This is a great thread, Monika! Thanks for posting it!!! I have been trying to figure out how to overwinter the cuttings I want to take this Fall WITHOUT using my little greenhouse, and I think this will be the answer to my prayer! I'm going to do the PVC stands for my seeds and I can just use one of the shelves for cuttings in water. I love the GH, but we couldn't leave for even a weekend after I filled it up last winter. With everything in the house until Spring, I won't have to worry about the vastly fluctuating temperatures all the time! Thanks so much, Monika!!!
Rooting of cuttings in water glasses
I love this idea too Gretchen!
I would like to add, that the jar should not be filled up with water to the very top. They tend to rot in too much water. The water should stand appr. 3 inches high in the jars.
I am bringing this thread up again, because my growing season is over and its cutback and cutting season for me.
Oh don't say that Monika
that means I gotta cut back too......
What little summer I had was WAY too short
and we can have a frost anytime
I'm not ready for winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monika, I hate it so much that your growing season is so short. We'll miss seeing pictures of all your beauties. Many of us had a bad season this year. I don't feel like I even had a growing season this year. LOL I hope we all have a better year next year.
all this information is so helpful to a newbie, would you please answer this, I have a lot of seedlings sprouting under grow light, and florecent light, should I leave these lights on all the time.
Ideally you want 14 hours of light. Get a timer with an electric eye, something like you use fro Christmas tree lights. You can program 2 , 4 , 6 or 8 hours added to your daylight. It will turn on at dusk for however long you want it to be on.
Timers are around 8 Dollars.
I usually just set it to add 4 hours for the dark months and it works just fine for my cuttings and seedlings.
I have my timer set on 12 hrs, which is the natural day length. Since my cuttings are all in the Greenhouse, the lights are on only from 16:00 to 20:00.
Thank you, I have been leaving my lights on all the time, maybe my plants need a rest *S*
Just finished reading this entire thread & thought others might like to see it since it is time to think about over-wintering cuttings...
As a matter of fact, I copied and pasted Monika's posts and will save it for later reference!
Thanks all....
Monika...one question...how cold does your GH get? Not sure if I would be better off keeping my cuttings in water in a cooler room in the house or an almost freezing GH, if and when the temp. drops that low.
Thank you, Margie
they look like quart jars? and you have so many of one kind in each jar right, that's a neat idea, I've never tried rooting in water, always did it in potting soil, just did about 50 of them today to sell in the spring, but did it in potting soil and plastic cups, wondering which way is better.
kathy
i am not ready for winter either live in same area as crested chick lousy summer. all brugs are in the cellar for winter except this elephant ear.
picturelady, my Greenhouse is very cool in the winter. The temperatures range between 5 - 8°C and warmer, when the sun shines.
is the winter rest period for a full grown plant or for the seedlings as well, I now have about 15 plants about 5inches high, have good leaves on them and all potted. sure would not want to lose them now
Monika....OK...I looked it up...that is 41 F to 46F....I think occasionally mine would be colder than this. Maybe even down to 0 C. Would that be alright for them?
Found a good temp. conversion @ http://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm
It would be allright if it is only occasionally. versicolor-cuttings and other sensitive hybrids should be kept at appr. 12 - 15°C.
Thank you Monika...that will help be to decide where to put what, before it gets cold!!
Margie
I am so sorry that I missed this thread and potted all of the cuttings that I took.
Big question do I dare take any of them out of the soil and put them in water to root?? Or will I kill them immediately?
I would love to save some space and switch some of them over to this method if possible?
Thanks in advance Monika if you see this and have an answer for me!
if they are not rooted i don't see that it would hurt them but then I am a newbie *S*
Wouldn't it help to add just add just one tiny drop of a "root stimulator" to the 3" of water in each glass? (I have more time to baby each glass than you do)
Or would this actually hurt more than help?
Probably not necessary -- they root so easily!
Here's one of mine that I started in water a couple of weeks ago:
Monika's cool water method is to root & hold cuttings until planting time , when the weather warms for the next season.
Putting stimulants or fert in the water will most likely cause algae growth.
I woulldn't worry , Brugs root so easy, even then thrown in the compost pile or out in the woods they will start growing.
This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 9:41 AM
Gretchen, I mean to tell you that I could leave mine in water for years and I would not get them to look like that. How much water did you have those babies in? Wonder if that is my problem. Too much water?
I cannot blame chlorine or any thing like that because I am on well water. And no, I don't have a whole lot of other stuff (like deer urine) in my water. My well is 250 feet deep. If that isn't enough filter nothing is.
Jeanette
Jeanette, they are big cuttings that a very dear lady sent me (Ecuador Pink), and they are in about 2 1/2" of water. I also have them propped up so that the stalk isn't resting on the bottom of the container. I too am on a deep well with very alkaline water. I change the water when I remember to think about it... a couple of times a week. I've got to get them transplanted to soil. So much easier to take care of. These were the first I've ever done in water, and only because I was busy when they arrived, and then never got around to taking them to the GH... I hope this helps :)
That's right!! I remember you said to keep them off the bottom. I'll bet I am using too much water too. Guess too much of a good thing??? haha Our good water. Have you considered botteling and selling it?
The State of Washington wants to put meters on all of the wells. Can you believe that? Maybe if they pay for the drilling and all that goes into getting that good water.
Your plants are beautiful. Jeanette
Thank you, Jeannette!
Our County put that issue before the voters several years ago. Needless to say it didn't pass, but there's a part of me that would like to see it, strictly because it would cause people to be more aware of their usage. The county was not going to charge us for usage, but was going to fine us for wasting water...
Hey Gretchen, that is pretty cool. Thanks, Jeanette