Do Brugmansias cuttings root? If so how do I go about it?
Do cuttings root?
In zone 9A you can just run over the plant with your lawn mower,spray some water on it and run for your life.Or,you can cut a 6-8 inch piece of semi-hardwood with at least two nodes and stick it just about any kind of potting soil.Remove every leaf,water until soil is saturated then let dry before watering again.Some people go to extra trouble and start their cuttings in water.When these form little white nubs(expanded lenticels),remove and place in soil.You can also root completely in water but the roots will be weak and the plant will need to form more roots before really taking off.
Well.. brown wood roots easiest.. and the thicker the easiest.. take a bit about 8-10 "and place the bottom end in water.. change the water daily... a small aquarium air pump helps.. as it keeps the water fresher and it doesn't have to be changed as often.. and gets them to root faster.. some folks add a bit of hydrogen peroxide to the water ... this gives O2 to the water.. and combats fungus and mold..
Personally.. I don't wait for roots to form.. as they are water roots and not real strong.. or are they used to being in dirt..
I pull the cutting out of the water when I see white bumps forming on it... these are the places where roots might develop... but the bumps are enough of a start... I then put the cutting in a smallish pot.. so the soil might dry out faster.. water it at first.. then whenever it seems dry... it will soon make leaves and rooting will be well underway ..
you can use the Daves search field on the brugmansia page.. and ask for brugmansia cutting rooting you'll get pages of suggestions
Thanks ya'll.
April
Brugmansia cuttings are very easy to root during most of the year. It's a bit more difficult to get them to root in winter, but it can be done. Cuttings from mature branches will root more easily than green or more herbaceous cuttings, which take longer and have a tendency to rot.
Take cuttings that have 3 or more nodes. Remove all but the smallest leaves. Place the cuttings in a container filled with 2" - 4" of water and about 1/4 tsp hydrogen peroxide ( I don't really measure. I check to see if some oxygen bubbles have formed on the container walls.) Place the container near a window so it gets bright indirect sunlight. Change the water every few days, sooner if the water starts to get cloudy. The portion of the stem that is underwater will develop white nubs that look like exploded tissue. The roots will develop from those nubs. At this stage, you can plant the cuttings into small pots or 16 oz plastic cups that have holes punched out for drainage. Or you can allow some roots to form. Roots developed in water are different than roots that develop in soil. As the cuttings make the transition, new roots will develop and the water roots will die. Until new growth appears and the rooted cuttings start to grow vigorously, they are vulnerable to root rot. Keep the soil barely moist.
quote: In zone 9A you can just run over the plant with your lawn mower,spray some water on it and run for your life.
hahahaaaaaaaa.
I don't go to any trouble to root brug cuttings. It's easiest for me to just stick a cutting in a 6 inch pot of good moist potting soil, mark it with the name, and keep it in the shade until it takes root. Watering only when it begins to dry out. Rooting usually happens in two or three weeks. Cuttings always seem to root easier for me when the daylight hours are longer than the night hours. As you can see, there are many ways to root cuttings...personally, I love the lawnmower method. LOL!
I have two growing which I rooted and actually didn't even get planted out last summer at all! They stayed in the water in a vase in the kitchen. Finally, this fall I put them in a pot to carry over the winter and they are growing like crazy. Can't wait to get the babies planted outside and see (hopefully) them bloom.
gonetoseed....I love your lawnmower line! That is really making me crack up! It is so true.
April - I find brugmansias to be very easy to grow from cuttings. As others have said above, I've used both the water method and the "throw it in a pot" method and I have yet to have one not grow just fine. Best of luck!
Hey double-trouble, you might find this germane: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/942583/
gone2seeds, I had to laugh at your instruction! :)
Ditto...funny how we baby plants to begin with only to find out they do their thing w/o much assistance much of the time...LOL
If you keep the plants watered,and free of tiny livestock,they are hard to kill.In the tropics I suspect they are weeds.
Trouble... thank you for asking... I love it when someone else asks a question that I'm too embarrassed to ask. Thank you to those who responded.
I tend to collect plants, but never know what to do with them other than watering and fertilizing and bringing them in out of the cold.
chantell, i definitely have killed more plants with TLC than with benign neglect.