So, my AV is about years old, and has been under a Floor lamp with plant lightbulbs. I don't have any old pics, but AV was healthily growing albeit a bit sideways but also upwards! Also, it was blooming very nicely.
I research and stop at Calloways to talk & so I buy 2 grow different grow lights (clip ons w/various colors) so I can have the light more directly OVER her (lower). I've read around 12 inches is ideal…so I put the light just inches above her, but I see everyone else's AV pics and no one has legs like mine But your grow lights are definitely higher up than mine. 🤷♀️
However, I still worried that my Blooming AV wasn't growing properly & still leaning heavily But I didn't want the new growth down below to be long legged as well plus the middle of my AV seemed Very tight and crowded (still beautifully blooming).
So, More research and a video showed me how to repot a Long Legged AV. Please note, no root rot was noticed. I did the whole thing – got rid of 75% of her leaves (left her with ma84 or 5 leaves) trimmed the root down to a stub, gently cleaned off the sides with a knife, plastic bag for 30 days and put the clip on lights DIRECTLY over the bag ( so she wouldn't have to reach for light) and at times towards the side to correct her leaning issue along with a small rock for support.
She is just a couple weeks from being let out of the bag, and she came out with blooms almost immediately, and she's not leaning as bad.
So I didn't kill her, thankfully cuz I'm not a green thumb and she's my 1st AV (gift from my daughter)
She has new growth down below, too.
BUT – She's still long legged and Some of her leaves feel hard around the edges. And some are curled.
The new leaves are soft.
What am I not doing or doing wrong?
Should I just let her grow and bloom? I mean she was definitely healthy and blooming (I was repotting every 6 months and liquid fertilizer, AV specific soil).
I mean I'm ok if she's a tall girl but she's not supposed to be. So here I am. 🤷♀️
Should I just let her be?
by No-Assist-9612
4 Comments
I think there is too much light which is why the leaves are growing up to protect the crown. Why would you put a light nearly right on top of the plant after reading that 12” is ideal? There is such thing as too much light is a bad thing. Also I think you are going overboard with the “care”. Move the lights farther away and just give the plant some time to recuperate.
That’s a classic case of the violet reaching for more light, which is why the stem got so long
I am also in the camp of too much light and it’s protecting the crown! Here’s a good trick, take a lil bit of parchment and wrap your light to diffuse. I just put parchment over alllll my shelving lights and a week in I’m seeing a huge difference. I was blasting them with light!
The firecracker and noise makers are just facetious as I’ve seen the monster professional set ups on this Reddit for which I have no room. Thanks for your help as I think I may need a grow light.