Welcome to today's Growing Tip email from the African Violet Society of America.

Thrips may be hiding in your flowers right now... Spilled pollen and active thrips. Look closely to find two thrips crawling just below the yellow pollen sacs. Last week we looked closely at a flower.

Did you happen to see anything moving? If so it might have been thrips, a dreaded and persistent pest of African violets. Western Flower Thrips feed on the pollen in the anthers, and may serve as a pollinator in nature. When they are present, you may see pollen spilled on the flower petal or perhaps find an unexpected seed pod developing at the base of the flower.

They often hide in the center of the flower, but you can make them crawl onto the petal by flicking the pollen sacs or just blowing sharply into the center of the flower. They are about the size and shape of a printed hyphen - and may be white, yellowish, or gray. They are very small when in the flying stage and can fly through window screens with ease. When thrips are present, flowers will fade much more quickly than they should. Western Flower Thrips also spread a disease called Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus also known as INSV.

This viral disease is incurable and has unpredictable symptoms as it invades violets. It is important to be able to......Continue Reading

At our March 2010 meeting, our guest speaker, Joseph Argentine, PhD., entomologist, gave a presentation on “Insects that Affect Growth Development and Life of an African Violet and Effective Insecticides.

Insects and Insecticides

Humidity is just as important to African Violets as moisture in the soil. At our November 2009 meeting, we learned about different watering techniques and establishing the best growing conditions. Click the link below to download the workshop.

Watering Techniques and Humidity

Basic care information for violet enthusiasts. Click and download the information that was shared at our initial club meeting in September 2009.

Basic Care for African Violets

Learn about the history of African Violets and how to reproduce them as presented during our October 2009 meeting.

The History, Cross-Pollination and Propagation by Leaf of African Violets