Dumb question or a couple of dumb questions

About 6 weeks ago I took some clipping off my Camellia and I'm trying to root them. First dumb question, if the leaves fall off it didn't root and it's dead right? Next question, if they have leaves on them then they must have rooted by now? I have 8 out of 10 with leaves still on them.

How long untill they'll be ready to plant in the ground? Also I'm supposed to give someone a few rooted plants so how long until I have a shot at being able to mail them? I'm thinking once it cools down in October.

First time I've tried rooting something so no, I'm not mentally handicapped. LOL.

Not sure how quick a camellia roots, but a lot of woody shrubs take several weeks to root. If you still have leaves, then I'd say you're doing pretty good. Have you given the plant a little tug to see if it resists? If it resists, then more than likely you have some roots. I wouldn't count your chickens yet because if it hasn't shown any new growth, then it probably needs more time to develop roots. Mailing them might just kill them from the stress so I'd wait to cooler weather and/or new growth first.

When I've rooted azaleas, rose of sharon, roses, conifers, and other woody shrubs in the past I waited until the next spring to plant them in the ground just to make sure that the roots were strong and fully developed.

These kind of plants often root easier for me in the spring when they begin their active growth.

I find that cuttings often stay in limbo for a LONG time before rooting -- they don't lose their leaves, but they don't send out roots either. I don't know how it is they stay alive!

Camellias need bottom heat and high humidity to root. If kept cool they should keep there leaves for a month or two before rotting. This is one of the harder things to root. Hence the price in most garden centres.
Mike

I have them outside in the shade right now. So we're talking 90+ day temps, 75-80 at night and humidity is somewhere around 70-90%. I'm thinking that should work. What do you think Mike? I seem to always pick the hardest thing to do, I have a bad talent for that.

Think its the bottom heat that makes them root. And possibly even higher humidity than that.
Have fun
Mike

corehhi, In our heat and humidity, you already live in a greenhouse. Woody plants generally root easily in our area. Most of the camellia propagators I know usually take cuttings at the end of the normal camellia flowering season, but I try cuttings from new and mature stems from all kinds of good southern woody plants, and if I don't overcare (water) for them, they usually do well. As hcmcdole posted earlier, I would suggest allowing them to overwinter in a nursery pot. I leave them outdoors. Good luck!

Hi I sell plants & often use cuttings to propagate,Im getting alot better at it lately as cuttings arent that difficult w some plants..I notice that almost all of my cuttings lose leaves & will regrow new ones,I remove alot of the leaf now my grower is a professional propagator & advised me to remove 2/3rds of the leaves when potting cuttings to save plant stress of trying to keep all those leaves growing instead of puting efforts into growing roots,which is the desired results roots!! if u remove the leaves the cuttings wont wilt as much as its much less stressful...I just wanted to tell u that I saw your question &wanted u to know that if leafs drop dont give up on that cutting as new leafbuds will sprout & they wil grow new leaves...pull cuttings gently after u see a sign of new leaf growth to seeif theyre forming roots,don pull them up just a gentle tug &if they resist u can be pretty sure u have roots,wait till u see several new leaves before potting up & u can package the rot in damp paper towels & plastic baggy to ship as gift or leave the things in the small pot & put a baggy over whole pot (hold in place w rubberband) to ship also,I ship live rooted potted plants w both methods..lmk if u get extras too w your expeirments as could trade u for something if u ever get stuck w way too many rooted cuttings,as u get better at it u will!! try hydroponics too a small simple set up as my grower claims roots 99% of the time w hyproponics& only 85% the way youre doing it...Im trying both methods too to see what works best for me,as what works for one person wont always for another..have fun..jean

Corey, I usually air layer camellias as I haven't had good luck with cuttings. Air layering works well for me and I can see when the roots start to form. alice

* I use 'wet floral foam'
* stick cuttings with at least one leaf node in foam for root growth
* use a mix of H20 and H202 to keep foam moist, provide oxygen to the plant and deter fungal growth
* leave minimal leaf growth on cutting

When I can see visible root growth coming out of the floral foam I plant the rooted cutting where its permanent place in the garden (or pot) is. The plant doesn't suffer 'shock' because the roots grow through the foam and the foam breaks down after a while. That's my 'proven' method...

Jan

Jan, is the floral foam expensive? And can you buy it in bulk somewhere? (I usually root quite a few hundred plants each year. I'd consider giving it a try if it will save me time and/or money for supplies.

Thanks,
Shoe.

Wow! I had never heard of using floral foam! What a fantastic idea! Does it work on all woodies or just Camellias?

I think I've seen the foam in the craft section of Wally World, I know they have it at Michaels or Ben Franklins, and probably on eBay

What is killing me is I just threw some out that came with flowers , thinking I wouldn't have any use for it!

plantnutga

H2O2? Okay what's that?

Hydrogen peroxide I think.

Shoe: I buy the 'wet floral foam' at Wal-Mart in the craft section. I don't think that the price is expensive. I usually get a 3-block pkg for approx $2.00. I WILL NOT buy from a florist shop because they charge an arm-and-a-leg for their foam. I cut the blocks into individual pieces/sizes depending on what I will need. Tonite when I get home I'll take a pix of some of my cuttings that are rooting now in the foam (for a trade) and I'll also take a pix of the pkg label.

plantnutga: You can use the foam for ANYTHING (IMHO). I even use it for seed starting. I started my Abutilon (flowering maple) seeds, tropical hibiscus seeds, yucca seeds, etc. but I do keep the seeds/foam in a 'closed' container to hold in humidity. Did you know that the oven is perfect for seed starting?! LOL!!! The appliance bulb is low wattage and I put the tray, or two(!), in the oven (leaving the light on) and my seedlings are usually up and growing within a couple of days. Just don't forget to not turn the oven on. It makes a wonderful 'greenhouse' in the winter monthes!!!

Yes, ardesia, I use a mix of regular tap water (have way too many plants to buy distilled water!) and hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen Peroxide has many uses that we are not aware of...I have to use a CPAP (breathing aparatus) because of sleep apnea and it has an attached humidifier. I have been having a lot of breathing problems during the day because of the ragweed, mold (have had TOO MUCH rain lately) and dust allergies. Despite taking 'mega doses' of Benadryl I was still having problems. I found an informative website on uses for Hydrogen Peroxide (that's why I started using it on my plants) and it suggested using it in a humidifier to aid breathing. I added the hp to the distilled water in my machine and I am able to breathe with nary a problem! The website is: www.h2o2oxytech.com/h2o2-uses.htm

Later, Jan

Jan

I have learned so much already! I like the oven idea- it will be one more reason not to turn it on..... LOL

I never would have thought of foam for seed starting. Now my little peabrain is just clicking away. What ratio of Water/Peroxide are you using for the plants?

By the way, I understand the allergy problem- mine have been much, much better since I started sleeping with a BreatheRite strip every night. My LH lies and says it looks "cute", I know he's not being honest but hey, the less sinus headaches I have the better his life is! :)

plantnutga

plantnutga:

LOL @ "cute" re: BreathRite strip!!! My DH calls me "Darth Vader" due to my CPAP machine...yeah, it sounds like Darth but I can breath! I usually have to wear ear plugs, use a sleep aid, and sleep with a pillow over my head (plus a pillow under my head...sorta a 'head sandwich'!!!) because the noise that the machine makes annoys me but it (the noise) lulls my hubby to sleep!

I like the 'peabrain' remark (LOL) but no question is a dumb question...better to ask than not know, right?!

I use a ratio of 1/4 cup (2 oz) of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 2 qts of water. Also, I soak hard-shelled seeds (...Morning Glory, Hibiscus, 4:00's, etc...) in straight hydrogen peroxide for a couple of hours. It excellerates the germination process-which is why most of my seedlings are growing within a couple of days.

I get achy feet a lot and soak them in a mixture of 1 cup HP to 1 gal hot water and, no more achy feets :)

HP will also give new life to plants with root-rot. One of the guys in my office had a plant that was overwatered and basically 'dead' and I got him to try the HP/water mix and the plant looks better than it did before! HP supplies much-needed oxygen to the roots and also will prevent/kill fungus gnats. Everytime you water your plants use the HP/water mix---no more gnats, no more root-rot = HAPPY PLANTS (and happy "ME")!!! Geez, I feel like an "infommercial" and I'm, by far, not an expert but, if I can, I like to help others avoid some of the mistakes/problems that I've experienced!

I LOVE DG---everyone on these forums is a friend!!!!!!!

Happy gardening and experimenting---

Jan

OMG, Jan, you are quite the infommercial! In a good way, not a "I'm a millionaire, you can, be, too!" way

It does make sense, oxygen is such a healer, and lack of causes so many problems....

By the way, I started using the Breatherites because of my LH's horrible snoring. He refused to wear them and I found out how great they are for allergies. The funny part is that we got him 2 extra-firm pillows and now he almost never snores. Lately he swears that I have started.....

plantnutga

Corey, this thread has stayed around a while now hasn't it?

About the "dumb question" - I can tell you what I used to teach my students in Freshman 101 courses. There are no dumb questions: studies have shown that if you have a question in class, at least 6 others in the room have the same or a related question.
I think this thread has proven that theory; it has generated a lot of interesting discussion, more questions and good answers.

p.s. Although my success with rooting Camellias has been dismal, I root everything else and start seeds in straight vermiculite with excellent results. I get awesome root depevopment. It is sterile and holds just the right amount of moisture for me.

Do you water with any fertilizer? I would have thought that using straight vermiculite with no supplemental fertilizer would eventually stress the plants.

No problem until there are new leaves which indicate there are roots. Then I might do some half strength fertilizer with a drop of superthrive in it as a foliar feed. The roots develop quickly and I am able to transplant them into a soil mix early enough.

Try a few seeds in vermiculite and see what a I mean about the roots.

I'll do that -- thanks for the suggestion! Do you like Superthrive? I never heard of it. I just googled it, and from the label it looks hokey.

The label is HOKEY! I can't imagine why they don't make it look more legitimate but I love the product. I saw them using it at a large and very reputable wholesale grower and decided to try it. I find it is excellent at preventing transplant shock. I also use it just as a general tonic and have found it helpful - with other nutrients, it is not a fertilizer.

Terrific -- I'll give it a try! Thanks for the advice.

ardesia: do you use the SuperThrive in conjunction with anything else? I was under the impression that it didn't do any good by itself but needed to be mixed with a fertilizer in order to be really effective. We all learn from each other, and other's experiences, and that's why I enjoy DG so much!

CoreHHI: sorry about "hijacking" this...

Horseshoe: unfortunately, our daylight hours are really shortening (...ugh!!!...) and I didn't get the pix I said I would post...We'll be gone most of the weekend but, I PROMISE, I will have pix to post for you on Mon (18th).

Have a great weekend all and, HAPPY GARDENING!!!

Jan

All sorts of useful info in this thread. I have a few things to try next year.

Jan, I do use it alone whenever I plant anything. Also, if I have accidentally let a container get too dry I water with a ST solution and it really helps. When you try that with plain water sometimes it works perfectly and the plant revives and looks healthy, other times the plant will not revive; with the ST it always comes right back.
I also use it when I water root something, to soak cuttings before I stick them and in flats when I am starting seeds.
I think it has humic acid in it but I am not sure, those *secret ingredients* are still a secret. LOL

This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 1:48 PM

floral foam pix 2

floral foam pix3

floral foam pix 4

Jan Lynn try that picture thing again ..it didnt work the first time ..thank you Sweetie

There have been some server problems the last day or so. Check the Dave's Garden forum for more info.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/dg/all/

floral foam #1: this is what the 3-block pkg looks like

floral foam #2

cuttings in floral foam

close-up of cuttings in ff

JanLynn: Those photos are great. How do you extricate the plant from the floral foam once it is rooted? Or does the foam just disintegrate?

Okay, thanks for the pics!

Are you keeping the foam in a tray and adding water to it occasionally to keep the foam wet?

Shoe.