Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Culebra: Kinda cute!, 0 by SherryLike

SherryLike wrote:
Thanks, Kell, I appreciate your post!! The rockwool is my 4th go, first tried perilite and sand, zero, nothing after more than a week. Then tried water, changing it daily, they started getting soft, then tried the bubbler and they just stood there. I realize I didn't give them tons of time, but I just felt like, if I could find the right thing, that they would show me they were alive. I've never grown a cutting in rockwool, only seeds and I HATE the block stuff for seeds, I like the tiniest little rockwool cubes, with an indention on the bottom for seeds. So, after the first three tries, the cuttings were looking worse than sad and I was afraid all was lost. I put them in hot water for about 10 minutes and then took a toothbrush and Grapefruit Joy and brushed them until they were squeaky clean, while soaking the rockwool in warm H202 and Superthrive. I let the cuttings get very dry and they were already looking better (could not have looked any worse) and I dipped them in rooting hormone, slit the rockwool and pushed them in and sat them up in the plastic tub and I water from the bottom, my theory being that maybe the promise of water will pull the roots outta them. Whatever, they are growing. I think, according to my Culebra that the wood on the stalks needs stimulating, they are hard but if they don't like the sand, or glass rooting or bubbler, their wood sorta shrivels up and looks dry. I've always noticed that about Culebra and figure it's my zone and harsh weather conditions. She is just so temperamental and she must be drinking tequila because her clothes keep falling off - ever time I turn around her leaves are on the floor...but she always grows them back. When I sprayed her with Neem, she threw her leaves. Now, the only thing I'm doing is washing her with grapefruit Joy, and H202/SuperThrive in her water from the bottom...and I bombed the GH...the attached photo is my bowl of 5 tiny 'limbs' that fell off when I made the cuttings - if you look VERY closely, x-ray vision required, they all have pinpoints of green AND on two, it's coming from the bottom. I scrubbed these the same way I did the larger rootings and I swear, I think it opens up those nubbies all over their limbs/stalks and that is why they are rooting. I think the plain water in a glass and bubbler closes those little nubbies back up, so nothing happens. I dunno, but I LOVE her!!!