Rooting Cuttings

I took a rooted cutting to a friend's house as a surprise. It was in a jelly jar with water.

She said that it was best to try to root cuttings in opaque jars/containers because a clear glass jar causes the area where the roots are to start to turn mushy and rot.

I had not heard this before and the rooted cutting that I took to her was nice and healthy.

Anyway I've started some new cuttings in some coffee cups to be on the safe side.

Anybody with experience in this out there?

Thanks

Dawn

Generally I put them directly into a sterilized pot with a soil-less mix and in dappled shade while they root.

I have heard of and tried all three. My personal humble opinion is that if it's gonna root it will root. I know there are benefits to each way. I humbly think the main thing is to simply take proper care of your cutting from the start, the medium you choose to use will not be the deciding factor to root growth, it'll be the care you give it.

I made my first batch of willow tea today.

My weeping willow needed a trim and so I decided to try willow tea for the new cuttings.

I had googled to see how others make their willow tea. Couldn't find out WHY everyone says to strip the leaves and only use the green wood but I did it. The small pieces of twigs are seeping.

Anyone have first hand experience on using the willow tea to get cuttings to root?

I decided I'd put willow tea in my cuttings jars and use the leftover tea for my potted plants first and then just sling the rest of the tea outside in the front garden.

Dawn

Where did you find information on making Willow Tea for propagation purposes?

These were the three sites on Willow Water that I saved into Favorites:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2338055_make-willow-water-help-root.html

http://www.bluestem.ca/willow-article1.htm

http://amandamaria.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/willow-water-homemade-rooting-hormone/



Dawn

I've been using willow tea for a long time, Dawn...The willow along with several other plants has a naturally occuring chemical that when extracted can be used as a root stimulator in containers as well as a rooting compound for cuttings. The chemical is in the stems, not the leaves, so pull the leaves off and discard so they do not form 'mush' in the container...it is a little like making sun tea...after a few hours, the extraction has been made so it can be used...and should be used within 24-48 hours or it tends to lose it's vigor. I use the tea for dipping cutting prior to putting them into soil...and I keep it in mister bottles in the greenhouse for keeping the cuttings damp.

There is a lot of research 'out there' (Murdoch 64, Burns '93 and Payne 2000) on the kind of roots that develop through using straight water and most of the botanists call them bluntly 'water roots' with an inference that those roots are less robust...and for the most part, this is true.

I found the water method -- not willow water because it will loose the vigor -- is highly dependent upon the additives in the water if any...and the vascular system of the plant you are propagating...for instance, coleus, mint, some salvias root well in water with no indication of decline when planted into soil...however, the system does not work well for most vigorous landscape plants...and the rotting in the glass jar is a good sign that that plant does not have a vascular system that supports growth in excess water.

Good luck!

txaggiegal - Thanks for that information!

Here are weeping willow and mexican petunia cuttings with their roots developing. How long should the roots get before I plant them?

The weeping willow I'll baby inside over the winter.

The mexican petunias will be planted outside.

Dawn

If you have access to a willow tree, take some of the end slim stems and soak them in water for a week and then pour the water into a glass and root in that. Willow water has a hormone in it that promotes root forming.

This is my experience, from one gardener to the other. I root many cuttings indoor, especially over the winter. As well as any time during the seasons, when I've real small cuttings this way. In a clear glass jar without any adverse effects. Some examples are Brugs and other solfwoods cuttings.