Plant Propagation Discussions - July 2020

That's a big melon Keith. Don't be afraid to thin the water lilies. They will drop most of their leaves soon, you want good healthy roots, not a lot of rotten plant material. It's sad, I have lost so many friends in the last few years, probably about to lose another friend. We were going to start a glamping camping ground a few years ago, but I didn't have the money and we realized she didn't have the health. Still it was fun to dream

That is an enormous watermelon Keith.

Gypsi, so sorry to hear about your friend. I always ran around with older women so the majority of my friends are gone.

Well Sharon I think she is going to live. Doc had her on a bad prescription, she's doing a lot better since stopping that anti parasitic? I'm thinking that doc needs to go back to school, she's doing a lot better as of yesterday. Trying to figure out how to ship her a portable sewing machine to Tennessee.

I have noticed I go to more funerals than weddings these days.

Keith Melon success sounds wonderful !!!

Gypsi I would send you some Goji starts if I had any , plants have to get larger .

1 Spicebush making berries
2 alfalfa sprouts
3 Citrus tree seedling
4 Knapweed seedlings
5 Gaillardia seedlings .

I can probably find Goji berry. The seeds you sent did not start, but I'll bet I can find a plant if that is an answer. I will look.

I have the cutest little granddaughter who is a born gardener. She came over here in February, (she turned 6 last week but with a september birthday she's only in kindergarten which is very boring. She can count to 100 and they are learning to count to 10)

Anyhow when she was here in February she took her honeycrisp apple seeds and planted them in a little pot and set it in my raised bed. And I'll be darned, 2 sprouted. so I have separated them into separate pots and left them in the front flower bed shady side so they get some sun and do get watered.

So I call today and she has some sprouted lemon seeds, and grandma how do I plant these, so I told her to plant in dirt, and I had to go back outside and clear more Indian Gooseweed with my shovel.

I call her when I come back in and she says, Grandma, I forgot, how do I plant my avocado seed? So I told her the toothpick and glass of water trick and she says ok thank you, love you bye bye, and she's off to get that avocado tree going.

The best part of having children is grandchildren. She's good with dogs too.

OMG, she is adorable. I put my seeds in the compost pile and about 90% sprout. Great deal for her apple seeds and lemon seeds.

JU, why are you planting seeds this time of year> Where are you going to grow them?

My sister lives in California and she says individuals in California are beginning to rebel against all of the lock downs. Las Vegas is headed toward a financial disaster. With rent control, about 50,000 individuals are not paying rent and i can guarantee you they have no intention to pay when the rent abeyance is lifted. Both of my tenants have been paying. so good news there.

Gypsi, I agree on grandchildren. They are so sweet and sometimes to honest.
Grandma, you have a big butt. (ignore). Grandma, I said you have a big butt. I then say, I heard you the first time Hannah. I think she was 6 or 7 at the time. She is now 29. First born grandchild.

You all have a great day tomorrow.

Have not had luck propagating celery (in water) yet. Which DIY root hormone recipe or technique would you recommend for that?

I haven't tried celery, but having the root stalk from the grocery store and maybe one or 2 leafy stems, I'd try an inch of rainwater in a glass on a window sill

I had a celery plant that came up in my front landscape. It must have been in the compost I had spread in that area. It grew like a weed but was tough. I always through the end of the celery into my compost cut up in small pieces.

Sharon the Gaillardia do better when they survive (as fall grown , , Alfalfa is a fall planted grass here , When they live some outdoor plants bloom much better the following season ,

Gypsi , lots of energy all about the youngsters,

Did a lot of gardening today with my garden helper.

ALICE, My taxes are being delivered to my accountant tomorrow. You're it.

Rden why are you using water to root them? Parsley won't grow roots from leaves in water. Parsley has a root like a carrot and needs to start from seed. IN DIRT. Sage needs dirt also, it doesn't like a lot of water.
Let me see, parsley and celery are cool weather plants in my winter- I threw seeds out today for parsley and fennel, crimson clover and alfafa...Fennel and alfalfa seeds would sprout now on a wet papertowel if kept about 80 some odd degrees. I find my water rooted plants are happier if I keep their daily water lukewarm when I add it.
Sage and basil like Spring and Summer weather here in S Tx. Not sure where you are rden, jute I need to look up, my mind says jute is hemp. That is also prob not going to set roots from cuttings, at least unless it is summer. Jute could be seeded on a wet paper towel apparently like alfalfa seeds- as a microgreen, or in a mat type medium- like coco noir.

This message was edited Sep 18, 2020 12:37 AM

Does anyone swear by aspirin, for example, as an alternative to store-bought root hormone?

rden Hello I wonder about that also ,

I was awakened tonight by a live trap snapping in the other room I have a 1 pound possum in a large rat trap oh joy , frown,,

long day
Sunflower maximillion today

Bigger rat, bigger hammer Ju. I don't use rooting hormones at all. Or aspirins- less is better as far as I am concerned. I want healthy plants not weak ones forced to live. They better toughen up or they hit the burn pile.

I often told DH it was lucky he was not a sick plant. Because if he was he would be in the garbage and a new one planted. He always put his fist up and shook it at me.

I do not use anything either. I am getting ready sometime this week to start some coleus cuttings. I did better last year so maybe I am finally learning something.

Went thru the Dr ofc this morn, they did my lab work and I came home to torch a brush pile. Smoked, went out, will approach tomorro with accelerants and get it burning while the ground is saturated-as dry as the summer was the trees will pull the water out of the ground pretty quickly. My cukes are blooming, and I snipped a few suckers off the main stem. Chard and mustard had the raised bed dirt sink away from the roots, so will be reinforcing ground control tomorro as well. (adding more dirt mix) Great weather for mosquitoes out there!

Definitely great mosquito weather. Sharon, that river I built got it's final leak repair, turned out the old waterfall at the top was leaking and we didn't know it because the bowl under the giant stone had kind of sunk underground. While I did find some water resistant mortar and my helper and I went out and tackled all the old stone work, my taxes are so not ready, this is bookkeeping weekend I think.

Rooting hormone - something about soaking willow twigs in rainwater releases a rooting hormone from the willow. Certainly wild willow roots in texas, you just cut a twig and shove in wet ground and you have a tree. Until the drought hits, I planted one when I moved in that way, it lived to be 5, we got a drought and that was it, dropped dead. It was about 15 feet tall. But while I haven't tried this making of hormone, since I don't tend to need it, it might work

I just use rain water, it roots or it goes on the compost pile. Or I'll shove another piece in good potting mix in the garden and keep it watered with my garden sprinkler that is presently watering broccoli and chard seedlings. A lot of those make it with no more care than being shoved in a flower pot and regular sprinkling. I broke a piece off my desert willow by accident, stuck it in with a potted black berry and sprouted new leaves, and I suspect new roots. That section of the garden is partial shade, maybe 5 hours afternoon sun

Salix, willow, the riverbank ones only live abt 5 yrs. Those fancy hybrid willows live a lot longer.
Out pinching cuke suckers this morning, looked at the blue curled kale and new sprouts had popped up. Those new sprouts are the Confetti cilantro I planted a month ago. Guess I will be re-homing the kale since I want that cilantro there. Still wet out there, I need to go dump out the rainwater I have nowhere to store before I need a mosquito suit...

I got about 23 years out of the willow I started from a cutting in arlington, I really think drought out here nailed this one. Because I took the cutting from the arlington one, which my daughter finally had cut down in 2018, when it was probably.....planted in about 1995, 23 years old. I think it was a black willow. It provided nice shade and you don't want one dripping sap on your car.

I dropped mosquito dunks in my rainwater buckets yesterday

Here is a salix discolor (pussy willow ) 2012 planted , 15 ft tall with runners pic 2&3

4 mustard
5 Spinach

Keith Thank you sincerely , A very nice gift , !!!

I forgot about pussy willow. It doesn't grow in Texas I think. Wow. Bet that is pretty in spring. spinach won't sprout here for another month, its too hot. Enjoy Ju.

I worked on the back landscape for last two days. It looks great. Will last until the next wind. Our temps are cooling down. Had a rain freeze this morning because I got up to turn off the alarm system and saw the temp in the room was 75. For a moment, my brain could not calculate why the AC, which was set at 79, had made the room cooler. DUH. Temp outside cooler dummy. After I got all of thr landscaping done, I took the hose and washed (sprayed) down all the plumerias, crotons and anything I thought would like a refreshing bath.

It is bed time but I am waiting for a load of wash to finish and I will throw them in the dryer and crash.

Have a great Wednesday you guys.

Gypsi The black ,red stemmed pussy willow , likes it dryer and hotter than it is here ,
You might take a look at that one ,

I will do that Ju, if I ever finish my bookkeeping. It's way hot here in summer though

Anyone know what this tropical lily is doing? It looks like it's having offspring.

If it bloomed at all this year it should be putting out new bulbs.

I think this one did bloom, but it is definitely putting out something, at least 3 of them. I'm not sure how to harvest bulbs and they are above the soil level.

I don't mess with those, but wouldn't they just drop and root?

I don't know but I really like the flower on these.

Regarding my question on parsley, it seems that, for this plant, the cutting won't send out roots in water, but should be moved rather soon to soil (or some other substrate). With luck, one will see roots in a couple of weeks.
https://gardeningtips.in/growing-parsley-from-cuttings-seeds-planting-care

I'm a big fan of water cuttings and the freeze finally put me to a stop for the season. I've got a Tradescantia zebrina that seems to love rooting in water.. In like 2 days I'm getting almost inch long primary roots.. I've also a bunch of Tradescantia pallida, that don't seem to like water as much and aren't showing anything for days.. I read that they are not so loving of water rooting and I am starting to believe. Has anyone rooted these in water, and how long did it take if you did?
My lone Staphylea trifolia cutting hasn't rooted, dropped the leaves it had, but has some nice green buds that seem to be swelling.. I guess I'll try rooting hormone.
@rden: Celery roots fine in water, as does carrot.. If you have an intact crown. My kids do it all the time in a shallow bit of water, as was stated. I also have one that seems to be doing well in my Cherry Shrimp/ Feeder Tank right now.. Despite the scuds and snails. I haven't checked on whether it rooted or not, but it is showing new growth. Parsley is one what only roots well before it flowers, if I recall correct. With celery it seems to work better if you leave a couple of the small leaves on the crown. Our water runs pretty hard here, and we have done them in tap as well as rain water. I'm fairly sure almost anything in the Mint family can be rooted in water, including Sage.. At least I don't know of any that can't.
@ Kitt: If you don't have celery seeds, or just want to keep a head going.. It makes perfect sense to keep it alive. And when you get down to something perennial, and fruiting.. I'm definitely going to want a cutting of an established winner to build a stock of, as opposed to waiting years for numerous seedlings to mature and validate or invalidate themselves. Not because I think that is the best way to go about it, but because I don't have the space to deal with it the way I feel would be best, nor the time.. In most cases.
Most of my celery use is in the winter, for instance.. So, for me, it makes a lot more sense to try and keep one going than it does to try and grow one inside. (Ahh.. To just be starting my cool weather crops now.. Nope! Not trading for the venomous critters.. I'm good up here for now.)

So many pots of orchid and african violet seedlings, and with the current cold it has been a struggle trying to balance getting them all enough light while staying far enough from the window to remain at least mostly warm.....

CraftyFox- I've done T. pallida in water before, while they do seem to like soil better I did eventually get roots. Took a couple weeks though to get the roots you can get within days for zebrina though.

I have noticed water temp will help them root better, they like warm water for the roots. My raised beds are still full, am having to thin grown plants now- lucky I have a neighbor with chickens, chuckl. I won't bother with celery, though I love it, I have this year a par-cel, or leaf celery, cutting celery. We shall see if I can get my daughter to use it, or I won't grow it again. Unlike you folks up in the windswept plains Iowa, I also have it too hot to bother with a greenhouse- it would cook the plants in the winter time. It was 86* today. There are tricks to not drawing snakes and gators into the yard, I run around in flip flops year round. This picture is how I looked when I ran the roads for deliveries out of Twin Cities, Mn many years. Though I suspect this picture was taken in Wyoming.
I love my little garden, it is all I need.

I love your little garden too Kitt. looks nicer than mine, much nicer.

I have a rabbit with a romaine lettuce habit, so the last head that got down to 3 small leaves went in a little dish of water in my kitchen window. Leaves are growing. At $3 a head, I may have to figure out how to keep some going in the greenhouse.

And the feed store romaine seeds weren't the same taste or texture. I used to have to feed it to my Regal Tang and she wouldn't eat what I grew.

Your little garden is beautiful Kitt. Pretty wintery up here. Into fall woodworking projects but so cold that I am having to put the fire on in the greenhouse and work in there. Getting ready for deer hunt starting Saturday.
Coleus and succulents are doing particularly well in the basement this year

My coleus got nipped the last two nights but tomorrow we will be in mid 70s and next week in the 80s. Just cold enough to bite the tomatoes and such. Had a horrible wind strom last Sunday and lots of leaves off the plumeria.