I saw these little "sprouts" and couldn't stand it. I took them with a tiny piece of the main trunk's bark. They are less than 1cm in length. I dipped them in napthleneacetic acid and stuck them in vermiculite. They were then enclosed in a "mini-greenhouse" that I made out of a water bottle.
What kinda acid????
Boy! You could get hundreds of starts that way. You sure are a Miracle Worker! I don't think it would work for me, sometimes, I can't even get 2" pieces started. But I sure am learning the hard way.
Up north, I have the most luck with green cuttings/leaves on very top in water/waxed paper over top of jar, usually roots in a week, or less.
Cala you amaze me. I have lost 4" cuttings and I am not sure why. Probably too damp and yet others that are in the exact environment and moisture do great. I am still learning but it is hard for me to know if they are getting too dry, therefore, I add a little water because I don't want them to die. I know that is my downfall and maybe with experience I will be better at it.
Better on the dry side than too wet, Frannie. Let me know which ones you lost and maybe I can replace them. I'm starting to get a little short on duplicates, but there is always a chance.
S.
Cala,
I don't know if my fingers could pick up those small pieces.
Calla, keep us posted on these little guys. Good going....
Glory, tweezers would have been nice. I'm going to get a pair of long handled ones for this.
Brugnanny, it's very important to be sure your hands and everything that touches the cuttings are clean. Also, the razor seems to make a cleaner cut without the bruising of the scissors.
Thanks Shirley. I really try to keep them on the dry side by only putting a little water by the stem maybe every four days and for some this is too much as I have learned. I know now that I should not worry about them dying because of being too dry. If they have leaves and they wilt then I know they need water and will perk up. I have changed and I am trying not to worry too much about this . . I will not suffocate any more with giving too much care. I promise!!
Cala . . thanks for your information about everything being clean. From now on I will be extra careful before handling cuttings. I will also use a new razor when I get to the point of being able to take cuttings.
All of you are such a big help. Many thanks.
Cala - WHAT are you going to do with all these experiments? You must have hundreds by now ~~ Did you ever have any luck with the leave in the soil experiment? Did anybody?
The leaves in soil looked great for about 3 weeks, then just rotted all of a sudden.
I took more cuttings and tried a few different things today. I used kinetin, a growth hormone on some to see how they do, some in sand and some in vermiculite, and one batch, I just mixed it all together.
Calla,your starting to sound like a mad scientist(or chemist!)Hope every one of them take!!!
I thought I'd left all the experimenting behind years ago, but this has got it started all over again. It's fun now, grades or a job don't depend on the results!!
I love it ,think its great,and wish I had the knowledge to try stuff like that,I still struggle to root some pretty simple things.....
I took cuttings of butterfly bush, veronica and phlox today. I always take very tiny cuttings of them and they always root just fine. It's knowing which growth to take and when that matters with them.
Here is an update on the tiny cuttings. first off, I dropped the little mini green house it was in, and shook them up a bit. I then picked them out to check on them and 2 had rotted. The others are still good and have grown a tiny bit, one was callused.
I checked another group of tiny cuttings and noticed a bit of mold, so I will be changing the medium tomorrow and adding a fungicide.
I've decided that contaminants are definitely the biggest problem with these tiny pieces.
