even thinking about using floral foam to start cuttings! This method is used a lot for other semi epiphytics here...specificially tropical rhododendrons and i thought it would be just 'wizard'. Well...the cuttings rooted quickly...and rotted quickly once they started growing. From time to time I still find a survivor from that holocost...foam snugly around the stem and i peel it off and .........they burst off!!!
^_^....OK, I started it off. I have a whole list of other 'disappointing endeavours' .... yes....wrapping the ends in Spagnum Moss (which is how I propagated cutting at David Liddles when i visited. Iris marie and I did trays of them....and they lived and flourished. Mine didn't. Dunno why.
Let's hear some more lessons learned thru the 'back door'....anyone else ever try something they heard was SO RIGHT or figured out a method that was SO RIGHT...only to have it turn south? Any thoughts as to WHY they didn't work?...as in conflict with environment, no air to the roots, too much nitrogen or P or K in the fertilizer?....
When we can learn from our....'regrets'...they are NOT mistakes...they are part of the learning process. Right?
I regret........
for some reason i could put a picture with my original post...but I think this one is fitting.......
OK, as detailed in the Spring Hoya Swap Thread, I regret having been dumb enough to re-pot three-quarters of my collection into an unproven new potting mixture based only on the intelligent, anecdotal, evidence, or musings of one man. It would have been nearly impossible to predict such disastrous results - the complete destruction of almost 40 root systems. The only real survivors from this "experiment" were H. lobbi and and H. fusca, which must be truly idiot proof.
Doug
hmm ... I know I could come up with a quite a few "learning" experiences if I really thought about it. I tend to not learn from my mistakes right away, it sometimes takes me awhile to get it right.
The one I'm kicking myself about at the moment is with my recent cuttings from the DL spring order. I first put them in my regular potting mix, then after a few days took them out and put them in water, a few days later I took them out of the water and put them in moist perlite, a few days after that I took them out of the perlite and potted them in soil again! Arrrgh! Why was I being so wishy-washy about how to root them? I guess I was just sooo wanting them to survive having come all the way from Australia. I know they are pretty hardy plants but they were not happy campers for awhile ... probably thinking "@%#@* geesh lady, why can't you just leave us alone to get acclimated to this new place?!" I have FINALLY decided to just let them be! I looked at them this morning and so far so good. I think a couple might just make it!
Doug: I think I know what you are referring to regarding the potting mixture method - if you read about it here on DG. It all sounded really wonderful but I remember another person saying why try to fix something that ain't broke! And, I sure wish I would listen to that saying in my head more often!
I do use a very chunky potting mix with lots of orchid bark, lots of perlite and some potting soil. I have to have a soil that drains quickly because I found if I use just straight potting soil my plants stay too wet ... I water everything on my pool deck and the covered wood deck twice a week with the hose during the hot summer months and with all the humidity we have here in Florida some things will stay way too wet if I don't have a mix that drains rather quickly.
I sure am sorry to hear about you losing almost 40 or your plants! That is so sad. I guess we live and learn from our mistakes as Carol stated. From now on when I decide to try something "different", I think I will only experiment with one plant at a time!
Well I'm a newbie, but I've had trouble with using rooting hormones.
I rooted a cutting of h. australis without it; it took a month, but is
doing excellent. But when I got some new cuttings I thought that I
'should' use rooting hormones. So I got some and dipped the cuttings
in it and shook off the excess and planted in soil as usual. Every
single one of them started to ROT. I had to take them out and trim
them again and the second time around I just potted them 'solo'.
And they all rooted ! Anybody know why ? I know almost everyone
uses rooting hormones, without problems right ?
Paula
Paula...which rooting hormone did you use? Did you just dip the tip where you cut into it? Did you do anything differently????
I use rooting hormone with fungicide in it; Paula did yours have fungicide? I've never had a problem rooting with it. I also use an organic african violet potting mix to root all of my cuttings with. I would love to use it for all of my hoyas, but it only comes in those small bags and it would be too expensive to use. have found that woody stemmed hoyas root better for me in water. .
Blessings,
Awanda
hmm ... I don't know enough about rooting hormones to have an answer. I do use rooting hormone powder on a lot of stuff and don't know why the hormone would cause a cutting to rot. I thought rooting hormone was just to stimulate root production. I wonder, does it somehow cause the stem to take up a lot of moisture as well?
I think we need a scientist or botanist here ...
Awanda, do you mind telling the brand of rooting hormone you use? I have just always bought the stuff I find at Wal-Mart, will have to go check and see if it has a fungicide in it!
I bought mine at WalMart - seems they had 2 different brands. Will
check the brand and to see if it has fungicide when I get home....
Yes Carol, I just dipped the cutted end and shook off the excess.
Didn't do anything differently ????
I am wondering though, if the weather had anything to do with it.
It has not been warm or humid over here hardly at all lately.
Maybe my soil stayed too wet because of the coolness ?
Paula
One vine I tried to root like normal in my potting mix. Nope...
Next I tried rooting one vine in water - nothin doin. It just wanted to rot.
Lastly I tried it in a ziplock baggy, which I blew full of air. In 1 day
it had small roots already. Today is day 3 and they're looking
pretty good. I will give it more time in there before potting it.
Wonder if that has anything to do with it being an eriostemma ?
Paula
The brand I use is "Rootone" w/fungicide.
Blessings,
Awanda
I regret having regrets! I spent way too much of my life beating myself up with all the wooda, shoulda, coulda's in my life.....
Granted, I made the same mistakes as Carol with the spaghnum for cuttings....(And it really did work miracles rooting cuttings) But, I found all sorts of other uses for it and now buy it by the bails! As I mentioned the in response to Dougs's post, the coir was a nightmare......and I wish I would not have been so seduced by messenger or thought Superthrive was a cure for all plant problems....(heck, I was tempted to take a dose of it myself!) But all in all, it has been a fun ride and I have enjoyed the friends I have made along the way!
Lin, don't feel in the least bad about your rooting problems. My first Hoyas came from an order Carol and I split from Ted Green. I worried over those cuttings all summer thinking they would root in a week or so and I would have a full plant in a few months and am pretty sure I checked them every day with a little tug. It was not until I gave up on them that they started to thrive! (at least one or two anyway) To this day, when I get a Hoya cutting I really, really want and pay it too much attention, that cutting will be the one I loose. Who knows, maybe plants absorb our stress!!! I think the key is to chalk up losses and keep trying until you find a rooting method you are comfortable with and a little neglect is not always a bad thing.
I forgot to add that I am a big fan of liquid hormex for rooting. I dip cuttings in it, water with it and add a drop or 2 the the mister when rooting.
Mel
I agree with you, Mel...the ignored ones seem to thrive. I am a chronic OVER waterer!! I also use Hormex...and was told that is really IS the same forumula as Superthrive with a fungicide added in as the rooting agent. Seems that ST's patent ran out... I used to think ST was the best...I have tried Eleanores but I see NO effect on my plants....so I don't use it.
I always soak cuttings in Eleanor's before potting them; all of my cuttings from David have rooted. It may or may not be the Eleanor's, but I'm not taking any chances of not using it:-).
Blessings,
Awanda
Ok, I finally checked. My rooting hormone is Schultz 'Take Root'. Anybody
used it before ? I don't think it has a fungicide, it doesn't say. Do you guys
think that was the problem ? Maybe I should get a different one and try it ??
Paula
Paula...I don't think it is the rooting hormone...I think it is a combination of things all hooked together! There seldom is a problem with rooting hormones...(they call them rooting hormones, but I don't think they are a lot more than fungicide in a bit of baby powder.... tongue in cheek). There has to be something else..... if you want to call we can talk about it.