Propagation: Salvia cuttings, 1 by daisyavenue

daisyavenue wrote:
Step 4:

I have Eastern facing windows in my back room. It is very cloudy until around noon for me this time of year so I just leave the cuttings in a pan (usually an old cookie sheet) but in a few weeks I will let the roman blinds down before I go to bed because the sun will cook them in the mornings.

The pan is kept with 1/2 inch of water at all times. I also like Jiffy pots better than peat pots because they do not dry out so severely if you are paying attention.

In 3-4 weeks (usually 3 for me) I have roots and healthy plants. They might look droopy at times but are generally perky. If they stay green but stay droopy too then you have a pot of cut foliage going nowhere. Abutilons are famous for this and they are the hardest thing for me to root (and my favorite plant so go figure)

Before I send a cutting for trade I always break into the pot to check for roots. You don't want to send someone your 3 week old foliage arrangement. Jiffy pots make it much easier to check because you will see roots.

You can cover them in plastic if your nights are chilly but let them breathe outside of plastic for at least 30 minutes each day. (on the right of this photo you see a merinque container of peppers under a lid but they will not go outside until August and are usually on heat.

Also- I try to always mark my cuttings with the plant, date and who it is going to. In my crazy lab things get lost and forgotten!