I'm trying a rooting experiment.

Marilee ! Hi :)) How is your experimenting going ? Do you have notes and pictures to share please !

Here it is!!!! This was the thread that I was talking about. I took a picture of the leaves I put down. I can just about make out one root, but it doesn't show on the picture so I won't bother posting it. By the way, I tried the gel with coleus...there was no difference using just gel or gel with rooting hormone. I must admit that I like the get as you can see what's going on!

Yes I fount it for you Anita :)) Wonder where Taz is ?

Heh Taz where are you ! You promised to keep us up-dated with your experiment please :))

I have decided that I don't like the gel2root for AV's - since they take so long to root, the gel tends to dry out even with humidity and water. I do like it for other perennials and will try it this spring with propagating some for outdoors

Here I am. :)

I've got roots, people. Well, on some of the varieties. It is clear that some varieties take longer to root than others. I've yet to see any babies, but I've got roots, and for me, that's a miracle.

I've lost 2 -- Vespe Verde :( and Winnie the Pooh :(. They both rotted.

I've got roots at least an inch long on Ultra Violet Dusk. Those are the longest roots. Others are half an inch or less. But for the most part, I think my experiment has been a success. I think Jana Strathmann was correct in that you'll see root growth within 2 weeks. The process might have been accelerated if I'd had the lights and warming mat. I have neither -- just the light from Mother Nature and the warmth of the room. :)

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures but I don't have a camera. :(

Marilee



This message was edited Apr 6, 2006 8:01 AM

I had noted, somewhere here, that I was going to take a picture, but you couldn't see it. The roots are almost clear and wouldn't show on the picture. I had roots on one leaf and not on the other and they were both from the same plant. The longest root I had was ~¼" and there were about 5 of them. I did have heat and lights.

It's okay, Anita.

Some of the leaves I thought didn't have any roots because I couldn't see them. But when I pulled them out of the gel -- WOW! Nice long roots!

Marilee :)

Hi Marilee :))
Sorry you lost those two wonderful variaties . They sure are two of my favorites :))
Do you feel the extra cost of Gel-root is worth it ? Do you enjoy using it ? It's been a month or more now ? so I'm sure you sure see babies soon ! The days are getting longer and warmer this may help also . Please keep us up-dated.
Anita How do you feel about using Gel Root ? How long has it been sense you put your leaves down ? Is it worth the cost , making a difference from rooting your other method >?
Anita how is Hector !! I have not seen him for awhile I bet he's really grown. Do you have any new pictures please !
Thank you both for sharing your experiment of Gel-Root with us.

I like the gel2root, but I'm not sure the cost outweighs the benefits. The root time seems to be about the same as the traditional method. The benefit is that you can see what is happening. I don't think I would buy it again as the soil mix is a lot cheaper.

by the way - Hector is good and the babies are now in their own cups - she had twins! I'll update the pics soon

Congratulations ! Anita :)) Twin baby Hectors. I can't wait to see them. Were you able to re-use the leaf ?
I was thinking about if Gel -Root would be cost wise for a person putting down a lot of leaves down ?
Seems like it's fun for an experiment, I bet kids would enjoy using Gel Root also ! Plus it may help someone who has not been able to root before giving them fun success !

Oh I forgot Anita how is your weather. Are nights warm yet ? I have not forgot you I'll be sending you boxes full of goddies soon :))

I think the cost is worth it for me because I can see what's happening easier than if I'd tried rooting in soil. (I don't have x-ray vision.) Also, I can lift the leaf from the gel easily to check for root growth and replace it easily without causing any harm to the leaf and/or its delicate roots. For me, this is a better alternative. :)

Marilee

I finally started mine in the water crystals too :) I am curious to see what they do. I also put a few of the suckers into the water crystals to see if they will do better :)
I added a little soil to it for nutrients and of course vf11

Lorry are the water crystals the same as gel root ? I bet the VF-11 helps too. Can you take notes and pictures of your experiment please Lorry ? Where did you buy your water crystals ?

Nights are still dropping to the 30's around here. The days are warming up more around the 50's which is nice. I think you are right about the kids - they would love the visual satsifation of the ge2root

Why your still cold Anita. I think I'll wait until I have 3-4 nights in a row with night temps 45 and up before I ship you your babies and leaves !
Allison

ok Allison - I'll look forward to it!

Me too :))

What are water crystals? I think I have seen them at the mall before during Christmas time. Do you have any photos?

Jesse

I'm not sure Jesse. I am wondering this. Where they get them, how they are use, pictures :)) Please !

I bought the water crystals online...I think it is www.watercrystals.com :)
They are a water retention aid..the look like salt..add water and they puff up :)
I put some leaves in just the crystals and VF11 and I put the other half in a mixture of AV soil and the crystals...they dont' keep the soil socggy but release water when needed :)

And Jesse you may have..some craft stores carry them since people use them for projects..many people also use them in their soil for all their plants....when they are hydrated they look like little pieces of jello

Very interesting Lorry ! Thanks for the link and info/ please keep us updated on how it works for you :))
Allison

Rooting Gel experimentors ! OK where are the resuts, pictures , note please share :))

Taz I know april you said the cost was worth made because I can see what's happening easier than if I'd tried rooting in soil. (I don't have x-ray vision.) Also, I can lift the leaf from the gel easily to check for root growth and replace it easily without causing any harm to the leaf and/or its delicate roots. For me, this is a better alternative. :) >>>>
Do you have up dates one your experiment to share with us , note and pictures :)) To help us out if others may like to try it !

Good evening!

Well I have tried the gel and the water crystals and I am not happy with either....so I don't know if it is just me or what!

I found most all of my leaves rotted and I was told that was because if any water gets in the gel, it will cause rotting to occur. So that being said...I sprayed the leaf with VF-11 and made sure it was good and dry by leaving it out on a paper towel to dry. I think I have had success with one leaf and I must have put down a dozen leaves all together.

The crystals I haven't had any leaves root yet. I have had some die off as well.

Now that gel that is sold on ebay, I found it dries up in the pot and becomes hard so I have to keep adding water to it. I don't know if it would help to put foil on the top of the pot or not.

Hope some one else shares their trials and tribulations.

One thing I have found and it was quite by accident actually....I also grow orchids and this orchid which is a Phalenopsis I have growing in sphagnum moss.

Well I had this leaf which I was going to throw away and I thought oh heck, I will put it in with this orchid in the sphagnum....well I tell you it sure didn't take long for it to get roots. I was repotting this orchid to show a lady friend how to repot orchids and I pulled the leaf and there was already roots on it...I am sure it wasn't even a week! This makes perfect sense....moisture, built in fungicide too.

So I have some leaves in sphagnum and will let you know how it goes.

Joanne

Thanks Joanne ! For your help and unfo on gel root. As well and ea sy and too fast I grow babies no sense in me wasting money on this.
Yes I have heard sphagnum moss is good for rooting leaves ! How much do you water it ? Do you cover ?

Hi Allison,

Well I have only had that one leaf so far but I would just keep it moist not soaking wet. I am stil experimenting at this point but will surely let you know how I make out.

I just wish there was finer sphagnum...this afternoon I took some dry moss and was cutting it into finer pieces for rooting the violet leaves in.

Joanne

How about Long-Fibered
Sphagnum
Moss ?

I have lost a few leaves in the gel to rotting. Rats. But I have to confess that I've also lost leaves to rot when I've set them in the soil-less mixture. I'm very much a novice here.

I think I'm hampered by the fact that I can only use natural light from a window since I don't have the extra lights that many of you have. I don't have warming mats either.

I do have some good news. Some of the leaves I put down in the soil-less mixture in the beginning of February are finally showing babies. Of the 3 Painted Silk leaves I put down, one of them has little babies finally peeping up. The other 2 leaves are still alive and when I gently tug on them, I can tell they're rooted. I just don't have babies yet.

I also have babies showing up on my Silverglade Trinket, Milkyway Trail, and Buckeye Boysenberry leaves.

No babies visible yet on my 2 Heavenly Girl leaves, although they also appear to be rooted when I tug on them gently. So, we'll cross our fingers there.

I have extremely visible roots on some of my other leaves that I placed in the rooting gel. And a couple of them appear to be forming babies, too.

It is just a very slow process here at Chez Tazmin. (That's our D-O-G. It's her house, ya know. We spell the word because we've never told her that she is, you know, a D-O-G, and it seems a little late to break it to her now. )

I don't have any pictures to show you because I don't have a digital camera and our regular camera recently "bit the big one". Sorry. But the formation of roots and babies in the gel looks exactly like Jana Strathman's website.

Marilee :)

Congratulations on your babies Taz :)) Thanks for the update !
Now I do know a lot of people don't have lights. And I have all seven windows in my livings room and tables , end tables , speakers lol in my living room full of plants.
In my kitchen windows are full, and in my ( so called garden room ) I have a light plastic shelf my neighbor was going to throw out so hubby washed it and it is full of plants and about 100 leaves :)) It is my perfered way of growing but ran out of windows. lol
I bought my first leaves from Tina , BloomLovers before I light stands. I was growing some plants bought on Ebay but they were threw our home in windows or end tables with lights on. I had a house of lights about 10 most three ways lamps would gone on from the time I went got up till I went to bed. A house of lights. lol Neighbors must of thought I was nuts.
Then I joined a local group and learned. It took about 6 months to get some nice plastic stands are about $ 39.00 at LOwes/HD and double 4 ft. light fixtures are about $7.00 each. Hubby kept doing little side jobs and little by little lights were added :))
I've never used heat mats but we do run lights at night to keep the leaves and babies warm. But the plants on the windowsills were OK even when the many nights in their 30-40's . The year before every night hubby would take all the plants off the windows away from any cold draft. We do keep our heat on 68 but there is no vent in the garden room even though it is open to the living room it still gets cold.
If we won the Lottery I'd have a big garden room with loads of fancy light stands :))
How many of you other DG friends like to grow in Natural light :)) ???
Hope you get many babies Marilee !
Allison

A Great thread about using Gel Root

Thanks once again Allison for coming to my rescue in finding this thread explaining the rooting gel.Very Interesting and informative! : ) Nancy