Surprising success with a cutting

I'm a long-time fan of brugs, but new to propagation.

When we cut back our in-ground beauty before the first hard frost here in DC, I took a few cuttings to try --all "Y"s, some big from low on the plant, other smaller ones from higher points.

By all appearances, they had all dried out and were completely lifeless after spending a few weeks poked into a light, slightly moist soil mix inside the house, exposed to a bright window no direct sun. I accommodated DW by gathering them all up to throw away, but decided to keep one, just in case.

Well, I wish I had kept them all after seeing this one after three more weeks of total neglect (maybe an occasional accidental watering).

Any advice on what to do from this point forward? Any thought on whether/when this new plant will bloom?

Hi JPlunket,

Unfortunately I can't answer your question but your location caught my eye. I was born in Fajardo, PR.

JPlunket,
The cutting looks nice and healthy. Since your cutting will not go dormant, it could do with a bit of morning sunlight. Do you have an east facing window? Mine are in the greenhouse right now and don't go dormant either. Barring a mishap the lowest temperature mine will get this winter is 50ºF, but daytime temperatures can rise into the high 70s and even low 80 on some days. I'm still keeping them on the dry side of barely moist, but this year I'm giving them some dilute fertilizer now and then. Overwatering is your Brug's biggest danger. Spider mites are the next because they love low humidity. So examine the leaves every once in a while. A few are easier to deal with than a bigger infestation that ruins the leaves.

I don't throw a cutting out until it slips out of the pot with ease and the cambium is dead, dead, dead. One of my favorites, Creamsickle who had been in an 18" pot for almost a year, struggled last winter. First with spider mites and then "die back". By early April, it looked completely dead. I left it in the greenhouse meaning to dump the remains later and reuse the pot. Throughout the summer, it sat there as a testament to over watering. I never got around to getting rid of the rootball. It received a bit of water now and then, mostly out of habit. Mid-September, I noticed a small shoot coming out of the soil next to the old trunk. Right now, it's a healthy 1 footer with large green leaves. It will have to go through the vegetative stage before producing its first "Y" and blooming, but I don't care. My Creamsickle is Back! Here she is at her best. All her flushes, except one, have been a wonderfully creamy white. Maybe an occasional touch of apricot at the end just before the bloom falls of. I much prefer her this way.

Nice plant! Thanks for the advice.

I have a question bettydee. I finally got some cuttings to start. I don't know what they are but I guess I will find out when it gets big enough to bloom. Now the question. When you take cuttings from the mother plant do you usually take a Y from them or can you take just a stem cutting. They seem like they dry and die on me b4 they ever start rooting. This is the second time I have tried with them and out of 8 cuttings 2 started. the ones b4 that I had 6 cuttings and they all died, like dryed out and it was like I couldn't keep them hydrated. Can you give me info on what I might have been doing wrong or what? I would appreciate any advise that you can give me. Thanks

Let me address the name issue first. A Brug without an accompanied name is called an NOID (No identity). There are so many look alikes that it's impossible to identify a cultivar by using a flower alone and to avoid adding to the confusion it is best to let an unnamed Brug remain a NOID. Named cultivars can easily become NOIDs if the name tag is lost or you lose track of where the plant is located. I had a table full of rooted named cultivars planted in gallon containers become NOIDs in a split second last spring. The 4' X 8' worktable the pots were sitting on was upended by a freak gust of wind and all the pots and tags went flying in all directions. I managed to salvage most of the plants, but I was left with a handful of name tags.

You can take cuttings above or below the "Y". It really doesn't matter from where you take them unless there is a reason to do so. Some Brugs tend to Some Brugs tend to have thinner stems and grow more pendent like. A few DGers are taking cuttings from above the "Y" to grow in hanging baskets. Some growers prefer growing Brugs as standards and take cuttings or shoots from the lower end of the trunk or from shoots emerging out of the ground. In any case, you can root the cuttings in several ways. While many cuttings will root during winter. Winter is probably the worst time to try to start cuttings. The mother plant was probably dormant or trying to go dormant and here you are trying to coax a part of it to produce roots. Regardless of the methods you choose, that part of the cuttings that will producing the roots needs to be in a moist rooting medium while the top needs to stay humid enough to avoid drying up. While some people swear by their methods, you will need to find what works best for you. I've tried rooting in moss, potting soil and water. Water works best for me. The search function is working again so you can go into more detail by looking for specific methods. I'll provide a brief detail (Ha! As if I could be brief.):

Rooting in water: Place a few cuttings in a jar giving each cutting enough space to avoid getting damaged by the other cuttings. If you have enough jars, the ideal way would be to have one jar/one cutting to avoid contamination. Fill the jar with 2" - 3" of water and add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. Place the jar in a well lit location. Change the water every few days. Sooner if the water starts to get cloudy. I experimented with rooting gel and found I get healthier and sturdier looking roots. Bigger shoots and leaves. When the cuttings develop the white nubs. Pot the cutting in a pot no bigger than a 4" pot or cup. Water to moisten the soil and to have nub contact with the soil. Keep the soil barely moist until the new shoots show some growth. Then keep the newly rooted cuttings a bit more moist. If the soil stays wet for too long, the roots will rot.

Rooting in soil: Use 4" pots or smaller if you have them. The cheapest way is to use 16 oz. plastic cups with several holes cut in the bottom. Bury the bottom 2" - 3" in the soil and water enough to moisten the soil. Do not water again until the top inch is barely moist. You need moisture to root the cuttings, but the cutting will rot if the soil is too wet. Provide extra humidity to the tops by either tenting with plastic or placing cuttings in a humid environment such as on rocks in a tray filled with some water. Provide light, no direct sunlight.

Rooting in Moss: Use the long strand type of Sphagnum Moss. Place the moss in water to wet it. Squeeze excess water out of it. Place a strip of plastic wrap or Press and Seal on top of your work space. Put a handful of the moss on the strip. Lay the bottom 3" of the cutting on the moss and wrap the moss around the cutting. Then roll the strip around the moss. You end up with something that looks like a little sausage roll. Some DGers use cups or small pots putting a small qualtity of moss at the bottom of the pot, setting the cutting on top of the moss, then filling in around the cutting with more moss. Provide light.

Sphagnum moss has anti-fungal properties. A diabetic or someone with a compromised immune system needs to take precautions when handling the moss. I read recently that chamomile tea also has anti-fungal properties. You might try spraying the cutting with a strong concentration of chamomile tea before trying to root the cuttings. Without knowing exact what you did, it's impossible to say what went wrong if anything. It could be due to the time of year you tried rooting.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

bettydee, a couple questions....Looking at the picture in the first post of this thread, does the cutting have three "Y's"?

If a cutting is taken above or below a "Y" will it have to grow another "Y" before it blooms?

Thanks for all you help?

Jerry

bettydee, Well I tried the water with H2O2 and then plain water changing everyother day. Then these last ones I just put in seed starting soil . With the water and or water with H2O2 ., the cutting done what I would call slipping the bark. It was like the bark just slid right off of them and then died. I just got lucky with the 2 that has started I guess. I know I was told not to let them dry out and I done everything I knew to due to keep them moist. I guess when I get these ones I have got coming I will try the moss thing with a plastic covering for them. What do you think?

Jerry, the "Y"s you see are just plain "Y"s. What you are seeing sticking out from the bottom "Y" is the peduncle, the bud stem. The new growth is still too young to see the new "Y"s.

Carolyn, you didn't mention what sized pot you put the cuttings into, but if the cuttings formed nubs or rooted in water and the roots looked white when you planted them, then the cuttings probably died from over watering especially if the pot was oversized. It sounds like the problem lies not in the intial rooting , but in the transition into soil. It's possible that the seed starting mix retains more water, contributing to the danger of over watering. Cuttings started in water have to transition from water roots to roots that function in soil. During that period of time, not much water is being taken up. So if you water too often, the cuttings will just sit in water resulting in that slipped bark and the death of the cambium layer. Yes go ahead and try different rooting methods. Just be careful when you transition them into potting mix. Keep the pots small and test the top inch or so with your finger. If the soil feels cool and wet, don't water. It is best to err on the dry side. Don't feel bad about losing cuttings. Think of it as a learning experience.

I was given cuttings and bought cuttings through the Brug coop. I had a total of 25 - cuttings total in water to root. I root my cuttings on the kitchen table driving my DH crazy, but it's the perfect place to root. The table sits directly in front of a southeast facing window giving the cuttings very early sunshine filtered by mini-blinds. A few cuttings formed nubs and started to form roots by the end of a week. Over the next 2 weeks more than half the rest developed nubs, but no roots. Afraid of root rot, I added a squirt of rooting gel to each of the rooting jars. The effect on the nubs of some cuttings was visible within 24 hours — rapid root growth and large leaves and stout stems. Others took longer, but eventually formed roots. A few formed some nubs, but refused to root. I lost my Tootsie cutting to rot. I went ahead and planted the unrooted cuttings in deep 3" pots after dipping the ends straight into rooting gel. I'm watering those only if the soil feels almost dry. I can't tell if those cuttings have rooted, but they are still green. So there is still hope. Give us progress reports on your new cuttings.

I put all of them into one big pot. Another question now. you said you added a squirt of rooting gel to your water could you do the same with rooting powder?

Your first sentence tells me what your problem was — over watering! Pot each cutting in its own little pot or cup. I honestly don't know whether rooting powder can be used because I have never tried it. Usually none is needed because Brug cuttings root so easily. Does the powder disolve in water? The advantage of using the gel was it's clear and I could tell if the water was clouding up. Besides, I had the gel. See if the powder disolves without changing the water clarity. If it doesn't change the clarity, try it on one or two to start with.

Ok I'll give it a shot and see what happens. I'll also see if the rooting powder will disolve in water and leave the water clear. Thanks so much for advising me with this problem. I knew I had to be doing something wrong but I couldn't get a clear answer from a few people that I ask. I just didn't want to lose these cuttings and I know everyone talked about how easy they were to root but alas not for me LOL. I want to get more cuttings but I want to make sure I can get this down to pat of rooting them first. LOL I hate spending money for them and then lose them. I think I do want to try the moss thing though and see how I do with that. I may try several different ways to see which works best for me.