About 2 weeks ago I received cuttings from David Liddle...and have generally been very successful rooting them in pots....but this time I tried something new:
I filled a potting tray, with holes in the bottom and about 3"-4" deep, with the lower half in straight perlite and the top half in a VERY lose mixture of perlite and peatmoss.
Cutting the received cuttings into 2 2-node cuttings, when possible, I pushed them into the mixture at a 45deg. angle with their tags...in small groups of the same species. Some were buried 4 - 5" up the stem. When the cutting was particularly heavy, I put a little piece of plastic under the top to hold if off the soil. I put the whole tray on the heat mat...kept moist (not soggy) and warm. They were placed where the light is the brightest...but indirect. After the first 10 days I added a bit of fertilizer into their water.
Yesterday I found GOOD roots had formed. In some places they had formed below AND above the bottom node I had put into the medium...which I made two plants out of. I am really really pleased with this method.
The deep plastic saucers for the bigger pots work really well for this, too....
Just thought I would pass this on as a lot of you will be getting new cuttings soon, and I have probably killed more cuttings than the average bear!!!
Carol
Latest rooting experiment
Carol...if you get a chance...could you take a picture of this tray you used? I am a bit confused as to what kind of angle you had these cuttings. You said in some cases they were buried 4-5 inches up the stem yet you said the tray was 3-4 inches deep. Did you have them laying down or what?
I always root in small sized perilite as I have pretty good luck with that medium for rooting as long as you don't let it dry out too much.
Marcy
OK...will take a picture. Yes..laid the cutting in at an angle... That's why I put a bit of peat in the perlite..to hold the moisture...
would coir work instead of peat?
Sure...I don't see why not. I have thought to use the fine orchid bark as well...just anything to hold a bit of moisure...but not too much.
OK...picture of the tray I used. You can see my regular potting soil behind the tray... So, imagine slipping the cuttings in at a 45 deg. angle....
Carol, do you pinch off the leaves at the bottom nodes? I saw on Ted Green's site that he doesn't recommend people do this, but I don't know why....perhaps you could enlighten us to the pros and cons.
thanks, Julia
When I root cuttings if the last set of leaves hinders the cuttings ability to go into the soil in anyway,I remove them and after 3 years of doing this I havent had any problems yet. I dont do it to every cutting,only the ones whoes leaves prevent them from being pushed far enough down itnto the rooting medium.
dmichael
Oh...I have those trays. Only they don't have any holes in them. I guess I could just burn some holes in one & try this too on a few things.
Marcy
I go along with DM...and I try to leave the leaves on... with laying them in at an angle...I leave one leaf on the node, and shove the leafless side into the mix....
The trays are big...try using a plastic saucer that comes under a bigger plastic pot, sometimes I just by the sucers. I think the heat gets to the root area faster not having to travel up thru a whole pot.... LOL
Why keep leaves on the bottom nodes at all? Does it cut down on rot?
Julia
Julia...I guess it is a matter....for me....of not wanting to lose whatever greenleaves I can keep. It, I guess, is simply a preference. Whether it is scientific or not...I look at the node as a unit...with leaves. Remove the leaves and you have removed part of the unit. It is very personal. I have watch Ed Gilding just jam the cutting in the medium leaves and all....and they root. Oh well....they are going to, or not. Eh?
Ok, I'll try it next time I get cuttings and see if there is a difference. Maybe the less traume done to the cutting, the better or something....
I only remove the last set of leaves if I have to. For example I made some cuttings of H. onychoides recently one of the cuttings had the last set of leaves growing in such a manner that there was just no way to push it into the rooting medium with the leaves still attached and make it stay there so the leaves had to go.
I have often noticed though on a lot of cuttings that eventually any leaves that got pushed into the soil when the cutting was being rooted end up roting off anyway.
dmichael
Yes, I imagine they would rot off. But perhaps they keep pathogens from getting into the stem when they are on?
makes sense I never really thought about it like that!
Potted up another tray, using the same method I rooted for a friend. This cutting rooted in two places...so I made two cuttings!!! That higher root is about 2" long...!
Nice photo. So you made the cut just above the leaf? How long ago did you plant this?
I just tried rooting a couple cuttings without pinching off the bottom leaves yesterday...I'll let you know how it goes...
Julia
Yes, Julia...made the cut just above the bottom leaf...so it gave me two cuttings. Planted it up yesterday. There were quite a few cuttings this happened too...made me feel rich!!!
Carol