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Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Inc.
The Society of Tempera Painters
Marians Of The Immaculate Conception
Preparing To Show Your African Violets
by
Gary R. Beck
Gary has served as a Senior Judge for
for 15 years and is now a Master Judge
'Frosty Spring'
Best In Show 1999
Grown and shown by Gary R. Beck
Frosty
Spring
Preparing
To Show Your African Violets
Take 3x5" white sheets of paper, lay them
over a leaf in the outer row of question. Keep going around until the symmetry
looks really good. Never leave a smaller leaf below a larger one. Take off any
immature leaves. When you feel the circle looks the best, then carefully go in
and snip off the covered leaves with your fingertips. This way, if you
change your mind, you just remove the paper, not the leaf! If you have a
slightly damaged leaf whose removal will ruin the symmetry, leave it on and take
the deduction.
Take a paint brush with soft camel hair or such and brush slowly each
leaf, starting at the crown, brushing to the outside. Keep working down and
around, so all debris ends up on the outermost leaves, then brush off plant.
If you have a white spot from fertilizer or transpiration, take a broken
petiole and rub the cut end onto the spot. Reapply after dry, and you should get
most of it off.
Look inside for any suckers, anything showing leaves in there, take it
out. Use a tapered sharp instrument [some have a tool called a sucker plucker].
Use your brush to go inside and dust off any soil or perlite that is
sitting on any petiole, even if hidden from view. Have no soil piled up around
the neck...this is not the way to hide a neck...repotting is.
For a standard plant at maturity, you should
have 20-25 flowers open, including the ones which will be open the day of
judging. A small standard plant 8" to 10" in diameter with 10-15
blossoms could receive the full amount of points under quantity of bloom.
The larger the diameter of the plant, the more open, fresh flowers you will
need. But do not leave home a pretty plant just because it may be a bit low in
flower count. Take your chances. One never knows.
With tiny scissors, take off any flower that is wilting or showing
browning, even on the edge. Repeat this on the day you take them in for judging,
and after they have been in placement, go through once again and clean [take all
your tools with you] and remove any flagging flowers. Gently move the flower
stalks around to make a circle or halo if possible, but do not use force and
break one.
For trailers, shift the branches such
that you have growth and flowering all around as in a circle. If you only have
two branches, do not enter it, for ten points will be deducted right away. Try
to have flowers on the three main branches. Go inside and remove any dead or
yellow leaves. Clip leaves which are hiding flowers beneath.
For minis and semis, you will need fewer
flowers. Eight is plenty on a small plant. Again, try to move the stems
such that the flowers are evenly dispersed. Follow the same guidelines as to
grooming foliage, flower removal and trimming for better symmetry.
After show placement, move the plant and the foliage around so that it
looks best from the front. You would be surprised what you can hide.
Remove any support rings at the show and any growing stakes beforehand.
Each forgotten pick counts toward deductions.
Follow the directions of the schedule as to covering the pots or
slip-potting. Have extra pots of the proper color and size or foil on hand, if
needed.
Pack them loosely in large cardboard boxes. Use crumpled newspaper or
gift tissue to make rings, so that the plant nestles in and will not
shift whatsoever during transportation. Carefully cover, if necessary,
and make sure that the flowers will not be crushed by another box on top.
Gary
San
Francisco, CA., USA
email Gary with questions or comments
Photograph on this page is copyright Gary R. Beck