I was away for the last 5 weeks and these brugs were tucked under a tree at a minimum 2 weeks before I left and because in airtight plastic bags the entire time, they did not need water or even any attention.
This is how I root my brugs and find even my most difficult ones root well like this!!
See how the leaves are wet inside the bag and even touching the plastic.
I opened the bag last night for the first time. I leave the bag around the pot in case it wilts and then I enclose it back in the bag again for awhile more. However these have been in the bags so long the root systems are probably well deveolped so I anticipate no wilting will occur.
They don't rot in those bags? What kind of medium do you have them in? I have a couple of hard to root varieties that I need to try this with.
I even use opaque bags, makes no difference in outcomes.
They come out like newborns, with wet, slightly crinkled leaves but a good healthy green color.
I have even done 7 foot cuttings like this. I cut them off, remove all leaves but the top ones, plant them up and stake them. Then I would put a plastic bag over the top and use the velcro to attach the plastic bag tightly to the stake making it airtight. Because the pot is not wrapped, I would have to make sure these were watered but only when dry. This one is about 3 feet tall. And to show you what a blonde I am, I labeled it a "big piece".........LOL! Now if I just knew a big piece of what!!
Immediately after opened.
Sounds like something I would do! I picked a pod today. I remember crossing it and thought to myself "I will remember". Yeah right! I can't remember.
a closeup of the leaves.
And just now, at almost 24 hours unwrapped.
They look great Kell.
That is amazing. They look so healthy. Looks like a new project on the horizon here.
Hi Susie! I didn't even see your posts I was so intent in getting all these up! I use my regular potting soil. 1/2 super soil, half MG potting soil. I do notice outside of the plastic bags it dries out fairly fast.
I love this method for you can just do them up and totally forget about them. For weeks and weeks. All these cuttings may have been dead by the time I returned. There is not even 1 rotted leaf in these bags. I have about 20 more to open up, some sangs in there also. I need to do my vulcanicolas this way.
I am telling you it really works!!! I have yet to lose one doing this. I even have done them inside in the winter like this. I have also brought cuttings back from the wilted dead when the stalk is all caving in on its self by bagging it in a wet plastic bag.
2 weeks ago they had a heat wave here when the temp was over 90 and they all seem to have done just great! I put them in TOTAL shade so they do not steam cook!!!
I am going to try that tomorrow!
You really have a Green Thumb! Those babies are just beautiful! Now, for RK.
If they all crook I do not want to hear about it Susie! LOL
I told Desert Rose to do the cuttings I sent her like this and they immediately died! LOL But secretly I believe she took a short cut! LOL
i might try that in the spring or fall, would cook my babies this time of year. it's 81F and 79% humidity at 11:00....90s daytime. the humidity is so high it's a like a greenhouse outside all the time here.
I'll try it later too Arlene. Today was beautiful, but tomorrow could be 90+ so fall will be the best time for me. I am going to try it though. I have one very hard to root brug that will be the test case.
Kell What is super soil and MG potting soil--I have to try that--you make it look easy and can I borrow your green thumb
Nice Kell,this looks pretty sure fire!!Glad you got back to unwrap these babies!
I'm glad to know this bag method works with Brugs, for when I get my first brug cuttings this fall! I have used plastic domes with almost anything, with very good luck. Years ago, before getting greenhouses, I began a commercial mini rose business by setting up a north-facing, very rough shallow structure next to my home, covered with white plastic. I got the newly stuck pots of cutttings wet, not soggy, opened the plastic once a day, misting or lightly spraying as needed. If worked as well as the more sophisticated rooting systems with timers and misting I used later! If it is hot, most cuttings should still be fine in full shade, or kept in the house!
Peter
I do not even bother to open and mist. Though I put water in the bag before I use it to make sure the plastic is wet but leave no puddles of water in the bottom.
Here are the full instructions if anyone wants to try it.
To root a cutting.
Esp a green one.
(I find a tip growth is very easy to root, and I think it is because it has its own high level of growth hormone naturally)
If you received by mail and even if it is wilted,
rinse entire cutting in lukewarm water, gently shake drier.
Cut a sliver of the stem off the bottom to get a fresh uptake of water. Place in lukewarm water as you prepare pot.
Take 4 inch pot and fill with your potting soil.
Water it well and drain it.
Make hole in dirt to accommodate cutting diameter. Can do so with a pencil by making stirring motion to enlarge hole.
Take cutting from water, and dip in rooting hormone.
Place cutting in hole in wet soil. Push soil tight to cutting.
DO NOT WATER!!!!!
Take a plastic bag and rinse with water, drain well. You just want the inside to have some water beading but not dripping.
Place pot with cutting in bottom of bag.
Blow into bag opening as you have it clasped almost closed in your hands. this will puff it out and keep the sides away from leaves.
this will inflate bag.
Close bag tightly. I find Velcro strips close it well and you can open and reclose easily.
Place in light place but NO DIRECT SUN!!! I keep mine either inside or under a tree outside. Keep in luke warm place so does not steam cook the cutting. Can leave like this for many weeks. When you feel it has rooted, open bag but keep bag around pot so if it wilts you can lift bag back up and blow into it and close for a while more!
I have left cuttings in the bags now for at least 7 weeks, never opened!
You have made a mini greenhouse!
I'm going to try this today as well. I can't believe that they didn't rot in there. I'm glad all your plants made it while you were gone. Your husband did good, LOL!
Wow Kell! That is really impressive. I was sure the leaves would come out looking like cooked spinach! And you left them for weeks???? They all look wonderful. I have a few shoots on some of mine and was trying to decide if it was worth bothering with or if I should just pinch them off. It has now occured to me I have a big zipper bag off a comforter. Think it would work with the large cell packs?
I knew I should have kept those zipper bags! I bet those would work great.
Wow, those look great! Humm... Guess I will have to try that!
Ms Kell, that is the problem most of us have this time of year, 90 plus cooking weather. you are so lucky to live where the weather is so moderate. your highs are probably our lows.
Kell you should put a disclaimer on your instructions.LOL Remember I tried your method and the temp was close to 100 degrees. Even in the shade mine got toooooo hot. I can still recall what cooked brugs smell like.
Desert Rose, read above and I even said yours immediately died! Luckily they were all the cuttings I sent you!
The weather here got to above 90, 2 weeks ago I have been told (which is very unusual) and mine all did fine. But we do not have the humidity you guys have in the East (thank goodness) and is it dry heat in Texas? IF IT IS TOO HOT WHERE YOU ARE DO IT IN THE SPRING OR FALL OR USE FROSTIES AND WAIT ON YOU l'AMOURS!.
I found 8 more bags today I had forgotten about under my apricot tree. They were labeled as bagged on 5/16 and 5/26 I think it was. In these there were some black soggy leaves but the plants were firm and bright green. Some had lenticles forming. And I NEVER reuse the bags for I am afraid I will introduce bacteria then.
It looks like I enclosed a leaf eating bug in 2 bags though I could not find any when I opened the bag today. Maybe they long ago suffocated and shriveled up!
But they looked great and had not wilted by the end of the day.
And I had 2 pots of sangs that rooted in the bunch. This week I will try my yellow and pink Vulcanicolas. A real test!
OK smarty pants I must have dozed off and I missed that part. And no I didn't take a shortcut. It's gets hot as diablo's casa here.
Kell, to day I am going out and trying your method on lots of stuff I have been trying to root. I think I am going to use the long plastic bags that the newspaper comes in to root some of the wisteria we like.
I tried to root the double wisteria for Glory in my McDonald's plastic cups and one after another rotted. I figure the plastic cups are the same difference as the plastic bags as both were air tight. So I wish you more luck than I had, Roz. Have you tried your rooting box? That works on same principle as bags. Mini-greenhouses.
I wonder if this will work with passion flowers? Maybe I'll try. I'm terrible at rooting stuff. If it works I'll be so happy :)
Poppysue, I used a drop of teatree oil in 4oz of water for the passiflora vines. Also if you cut the stem right below a node, it seals it and it roots better.
MaVie told me about teatree oil. Do I get that at a pharmacy Cala?
