the mat and the soil.
The bottom line is that
wick watering is one of the easiest ways to grow violets but it is not a magic elixir to
cure all ills; TLC is still needed to grow pretty violets.
What’s in a Name?
(Or A Gesneriad by Any Other Name Would Still be Hard to
Pronounce) by Homo sapiens ‘Laurene Jones'
from The Dixie News Apr/May/Jun 97
(Editor’s Note: The AVSA
Handbook For Growers, Exhibitors, and Judges does not show how to use the binomial
system of identifying other gesneriads or Saintpaulia species on entry cards or on the
labels we put on plant stakes. This article explains how to do that. This guidance is
universally accepted throughout the scientific community, and is the standard.)
Have
you ever had someone call you by someone else’s name? Have they ever completely
mistaken you for another person? In the movies this is comedy but in real life it is not
funny.
In the horticultural world, naming is critical. Before Linnaeus
organized binomial nomenclature (every individual plant or animal has a unique two word
name), a plant could have a name a paragraph long. The binomial system identifies each
living thing by a two word name--genus and species--that is unique from every other living
thing.
The genus name comes first. It is capitalized and identifies the plant
as belonging to a group of very similar plants. These plants may or may not have similar
growth patterns, but their blossom structures will be similar. The second name, the
species, is NOT capitalized, such as Columnea grandiflora. The species name separates an
individual type of plant from all others of the same genus. All plants with the same genus
and species name will be identical. If you cross them, the seedlings will be identical to
the parents. If you cross two plants with the same genus name but different species names
(which may be similar or dissimilar), the cross should produce viable seed but the
seedlings should combine the characteristics of the parents.
Now you ask SO WHAT?
It is important to have correct names on a plant. The common name of a
plant will be different in each language and often in different areas of a country. They
do not absolutely identify a plant in the international community but a Latin binomial
will. "Goldfish plant" may be a Columnea or a Nematanthus, but Columnea
grandiflora identifies a specific plant. (Notice the genus name is capitalized and the
species name is not) A judge in any plant show will be able to find out what they should
expect of a plant bearing this name. Sometimes a further division of a species is made to
separate a specific plant which differs in some way, usually a more decorative way. These
plants are called cultivars or varieties or subspecies. We will only need to deal with the
first two in our shows. A cultivar name (either a sport or hybrid) is set off by single
quotes and capitalized--Columnea hirta ’Light Prince’ or Episcia
‘Filigree’. A variety is a subgroup of a species and is not
capitalized--Saintpaulia magungensis var. minima. The genus name should never be
abbreviated. These are the conventions followed by the international scientific community.
If we name our plants correctly in our shows, judges know the standard by which to judge
and strangers can know the correct name of the plant.
Some common mistakes
at our African violet shows are:
- Chirita "Hisako" should
be Chirita sinensis ‘Hisako’
- Strep. ‘Might Mouse’
should be Streptocarpus ‘Mighty Mouse’
- Species ionantha should be Saintpaulia
ionantha |
- S.
speciosa or S. orbicularis should be Sinningia speciosa or Saintpaulia orbicularis....you
get the idea, spell it out.
I¹m sure you have seen others. If we are careful with our names, we
put out a better impression that we care.
Peters
Fertilizer Alert by Ed Holst from The
Dixie News Apr/May/Jun 97
Grace-Sierra Corp., the current owner of
the "Peters" brand of fertilizers and related plant products, has changed the
formulation of their All-Purpose 20-20-20 fertilizer. The new formulation almost doubles
the amount of Urea Nitrogen, from 10.43% to 18.03%.
"What's wrong with that?", you may ask. Many
people aren't aware that African violets, in particular, are unable to handle large
amounts of Urea Nitrogen; they absorb it very quickly, compared to the other types of
Nitrogen found in today's fertilizers. As a result, your prized plants will develop a form
of fertilizer burn - the leaf edges turn brown, and the plants take on the appearance they
would have if you doubled the fertilizer dosage you're giving them now.
As a grower who cares about the welfare of his plants, you
have several options to consider:
1. You can continue using Peters 20-20-20 in the strength
at which you've been applying it, and see what happens;
2. You can reduce the amount of Peters 20-20-20 you use;
3. You can switch to a fertilizer with a lower Urea
Nitrogen content.
To help you consider these options, I've listed the
manufacturer and brand, formulation, and Urea Nitrogen content of several of the more
popular fertilizers.
Manufacturer/Trade Name Formulation Urea Content
"Schultz Instant" Liquid 8-14-9 6.9%
Schultz African Violet 10-15-10 8.4%
Schultz All Purpose Plus 20-30-20 16.8%
Schultz Bloom Plus 10-60-10 0%
Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 0%
Peters All-Purpose 20-20-20 18.03%
Peters African Violet 12-36-14 1.09%
Peters Root ‘n Bloom 5-50-17 0%
Optimara African Violet 14-12-14 0%
Sterns Miracle-Gro A.V. 7-7-7 6.6%
Carl Pool General Purpose 20-20-20 8.0%
Carl Pool African Violet 11-40-20 4.5%
Carl Pool BR-61 9-58-8 0%
Some older growers (in experience,
not age!!) may recall that several years ago W. R. Grace Co., which owned the
"Peters" brand at the time, changed the 20-20-20 from a chelated (time-release)
to an "instant" formulation, with no notice to the consumer. This action caused
problems for a lot of growers until they realized what had been done and changed the
application of that fertilizer accordingly - or switched brands.
A word of advice: continually check the ingredients and formulation of
anything you use on your plants whenever you buy a new supply - and especially if the
manufacturer has changed the packaging! Any manufacturer can and will change the
ingredients, formulation and application of their fertilizers, additives, etc., if by
doing so they can save a buck - and, as usual, the consumer is the last to know.
Who’s
On First?? A Peters 20-20-20 Follow-Up by Ed Holst from The Dixie News Jul/Aug/Sep
97
My previous article
on this subject, "Peters Fertilizer Alert!!" , brought many favorable comments,
including a very informative letter from Wally Clarke of Nepean, Ontario, Canada. He took
the time to discuss the current status of the Peters fertilizer line with both W. R. Grace
Company and Scotts-Miracle Gro.
W. R. Grace Co. had sold the Peters product line to
Grace-Sierra, which in turn sold it to Scotts (which, in its turn, recently purchased
Sterns Co. and is now Scotts-MiracleGro). Scotts also recently purchased several other
fertilizer companies, and when it appeared Scotts might establish a monopoly, the Federal
Trade Commission filed suit to enjoin Scotts from further acquisitions and to force that
company to divest itself of at least part of the several companies and brands it had
acquired. By agreement with the Feds, Scotts got rid of the Peters "tub" product
line (i.e., the small plastic containers sold at Wal-Mart and similar retail outlets) so
it could keep the larger - sales - volume, larger container line of Peters products -
those sold in 25-lb. and larger bags.
Scotts technical people denied changing the 20-20-20
formulation. In fact, their tech rep told Mr. Clarke that their current formulation (in
the large bags) is "unchanged" from that put out by Grace-Sierra. This implies
that the Urea Nitrogen content in that product is still 10.43%.
I recently discussed this situation with Patty Kern, a tech
rep with Spectrum Technologies in St. Louis, MO, (800) 525-1895. She confirmed that
Spectrum now produces the Peters "tub" line, including both 20-20-20 and the
"African Violet Special". She told me unequivocally that Spectrum has not
changed the formulation of the 20-20-20 in any way, and that it is manufactured according
to the formula provided to Spectrum by Scotts at the time the Peters deal was made in
August, 1995. She was unaware of the effect of the increased Urea content in the
fertilizer on African Violets and other Gesneriads, and said she would bring this problem
to the attention of her management. Patty also confirmed that the "African Violet
Special" formula remains the same, 12-36-14 with a Urea Nitrogen content of 1.09%.
By the way, for those of you who asked - Optimara will
continue to produce its African Violet fertilizer only in the 1.06 oz. size. There are no
current plans to come out with a larger container.
As I said in my earlier article - you have several options.
Now, you can add one more to the list: if you want to continue to use the Peters 20-20-20
in the "old" formulation with 10.43% Urea content, you can still get it - in 25
lb. or larger bags.
I'm continuing my efforts to check out other, less
well-known ertilizers for possible use with African Violets and their Gesneriad cousins --
more on this later.
DAVS Presidents
1957 Ms. Eunice Williams Williamsburg, VA
(Deceased)
1958 Ms. Crystal Huebscher
1960 Ms. Tommie Lou Oden
1961 Mrs. Howard Waff, Jr.
1962 Ms. Gwen Eggerton
1964 Ms. Sammye Ballard
1966 Ms. Grace Gillespie
1968 Mrs. Roy C. Smith
1970 Ms. Ruby Eichelberger (Deceased)
1972 Dr. Jerome Brown Dogpatch, AR
1974 Ms. Crystal Huebscher
1976 Dr. J. B. Jung (Deceased)
1978 Ms. Bernice Price
1980 Ms. Mary Johnson
1982 Ms. Elizabeth Fuller
1984 Ms. Penny Brenner New Orleans, LA
1986 Mr. Porter Temple (Deceased)
1988 Ms. Sandra Mims Isle of Palms, SC
1990 Mr. J. R. Pittman San Antonio, TX
1992 Mr. Hugh Mackey (Deceased)
1994 Ms. Genelle Armstrong Metairie, LA
1996 Mr. Pierce Cumpton Warner Robins, GA
1998 Mr. John Nabers Houston, TX
2000 Ms. Laura Walker Big Canoe, GA
2002 Ms. Lorena Bunn Snow Hill, NC
2004 Mr. Travis Davis Ochlocknee, GA |
