Hi guys!! I have a yellow brug cutting that is rooted. I planted it in soil & the leaves whitered & died. So I cut them off & now the top of the cutting is starting to whither. The bottom of the cutting still looks fine. Pray tell...what should I do to save this little one?
help with a cutting
HI Deb,
I will be the first to admit I'm no expert, being relatively new to brugs, but I do have good luck with most of my cuttings. If the bottom of the cutting looked good, it still has a chance. (I assume you took it out of the soil and checked but please don't keep doing this or you will be breaking off all the tiny new little roots that will hopefully be forming and for sure kill it). I would first remove and soft and rooted areas if there are any. I use a small forceful spray of water to do it on mine. Put your cutting in a shady and humid spot. If you really want to give it all possible chance, take a 2 liter plastic bottle and cut off the bottom. Place it cap off upright over the cutting, in the shade. Keep the soil just BARELY moist, and it won't dry out very fast with the "mini-greenhouse" on it, and wait. Be patient. It may take time. If your area of the world is getting cold, you may want to set it on the top of the refrigerator for a week or two as the bottom heat will encourage it to root. One other tip, fertilize it with a "root and bloom" fertilizer (high in phospherous, the middle number) next time it needs water, or just add some super phosphate. Phosphate encourages root production as well as blooms on older plants.
Good luck,
Robin
Thanks Robin....this cutting already is rooted tho. I just planted it last week in soil. It has a good root base to it. It seems as though the rot is traveling down the stem? Should I cut off the bad part of the stem? Water it less or more?
try Calalily's advice. Make a fresh cut below the rotting part and give a spray with tea tree oil. You can get it at Walmart or a health food store. Good luck, I lost mine, but it wasn't rooted yet. I'll be pulling for you!!
ps, check out the thread here "rotting from the top" and there may be more info!
HI Deb,
I really think you may have lost your roots just prior to losing the leaves. Why else, unless a critter ate them, would they have died and the cutting start rotting, even if it is from the top? JMHO. Does it still have healthy looking roots?
In any case, I would remove the rotting areas leaving as much healthy tissue as possible and dust with a fungicide. Also, it helps when cutting the top, to cut it at a slight angle to insure rain water runs off rather than stands on top if the cutting.
Good luck again!
Robin