Those darn gnats! Get some bright yellow card stock and coat it with a thin coat of vasoline (both sides) cut to the size of a 3x5 index card and hang them up on your plant stands. I have been doing this for years and it works and is cheap.
(http://www.AVConnection.com)

A tape to try for labeling is the color-coding electrical tape. It is available in hardware store in packs of 5 different colors and not expensive. It can be transferred from pot to pot many times over and isn't affected by water. Since this is on plastic pots, the surface needs to be dry when you put it on. If you like one color you can buy larger single color rolls in Lowe's, Home Depot, etc..

Ideas on keeping AVs during vacations. Since this is a time of year when vacations are common -- here are a few ideas:

Wicking. Or really any kind of constant watering system may be helpful. The plant sitter can be instructed to fill up reservoirs. It can be more difficult to drown a plant this way.

Covering with plastic. This seems especially useful for those who don't use a constant watering system. Water your plants fairly well -- don't soak them though! Then ver them with clear plastic. This could mean individually bagging plants, or grouping a bunch and draping a large sheet over them. Don't let them get into direct light or they'll cook. They shouldn't need watering for a few weeks. Oh -- make sure that the plastic does not come into contact with leaves -- they'll rot.

Get a fellow African violet lover to come over and check on your plants -- if you're a member of Fantasy Violeteers, you should really take advantage of the fact you belong to a club.

I have been reading AVM articles from the '50's -- and they commonly rave about covering their plants with plastic after setting the pots on wet vermiculite -- the idea is that the vermiculite will increase the humidity as well as help keep the plants moist. So there is another option for you.

I can only add that I have covered plants with plastic when they didn't look happy or had undergone long neck surgery and had no roots. I would water lightly, pop a clear plastic bag over them, and ignore them for a month or more. They would reward me with vibrant new growth and roots.

Winter is just around the corner! Have you winterized your home? If you have any African violets near windows you need to be sure to move them far enough back so the cold can't reach them through the window -- African violets don't like temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Basically if you are comfortable in your home, they will be too. If you keep the temperature lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, leaves will be brittle and may curl down, there will be few flowers and their stalks will be shorter. Overall, the growth of the plants slows way down. If you can keep the temperature a little above 60 your plants will probably be very happy - especially after our quite warm summer.

To Green up Leaves and Give them a Shine:
* 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Epsom Salts
* 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Gelatin Powder
* A few drops of dishwashing liquid
* 1.3 gallons (5 liters) of hot water

Place all the above into the sprayer and give them all a shower :) Use to clean off leaves and give them a shiny green appearance - it cleans off all the "grime".
(Courtesy of Marilyn Larrance & Sylvia Harrison, AVInternational)

To Green up Foliage:
* Water with a mixture of 1teaspoon (5 ml) Epsom
         Salts to 1 gallon (3.79 L) of water.
* Use only on mature plants.

If you'vr read this far, you can see that something different needs to be done with the "Tips & Hints". Come up with an idea for organization and win a free African Violet from my collection. Keith