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planting from clippings
- Richard Frost
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18 years 7 months ago #753
by Richard Frost
Replied by Richard Frost on topic Re:planting from clippings
Hi,
You might wish to buy the book: Plant Propagation, edited by Alan Toogood.
For each plant type, obtain 3 or 4 small pots, about 5 to 6 inches high and 4 inches wide. Plastic is fine.
So if you are trying Bouganvilla and Jasmine, you'll need 6 to 8 pots.
If the pots are dirty, the possibility of fungi and bacteria must be eliminated. I would treat them with Physan 20.
Fill the pots with a potting soil labeled for Citrus or Cactus, but 1/2 inch short of the top. Water throughly and let it drain. Use a chopstick or some clean implement and press a hole down in the center of the pot to about 1 inch from the bottom. If you hit the bottom, fill it up and start over.
Now you need 3 to 4 hardwood cuttings from each plant. These will be taken from reasonably straight, younger side branches from late summer. From the growth tip, go backwards about 10 inches and clip right before a node, so the node is part of your cliping. Clip off any leafs, making cuts close to the stem. Try to choose stems that have closely spaced nodes near your cut.
Dip the bottom 3 inches (at least 2 nodes) of a cutting briefly in water, shake it off and then dust with a rooting hormone product called Rootone (pronounced Root Tone). Tap the middle of the stem to remove excess Rootone. It just needs a dusting, and you'll always put on too much at first. Now put the stem in one of your pots, trying not to dislodge too much hormone powder. Now press the soil so the hole closes up around the stem. Ta da!
The soil in the pot needs to be kept moist. Understand that the soil cannot remain wet, nor can it be dry. Moist is a nebulous intermediate state you learn with experience. The best place in the pot to check for moisture is a hole in the bottom.
The pots need to remain at 70 deg-F for 2 to 3 months. If they are in the dark for the first month that is even better. Put them in the garage under an upside-down plastic tub, cardboard box, etc. Go to the hydroponics store and get a regulated heat mat and set the maximum temperature to the low seventies.
Check your new babies once a day at first, until you figure out about how often to add water. Do NOT add fertilizer. The soil mix has plenty. I would use water from one of those 2-3 gallon plastic water containers with a spigot they sell at the supermarket.
In 2 to 3 months, or when the nodes start swelling to produce new leafs, let those twigs have some sunlight -- gently (dappled sunlight) at first. Start with 4 hours per day -- the remainder shade. Work them up 1 hour per week to full sun.
Somewhere during this time you should notice roots poking out of the bottom of the pot. It is time to transplant them to larger pots or a new home in the garden. Note that Bouganvilla have specific soil and drainage requirements.
Rooted cuttings from hardwood plants typically bloom in 2 to 3 years.
One more thing: have a lot of fun!
You might wish to buy the book: Plant Propagation, edited by Alan Toogood.
For each plant type, obtain 3 or 4 small pots, about 5 to 6 inches high and 4 inches wide. Plastic is fine.
So if you are trying Bouganvilla and Jasmine, you'll need 6 to 8 pots.
If the pots are dirty, the possibility of fungi and bacteria must be eliminated. I would treat them with Physan 20.
Fill the pots with a potting soil labeled for Citrus or Cactus, but 1/2 inch short of the top. Water throughly and let it drain. Use a chopstick or some clean implement and press a hole down in the center of the pot to about 1 inch from the bottom. If you hit the bottom, fill it up and start over.
Now you need 3 to 4 hardwood cuttings from each plant. These will be taken from reasonably straight, younger side branches from late summer. From the growth tip, go backwards about 10 inches and clip right before a node, so the node is part of your cliping. Clip off any leafs, making cuts close to the stem. Try to choose stems that have closely spaced nodes near your cut.
Dip the bottom 3 inches (at least 2 nodes) of a cutting briefly in water, shake it off and then dust with a rooting hormone product called Rootone (pronounced Root Tone). Tap the middle of the stem to remove excess Rootone. It just needs a dusting, and you'll always put on too much at first. Now put the stem in one of your pots, trying not to dislodge too much hormone powder. Now press the soil so the hole closes up around the stem. Ta da!
The soil in the pot needs to be kept moist. Understand that the soil cannot remain wet, nor can it be dry. Moist is a nebulous intermediate state you learn with experience. The best place in the pot to check for moisture is a hole in the bottom.
The pots need to remain at 70 deg-F for 2 to 3 months. If they are in the dark for the first month that is even better. Put them in the garage under an upside-down plastic tub, cardboard box, etc. Go to the hydroponics store and get a regulated heat mat and set the maximum temperature to the low seventies.
Check your new babies once a day at first, until you figure out about how often to add water. Do NOT add fertilizer. The soil mix has plenty. I would use water from one of those 2-3 gallon plastic water containers with a spigot they sell at the supermarket.
In 2 to 3 months, or when the nodes start swelling to produce new leafs, let those twigs have some sunlight -- gently (dappled sunlight) at first. Start with 4 hours per day -- the remainder shade. Work them up 1 hour per week to full sun.
Somewhere during this time you should notice roots poking out of the bottom of the pot. It is time to transplant them to larger pots or a new home in the garden. Note that Bouganvilla have specific soil and drainage requirements.
Rooted cuttings from hardwood plants typically bloom in 2 to 3 years.
One more thing: have a lot of fun!
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