Russelia equisetiformis - Firecracker plant - cut root ball?

My daughter has found me a pot of Russelia equisetiformis - Firecracker Plant in Florida. She's visiting me later this week in central Arkansas and will bring part of the plant to me. It is currently growing in a three gallon pot so there's no way she can carry that large a plant on the plane.

Do you think it would be OK to take the root ball out of the pot, cut off a portion with a sharpe knife and trim back the plant top on this trimmed section of root, in order to get it here? I guess we have no other choice but if you know this plant and have a better suggestion, please let me know. It is a new plant to me and I want to grow it for the hummingbirds.

She just sent me a photo on her phone and it looks so healthy. Woohoo, hope we can get some of it here alive.

Mary

Propagation

The Brazilian firecracker can be propagated by division or stem cutting. To propagate by division, separate a section of the plant, including roots, and plant in a moist soil medium until new growth is established. Stem cuttings should be done in the spring. Cut side shoots when they are at least 3 inches long, and insert them into a pot of moist sand. Place the pot over a low heat source, such as a heating pad. When the stem cutting becomes established and shows new growth, move the pot from the heat source and place it in the sun.

mary, I'm curious if you got your plant home intact??

If not, perhaps daughter dear could split it into divisions and fit it into a Priority Mail box that way.

It's a shame that it may have to be 'brutalized' to make it to your house!

Let us know how it worked out. I'm curious. t.

tabasco,

Yes, she got it here in one piece. The airline allowed her to carry it on the plane in a carry-on. She trimmed most of the top off but left the root ball intact in the pot. She wrapped the pot, set it into the carryon and rolled it around like a baby! It's growing splendidly and already has a lot of the little red firecracker blooms on the stems. I'm growing it in a big pot. I'd like to take cuttings and see if I can root them. It seems to grow so fast, two or three little rooted cuttings in a big pot would most likely grow quickly into a nice sized blooming plant during a summer. It looks like the stems and blooms will drape over the side of the pot when they get some length on them, which makes it ideal as a pot plant. I like the spikey foliage, too.

Kay, when you say stem cuttings, do you mean the thicker looking stems that appear as new growth or will the thin stems also root?

Going to be fun to try.

Mary

thanks for following up. I'm glad it arrived safely.

It would be fun for you to grow cuttings....I don't do it well, but many people have great success! Good luck.