This year the heck with dragging pots. I found that the $5 tall plastic kitchen trash can is holding a least 12 (so far) of my 5 foot cuttings, without falling over! I have the bubbler set up in the bottom and are ready to go now :) Can you tell I'm very pleased with myself?
Space Saver
Vi,
Can you take a pic of that for us so we can see how you mean? I think it's a great idea
I'm confused also....
bubbler- would that be an air source like a aquarium fir pump ??
And where did you put them Vi? inside? under light? in a closet? I've got to do this and I'm running out of time.
LOL We'll all be gathering around the trash can. What is a bubbler and what purpose does it serve?
lol!
What is a bubbler - is it that thing that runs the water in a fountain?? Ooo, oooo, I wonder if I could use my fountain for cuttings??? We think our fish might have to go in the GH, I wonder how the fish would do with the brugs, being poison??? The poison surely doesn't bother any of the bugs here...
Well, Linda and Jim, you two must not be paying attention at BGI school, lol! This was not my idea to use the bubblers, it was Lagata or Georgia's, they've apparently used it last year with much success. My problem was that I couldn't stand my tall brugs up in them, they'd grow crooked.
From what I've gathered from those experts, the bubbler (yes the aquarium type) keeps the water from being stagnant and gives off valuable oxygen that the plants seem to love--hydrophonics I guess.
I plan to keep mine in a cool unused bedroom with a southern exposure. Here's my 2nd set up, I've already been growing this Pink Beauty cutting in water for a month or so, it was leaning so bad that I had to cut off the top :(
A $7 airpump, airline tubing, and I like the bigger airstone.
I'm showing an additional gang valve with extra stones also.
The only problem I see so far is that I might need a second one when the roots get too big, (see what 1 month did?) I plan to go from water right into the ground in spring.
(I can't believe I had to take a pic of a trash can, lol)
Oh, what a beautiful trashcan! lol
This really is a great idea!
VI, Thanks for the nudge ...........
.............. I've been meaning to give that a try . I keep forgetting to get a small pump. Reading your post is encouraging (o:
Another space and labor saver ...............for those that over winter brugs in basements or closets
..................Last year a friend told me how he keeps large seedlings over winter and saves room * Not to mention THE LABOR*.
I had a lot of promising seedlings that did not bloom due to our super -short summer this year.
I dug or pulled them out (Some were in really soft soil), shook excess dirt off .
You can get about 4 or 5 in one 5 gallon bucket. Pour some good soil in to cover roots , shake to settle the dirt real good.
Give it a decent drink and let it go dormant.
I believe this should best be done at least 4 weeks before they need to come in , to allow time to recover from the shock.
They are now camping in the dining room on a leaf strewn drop cloth.
Mine are almost ready to go into the basement for the winter sleep.
sure hope this works .
I've been reading about it, just haven't set up a system. Where did you find the air pump for $7? Are you going to mix your cuttings? Nice trash can by the way.
Tropical Fish aisle @ Walmart
hmmmm wonder if a pond water pump would work. I have my old one that is still working. Just went and bought a bigger one thinking my old one died. Breaker had tripped for some reason
My Suaves and yellows will be seperate, haven't cut them yet :)
Good eye, Scoot, did I leave the tag on?
I heard that young brugs don't do well if yanked and made to go dorment. Haven't tried it, just tired of all the dang dirt and lifting, it's heck to get old...
Ha Vi,
................. I was so pooped that night of the month early freeze warning , and it was getting darker by the minute, it was either get yanked or stay out and freeze. I have a nice shaped sang that I pulled out to keep growing in the picture window. It's leafing out real nice.
Did you ever try hydroponics ?
I'm missing a favorites link I had for a home-made hydro unit I wanted to try also.
I might have gotten it from cindy w. ??? or one of the other gals at bgi that is into hydro.
It was made from one of rubbermaid storage tubs with the lid. ?? I think every one prob has at least one.
Maybe I can find another one on the web ('-'?)
Scheesh ! I prolly dumped it while doing some 'puter house-cleaning.
Just like sure enough when I clean out the closets , a couple weeks later there is something I should have kept ...... Oh Shoot !
Uh-Oh , rambling again, sorry ,
Later,§
Donna , I think the idea is to aerate the water using an air stone, I see one in the ''garbage can propagator" ...... lol
I never tried Hydro Scoot, but this already seems to work very well. Folks are still experimenting with stuff like Hydrogen Peroxide, charcole, and bleach. And, I can even start adding more light and Miracle Grow come early spring to get a jump start. I'm going for it big time, what comes up from the ground is one thing, this will be my other choice method, most everything is getting this trial. I wanna start with trees! Only my Versis and Golden Lady are in pots right now, next year I hope to have no more pots at all!
Donna, we posted at the same time, (I'm slow) the pond pump won't work, we want to put some air in the water, not move it. Those small pumps are cheap! You could probably run about 6 lines or more from just one.
Thanks Vi,
I will definitely do it your way next fall.
Sure will be nice to start out with some height the following Spring. =)
I think it was Mary that used the rubermaid container. If memory serves me correctly, she was growing tomatoes. But that was on the old server at BGI (I think), so I don't know if its accessable at this point. You might want to e-mail her.
Bumping this back up for a few of my friends :)
Here's a link showing some air pumps, and valves http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/NavResults.cfm?N=2004%20113029
This message was edited Dec 6, 2004 7:37 PM
I received my info re this super, bubbler, rooting system from LindaSC, who credited the individual(s) that provided her with the info, sounds like from this or a similar thread. I put my cuttings in a week ago, and it already appears that the sticks are rooting, plump nubbies and the water is clean and clear. The ONLY thing I did differently, was to add river stones to the bottom of the buckets, because I had previously had roots turn to mush. Don't know if the stones will help, but, so far, no mush...
Ooops, I thought this was a new thread, sorry about that - I believe this is the thread where I originally learned about the bubbler, from Vi, via Lagata/Georgia. Vi, how/why is the charcoal used, in the bottom of the trash can??? Are you potting them when you see roots?? Assuming mine root, if I pot them then, I'm afraid I might have to move to give them space, or maybe I can farm them out until spring...
Hey Sherry, I haven't used charcole, and don't plan to, maybe someone else could expand on this, but I think it's used in aquarium filters to keep the water fresher for some reason.
I am giving myself a big brug break and don't plan to pot up a thing unless I absolutely have to :>) The ladies had said that their brugs went from water to ground (or pot) without skipping a beat, so I'm giving it a try. They even had some of them in the greenhouse flowering before they moved out!
I do plan to start adding a little MG in February to see what will happen, and increase doseage until put in the ground. I'll also start increasing the light. As I said Sherry, this idea appeals to me greatly as I'm not getting any younger, lol! Those darn pots get too heavy and take up too much room! If all they need is a good rootball, it seems that they will sure get them in water or dirt.
Hahaha, Vi! I'm taking a bug brake, whew!! Next spring, beginning right now, I will be looking at bug control, especially caterpillars and slugs, which have been my major source of concern. My local gurus say that heavy cedar and, or cypress mulch should help considerably. Of course I've always used it, but I failed to maintain it, all the way through this growing season. I was bug 'free' for three or four months, and, silly me, I thought I was home free, only to be invaded over, and over, until my garden looked like a war zone. I vow not to be caught off guard next season!!! And, I'm starting early!!!!
Now that IS interesting! I used cypress mulch and didn't have a slug problem at all, wish I could say the same for the cats :( BT will be a steady diet for sure, my cats rained down from all the trees around, I was convinced the day after the hurricane passed.
Vi, the mulch instructions say to use it 3 inches deep. If you do, and if you add to it, your bugs will be greatly decreased. I started out correctly and in past years (before brugs), I used it correctly but, this year, because my daddy was ill, I didn't maintain my gardens appropriately. Cedar and, or cypress mulch, without dye, are favored for bug control. This week, I will put 2 sacks on each brug and my Upees....cross your fingers for me!!! The downside, for me, is that you have to pull the mulch back (and it ain't fun or easy), when you dig a hole for a new plant, and, if your beds aren't level, your plants are in water and the holes are very difficult to dig. Whew, I'm sure I gave you more info than you ever wanted, LOL, and sorry, ya know??!!
(;>)
Bless your heart! Thank you. I wanted to ask in another thread who discovered the bubbler way to do things. And apparently it is you. Cool! :)
I just bumped it. I too read about it from LindaSC. She also puts toothpicks in bottom of brug cuttings to keep them from rotting.
sidney
This message was edited Aug 11, 2005 12:58 PM
I would have definitely tried it in Tennessee.
As I recall Vi and Lagata and Georgia might have started using bubblers at the same time. I wish they would tell us how they came across it and, or if they created the procedure...I understand that there is another thread(s) on another forum about bubblers, but I've never been able to locate it. If that is correct, and if you know the thread, please post it, so that we can check it out. TIA!!
Here's some more interesting bubbler info. I found. I've found that this system is awesome. I will be leaving mine in the ground this year and heavily mulching. My FIL a couple of house down the road did his this way and they all had new growth as soon as Spring had sprung lol. So I'll give both a try. The only thing I need though that I didn't have before is the air stone. I was all good except that I did have to add water, (maybe because it evaporates and it was hot outside when I started to use the system) duh lol...but hey, lugging brugs in every Winter I'm sure is not something my back is going to allow me to do lol...and adding water isn't so bad. :-)
Sherry here are some links I found on bubbler system...and comments and testimonies:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/523147/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/519372/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/467661/
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/471137/
Hugs
Julie
Here is another Sherry, http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/479823/#top
then there's this one with more info. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/499349/#top
Hope those help.
sidney
Sidney, some great links there :-) I do remember Monika and the idea of how she put all her cuttings in glass mason jars and kept changing the water as needed, but I guess after seeing that, someone came up with keeping the water fresh without the changing of the water as she did....light came on, THANK GOD lol and they thought of the bubbler from a fish tank and how it keeps a fish tank water clean (well some) but mostly how the oxygen never goes out of the water because it's being bubbled in there constantly. Ya think? I think it's an awesome idea and it truley is a great way to save on space. :-)
Oh they are on my yard sale list for sure. I can afford several air stones at $.54 each, but will find a pump or two this week end.
Blaine sticks everything in his. Pretty neat.
sidney
Sidney, don't forget to get T valves, they are inexpensive too and in the same area at WalMart. I love the bubbler, and I'm really enjoying clear containers, so I can watch them root, almost right before my eyes...
I see old Aquariums on road side often. Figure they don't hold water any more. I will be watching for something clear and find a cushiony support for taller cuttings. I'm overwintering in the ground also.
sidney
Overwintering in the ground is the best, I wouldn't be doing this, if not for that, whew!!
Aquariums are a good deal from the road or a couple bucks at the garage sale.
Get them off the curb as long as the glass isn't shattered. Take 'em home and fill with water. If they leak, no problem. You can get a tube of silicon at the local HD or WM or something and fix it right up. There are some specifically for use with fish, but since it's for plants you don't have to worry about that.
If you get a gang valve, then you don't need t-valves. The gang valve will allow you to adjust the flow for each line if they are not all the same length or on the same shelf in the same amount of water.
Would the gang valve be better than the t-valve, since I already have the t-valves?? My lines are not all the same length. I've used up to 6 containers per pump, all with different length lines, all well so far, but I'm expecting to need more this fall, wonder how many containers one pump will service??