tiny cuttings roots systems

Here are some of the tiny cuttings that I rooted. These were the 1mm or less cuttings that I did from the meristems. They have really grown. I've found that the best rooting medium was a mixture of sand and vermiculite. The best rooting solution was a combination of IBA and NAA plus vitamin B1. I've planted these up into 4.4 inch pots now after first acclimating them to the green house atmosphere. They were used to 100% humidity in the domes where they were rooting and one must slowly acclimate them to less humidity.
These are starts of Peaches and Cream, and were started in Feb.

I am trully impressed. Great work Calla! As always your doing the impossible.

Thank you Eric

what a root system!!! I'm doing the same thing, but without the humidity. Mine won't grow as fast, but everything I put something in a dome it mildews.

Calalily...Thats not such a big thing......once I make Brownies...ALL by myself...from the box even!!! LOL LOL Jus kiddin ya..keep up the good work..and document all your research we will need it some day. ((HUG))

Eclipse, you many talents never cease to amaze me. I am envious indeed of Cala's talents as I am sure most us here are. I have gotten some tiny cuttings in soil to start, but Cala just takes the cake. Not only is that a hard variety to root, but they have such nice healthy root systems devoid of any soil.

Excellant work Cala and such nice roots on them. I tried to root a cutting off of the Suaveolens Variegata when I first got it and it rotted away on me. To be able to root such tiny cuttings is truly amazing.

I even had a few Harenhauser Garten to root. It was only about 50% success with those.
TiG, I too have mildew problems if I don't sterilize EVERYTHING including the cuttings first and even then I will get a mold problem. I usually keep an eye on them, disinfect the cuttings once more, and replace them into a fresh domed pot with fresh medium. Sometimes that saves them.

how did you sterilize the cuttings?

What an accomplishment! You must be very proud of those little cuttings. All your hard work paid off.

The only way I have gotten HG cuttings to root was to plant directly in soil. I imagine as with most things air layering would be the easiest method, but with your knowledge I am sure you could probably root them in water or a coke bottle for that matter.

I am a little bit surprised to read, that you have problems with rooting HG. Its one of the easiest plant to root, I wished, Charleston would root half as good. I am really interested to know.

HG is very hard for me, although I find the Culebra to be extremely easy and I have heard that others have problems with Culebra. Okay, perhaps I am discouraged as I started a tub of HG this winter and they all died on me. The ones I started in warmer weather fared much better. Perhaps I let things get to me too easily.

This message was edited Tuesday, Mar 26th 2:27 PM

I don't have Culebra so I can't compare..:-(

HG roots very good from spring until late fall. I wished it would bloom so good as it makes roots. Mine went into the compost, Mmes Blins ended in her garbage can.

Calla - you are amazing!

My Culebra is dying,all thats left is a tiny shoot and now that started dying.I took the little cutting and put in perilite.Hope it roots!

Ok, it looks like we need details on how Brugmansia roots Culebra and how Monika roots HG. They must be doing something right. It appears that a lot of us here could benefit from the information So, pleaseeeee help us and let us know what method the both of you use.

I think Monika hit my problem on the head. My last batch of HG that failed were started in winter. If thats a problem with HG then I don't feel so bad as the summer cuttings I rooted and sent out did very good.

Look good so great and you did so good skill.

The HG I had in the greenhouse bloomed very well and had very rich dark orange flowers. The one I had in the ground on the other hand did not bloom. I am guess that heat plays a factor in this one blooming. The more heat the better in this case. Still, I have not been able to set a seed pod to it so if it doesn't set at least one seedpod for me this year then mine goes in the trash as well. I cant keep a hybrid around simply because it has 4 skirts and a dark orange flower. If it won't produce a seedpod its useless.

My HG cuttings were started in winter and they were also very tiny. I started a new batch today and also EP to see how they do with this method.
TiG, you can use a 10%(1part bleach:10 parts water) and dip them in it. I've also used Benzalkonium chloride to sterilize the cuttings. I carry around either a container of alcohol or bleach solution for when I'm taking cuttings or pruning off leaves. I dip each time I change to a new plant. I also use a razor for taking cuttings. Razors are very sharp and thin. Scissors bruise too much and knives are thicker than the razor edge(unless Bill has had hold of them and sharpened them, but that's another story). If you ever look under a microscope at the edges of the cutting after cutting with a razor compared to scissors or clippers, you won't use them again.
I don't know if any of this makes a difference, but I think it does.

Cala,
If you ask me this is why I am stunned. You not only do tiny cuttings...you do them in winter. Razors are the best to use for grafting in my oppinion;although, I have never thought to use them for cuttings. It sounds as if I shall now though. Thanks for the advice Cala.

Calalily, I know an old gardener for tropical plants, that swears of tearing off the cuttings for better rooting.
I know, that this is the best way for some perennial shrubs or trees, but never heard of it by tropical plants. Orange- lemon- or whatever plants, he roots them this way - with much sucsess.

Monika, I do snap off my cuttings lots of times. With some things, that's the only way to tell if the cutting is "ripe" to take. If it bends instead of snapping, it's too new, if it's too hard to "snap" it's too old.

Please don't throw any away until I get a cutting of HG...I have wanted one for a while now...Pleeassse

This message was edited Tuesday, Mar 26th 6:58 PM

Deanne, I'll put your name on one, but you may have to email me in a few weeks to remind me.

HG is easy to root in summer. I take cutting and stick in in gallon pot after dipping it in root harmone. Use regular potting soil which has 9 month StaGreen Bloom Start 11-40-6. Plus I fertalize them weekly with a liquid fert. In the winter, just use heating cables and you will get the same results.

Cala, maybe it's time to try cuttings of Culebra. I love that plant and it seems that many of us have problems with it. Maybe you could figure out what we are doing wrong so that we don't loose so many plants. You do so well with all the others, I'd bet you could do this one too.

I too had poor sucess with HG in winter.Less than 20% rooted.I think it's almost time to try again.

knock on wood, i am 100% on culebra. i just stick in soil and ignore them. started one in early december that has always been outside, covered 3X when it got in the 20s. only 2 out of 3 on HG, think i overwatered one.

I have a question and I want this thread back to the top anyway.
Did you bury the "cuttings" or just lay them on top of the rooting medium?Was 1mm a typo or were they really that small?ok,that's two questions.
I have got to try this.I'm thinking 6mm "cuttings".A piece of plant material I can actually see.

G2S, yes, they were really 1mm, that's the stem portion, I cut the leaves off anyway so they don't count. I handle them with sterile tweezers and stick them into the medium. I've found that one part sand to 3 parts vermiculite works best, or agar(but sometimes it's not easy to find). I start out with clean pots, clean hands and disinfect the cuttings before sticking in the medium. Fungus and molds are the worst enemies of cuttings, so I don't want to give them a chance. OH yeah, forgot to mention, these containers are the ones made of the water jugs with the lids that fit right over the bottom part to keep the humidity high. You will have to acclimate the cuttings after rooting by increasing the amount of time the lid is off the container each day.

bump ^^

Calalily you are incredible. What you are able to do with the brugs. I had no problem rooting the HG cutting Gloria gave me. She had it in water and I brought it home and put it in potting soil and placed it in the shade. It was early summer.

dave, please don't move all these threads! we're still using them. can you copy a thread to another forum??

Susie can root anything.

Geee I do not remember this thread at all. So interesting. Yes, Susie has it in her blood! She is now unstoppable!

Its amazing! Susie did it! It proves the old german saying that trying goes over studying!

I would love to learn more about this.