Hi There! HELP! I had a beautiful, thriving and robust african violet. I had to go out of town for a week to a funeral in Florida so my husband and I had a pet sitter come in and take care of our parrot and cat. He was very wonderful and conscientous. However, he thought my houseplants needed attention so I believe he overwatered the AV. I came home to find the plant dripping water from the bottom of the pot. I normally water from the bottom but he must have watered from the top. It has been a month and the plant is drooping and losing leaves every day. Additionally, I noticed upon my return that the plant looked like it had white fuzzies on the leaves. I thought it might be paper towel fuzz so I very gently wiped it all off, which was not hard to do. Can anyone come to the aid of this suffering plant? Robin C. New Milford, NJ
first off, i'd repot it in fresh soil - and make sure to use av soil. that may or may not help the main plant. you could take a few of the healthiest-looking leaves and start rooting them. the white on the leaves could be from water splashing on them if it was watered from above. it could also be mealy bugs...does it look like cotton fluff? if so, then treat with q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol. make sure to get the under-sides of the leaves and the main trunk, too. repeat in about 7-10 days to get any that hatched after the first treatment. i keep my av's in self-watering pots so that i don't have to worry about them if i go away. the resevoir holds the water and the insert, being unglazed, wicks the water into the soil as needed.
