Shock or Physical Trauma

Description

Shock or physical trauma will often cause symptoms similar to other pests and pathogens. For this reason, it is important to rule out the possibility of shock before treating your African Violet for other suspected causes. While the most common causes of shock include repotting and sudden changes in temperature, keep in mind that the cause may not be easily discernible. For instance, symptoms of a sudden change in temperature may not be visible for up to 36 hours. Also, someone you may know may have bumped into the plant or knocked it over and, fearing your reaction, simply returned the plant to its original position and cleaned up the evidence. If this were the case, you might understandably assume that the symptoms were caused by anything but shock or physical trauma.

Distinguishing Symptoms

Unless you can specifically recall that your Violet has suffered some form of physical trauma, it will often be difficult to determine with certainty whether shock/ physical trauma is the cause of the symptoms you are seeing. Nevertheless, by ruling out other causes, you might be able to conclude that shock or physical trauma has played a role. In doing this, consider some of the possible cause of shock or physical trauma, such as pets, small children, repotting or sudden temperature changes.

Other Symptoms

• Leaves pale on the edge. Edges appear yellow in color. This is a condition called "halo-ing."
• Leaves are damaged.
• Leaves are broken.
• Leaves wilt. They may appear translucent brown with a soft, jelly-like consistency.
• Leaves have scarring on the upperside of them.
• Not flowering.
• Plant growth is slow.

Treatment

If the cause is determined to be some form of physical trauma, remove all the damaged parts. When doing this, use sterilized tools and be careful not to touch open wounds. To treat shock, i.e., wilting due to repotting or sudden temperature changes, try the bagging method. Place your Violet in a clear plastic bag and close the top with a wire twist. You should begin to see signs of recovery within a few days. To allow full recovery, however, keep the Violet bagged up for about one week.

Prevention

Keep your Violets safe from sources of potential trauma, i.e., pets and sudden or severe changes in temperature.

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