I took cuttings off of my only 2 Brugs last fall.
I have them in cups of water and buckets in various places around my house. However, only a few have roots growing. Some have the "White Nubs" on them, but no all of them.
Are those ever going to root?
What should I do? The one that have the nubs seem to be ok, they did not rot , I am just confused of why they are not growing roots.
Any suggestions?
Why arent my Brugs Rooting?
Water works just "ok", and only really for thicker woody cuttings. When you do use it, try using a very minimum quantity (less water is a better chance the cutting will take, but makes it so you have to stay on top of adding more water). They also don't do as well in a warm house and low humidity, even in a cup of water. Hopefully you do have decent water and no water softener. If you have chlorinated municipal water let it age open a day before you use it and don't change the water very often.
A better method is to use something like a seed starting mix (or sterilized high-qualitiy potting mix), mixed 1:3 or 1:4 with perlite, along with a sealed humidity dome (if you don't have a greenhouse), cool temps in 50's & 60's, very high indirect light or very close fluorescent light, and a light spritz of fungicide on the plant & soil (I use Chammomile tea as a natural substitute).
- Tom :)
Well I am very frustrated so I went ahead and potted them up prior to reading this post. I will how ever put a dome on them for humidity.
Actually I just put them in with my EE which are potted next them. I did plant one in its own pot
I have sprayed them and changed the water, that is why I did not get mites this time around.
Thanks for the advise. This is not the first round trying to start cuttings over the winter.
Try and try again. I must say that this time around I am getting better.
They usually get mushy and rot and end up having to throw them out.
Try and try again... I am glad I took the time out to bring the mother plants inside.
Thanks Tom. Will baby the one and put a dome and under the plant light..
My approach this year worked well.
Sterilize some light soil (I microwaved mine) in a pot, allow to cool, dibble a hole nearly to the bottom, large enough for the cutting.
Dust cutting with rooting hormone powder, gently insert into the hole. Pack soil down tight around it. Keep the pot warm (above 70 degrees), slightly moist, in a bright spot.
Consider dividing your cutting in half (across the stem) and trying both pieces in different pots, to increase your odds of success --sometimes it is just luck that's needed.
Cuttings don't root as easily during winter as they tend to go dormant much like the mother plant would do. I agree with the advise to use a lower level of water in the cups and buckets. Giving them bright light and warmth will help. I managed to successfully root all the cuttings I bought in October, but all of the cuttings were 3/4" - 1" in diameter. All three thinner cuttings died, but I was warned that particular cultivar was difficult to root. With thinner cuttings I have better luck rooting them by using 2 liter soda bottles turned into terrariums and placing the cuttings in about an 1" of water. I provide bright indirect light.
I would keep the cuttings at least 12" - 15" long because there is often some dieback associated with cuttings.If you divide the cuttings in half, given some dieback, you will end up with almost nothing unless the cuttings were unusually long.
Later this year, you might consider taking the cuttings earlier so they will have a chance to root before they start to go dormant. Keep them in water until they develop their white nubs and then pot them up in a well draining potting mix.
Betty & J, I use the lower temps because of the slow-growing winter-dormancy-mode that most overwintering brugs seem to be in here in the Seattle area now, probably also like in Alexandria where Katrun is. It does of course take a tiny bit longer than warm temps when they are actively growing, but seems much safer & has a higher rate of success for me. I haven't failed on a cutting for more than a couple years now. It has been 100% even for green cuttings and cuttings smaller than a pencil diameter, most of which have been taken in the middle of winter. It's working now for a couple 'Rothkirch cuttings' (which is notorious as one of the hardest to root) taken in mid December.
I sure agree extra high light (no direct sunlight) is the first key to making them take in the winter.
Here is how I make my domes out of styrofoam & clear cups. This was 'Santa Rosa' (finished rooting) and 'Daydreams' (just starting).
- Tom
You will find the ends of long cuttings yellow and soften --snip them back as this occurs. Using long pieces as suggested above will allow you to keep snipping.
What potting media are you using. It's difficult to see what it is or whether it is straight perlite. I'd like to try it with some of my Brug cuttings.
When you have extra rooted Rothkirch cuttings available, I would like to buy or trade for one. I have been looking for Rothkirch for several years now. The one "rooted" cuttings I bought and for which I paid a fortune, Had 2 small roots and it didn't make it.
Betty I think that one might have been straight peat:perlite, 1:4. It was either that or my seed starting mix (which is mostly peat), also mixed 1:3 with perlite.
I'll keep you in mind for the Rothkirch's Betty, but it will probably be a year or two since these are just tiny cuttings now. :)
- Tom
Thanks, Tom. I'll try your method soon.
I went ahead and cut my cuttings in half..some have rotted (the once in the Laundry room). but one actually has a new leaf growth on it.
The others I have in a clear Glass under a bright light are not rotting, but they do have any roots. I am going to cut them and try the above method on the once in the laundry room.
I actually have those plastic cups. I will try this and put them on a seedling pad to keep them warm.
Wish me luck. My collection of cuttings is dwindeling fast! Ha!
..Go figure..I shared some Brugs with my neighbor who is not a gardner, but fell in love with them. So I told her to take some cuttings. Well ,she placed her cuttings in a bucket in her basement in her laundry room and the grew and overwintered just fine! She forgot about them. Why is that? I guess just the right conditions and luck!
Here I do this every year and I say I will never do it again so I wont have to go threw this disappoitment!
Well she planted them in her yard but they did not recieve enough light to make them bloom. That part is an easy fix.
I think I should give her some of my cutting to put in her laundry room come this fall !!LOL
Go with what works, but do a lot of them
Sounds good Katrun, but you might keep in mind that some growers, like me, think that the heat from a seedling mat is a faster way to rot when used in the winter in climates like ours. :)
- Tom
grrrthumb, I had a few Santa Rosas too. But my tiny green house got too cool for them, apparently and I lost most of them. I kept one in the house and it is doing fine. The others ( I have about 8 varieties) are doing ok and like the cooler greenhouse better. Santa Rosa must be quite cold intolerant.
I have been looking for Grand Marnier for some time so I am in the same boat with you. If anyone has one, I have a few others I can trade.
Well Grrnthumb, I made a made my cups and started my cuttings and put them under highlight and on seed starting pad.
Not one of them took. I used the common red cups, with a clear plastic cup as a dome like yours.
Every single one rotted. :(
How disappointing, I was optimistic.
Thank god, I managed to bring my two plants last year. I have tried unsuccessfully to start cuttings.
I do have a few left in my jar of water. I am so afraid to touch them.
I think I will leave them in there and wait until spring and pot them up. Usually I start off with tons of cuttings and I am lucky to have one or two that make it through the winter in my home.
My plants are doing fine, no mites this time. So, that is a plus. I mist them usually 2 X a day. I have new growth, but the two plants sheds leaves every other day, due to in adequate light.
I'm really sorry Katrun; I did warn you about that seedling mat and warm temps, twice.
I really have had more success in winter keeping them much cooler, even though it's a little slower.
What kind of soil were you using?
- Tom
I know, I choose to use the heating, due to the area where the plants are located. For some reason its cold in that part of the house. I even had a vent installed to alleviate the problem. However , due to the location is partial covered by a couch.
I used perlite and miracle grow 50/50.
I tthrew in some orchid bark at the bottom , because the "Red" cups are a bit larger and I wanted to use it up. I thought it would not hurt. THere was only a tad bit of bark left figured it was a perfect time to use it. I wanted to replicate the same conditions.
PS> I also "cooked" the soil in the microwave to sterilize it, prior to use.
I
It's excellent that you cooked the soil, but if you do use a soil mix like that, even sterilized, the organics are still there waiting to woken up by the live bacteria/fungi on the cutting (although many do use organic mixes successfully). I like to use peat because not only is it nearly inorganic (because of it's previously fully composted state), but it also has truly antiseptic qualities, killing microorganisms on the buried surface of the cutting, which is very rare in a soil medium.
It is also beneficial especially since it will hold more air for an equal amount of water compared to any other soil ingredient. Only a tiny bit is required to maintain excellent hydration & contact with the stem. So that is why I recommed mixing it closer to 1:4 (20% peat, 80% perlite) than to the 1:1 that you had. You need more air. At the 1:1 you mixed, it is still holding far too much water against the stem and not enough air, making a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. In other times of the year, when the plant is actively growing, that might make an excellent mix.
An enclosed dome like that can keep near perfect humidity if it is sealed up, but it is also a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. If you use this enclosure method, I really think you have to switch to inorganic soil, switch to a *much* higher percentage of drainage material, switch to much cooler temps, and start using a fungicide spray (like Physan or the Chammomile tea I mentioned). When rooting in winter we need to think more like a florist preserving peony stems long-term in a refrigerator, than a gardener making cuttings in the summer; and have LOTS of patience. :)
- Tom
I, too, start rooting them in water when I cut them down in the fall. After 2 or 3 they have developed nubbns and then roots. However, there are some that only develop nubbins, so if they are still healthy (not gone to mush), 2 weeks after the others, I pot them tool. This has been very successful. I did bring one Santa Rosa in the house as it seems to be especially tender.
I have 3 Pink Perfeckton in the water left! I think I will just wait until it gets warmer. ( we just had some snow flakes falling here!).
I will take your much needed and great advice and use the peat and pearlite next time.
The good news is that ,I actually did have one cutting that managed to take. I also stuck a few cuttings in with my ("Elephant Ears). (I dug a bunch up and have 2 long planters and about 4 pots of them. This is the first time doing this as well. ( after reading some posts). Well, I put a few Brug cuttings, in with them and I thought they all died (shriveled up, but I just recently discovered that one is growing new growth (leaves) at the end.Yea!
It is just a plain white Brug. I am not sure remember the name, but it looks like it has a chance! Needless to say I am thrilled!
Kathryn