Hi all~
I have a question regarding unrooted cuttings for trade. I have been asked for, and would love to offer and recieve unrooted cuttings. But I am unsure of how this is best done. I have been on both the sending, and recieving end of plant, seed and rooted cutting trades - but I have never worked with unrooted cuttings. I will be taking cuttings to root for possible Fall trades, but if someone wants unrooted cuttings what is the best way to do this? My thought was do it just like I would if I was going to root them, then ship - but I then thought I should seek advice, opinions before sending any this way! Are there plants this works better with than others? Should they be dipped in rooting hormone, put is a rooting mix and shipped? Just kept moist and shipped in as little time as possible? Is there a season that is best for this? Does the success rate for rooting cuttings taken days before even justify the shipping, or is this not a very good way to do trading - just stick w/ rooted cuttings?
I look forward to any thoughts, experiences and/or opinions anyone would share with me, as well as any techniques that have worked for you! I have had a great time trading plants, some seeds and rooted cuttings - but this unrooted cutting thing is new to me and I want to do it right!
Thanks in advance for your time! And Happy Trading!!^_^
Jamie
Cutting trading question - advice needed please!
HI, i'm not very experienced with unrooted cuttings, but I would basically send them the same way as rooted cuttings. I would wrap the bottom of cuttings in moist papertowels and then wrap in plastic so they stay moist. I personally wouldn't put rooting hormone on them till I was ready to plant, but i'm no expert - this is just how I would do it. I don't know enough about all plants to say when is the best time to take cuttings. I know with roses, you can do them pretty much anytime, even when they are dormant.
Some people don't mind getting unrooted cuttings, so i guess it depends on what people you are trading with want. Many people don't want to be bothered rooting cuttings but i've had pretty good luck with what i've tried.
Have a good night
I don't trade for unrooted cuttings (unless its Hoyas or Plumerias) and I don't offer them to trade either. The reason why is, I have bad luck rooting many things from cuttings, even things that are supposed to be 'easy'. And while some people are experienced enough to send cuttings that will actually ROOT many are not.
When sending something as an unrooted cutting you have to be certain the pieces you send have the ability to root. I have had lots of folks send me cuttings that have no chance to root because they were improperty struck.
well, guess this was the thread I needed. I too am new to rooting my own. So if most prefer not to receive unrooted cuttings, then about how long should I expect a cutting to take root before I can pot it and ship it? I'd like to get into cuttings and trading, but I'd rather not disappoint anyone on the receiving end with failed cuttings or start thinking about trading until I know for sure I'll have plants to trade.
I guess what I'm looking for is a rough based estimate on the amount of time it takes to actually root a cutting.
I am not good with cuttings either. I have bought several brugs cuttings that have never rooted and I just wasted my money doing it, so I have learned not to buy cuttings. If they don't have roots I don't buy. I won't trade cuttings either as I don't know that much about how to take them and be able to get viable plants from them.
I am so glad I asked these questions. And am very interested in all your replies!! I logged on after about two days of being so, sooo sick and was thrilled to see your posts on this thread. Thank-you all for your info!!
I also have very low success rate rooting anything that I haven't taken and done right then. Even some of those don't root - so getting unrooted cuttings is not my ideal way to trade. But I do get asked for them - more and more often, so I was curious about how best to send them so the reciever has the best luck getting them to root. I always ask the person who is requesting them what they want - but just wanted some general info as well. Gothqueen - your statement about the cuttings having no chance to root because it wasn't taken properly is exactly what I am trying to avoid!! I always ask a lot of questions before I agree to sending unrooted cuttings - size of cutting wanted, location to take cutting from the plant, foliage on-off-trimmed, anything else they can think of to try to make it successful, but I don't have a good understanding of the process, so I am relying on them to tell me what to do. I ideally would like to understand the whole cutting thing better before I keep going with unrooted cuttings. I really don't want a bunch of people unhappy with me simply because I don't really know enough about what I am doing.
Thanks again all of you for your replies! I am off to find a good book that covers propogation by cuttings in depth ^_^
Have a Great Easter everyone!
Jamie
Many people don't mind getting cuttings. I think that people who don;t like to get them are actually in the minority.
I get asked all the time for cuttings from my Jade Vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys. I refuse to send them out, because, in all the years that I have had this vine, I have had exactly 3 cuttings out of maybe 100 root. I know people in South FL who say they are able to root them using a mist bed, but I don;t have a mist bed. The only reliable way I have ever propagated Jade Vine is by air layering very large mature stems.
It does depend I guess on what you are trading for...Begonias root easily from cuttings, but many things just don't, especially if the cuttings have been in a box for 3-5 days
This is the best money that I have ever spent on a plant book. It tells you everything step by step on how to take cuttings for hundreds of different plants or scaling bulbs or so much other stuff. It is not over your head. A beginner like me could understand it.;-) You might want to check out this book... http://www.amazon.com/American-Horticultural-Society-Propagation-Plant/dp/0789441160/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1239589673&sr=1-1
Great thread! Thanks,
Andrea
Andrea~ thanks for the link! I was hoping someone would chime in with a good book on the subject - I'm glad you did! Off to look at it now!
Jamie
I've had mixed results from cuttings sent in the mail, the most fragile seem to be things with watery stems, like Coleus and Begonias. I've found just wrapping with moist paper towel sometimes keeps them hydrated and sometimes not, so the last few times I've used those little water tubes from florists with great success. They don't work for large stems, like brugs or plumeria (stems are too fat to fit), but I've found those to root easily regardless. Tubes for shipping documents work very well for shipping them too.
gemini~
Hi there! :-) Thanks for the post, and the hint about the document tubes is really good! I've never thought of using them, but will definitely try it.
We have 2 nice, warm, dry days forecasted for this weekend and I will be taking cuttings from a LOT of plants - many to trade - so this thread will sure come in handy! Thanks again everyone for the info/advice!
Jamie
Hiya Jamie! Glad that tip will come in handy for ya!