Whenever I try to root one of these guys, they always rot. Is there a trick to it that I'm not aware of?
I've tried this in peat/perlite, 100% perlite, and in just water but they always wilt and dry up in water.
Any help from you pros would be appreciated!
Rooting Brugs
I root 99% of mine in plain ole' potting soil. Just wet the soil and let it drain well, stick the cutting in as deep as needed and tamp the soil a little around it. Set it in a well lit but not sunny spot and wait. If it has the growth point on it, you might want to remove all of the big leaves. It might wilt down for a few days, but generally they will straighten up and fly right. Good luck.
I just did mine in water , I change my water every other day and clean the glass out real good .....
someone asked something similiar to this on this thread http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/465642/
the ones i have recieved recently i just stick in water. the greener the cutting is is usually harder for me to root. the ones that have some browning on the trunks are easier for me.
there are some great threads on here by doing a search for starting cuttings. good luck and look at the sites on the thread above. was some good info.
Are they green or woody cuttings?
the woody cuttings are almost impossible NOT to root
The green cuttings are sometimes a challenge,I only have luck with them in the spring and summer
For what it is worth, my input ....
For the people who have trouble rooting them in water, do you think it might be the "quality" of their tap water? Do you think it would help to use bottled water?
I've always got cuttings of something rooting in water and most of the time I am successful, BUT we have a well therefore no chemicals such as chlorine have been added. Also I change the water every other day, or so.
Judy
Burgie said to "stick em in the dirt" so that is what I did (being of that persuasion myself.) Most of them have been just fine. I have trouble transfering from a watery home to potting soil-probably because it is so hard to keep things miost in my zone.
I am very, very new to brugs so I will qualify everything with that! :)
This picture is of my 3 week old brug cuttings- first ones I have ever had. I got them 3 weeks ago and they were still green, but felt kind of "woody" and the little nubs that turn white once you put them in water were already very fat. Felt like reading braile! So I put them in regular tap water for 2 weeks. At that point they had some roots so I put them in plastic drinking cups w/ slits in the bottom in Miracle Gro potting mix. That's all I had so that's what I used. I did soak it through and let it drain all the way before putting the cuttings in. That was a week ago and I still haven't watered them b/c the dirt is moist to the touch. They are in a west facing window, but I live in a neighborhood with lots of mature shade trees so it's not like it gets blazing afternoon sun. I also think the lace curtains filter the sun a little. These cuttings were about 8 inches long with no leaves and they were about an inch and a half thick. You can see the size and amount of leaves they have now. Once again, I think I will credit this to the quality of the cuttings I received rather than my personal skills. Ha!
I received more cuttings from another DGer about a week ago and started them the same way. They are in water right now in a north facing window. But the sun seems about the same on every side of my house. With all the trees it's a little different. I have never had problems rooting things in this window before, so I hope it's okay! So far these are all doing fine (knock on wood). I forgot to mention that I change the water completely every other day. I rinse off the cutting and the glass but don't "clean" with anything. Hope my luck continues to hold!
Jamie
They look very nice. Be prepared to move them into gallon pots after a while though or you will be watering one or two times a day to keep them going in the cups. I guess when I have to water daily, that is my clue to change them into bigger pots.
Thanks Brugie- I am watching for the roots in the bottom as a cue as well. I didn't have any of the red cups I think Kell said she uses, so I used what I had. That would be some kind of clear pinkish colored cups. The good thing about those is I can see the roots through the cup and not have to just rely on the bottom slit to tell if they are getting crowded. The bigger one (on the right in my first pic) has roots growing up the sides so I think it will be ready to graduate to a gallon sized pot before too long. Woo hoo! Forget blooms, at this point I am happy that I was able to root them and they are actually growing! :)
This is my first time to root them in water but it only took about a week after changing the water everyday and then when the roots started I planted them and they are growing bigger by the day and it was so exiting to see the new growth each day. I was pleased for my first time and now I can't wait to see them bloom.
Vickie
I received some cuttings from a fellow DG'er and I put them in soil as suggested and I am happy to say, they have all rooted !
charlotte
Congrats. You guys are all getting so good at this. I'm excited for you all.
Brugs are so easy to root. Only a few are tough. Remember wet + cold equals rot! The main thing is not to water until dry, even if wilted!! You can mist the tops.
I am having great luck this year by just potting them up and putting them inches from one cool light and one warm one on my seedling table inside. I am rooting the green tips successfully as well. I even have L'Amours and I think even my RKs have rooted, all of which I rotted last year with the greatest of ease.
My problem is they are now too tall and fat for my seedling shelf! I am trying to figure out how to sweet talk my DDH into building me a new seedling rack!
Buy the stuff to make it
act helpless when you pretend to do it
and he will take it over
Lol. I like the way you think Karyn.