I purchased a small black and blue saliva last year.. It grew wonderfully and was very beautful this past summer. the hummers and bees loved it!.Its color was great, a deep rich dark blue.it was more than I expected from what I started with.. I m now trying to start cuttings of it.. I have the little oasis starting plugs that I soaked. I took a small piece of salvia, cut the end at an angle with a sharp knife, dipped it in rooting hormone and placed it with a least one stem noid pushed down into the plug. I then trimmed all but 2 or 3 small leaves off the cutting so energy would go towards making roots..anything else I should have done or should still do??? do I need to make a mini green house for them while they root or anything like that???
I know weve got salvia junkies on the tx forum so please..help!!!
This message was edited Mar 10, 2010 6:34 PM
black and blue salvia cutting attempt
If the mother plant was in the ground, you will have more than you want! Be careful what you wish for!
I know this plant is considered invasive by some but I have rimmed it with a spade today to keep it contained. I just want some in other areas.. As long as I keep them rimmed and the suckers from spreading I shouldnt have any problems keeping it contained
Just keep the soil moist and spray the leaves a couple times a day, if possible. Black and Blue does not root as easy as Indigo Spires but it's still easy. Good luck.
When warmer, you may be more successful with just dividing the root ball of the mother plant. This has worked for me with several type of salvia and gives a larger plant faster.
Those suckers make nice plants.
D
When your mother plant is well established, you can literally pull up runners and stick them back in the ground and they'll take off. By "rimming" the plant, you may be making new plants without realizing it. Any severed runners will make new plants. This is without a doubt the most invasive plant I've ever owned. I've been trying to rid my beds of it for 3 years now. I pull up every new sprout I see and there are still new ones popping up all over the place. I don't know about rooting cuttings, but the runners will definitely give you all the new starts you could possibly want.
Crow
when I rimmed I cut away the offshoots and pulled them out I wont be getting any new plants unless my rooting takes off.. the mother plant is not quite big enough to divide yet.. Its just had one season so far.. probably next year Ill be able to cut it in half