Caroline hasn't killed the african violets yet!

Back in October I wrote a post about my African Violet ICU. I have killed a number of African Violets in my lifetime, and this last time I was so discouraged I called my grandmother and asked her how I could salvage the plant. She suggested rooting the leaves, and so I did! I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but it seems to have worked well - I have new leaves sprouting!

My planted leaves in October, after letting them them root in water for awhile. 

Here is how I rooted the leaves (keep in mind I am NOT an expert gardener):

1. Cut a few big healthy leaves off of the dead/dying plant (this could be done with a healthy plant too, I just don't have too many of those around). Be sure to cut the stem at an angle for maximum exposure.

2. Place the cut leaf in a small dish of water (I used a ramekin) and put in the sun. Be sure the leaf isn't in the water itself, just the stem - you can use something like wax paper with a slit in it to help keep the leaf upright. Change water occasionally, and wait. Eventually you will see roots start to extend from the leaf!

3. Keep waiting. When there are a lot of roots coming from the stem, plant in small pots using African Violet Potting soil. Keep in the sunlight and water daily. I also used Neptune Harvest Organic Seaweed Fertilizer occasionally, at my grandmother's recommendation. The bottle says to fertilize them every 2-3 weeks. To be fully honest, I think I only used this every 2-3 months. Luckily the plants are still alive!

5. Be patient, keep waiting. This whole process literally took 8 months for me, and I still don't have a full plant! Once your newly sprouted leaves have created a bit of a cluster (more like a normal plant) and look they they are outgrowing their pot, repot into a larger pot. I just did this today, and used the African Violet potting mix again.

This guy clearly needs a new home. 

The other guys are still working on it (the fuller one shown above is in the bottom right in this picture). 

I now have one plant that has been repotted into a larger pot, and three plants that are still growing. You'll notice in the photos that the original leaf dies in many cases. For one of my plants, the leaf actually died before the new leaf pushed through the soil, and I almost dumped it out as a failed attempt! However, I was too slow to get around to cleaning up the "dead" plant and the next thing I new there was a new leaf. Like I said, keep waiting! I am hoping that these continue to grow and that eventually I will have four healthy plant cast offs! I'm pretty excited that I was able to keep these alive for so long and salvage a plant that I had otherwise thought was a lost cause. Perhaps there is hope for me and gardening yet!

The newly potted plant cluster. A much better fit! 

The African Violet potting soil that I used, purchased from Home Depot. 

If I ever see a flower one of these guys, I'll be sure to share again! I'm keeping my fingers crossed. At this point, I honestly don't even remember what color flowers this African Violet produced... Does anyone have any great gardening or African Violet advice to share with me? Has anyone rooted a plant using a different technique?