Cuttings

[Darkhorse]

Thanks guys!  Just ordered some Dip N' Grow off Ebay.  As soon as it gets to me I'll make my first attempts...

[nina]

I have never managed to root anything in water, although I tried many times. Perlite plus peat, half-half, gives much better results for me. Covering with a plastic bag is obligatory.
To the hormone powder I add one third of a good powdered fungicide.
I water with fungicide and spray with fungicide occasionaly.

Varieties that root well in my conditions, and that you may have and wish to root:
Voodoo Magic, LIving Legend, Bienvenue, Drunken Rummy, Bon Temps, Jim Hendry, Erin Rachel.

[Charlie]

The key to rooting in water is changing the water every day. You have to maintain the same conditions for rooting using any other technique - warmth, humidity, low light - but the special thing is keeping the water fresh. Also it works better using water with low levels of dissolved minerals. Yvonne Forsling and I did a lot of experiments using water in a clear glass so we could see exactly what happened as the cutting calloused and formed roots, or rotted. It's more challenging to transplant cuttings rooted in water so I favor other techniques where some soil or other material is stuck to and protects the roots when transplanting.

Charlie

[davidwood]

I have never managed to root anything in water, although I tried many times. Perlite plus peat, half-half, gives much better results for me. Covering with a plastic bag is obligatory.
To the hormone powder I add one third of a good powdered fungicide.
I water with fungicide and spray with fungicide occasionaly.

Varieties that root well in my conditions, and that you may have and wish to root:
Voodoo Magic, LIving Legend, Bienvenue, Drunken Rummy, Bon Temps, Jim Hendry, Erin Rachel.

   Thank you Nina, having read your method i gave it a go and have had a 100% success with 3 Rosa Sinceris, i now have 2 Dark of Night on the go so i hope i am as lucky, instead of peat i used coco coir and i sprayed with SuperNova, i think the plastic bag makes a huge difference, in 1 month i only sprayed them twice as there was that much condensation in the bag i had no need. Not only would i never have thought to cover with a bag its quite difficult to find a decent bag here, but i found the bag that Charlie sends the SuperNova in is perfect to fit over a 6 inch pot. I haven’t really room to grow many more plants but i will certainly start to grow more cuttings and then give them away to my Vietnamese friends as gifts.

[davidwood]

This question might sound a bit odd but I will try. I want to take a tip cutting of my Hot Pepper, the actual length of the wood I will cut away is about 12 inches, I will use the top 6 inches as the tip cutting, but what about the bottom 6 inches, have I to throw that away or could that also be used as a cutting allthough its not the tip.

[blupit007]

I think that can also be used as a cutting... stick it in some dirt and see.  It just wont grow out the top, it will shoot out from the sides, just leave a leaf or two on it.  I think...

[Charlie]

Yes, Kristen is right. In fact the lower piece is the most likely to survive since tip cuttings can rot from the top down fairly easily. Leave a node (bump on the stem) at the top of the lower cutting, with or without a leaf, and that cutting should do very well.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Ok I am going to get some tools to try to root again.

I am going to get a heat mat. I want to know should I cover the cuttings with a dome or leave open but have heat mat on all the time ?

[blupit007]

Cover them, the worst thing for them is to loose humidity.  That is why you only leave one or two small leaves on them and cover them.  The heat mat should stay on, if it is the one with the thermostat, leave it on, it will turn off when it is at the ideal temp, then turn itself back on again when the temps drop.

[Charlie]

Somebody's been doing her homework! Kristen is right - the main thing to watch out for is if direct sunlight enters the dome at any point during the day, the greenhouse effect can raise the temperatures so high the cuttings will be killed. The humidity can also get too high in some circumstances and that can cause disease in the cuttings. If you suspect that is the case then put the dome on loosely so that some fresh air can get inside through the gap. Kristen in CT will have less intense sun and drier indoor air than typical for coastal CA and adjustments always need to be made for local conditions.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Thanks Kristen and Charlie

I am not getting any sun right now only my lights . so should I keep them from under my lights ?

[Charlie]

Kerry, I doubt if your lights are powerful enough to raise the temperature too much inside the dome. Particularly if they are a couple feet or more away from the dome. You can put a min/mac thermometer inside and see if it gets over 90F - that would be too high.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

ok I had these cuttings in water for 2-3 weeks now and new leaves are growing what does this mean ?

[helixturnhelix]

Full on double rainbow? 

[Charlie]

New growth on cuttings is a good sign. If it does not happen the cutting is likely not healthy and not going to root. Every now and then one will root without any new leaves starting to grow but for the most part you want to see new growth within 3 weeks to confirm the cuttings are healthy.

One frustration with cuttings is that they can develop new leaves but still not root. There are stored nutrients inside cuttings that provide enough energy to grow some new leaves and to root but if the hormone signals to grow roots don't get sent or received then no roots will form.

In any case, it is a good sign that your cutting have leaves. How about swelling and callous formation on the base end of the cuttings. Any sign of that yet?

Charlie