I'm also posting this in the propagation forum...
As part of my Master Gardener class, today we had a "hands on" propagation experience at a popular local nursery that specializes in natives. We were taught that the key with TIP and SOFT WOOD cuttings is to keep them WET until the roots develop. They use a mixture of 50% peat to 50% perlite. The entire trays are submersed in a 10% bleach solution before starting and each cutting is also immersed in a 10% bleach solution prior to dipping in "Dip 'n' Grow", then in the cell. The cuttings are then placed in a bench in a 75 degree GH under a misting system that comes on every 10 minutes until they are rooted! I was so surprised.
Anyway, we each received a 72 cell tray that we could fill with tip cuttings of anything we wanted in the humongous greenhouse. They will keep the trays of cuttings we each planted and let us pick them up in 7-14 days when the roots have formed.
Timing is of the essence. If they are kept wet for too long, they will obviously rot, and if not long enough, they won't make it. They also stated that this is the BEST time of year to start cuttings.
***THIS IS THEIR METHOD FOR ROOTING THE BRUGS THAT THEY SELL***
Thought y'all might find it interesting. I know I sure did. And, I plan to try it when I can find some spare room in my own GH.
Propagation class at the nursery today
wow, so tell us what you picked to cut on!!
Probably not much that you would be interested in LOL!...mostly deer resistant stuff. They don't have any named brugs beyond "yellow", "pink" and "white", so although I was told specifically that I could take some cuttings of those, I opted against it and chose some interesting salvias, some red lantana, several varieties of buddleja, a variegated lantana, a variegated salvia greggii with red blooms, red ruellia, garden sage, and a few other things that escape me at the moment. We have both deer and water issues here, so outside of my new brug collection, my landscaping tends to be with native and xeric plants. The nursery where this was held is where I buy 98% of all my plants. They probably have the largest salvia collection in the country. Hundreds of named varieties and cultivars.
wow, sounds like a great list!!! you had a great day!
Can we guess??
Sounds weird to me, I would be afraid they would rot with so much moisture.
Keep us posted. Very interesting.
Well, that's why I was so surprised, but this is how they've been doing it for the past ten years. With outstanding success, I might add!
I think that is why my plastic bags work so well! No rot!!! Very interesting Gretchen. How long before you will be a master gardener? Is it hard? Why are you becoming one, if I may be nosey?
I have found that you can do all sorts of things to you plants this time of year and they will do fine. The plant is gearing up for lots of growth. If you bonsai, this is the ideal time to cut the roots off quite a bit and the plant can usually take it were in another time of year you must be much more careful how much to take.
Kell, I would imagine that you're right. That too is why the cuttings that I have put in sealed plastic cups have rooted so easily. Same idea as a cloche, only this is not just moist, but wet.
The curriculum for the Texas program was developed by Texas A & M and is quite comprehensive. Since there is no national standard, the program differs from state to state. I feel very blessed to be in a place where I'm able to really learn some useful information. I'm taking the MG class to expand my knowledge of gardening. Just a personal growth thing, I guess. Typical Type A, with no job to go to. Used to be a volunteer Firefighter-EMT-I. I retired from doing it and my career in finance when I got married, then DH got sick. Taking care of him and this place was a full time job for 3 people, LOL, and I was doing it all. Now that he's doing better... Well I have a little bit of extra time, so I decided to do something just for me. Selfish, I guess, but its fun to be able to share some of what I've learned so that maybe it helps benefit a fellow gardener. Plus there is a lot of community volunteer time required in the MG program here, and I've always preferred to give my time rather than my $ when it comes to my community. Wow, guess you got more than you bargained for on that response :)
Oh, I forgot...the class is every Saturday until graduation on June 26th.
Sounds great to me! So glad your DH is doing better! So the program takes a year?
Gretchen, your course sounds really interesting. There is alway something new to be learned where gardening is concerned. Does the nursery where you do the course sell seeds as I am after some more unusual salvias. The course sounds a lot of fun and looking forward to hearing more tips.
Sue
Kell, thank you! And no, its only five months February - June.
Sue, they don't sell seeds. They aren't set up for that kind of operation. Slowly but surely I'm duplicating the salvias I had before I got married and sold my house with its wonderful gardens... I will try to collect lots of seeds this fall and you will get first choice of whatever's available :)
Thank you Gretchen, that would be fantastic. I too will have lots of different seeds collected in the autumn, so I'm sure we can do a trade.
Sue
Selfish Gretchen?? Absolutely NOT you are sharing your information with us! AND if this course makes you happy.. more power to ya! Everyone needs happiness.
I would call it more of a celebration/graduation of your husband getting better, and yall being able to do the things you love.
Thanks Shelly! That's so sweet of you -- I very much appreciate your words!
..."The entire trays are submersed in a 10% bleach solution before starting and each cutting is also immersed in a 10% bleach solution"...
Gretchen, did they submerse the trays with soil & all?
That was not done in my presence, however they stated that they do this with each tray prior to planting the cuttings. I guess they want to make certain the soil is sterile, and that's the easiest way to do it... We did have to dip the cuttings in the 10% bleach solution, along with our hands and scissors.
Well, I got to take my flat home today. Now if I can just keep them alive... I got blessed with 100% success so far. Don't ask me what it all is, I didn't write them down. I do know that they are mostly salvias, some lantana, buddleja, oleander, Pacific chrysthanthemum, copper canyon daisy...
Kaufmann, they look great. You did a good job.
The cuttings look wonderful. You must show us a picture later on in the summer of your yard.
Wow Gretchen, they look great.
Thank you all! It was so much fun doing it in the class, and even more so to see how good they look, now that they're rooted! Unfortunately, not everyone in the class was so blessed... I just hope I don't kill them before they're big enough to transplant.
PS: I started about ten tip cuttings from various brugs that same afternoon. I did not use a rooting hormone because I was too lazy to dig it out of my storage shed... Anyway, I used translucent plastic cups and covered them with the same kind of cup. I guess similar to Kell's plastic bag method. They have all rooted! Pretty cool :)
Intermittant mist timers are so expensive!! Plastic bags are more in my budget!!
Carena: I agree!!! This was done at a commercial nursery. I mearly posted to show how they do it. And, its fast and works. I am using the "sealed plastic cup" method for my tip cuttings and that works great too! Gretchen
I'd love to have seen it, I'm an info sponge when it comes to propagation!!
I love to do cuttings but the first time I did any, I thought they had croaked because they wilted so badly. I sure was surprised a few days later to see that they were fine. Actually, I was relieved.