
News Letter 
October, 1950 
Dear Friends: 
There were a lot of questions we didn’t get 
around to answering personally in September. 
Here goes: 
Q. 
FN 
PO 
I fertilize my violets regularly and they have 
beautiful foliage but no bloom. How come? 
Too much fertilizer. All going to the leaves. 
Omit fertilizer entirely or shift to one with 
lower nitrogen content. 
What causes white crust to form over the 
top of the soil and on the rim of the pot? 
Accumulations of mineral salts. This usually 
accompanies bottom watering. Watering the 
plants from the top occasionally will help to 
wash them back into the soil. 
I want to join the National African Violet 
Society. What do I do? 
Send $3.00 for a year’s dues to Mr. W. E. J. 
Gottshall, P. O. Box 901, Alexandria, Virginia. 
The quarterly magazine is included in the 
$3.00 charge. 
Is it absolutely necessary to sterilize all 
‘Ay V.eSOlL? 
Heck, no. Not unless there is an open wound 
of some sort on the plant through which it 
can absorb fungus infections. If you suspect 
nematodes in the soil or in the plants you al- 
ready have, it’s a good idea to sterilize, of 
course. 
How can I tell a good soil for violets? 
Moisten it slightly and pick up a handful. 
Squeeze. It should have enough body to make 
a ball in your hand. Now drop it. It should 
break apart. Clay won't fall apart when you 
oe it, and sand won’t make a ball in your 
and. 
Is it absolutely necessary to re-pot violets 
every year? 
Not unless the plants out-grows the pot. Vio- 
lets rarely need larger than a four or five 
inch pot. If your soil is good to begin with, 
and such slow-dissolving nutrients as bone 
meal are used, they can stay in the same 
pot for two or three years. 
Copyright, October, 1950, Russell Gray 
URE) ER NED OR ER) REI OSES GER RO -  O- - -E 
