Roots easily in water?

I have tried rooting geranium cuttings in water but never have been really sucessful at it. Does anyone know if plain water works or have a better method?

cuckoo

I've had really good luck rooting my coleus in water with just a touch of liquid fertilizer (Miracle gro diluted). It seems to get them off to a really good start.

I wintered over a *lot* of coleus cuttings last season...and this year I've had more coleus than I knew what to do with. This year, I'm going to be really picky about which varieties I save...and which I'll buy seed for to start in the late winter.

Chrysanthemums are another plant I clip (actually I just root the 'pinchings' I do to keep them compact) and root in plain water. I just keep containers of cuttings in the shade in one of my flower beds...and I have new plants rooting all the time.

BTW, rooting cuttings is something I learned about only last year. And guess where I learned it? DG, of course! And it's saved me big bucks on lots of plants!

~julie~

julie88 I will try some weak miracle grow in water and try to get a few geranium stems to take root. Plain water has'nt worked very well for me with geraniums.Thanks for the info.

cuckoo

Try rooting powder and fresh potting soil for geraniums. Adding Hydrogen peroxide, the drugstore kind will keep oxygen in waterr and deter spoilage of the stems and water. 1 T. to a quart of water is about right. You can also water drowning plants with this and save them sometimes.
sidney

sugarweed Thanks so much and I will try this on my geraniums . I did'nt know about the hydrogen peroxide but sure will use it. Thanks for the right mixture of peroxide and water to use too because I did'nt have a clue. I'm anxious to try and get a few extra plants started from stems. Water alone was'nt working to well for rooting my geraniums for me. Thanks again sugarweed!!!

cuckoo

I just threw my coleus out. The stems were rotting. The stems were large. should i try to root the smaller branches.
Maybe I could use this method: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/461791/
linda

This message was edited Aug 14, 2005 3:54 PM

Would a bobbler work ?

RDT, read what I suggested for cuckoo todo with the gerainiums.
I have propagated over 200 coleus in dirt this summer with RH.
Just cut off rotted part and root what's left. Keep coleus deadheaded.
sidney

Linda, when I root coleus in water, I use 4 to 6 inch long stem tip cuttings from vigorously growing stems. They should root fine in potting soil too, but I use a glass of water for rooting whatever I can, just because it seems easier to me & I can see what's going on.

I found a leaf off of the night blooming cereus someone had recently given me. I dropped it in the rooting container with some other stuff and was surprised to see it got roots before anything else!

Leslie

You can break off a whole eye of Hosta, stick 'em in a bucket, and they'll root.

Plus a friend had some broken-off basil in water to keep it fresh and it threw out healthy roots.

Almost any type of willow tree branch will root in water too. I've been having fun finding interesting branches from a couple of our corkscrew willows to make bonsai's with.

Oh, and pacific yucca roots *really* well in water.

Inch plant (Wandering Jew) and Christmas Cactus root in water. Also my Spineless yucca, slowly but surely did. ; )

An easy and effective way of rooting many types of plants, both woody and nonwoody, is with willow water. Following is one of the many sites that can give the recipe for it...I can vouch that it really does work extremely well....dd

www.bluestem.ca/willow-article1.html

Just tried the link and got an error, but if you click on "willows" at the top of the page, and then scroll to the bottom of the willow page the article is "willow magic"

ddbjs1979 - THANK YOU!!!!! I have been looking for the aspirin 1:10,000 info for months!!! Now, I see on your site: http://www.bluestem.ca/willow-article1.htm that it is 3 aspirin dissolved in 4 gal of water. I was thinking 1 or 2 per gal - and since it says more can be toxic I am so glad I did not try to guess the amt!

Thanks for posting that info!!!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ~ Suzi :)

Edited for grammar, must have been too excited! LOL

This message was edited Aug 22, 2005 6:43 PM

I love to root with willow water!!! I cut fresh sections about 4 inches long, throw them in a pan of water boil then, let them cool down, pick out the pieces, pour the water into jars, and stick my cuttings in it. They do GREAT!!!

This message was edited Aug 25, 2005 12:54 AM

Dear BriarRose74,
You are most welcome...and you made me smile today!!!
Thank you,dd

Thank you for
http://www.bluestem.ca/willow-article1.htm
about aspirin infor .

English ivy does indeed root very easily in water. My grandma does that and gives me starts all the time. We've got a trellis that we want to cover with it so she gave us rooted cuttings last summer and this fall.

I know that Epipremnum Devil's ivy or Golden pothos, Pothos, Taro vine grow roots in water.

Hi all, I'm really glad someone started this, although it's so old that probably no one is watching it any longer. I was checking before suggesting starting a thread for plants we know root well in water. I've always done the pots in a bag method and when I do a LOT it's really a problem finding a place for all the unsightly bags in the shade...like rooting in water if possible. Add to the list Plectranthus and Salvia "waverly". I haven't tried the other salvias in water, but am going to start my new batches that way and see what happens. Would be nice if everyone would list their successes in water rooting. Thanks
Sherry

Hi Sherry,
youri in luck..I am still watching. I have found the trick of using bublers here. What I have discussed with members here - is they use a fish tank pump with the hose going in a tub of water..-thus the term bubbler. Depending on the amount of water used, put a tablespoon or so of H2O2, (regular hydrogen peroxide) .this provides needed oxygen for the plants to begin rooting.
I have a whole section in my journal. Myself I use one of those shallow grey tubs you find at home depot and a fountain pump. Here is the link to my journal, and some tricks I have learned about propatating cuttings. http://davesgarden.com/journal/ed/index.php?tabid=1923
Rj

Thanks, Rj,
You've put a lot of effort into this and I'm really getting the benefit of everyone else's knowledge, have to admit I'd never heard of the hydrogen peroxide issue, just been doing things the same old way I've done for years and not done any checking into whether or not there might be a better way! Think I'll just try everything that I want to propagate in water first and see what happens. I've never had the luxury of a greenhouse or lath house, so when I found myself propagating a lot this last year, I got tired of all those plastic bags full of pots sitting around in the shade looking shabby and decided to try the old rooting in water this year. We'll see what happens....
Sherry

I'm still watching too Sherry - thanks for the new tips.
Maggi xxxx

I have to admit, it took me rather a bit of time to work up the nerve to put hydrogen peroxide in the water- just didn't seem to me it would be good for the plants...but my cutting success doubled- it also cuts down on the degradation of the cuttings. Also a drop or two of superthrive that you get at home depot, lowes, or your local nursery really gives them a boost. I noticed superthrive smells just like vitamin B. So I bought a huge bottle of vitamin B from the fertilizer store- it works just as well, and it's alot cheaper. I have found-- for cuttings I absolutely want to root- I take indoors as they seem to propagate better at 70F or around 15C I think is the conversion. Good luck..don't hesitate to ask more questions...that's one of the reasons we're all on here..to learn fun things!

I must confess I haven't dared try the hydrogen peroxide yet - it's counter-intuitive, isn't it? I'll have to buck my ideas up, as so many on here recommend it!
Maggi xxxx

I am still watching an thanks for all the great ideas, it is so much fun to try and see what will root in water.

Great thread... Thanks to all for the tips!

I haven't had a chance to read thru everything here, but the H2O2 really does work well in a bubbler. I've used it repeatedly w/ great results and no problems at all. What are your concerns about using it? Just think of it as water w/ an extra oxygen thrown in...that's what it is!!

For my bubbler I use an aqurium air stone. One of the blue things you set in the bottom of the tank that sends up bubbles...it's hooked to the air line that goes to the pump. It just disperses the air bubbles rather than having one big air bubble. I usually have a bubbler going all year long, indoors or out, depending on weather. I can't even name everything I've rooted in mine. Brugs, Impatiens, Petunias, Dianthus....

Whenever I cut something back or break a bit of something off it goes in the bubbler to see if it'll root. Just throw it in and forget it for a few weeks...by then it usually has a ton of roots and is ready to pot up. Can't get easier than that!

Heather

Heather, do you just float it or do you stand it upright in something?

In my experience and all the reading I have done on this subject, rooting in a medium such as perlite or vermiculite is best, but I'm reading more and more often about rooting in water. I think the main thing is supplying fresh water. Must give this a try, but I do believe that rooting succulent plants such as African Violet works best in either vermiculite or perlite. Have had very good results with this method. Joan

I stand everything upright. I put most things in plastic cups that have slits in the sides low enough for the water to flow thru. Big red cups for larger cuttings, small clear cups for smaller stuff (many cuttings of smaller things in clear cups). Then you can also write the names of the cuttings on the cups (I use a marker from a Tractor Supply Store that's used for marking pig's and cow's ears). I also weigh down the cups w/ aquarium gravel or small pebbles if they need it. I'll send along some pics when I dig them up or have time to take some.

Joan, have you ever tried a bubbler? Once you do you'll never go back to rooting in soil. There are so many advantages to rooting in water. First of all you can see the roots forming so there's no guessing or worrying over the roots. The whole point of using perlite or vermiculite rather than soil in potting something up is to get more oxygen to the new forming roots...you can do this better by using a bubbler...in my opinion anyway. Also, using a bubbler you don't have to worry about supplying humidity to cuttings, it's already there, so no more bagging things. Plus a bubbler is just so much easier and faster, all you have to do is make a fresh cut on your cutting and plunk it into the water. No looking for the right size pot, wondering what kind of soil is best, etc....all that can be looked up while your cutting is rooting in the water. I've even had things grow such monstrous root systems that I've had to cut the roots back before planting/potting up. You've got to try it!!

As far as AVs go, I'd never try to root one in a bubbler. Ok, I won't say never, cuz now that you brought it up I'm curious as to what would happen, LOL! I would have to find a way to float the cup so just the tip of the leaf stem is submerged...that will be the biggest challenge. I've always rooted my AVs in the same medium I grow my AVs in...as recommended by the wonderful folks in the AV forum here. I've had so much success w/ this, being a newbie to AVs, that I've run out of room for them indoors and recently started sending out the babies for postage. Now I'm starting more. But, only because of their aversion to water + light would there be a problem I think. Hmm, I wonder about a bubbler set up for AVs where the light was very controlled. Gotta think about this...gonna talk to the ladies on the AV forum too. Thanks for the ideas!! =^)

Heather

No, I haven't tried a bubbler but will consider this for sure. I understand that these can be obtained at a pet store. Is this right? Joan

Okay, Rj, today I'm jazzed....Going to go get bubbler tomorrow, but today I'm taking a bunch of cuttings and just adding some peroxide, will see how it goes, the more I thought about it, the more thrilled I got. Realized I'd been putting off taking a lot of cuttings lately because it's such a bother. Took a bunch of cuttings of things that I normally wouldn't have thought about starting in water, this may revolutionize things for me! Ain't life grand? So much faster, so much easier. Thanks, all, for info...
Sherry

Joan, yepper, you can get the supplies at a pet store. But, better yet try some place like Wal-Mart...or even try borrowing them from a friend or relative that had a fish tank and has taken it down. Even freecycle or garage sales. The items you need are an air pump, air line and an air stone. I guess some folks don't use an air stone, but I really like one. Other than that you just need water and something to set it up in, I've used a 2 gal. bucket, 5 gal. bucket, 33 gal. Rubbermaid container, small Tupperware containers...whatever you want. The size of your container will determine how big of an air stone you'll want to get. You can always get a smaller air stone for now and get a bigger one later if you want to.

My air pumps also have "out" areas for two lines. What I mean is you can hook up to air lines to them, so that means two air stones. More bang for your buck. If possible ask a sales clerk to plug the air pump in for you to see how loud it is. Some of them are nearly silent, some of them hum like crazy. Make sure to set it down on something solid to see how loud it is. I have one of my DB's old air pumps that he didn't want any more because it was too loud...so loud they had it in their basement and ran the air line thru the living room floor!! I only set this one up outside now. Lesson learned...if you can't hear the TV over it, it's not worth it!!

If the air stone doesn't come w/ a check valve for on the air line you may want to pick one up. They should be very inexpensive...probably 2 for under $3. They basically look like a bubble, the air line goes in one end and comes out the other. It just keeps water from flowing backwards thru the air line and ending up in the pump...ruining it. Pumps are NOT waterproof!!

That's all I can think of right now. If you have any other questions you can d-mail me if you'd like. =^)
Heather

Cool...remember...a little is a lot...that is my motto.
I have also been on threads about sphangnum moss...It is a supper medium for seeds..and I hear cuttings... I ironically found out the hard way..as I had all of my potato vine bulbs in a basket of sphangnum moss-- to keep them nice and dry...well I was planting some of them..yep got distracted..it rained..and the things rooted like jack and the bean stalk..now they are all stuck in the basket.
I am about to pot up some exotic seeds in the moss medium..I will report on its effectiveness.
good luck!
Oh..I have 15 hybrid brugs I propagate in the bubbler that are now potted and growing. I would offer this advice. Cuttings seem to have an optimal temperature for rooting. My experience is between 60 and 75 degrees - bright area, no direct sun. If it is hot there, consider a back porch or an area that has a fairly constant temp....okay..theres the 2 cents..ha!
Rj

Thanks for the info Heather. I have a very small pump with tubes that I used for some little goldfish, but no air stone. I remember looking at them so have a pretty good idea what they look like. Do they have the effect of diffusing the bubbles?
So, do the cuttings just float in the water?
Joan, who will get this straight yet. laff

Joan, back up a few posts, I asked the same question about the floating. See her response to me.