Success!

I have tried several times to grow plants from cuttings from my piggyback plants...Tolmeia... with little success. I mixed 2 parts vermiculite, 1 part perlite, 1 part charcoal and instead of trying to root the stem, I cut it back to the leaf. I then wrapped the baby "leaflets" in the mother dusted on a little rootone and put in the above mix. They didn't even wilt and are now growing. I have cut back the "mother" leaf and have little plants! Maybe this is no monumental feat to you guys, but I'm excited...this is a good soiless mix.

Dale,

i'm so glad for u. i myself do use soil less as growing medium for almost all the plants i grow. my formula is a wee bit different but it is what works for me. do and use what works for u, that is all that matters.

That's great Dale
What's your mix MV?

Philomel,

i use a 2 lb coffee can as a measuring cup
1 part vermiculite
1 part perlite
2 parts peatmoss
1/4 cup superphosphate*

prior to mixing thoroughly, i water the mix thoroughly but not saggy wet, so as not to inhale any powdery particles.

* i used to use bonemeal, but ever since the mad cow disease, and not know the source of bonemeal, i change to superphospate - helps in root development and aid the body or stem of the plant to develop.

the above formula i use propagating cuttings. also use it as starter for growing seeds. it is fool proof! at least for me it is.

i buy all the above in bulk! to save money in the long run. besides i can never seems to have enough around. other formula depends on each plant's individual reguirement.

as u know i love to research. i try my best to meet each plant's reguirement/s. just like people, we come from different cultures and environments, so do plants. meeting those basic requirements, plants i grow give me all the fun and pleasure of seeing them grow... more so when they produce fragrant, if not lovely flowers :)!

i have never grown a plumeria from cuttings ever! last Nov. a friend gave me cuttings of plumeria. i planted it, on the above medium. today those 12" cuttings are about 15" tall with leaves about 12" long x 4" wide. let me know if u want to see a photo of this cutting. i can post it on the photo forum, if u wish. btw... i do not have a green house, i just grow them indoors by a southwest window, where they get plenty of afternoon sun.

Thanks MVR i'd love to see you're plumeria. Can you tell me something about them, please, as I don't know them at all.

I'd need to substitute something for the peat in your mix, as the peat bogs over here are endangered and it's becoming a huge conservation issue. I have used peat free compost for years now. I'll try your charcoal, dale.

i am positively sure u are familiar with plumeria, it is the flower use in Hawaiian lie, or otherwise known as frangipani. here is the url... http://www.plumeria101.com/toplinks.html i will post the photo as plumeria propation... http://davesgarden.com/showthread/211422.html

This message was edited Tuesday, Mar 26th 11:51 AM

Thanks for the links MVR. your cuttings look very healthy in your mix!

Yes, i know frangipani - even seen it growing in the west indies, madeira etc, just never heard the name plumaria before coming onto DG. It was mentioned on another thread and i meant to ask, then it passed me by lol.

Wonderful scent, i'm looking forward to reading all about them on the site you linked.

u're very welcome Philomel ;). i knew somehow u knew it, just didn't recognized it called as plumeria. in the Philippines where i came from it is called by another name. am not even going to mention it cause it such a tongue twister LOL! then u'd be more confuse.:)!! ma vie

It is beastly hot here and to add to it, March is windy. So I took a black flat like garden centers have plants in, lined it with a layer of wet spaghnum and then put the soiless mix on top. This way I can bottom water without disturbing the seedlings or seeds. This might work to keep things warm too? That's not a problem here and won't be until next December or so! I hate to see our "Spring" be so short!

Philomel...what are people using for heat etc. who used to use peat? Is the situation the same in Ireland?

There is a gathering movement towards peat free compost in the garden as the english peat bogs were disappearing fast. They are now being designated conservation areas.
However most of the peat used in our gardens came and still comes from Ireland. The bogs there are diminishing, so there are a lot of us who refuse to buy peat and rely on altenatives made from a variety of materials such as composted bark and wood, home made compost, compost from municipal recycling schemes, coir and leaf mould.
I haven't used peat for years and manage perfectly well without it.
I'll have to leave it one of the Irish DGers to tell you how they see the situation.
But I found this:
http://www.ask.co.uk/metasearch.asp?MetaEngine=DirectHit&MetaURL=http%3A%2F%2Fforests%2Eorg%2Farchive%2Feurope%2Firelbogd%2Ehtm&MetaTopic=Conservation+versus+Tradition+in+Ireland%27s+Battle+of+the+Bogs&ItemOrdinal=1&aj_product=popularity&m=20&aj_is=yes&ask=peat+bog+conservation&qcategory=GOV_&qsource=11&origin=&logid=8BB610442B5F9046996691DA339F21EF&IsSexual=False
and this:
http://www.ask.co.uk/metasearch.asp?MetaEngine=DirectHit&MetaURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eipcc%2Eie%2Feducationcat%2Ehtml&MetaTopic=Irish+Peatland+Conservation+Council+%2D+Teaching+Resources+Catalogue&ItemOrdinal=4&aj_product=popularity&m=20&aj_is=yes&ask=peat+bog+conservation&qcategory=GOV_&qsource=11&origin=&logid=5AB5E9BE826A9B48AB0EF00CBB1FB233&IsSexual=False
and this:
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/html/news_green_gard_monty.htm

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Very interesting links...thank you. I have visited Ireland and they cooked with peat. The links made me think just how different other parts of the world are and question heritage/tradition versus progress and ecological concerns. Hmmmm.....

Yes. I live in SE England and have only been to Ireland for a weekend - and that was the N. So you'll know more of this than I do.
I think it's such a shame that the individuality of different countries and areas within them are getting diluted by 'global' culture. You're right that there is often a clash between traditional ways and ecological concerns. However, my main worry would be the effect of commercial extraction to service the insatiable gardeners rather than hand cut fuel for the relatively sparse local population.