I recently put cuttings in three different types of media to see if there was any notable difference in the outcome. This "experiment" is not the least scientific because the cuttings were from different varieties. All were placed in Kell's red 20 oz cups, kept on a seedling heat mat and kept moist with water supplemented with 35% H2O2. The one in the bubbler had distilled water with 35% H2O2.
This is Butterfly in perlite...
This is a cutting from my name-unknown yellow in the bubbler...
And the last one - and winner by a long shot - is a pink from Gordon H that I placed in Orchid Moss, thanks to the info provided by Nadine. This one had roots that held the whole cup of moss together all the way up the stem. Works for me!!!
Barb
WOW!!!! Orchid Moss?? Need some!! ~ Suzi :)
I've had really good luck rooting my cuttings for friends in Vermiculite, but after seeing what the orchid moss did, I'm switching. Thanks for the experiment and info. I learn so much on here that it's amazing!
barb, girlie-girlie nails! wowee on the roots, esp the orchid moss. that is very new to me.
kell's red 20 oz cups is now sort of OFFICIALLY: kr20oc. that's kinda catchy - - - to a nut like me.
=)
LOL Annapet!! If only I still had the girlie-girlie body to go with the nails instead of the old-lady bod, I'd be a happy camper! Ah well...
Have to admit I was astounded by the results when I went to pot everything up this morning.
For those who missed Moodene's info, the Orchid Moss can be found at Lowe's or HD (in my area anyway) and is about $4 for a nice sized brick.
I broke it up into a bucket and soaked it in warm/hot water for about 15 min, then squeezed it out just so it wasn't dripping. I put a wad in the bottom of a cup, stood the cutting in the cup and packed the moss around it to the top of the cup. Then I just put them on the light shelf where the seedling mat is and waited. Voila! Ve haf roots!!
Very neat experiment. Thanks for the photos.
Well I vote for the moss also. I will try it. Thanks for posting
WTG! I get almost as good results using Pro-Mix BX. Think I might switch. Can I ask what your time frame was?
X
By Orchid Moss I'm assuming you mean Sphagnum Moss? Not sphagnum PEAT moss tho...big difference. They also sell the peat at Lowe's and HD so don't get the wrong thing. If it is SM you can get it a bit cheaper if you look by the smaller pots and wire pots rather than by the Orchid supplies. SM is used to line wire hanging baskets instead of coir mats. Don't be surprised if none of the sales people know what you're looking for, lol. I went through 5 of them before we stumble upon the shelf it was on! lol.
Well .. Barb,
Great looking cuttings... all of them... great lighting set up also.. they all look like they are doing great...
I'm glad my cutting did well in the tests... could you tell me just which one it was that I sent that did so well... my money is on the one called big pink... it's been getting rooting complements this winter ... and is such a real avid grower/flower that that's what I assume ... I'm going to try the moss myself... looks like a winner ... at least till I get an aeroponics set up geared up for the rooting of things... it should increase the speed / root mass I get out of them... but the o really helps everyting... and the o inn all of your cuttings water is giving you great results.. the brugs are so moisture hungry... the moss will only serve them well when they are in the pots.. [ you aren't planning on unwrapping the roots from the moss then are you..
well it should be a great looking yard come summer there ... I shouild be back through the area to mothers about the last of June or the first of July...on my way to the plumeria conference in TX the first part of July.. hope to see the work there.. Gordon
Hi X. I'll have to check out Pro-Mix BX. I've heard Pro-Mix mentioned here before but thought it was only available on the west coast.
I received Butterfly and Gordon H's cuttings in December, I believe, and put them into the bubbler along with mine from the yellow. They didn't rot, but neither did they do anything. The room they were in is not heated and I think this was a huge factor in their lack of progress. I read about the orchid moss and asked Nadine about it. They were placed in their respective "test tubes" on Jan 22, kept on constant heat with lights on approximately 18 hrs a day, in a room which is heated. So, just under three weeks.
A question for you.. when these have recovered from any adjustment they need to make from being potted up, how soon could I begin using the GA?
Thanks,
Barb
Heathrjoy, this is the moss Nadine told me about and the one I got at Lowe's. It is a blended moss, so I'm sure it must have sphagnum moss in it.
Hey there, Gordon! The only ID you had on it was "pink". If you look at the pic of the light shelf, the gently curved one on the left is it. I'm looking forward to seeing it grow this summer also. No, I didn't even try to dislodge the roots from the moss. It would have been impossible to do so without breaking them. I did just as you said and put the whole moss "mass" in the pot and filled in around it with my special mix of potting soil. In fact, after I saw how well rooted this one was, I broke open the last package of moss I had on hand and after soaking it, wrapped the bottom portion of the other Brugs I potted up today. I'm glad you mentioned the H2O2 factor, too. Sherry is the one who got me started on it and it DOES seem to pull the roots out of cuttings. I will continue to add it whenever I water.
Be sure to give me a shout when you head south again. I would love to see those cats your Mom raises.
Barb
Hi Barb,
I'd wait a week or so, so the roots have had time to straighten themselves up. You also might want a control group that you don't use GA on just to see the difference. Don't get GA happy like I did at first, you get leggy brittle plant stems. I primarily use GA now to beat stubborn seeds into submission and to get seedlings and rooted cuttings to start growing. Once they get going, I don't use it anymore until they start setting buds. You're gonna feel like Frankenstein lol.
X
Hi Crystal! You're welcome. Good to hear from you again. :)
Barb
LOL! X, I can see it now... Thanks for the info. If that stuff will help me in my quest to raise just ONE seedling from germination to bloom, I will be ecstatic to say the least.
:-)
How long did it take ? To be honest I would be happy with any of the results .
I just tossed a German Hermon cutting , it fell over mushy .
Tony,
On hard to root cuttings or ones I don't want to take chances on, I get my best results rooting in a bucket of water with an aquarium aerator. I alway attach a bamboo skewer to the cutting with a rubberband or twist tie so it doesn't touch the bottom of the bucket. Since the bucket is in the greenhouse, the temps of the water can vary drastically. On average, I'll have root formation within a week, maybe a little more. The trade off here is that waterborne roots do not seem as strong as soilborne roots, so the cutting seems to go a bit comotose once planted until more roots form .. I don't know for sure, but I think that the cellular structure and nutrient take up of the roots might differ slightly between the two.
WOW! Great experiment and great info. Couple of questions.......what is GA? When you first put them in the cups, did you add water with the H2O2 then or just the damp moss? Also, how much H202 are you adding to the water? Do you just mist with the water and H202 combo or do you actually pour the combo in when they need a drink?Once you pot them, will you continue watering with the combo? Whew, I guess that was a lot more than a couple of questions. Thanks for all the info.
Barbara
Hi Barbara. Here is a link to X's thread on GA...
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/570232/
I'm really anxious to get started using it to see if it can help me overcome my strange tendency to inhibit seed germination and/or growth.
Okay.. now for answers to your questions... When I soaked the moss, I didn't put the 35% H2O2 in the water. I believe it would be okay to do so, but would be a waste since the water would be squeezed out, for the most part and the oxygen molecule is released very quickly in tap water.
I always use a gallon jug when watering, because I mix (as Sherry says) a "glug" to a gallon of tepid water. This measures out to be approximately a tablespoon per gallon. When I water, I always add a quarter tsp SuperThrive to the gallon, too, but didn't for the experiment. Also, placing them on the heat mat caused them to dry out much more rapidly than I expected, so I poured the water/H2O2 combo in if the moss felt dry AND based on the weight of the cup. (See? I said it wasn't scientific, didn't I?!?) Just be sure the moss is well moistened. When I finished watering, I would go back and pour any excess out, but the moss soaks the liquid up very quickly. If I had anything left over I would pour it into a bottle and mist everything. I usually do that anyway. I always add the H2O2 and SuperThrive when I water.. even when I soak peat pellets to start seeds. When it comes to seeds, I need all the help I can get.
Barb
Great experiement! Way to go, Barb!! I don't think we have orchid moss here.
:) Donna
Donna, see if any of your larger box stores (Home Depot, Lowe's, hardware stores with garden centers, etc.) carry long fiber Sphagnum moss. I'm sure that would do as a substitute, as Heathrjoy mentioned.
:~)
Barb
Barb I guess I will take my lottery winnings and go get some moss.
Whoa!! Just how much moss do you plan on buying, Jim? ;)
more on gibberellic acid .
http://www.crfg.org/tidbits/gibberellic.html
I love your experiment and I love that you shared with us. I am a visual kinda gal, who must SEE before it registers in the brain, lol
Thanks. I need to see something to learn it also. You can talk to me all day long, but until I see it, I won't get it!
And Tony, thanks for the added info on the GA. I bookmarked it to go back and study it further.
And btw, Delisa, I'm sorry I forget to say "HI!" earlier. I meant to. Am having more and more senior moments, it seems. :-(
Barb
Barb, wasn't it just a few month ago I got a d-mail that said "I don't know a thing about brugs!" Now just look at you!!! LOL!!
Melanie
I'm learning.. maybe the hard way, too. Check out the pest ID thread. It looks as though I might have a mosaic virus on at least one - and probably two - of the cuttings. Let's both hope that Miss Anna has been far enough away to not catch it. As soon as they leaf out we'll know.
Barb
I sure will try this moss, Barb. Though as spring approaches, it gets so easy to root them again. I could have used this in November! I do not think I have seen this moss at Lowes or HD here.
Does this look like it?
Wish I'd known about it in November to tell ya!! Yep, that looks similar, but looks more like sphagnum than this does. Could be because this is a blend of mosses. I dunno, but that looks like it would work. This stuff doesn't weigh anything dry but it sure will soak up a lot of liquid.
The lottery was $5.
Well, that will get you one package of moss with enough left over to buy a cup of coffee! ;-)
In one of my classes at school I think it was in Personal Finance it stated the second most popular thing when asked how people are financing their retirement was the lottery. Number one was 401K plans. $5 a week ain't much to live on. I might have to get a job. OH NO did I say job.
I am trying this method right now. It is supposed to freeze tonight and I have cut a few standerd type cuttings cuttings and put them in orchid moss soaked in water and Daisy Mae piggy poop. Put in 1 gal containers and put a plastic grocery bag and tied around the base.
Must be a lovely setup to look at, Delisa. Daisy Mae piggy poop and plastic grocery bag tied onto bottom..........."the latest". Keep us posted.
LOL Gloria. It is lovely compared to what would have happend to them outside tonight. We are probably going to have temps in the twenties for two nights in a row. I was just hoping it wasnt going to happen this year. I have been cutting trees (brugs) all afternoon.
