Hack your way thru.
Don't be discouraged, Steve. I'm sure we all would like to see pics of your setup.
Part, if not all, of it might spark an idea or two.
Rooted Cuttings in water
LOL Dwdruley, 1000 huge brugs. a nightmare for most. LOL
I can see Steve's method esp if you are living in the areas where there is no frost so you can move them out soon and get them planted. I would think a brug seller would do great with this method in zone 9B or higher.
I also could see doing it for seedling that were really special that I wanted to see the flower real fast. I doubt it would be feasible for as many as I grow. But it would be great if it caused them to flower faster. This year I must get them going fast so I can weed them out and not have any hold overs again.
Congratulations to your apparently very successful rooting method careplus!
But like the others, I would like to see pictures and of course, more information about it. You forgot quite a few important details!!!
This message was edited Jan 27, 2005 11:53 AM
C'mon, Steve;
We're really a friendly bunch and with monica, Brugie and kell on this thread I can assure you you'll get feedback that will be top notch and possbly be of help to you in doing your "own thing".
I have noticed that after the cuttings are potted they take off!
I don't have space to grow all the cuttings in bigger and bigger pots until they go outside May 1, so keeping them in water is a good delaying technique. I hope they remain content until I pot the rest of them in March.
I had seeds that I started on Feb. 14 last year and I was pollinating the first blooms on August 7th. I had brugs from cuttings that bloomed much before that. If I were well off, had a landscaping business like you do, and a 40 ft. long greenhouse like you have, I might try your method also, Steve. I just thought I'd put in a plug for you since it is not legal for you to do it on this site, yourself. Maybe since you have so many of these white, pink, or peach brugs, you would like to help out some of the new people who are just getting started. I'm sure they would appreciate it. Sharing brugs, for postage, is the norm here at Daves Garden.
I like this thread, and i love hearing new ideas. Please, Steve, post us photos. Although I got a late start, I copied everything LindaSC did with the plastic buckets, pump for rooting, it's been in operation since Dec 15/04. Even before I located a bubbler stone, the brugs were rooting, when I added the bubbler stone, they zoomed. I had so many rooting, that i had to remove several buckets, because I needed the space and they are in my son's garage, doing as well as the ones in the greenhouse, with no heat, I think the bubbler stone really makes a difference. I have not changed my water, it is very clear, fresh appearing and, like Linda, all I do is add a little when it evaporates. I started this bubbler/GH project, to try to root odd and, or cuttings that were unlikely to root, for no particular reason, just to see if I could. Guess what?? Every single one rooted.
SherryLike;
As Brugie well knows, I am one of those who "are just getting started" and If you bought your bubbler stone online, I'd appreciate the link to add to my "learning" collection.
Thanks,
Dave
Hey, Dave, me too, newbie here, I have about a year's experience. Delighted to have you with us!! I didn't not get my bubbler online but I'm pretty certain you can do a Google search and find them. Me, I went to 6 Walmart stores, scattered around our area before I located them. I think they are like 2 for a dollar. Mine are tiny and blue that looks like sponge, but it's a stone. The pump cost about seven bucks, and you have to get a 'splitter' and tubing, I spent less than $20 to get started. I used fence wire I already had but I have removed the wire from all buckets except one and i really should take it out too - they scrape the cuttings. I'm going to figure out a way to put something sponge like on the wire to stop that. Good luck on your setup, I think you will really like it, of course, I love mine!!!!
Hey guys, don't you think it is time to strip Sherry from her newbie status???? Sherry, I think you are now considered an old timer, soon to get expert status!!!
I may have to get a bubbler system to get cuttings from red. That plant defies me!!! I did get one started but it took 3 months for it to put out tiny new growth. I hardly watered it at all. If Tom overwaters it now he is dead. It is a side sucker and the top Y got all shriveled. I thought it was a goner more than once. Then one day tiny green leaves poked out of the shriveled top.
And Brugie, stop bragging. You make me feel so pathetic. I am so glad you are growing some of my seeds. You go girl. This year I am out to beat you and Gretchen instead of dragging most of my brugs to the finish line in 2 years!!!
Hey Dave....you are one cool dude. I'm glad you are here. Kell....you have put me to shame with your seedlings. I think those that bloom quickly from seed are doing it because of the genes, not because of anything I do to make them bloom.
Kell, if you looked at the photos I posted, you can have anything from a large trash can (about $2 at WalMart) to a cut off soda bottle (free) for containers. One pump with splitters will keep about 4 containers going. If you want to keep your cuttings separate, you can do it that way (and I do understand the reason for doing this, I just didn't have the room). My smaller containers have only one cultivar per container. There may be more than 1 cutting, but it's the same cultivar). The larger ones are mostly seedlings that did not bloom and I wanted a large cutting to start the summer with.
Different members were discussing ways to keep the cutting from touching the bottom of the container - supposed to help prevent rotting in water. I tried taping to a stake, rubber banding to a stake etc. Finally I discovered that if you take a wooden tooth pick (the round kind, pointed on both ends) break it in half and use the pointed end to stick into the bottom of the cutting. This gives about an inch of toothpick sticking out that touches the bottom of the container and the cutting is not resting on the bottom. (did I mention that I'm lazy) I had 1 system going in the house and 1 system going in the gh. I soon found that they liked the cooler temps and higher humidity of the gh so now they're all out there. I have been very pleased with the results and I promise, I have not lost even 1 using this method.
Great info, Linda. Love the toothpick idea.
It's cheap and it works.
Yours look great Linda, just great. And you are so clever. I will have to try it just for fun. So you think it roots them faster than if put in dirt? I have a few huge brug standards in the brug garden that I want to cut low for allee trees in the spring. Maybe I will try it then.
Hey Brugie girl, I know you are a special brug mom so you won't ever make me believe it is the plants and not you! LOL
Tanks, Kell, she said, blushing like a school girl. I think, for an understandingly temperamental prima donna like Red that it might be just the thing. I deliberately started some really iffy cuttings, just to see what would happen and every single on rooted, and quickly too - I started them on Dec 15 and within days, it was obvious that they were taking off...
Kell, all of my supplies came from WalMart, the tropical fish isle and the kitchen ware. Not expensive at all. The wire was left from tomato cages I constructed last summer. If you try it, let me know your results.
I wonder if this method would work for Datura cuttings? Anybody familiar with this, please let me know & thanks.
I am sorry but I not familiar with Daturas. It is too cold for them in my part of the country.
monika;
I bought a "bubbler"...thinking that might improve my chances. I'll let you know.
Regards,
Dave
i've been thinking about this a little
the airstone bubbler idea is so logical i'm surprised it hasn't been used all along
anaerobic bacteria is one of the main culprits that starts the bottom of the cutting to rot
& keeping it off the bottom helps to keep some small amount of oxy saturated water around the stem.
the bubbler idea keeps the water even higher then normal in saturated oxygen
why it is used for keeping oxygen breathing fish alive :-)
i have seen someone somewhere using half a toothpick to keep the stem above the bottom
& i don't think i've read anywhere yet of bad results from the airstone bubbler, only success
this definitely is going to be one of the good ideas in winter keeping & rooting of cuttings
i'm sure there is far more to this & we will find out more as more people use the system
thinking outloud again
Dick
I put smooth, river stones in my plastic buckets. It took me about a week to get the rocks and there was some mush forming, used the stones and all is well...
SherryLike;
Do use disk shaped air stones that fit perfectly in the bottom of a glass?
I understand that there are some like these available and that would keep the stone right where it's wanted.
The stones I use are plain old, smooth, river stones, but they do stay put in the water. I don't know what a disk shaped air stone is, and mine do not fit perfectly in the bucket. LindaSC uses sticks/cane, duct taped to the bottom of the brug to keep them off the bottom. I had a terrible time trying to mimic her and didn't do it because I have different sized cuttings in that bucket and it would have meant raising the water level, whew, because I am told that we want strong root systems at the bottom of the cutting and that is why some people just put about 2 inches of water in the buckets. It is working for me, thus far....
Hi Dick, I use toothpicks. Look at that baby coming right off the bottom.
any kind of container will do, this is a cut off juice jug
and this is a soda bottle, looks like time to add more water.
check these roots
Linda
you make it look soooooo easy :-)
thanks
Dick
I see my cuttings in jars surpassing the same ones in 'bubbler' containers.
Roots are so thick they need to be gently squeezed together to get them back in the jar after cleaning.
This message was edited Jan 30, 2005 7:37 PM
Hey, Scoot, what the hey??!! Tell me about it, I'm looking for the best option, ya know??!! Also, photos, please...
Scoot
whats da secret ?
or....... what is the difference between the two ?
Dick
No secret Dick. I do just as Monika does.
edit out dup
This message was edited Jan 31, 2005 2:45 PM
Scoot, are yours inside or outside? Mine are in the gh where it stays cooler. Some of them are 5-6 ft tall, so in a jar they would fall over.
There in a cool room about 55 - 60 ° give or take a few degrees.
I've got my aquarium set up to try some cuttings. I think I'll use some gallon jars with air stones in them so I can keep the cutting straight and not mix cuttings in the same water. The water is bubbling away so it should be rid of most of the chlorine by tomorrow.
Oh. My. Gosh., Brugie, you are going to have some fun!!! Where are you getting your cuttings, from plants you've brought inside?? I've had some well educated gardners look at my simple, not well organized setup and they see what they see, but it just knocks them over...it knocks me over too and I set it up, I never, in all my life believed it would work - you are gonna love it!!!!!!
I'm going to set mine up if I ever get the time. I may have to hollar for help when i get started. LOL
Sherry, it is in my livingroom. After the fish died, I cleaned it out and it has been sitting there for almost a year without anything in it. Just being used as a night light. Yes, I'll use the plants in the garage. I have a couple of guys that want some cuttings and this way I can see if they will be good to send. Now, I've got to get to the recliner. I'm whooped.