Thunbergia propogation

Have tried numerous cuttings of this lovely vine but even though I see green starting to shoot they all die, trying air layering right now and read on one of these threads to try starting in water - any weigh in?

I just stick them in a damp combo of pine bark nuggets and good potting soil, keep the mix damp and they root.

Kay,

Thanks for the propagation information. Does this vine have a specific blooming season? I recently purchased one that was a rooted cutting. It is growing well, with several long vines on it but I don't know if I should expect blooms this late in the season.

It is a beautiful vine, lovely big lush heart shaped leaves. Of course, it is not hardy in my zone 7b. I also have it in dappled sunlight on the deck. In your experience, will it set blooms with dappled sunlight?

Mary

Tried stating some in water but that didn't work either, hope my airlayering is more successful.

Mine blooms in the late summer - should start soon. Mine are all growing under and up through trees, so dappled shade should work fine. Hopefully, you can bring yours inside this winter so it will not have to go dormant. Mine are all in the ground and came back this spring - hopefully, the will bloom well this fall.

Mine is also growing up into my Cocoloba tree, seems to bloom all year here. Very frustrated trying to propogate though, oh well at least I have one. It is twinned with a red bourganvillia and really looks lovely.

Very easy to grow and blooms all year long. Have the white one as well. As far as propagating, they seem to be easily propagated from the not so vigorous shoots. They are usually found around the base of the plant. The nodes are pretty close to each other and these stems aren't hollow either. And it helps if the stem is slightly brownish in color (semi-ripe wood). These are easy to root, especially if you provide them with extra humidity. As for the vigorous shoots, they can be a little tricky to grow.

The local nursery i get my plants from usually plants these using the vigorous shoots, they make sure that the stem cutting has at least 2 nodes. The cuts are made close to both nodes, as the roots will emerge from near the bottom node and leaf growth from the top node. The reason why they cut near the node is because the stems are somewhat hollow, and prevents rotting. A little rooting hormone and well drained potting soil should do the trick. Humidity should help too. The nurseryman just sticks his cuttings in a wide pot, in normal garden soil (loam soil). The cuttings are usually very many, usually looks crowded and he keeps them underneath a tree where they receive bright light but no direct sun and makes sure that they are kept moist. Some cuttings usually don't make it but a majority of them do. He knows when they are rooting especially when they start shooting on top.

i hope this is of some help
imran

Imran thanks so much for the advice though I have pretty much tried all these things and we are very humid. I will not give up, I think the tip on woody rather than the vigorous..will keep going.

Hi Cocoloba,
i like your attitude, never give up. I was really bad at propagation earlier on. However with a little research and trial and error have gotten good. I just tried a couple of Thunbergia mysorensis and grandiflora just 2 weeks back and they are doing great.

The reason your cuttings are dying could be because they are exposed to bacteria n fungal spores, which multiply very fast in humid weather. I got a great tip from a website i really don't remember which, but they suggest dipping the cuttings in a bowl full of water with a little dish washing liquid. Swish them around and most of the dirt and dormant fungal spores will wash off. Then rinse them in clean water. The cuttings will be very clean.

Next step use clean sharp sand or any other sterile rooting medium you like. Lastly put them in a container container, which you will cover with a polythene bag to keep the humidity high. Dont forget rooting hormone as its always helpful. The Polythene will keep the humidity high and keep all the other pathogens out. Just shake off the excess moisture that collects on the bag from time to time.

Hydrogen peroxide is also great at keeping pathogens down, just a tsp of 3% in a litre of water and pour it over the soil and cuttings. I always add hydrogen peroxide to my watering can. Lastly always make clean cuts nearest to the nodes using clean and sterilized tools.

I always make the cuttings quite long, possibly with additional nodes and shoot while taking them off the plant, and stick them in water until am ready to plant. When everything is ready and just a matter of sticking in the cuttings. Thats when i cut them closest to the nodes or at the points where i want to make the cuts, dip them in rooting hormone and stick them in rooting medium and water the soil down with water containing hydrogen peroxide. Doing so ensure that the cuttings have soaked up water and won't wilt easily, and you can also get rid of the portions of the stems that seem to have started decaying. keep trying different variations and you never know which one might work.

Kay, do you leave it connected to the mother plant while it gets roots? I too have tried many but can't seem to get them going. Now, I got mine from Seedpicker in Texas and she gets a lot growing.

I gave one to my daughter in Seattle, zone 8, I am zone 5, and ours both started blooming the very same week, about a month ago. This is my 2nd year with it. It bloomed both just once late last, but it only gets a few blossoms on at a time.
A beautiful shade of blue.

Jeanette

No, they are severed from the mother plant.

Guess I will try your way and also Novaguy's way. Problem is, he is in Kenya. Not much chance of duplicating his conditions here in zone 5.

Jeanette

Believe it or not, I have found a great way to root cuttings! I have found, by accident, that by cutting a bunch of stems off and laying them on the ground, then putting a 10-gallon potted plant on top of the stems, they root!

I have NEVER been successful at rooting Antigonon leptopus, but since I had tried everything, and nothing had worked, I tossed them under this pot of Gloriosa lilies, just on a whim. I noticed about a week ago that the silly things are growing great! I have not removed the pot to see if there are roots, but there must be.

You might consider doing this with your cuttings - what have you to lose?

I am sure you are right. That would work. But, my blue thunbergia is up a shepherds hook on my deck. In a 10 inch pot. It also is inter-twined with an orange one also in a 10 inch pot. Not sure which is which unless I take it right next to the rooted main plant like Novaguy said.

Jeanette

Orange?????

Think I have two coming both from water...will try the under a pot method.... Thanks!

Jnette, - you have an ORANGE one???? Can you post a picture of it? I don't think I've seen an orange one, unless it's the orange clock vine, which I have been wanting.

My orange looks like Thunbergia alata. I will take a picture of it tomorrow and post. I think it is Orange clock vine A definite dark eye. It blooms a lot, but the florabunda Sky Blue not nearly as much.

OK, so it must be the annual orange clock vine aka blackeyed susan vine.

I don't know about annual. So many things that are annuals here are not annuals where you live. I will take a picture of it and you can tell me what it is. The Sky Blue on the same shepherds hook with it, I carried it over. The orange one is new this year. I suppose I could try to carry them both over. Might be easiest, rather than cutting the blue off at the pot to hold it over.

If I carry it over successfully does that make it a perennial? Or would it be just another annual that I carried over? If the later, I probably won't bother.

I would recommend you just drag the pot into the garage or basement and see what happens.

No garage, and my basement is as warm as my living area, just less light. I tried brugs down there one year and the aphids ate them up. Tried everything, even systemics.

Maybe you could ask a friend to over-winter the pot for you.

Oh my my water baby looks fab today.................

Yeaaaaaaaaa! Can you post some pictures?

Yes Coco. How about some pictures!!!

Well will take a pic tomorrow, but it is really minute, the other one I tried in water looks like it is taking off. So is the Petriea and the garlic vine... lots of luck right now!

Kay, I finally took some pictures of the orange and Sky Blue Thunbergias today, but when I had a bad virus a couple of weeks ago and had to take it to the repair shop to get it fixed, he put everything on my documents and stripped my hard drive. So, now my pictures are coming up in a format I don't know how to do anything with. Unfortunately my daughter that helps me with my computer left here last Monday to go back to Seattle, 400 miles away.

She might be able to help me long distance. I think what she did is put my computer files on hers so when I have a problem she can actually see it on her computer. If that's the case, maybe she will be able to help me fix it.

Jeanette

Oh, I hope she can help. You can also go to the computer help forum, here on DG, and get help.

Ok Kay, Here goes, I am going to try it. Do you know if there is a way to send 2 at once?

Jeanette

One more, I will try to get the one with the blue one in it. It is just opening here. Gorgeous blue and a totally different kind of flower. Other than the leaves and vine it is amazing that they are in the same family.

Too bad, I didn't get the blue one. If you really want to see it I will take another picture. It should be open today.

Jeanette

Well, you started this out with the blue one. It is so pretty. Now look at the yellow one on the right side. My sister has those this summer. I just haven't seen the white.

Jeanette

Jeanette, those are BEAUTIFUL! If you can root some cuttings of both, I would love to trade with you.

Oh jnette those are lovely - do they produce seeds?

I thought they did coco but when I opend the husk thre wasn't any seed. I opened a lot of them. I have tried to root cuttings to no avail. Will continue trying.

I looked for seed pods too, no luck :(

Kay, did you decide whether the orange one I have is an annual, or ?? You said a Clock vine? I know where you got the idea I had a yellow, they had one over where they put advertising, it was yellow. I said ' the one on the right" meaning that one and you thought I was talking about the right side of the picture I posted.

Coco, what color do you have? Yours is blue Kay?

Jeanette

Jeanette, I thought yours was Thunbergia gibsonii

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57175/

Look at this and see if it's what you have - it's the one I'm wanting.

Yes, mine is blue. I am rooting cuttings of the white one right now, IF they take.

No, that is not the same as mine. Mine has a dark eye. Those are all one color. Sorry.

Yours must be the annual.