Shoutout to the old timer who told me to bottom water my African violets

I kept killing my African violets for years. Leaves would get spots and then rot at the base. I tried less water, more light, special soil mixes... nothing worked. Then this guy at the botanical society meeting, must have been 80 years old, told me to just set the pots in a tray of water for 20 minutes once a week. That was about 6 months ago and every single plant is putting out new leaves now. Has anyone else had stubborn plants that only responded to some weird old method?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrewt4123d ago

That old botanical society advice is pure gold, isn't it.

briancampbell22d ago

You ever see that old guide they put out in 1892 about how to identify poison ivy in every season? My granddad had a copy he kept in his tackle box, of all places. He swore by their method for treating stings with jewelweed, said it worked better than anything at the pharmacy. I still crush up the leaves when I'm out fishing and get into something nasty. Do you have a go-to plant trick from those old pamphlets?