Roots Easily In Water III

This thread is continued from http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/627146/#top

If there is still interest in this topic I thought I would start a third thread. I've been away for a few months because of sickness and surgeries, but am on the mend now, hopefully.

I wanted to post on a topic that was discussed a while back and I don't believe we ever came to a conclusion about it. That was rooting African Violets in water. I was nosing around the AV forum today and found this post http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/584455/ it has a link to PlantFiles where there is a pic of AV leaves that have been rooted in water. I found this very exciting. Has anyone else tried this? How successful were you?

As soon as I'm back up on my feet and really moving around I'd like to try it with a bubbler and see what the results are and keep records on the time it takes to produce very good roots. I'd also like to try different varieties of AVs and monitor them closely for shock. Anyone else wanna play? =^)

Heather

Has anyone else tried a bubbler set up? Successes, failure? What have you been rooting in water over the beginning of winter?

I hope everyone is doing well and has a great Christmas!
Heather

I put a heater in mine and mostly everything turned to smush. I decided to use a system of smaller containers with airstones this time, so that brugs are separate from other stuff. I have camellias, figs, and altheas still rooting.

Adding a heater is a really neat idea. What did you have the temp set at?

I don't understand how to position the bubbler. I have one. But if I put it in a big pot (like a dishpan), the plants will fall over. If I put it in a small jar, it'll barely fit. What are you doing logistically with your bubblers?

Happy_macomb: I put my plants in plastic mesh baskets from the dollar store. Some are round or square. I think they are meant for "hair supplies" to hold all the clips and pins etc. to people who fool around with their hair alot. I also found some platforms that were intended to dry fruit or vegetables in the microwave. They are from the microwave accessories section at Walmart.

But now I am working with some quite large cuttings like brugmansias, camellias, magnolias, etc.
sort of overwintering in water. For these I found some plastic waste baskets, also at Walmart, so I can just stick the cuttings in, but keep each type separated. An air stone for each waste basket.

Heather: I bought an aquarium thermometer when I bought the heater, but some how it got swollowed up and slid under the plants. Im sure the water was too hot.

happy, you might find it easier to use something that is taller rather than wider. If your tub is tall enough the cuttings can lean against the sides. I use solo cups with holes cut in them to put my cuttings in, but I like Glorias ideas much, much better. You can see my bubbler set up here in my Diary http://davesgarden.com/journal/d/t/heathrjoy/4189/ just to get an idea of what I mean.

I also have the same problem with my heater in my aquarium, it always slides down the wall. I've decided to be happy with it sitting on top of the gravel. Those temp strips they sell in the aquarium dept. aren't very expensive and might be a good idea. I have two extra 10 gallon tanks in the attic I'd like to set up as bubblers after the new year, as soon as I'm feeling up to it. Once I get them up and going I'll post pics. I'm pretty sure I have heaters for both tanks.

Now I just have to look around and see what plants have survived my surgeries that I can get cuttings off of. I still can't wait to try the AVs, that's what's driving this whole thing. Is anyone else going to try them?

This is a link to a thread I posted a few months ago showing how I made my bubbler. It has worked very well for me...

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/658552/

Yardqueen, love your set up! Thanks for sharing!

heathrjoy, my mother taught me to fill a small jar with water, cover it with foil, poke several holes in the foil using a pencil and insert AV cuttings in the holes. They were kept on windowsills and everything rooted quickly and easily.

My favorite so far are the polyacrylamide crystals that asorb water (usually sold as a soil additive). I fill a jar with wet crystals and add a tiny bit a fertilizer in the water. The crystals trap air bubbles as well as water. In a clear jar you can keep an eye on the air/water ratio. With that and a little rooting hormone I've been rooting all kinds of herb and hardwood cuttings.

I still haven't gotten to try the AVs. The ones I have here are on their last leg so I'll have to pick up a new one when I finally get out. I still can't wait to try it though.

I've also not tried rooting in the gel, but I've heard lots of folks have great luck with it. Do you mix it according to the label instructions or do you make it a little thicker?

Cool idea about the crystals...think I'll get some tomorrow and try that. Thanks for the info.

I gave some AV leaves to a friend, without any instruction. She had never rooted any before, so she invented her own method, which I thought was pretty ingenious. She used a mason jar, replacing the canning lid with paper. Punch a couple of holes and put the stems through. Two leaves and they both made babies.

Here is a close up of the new growth at the base of the stem.

love to see those picture's, hope yall keep them coming!
Great Ideas!

Donna

PotEmUp, that is great! Thanks for sharing that. I'm finally going shopping tonight, so I'm hoping to find a decent looking AV. If nothing else I'll try the mason jar.

The crystals retain their shape as they absorb water so they don't really turn into a gel. Since they are irregular shapes there are spaces between them that trap air and water. One teaspoon of dry crystals makes about one cup of full-size crystals. I just soak some crystals overnight and then drain off most of the excess water and stick the plant in. You can adjust the water to air ratio by adding or draining the water based on the plant's needs. The crystals are firm enough that you don't need anything else to support the parts of the plants. They're kind of expensive but a little goes a long way.

Here are some linden cuttings and a sage cutting that I just started.

Wow: That is so cool. I wonder if you couldn't use a rooting hormone as well, since they aren't technically immersed in water?

Thanks for the pics, that is very cool. When you follow the directions for the crystals I have they are much more soupy than how yours look. I can't remember for certain right now, but I think it's a teaspoon of crystals to 4 cups (1 quart) of water. BIG difference. I'll have to try it your way for rooting.

I'm really wondering how this would work for those things that just will not root in water and love to be stubborn. I see this as being better than soil because they are reuseable...and I'm assuming they don't get the pests, mold, etc., that soil is prone to sometimes.

I'm also wondering if you've tried mixing in some rooting hormone? I know you said you use some ferts. I wonder if the rooting hormone is needed? What do you think?

I can't wait to try this!! Oh, and as far as being expensive, check your local nurseries for crystals. My local gh was much cheaper than Wal-Mart was, and I'd rather buy from them anyway! =^)

http://www.amazon.com/Zeba-Quench-More-Water-Plant/dp/B000JKJUJI/sr=8-2/qid=1168128567/ref=sr_1_2/002-6919666-3096020?ie=UTF8&s=outdoor

searched for polyacrylamide crystals, but got this.

Gloria,
those look pretty similar to mine. The package I have is called 'Soil Moist'. The package I have recommends 2 tsp. per gallon as a soil additive but I just soak the crystals in water overnight and pour off the excess. The individual crystals feel like jello when they are wet.

They do get some algae after a while but when it gets funky I just add it to my garden or potted plants and start with a new batch. You can spread them out on a plate or cookie sheet to dry when you are not using them and they won't get algae or mold when they are dry.

I use a little rooting hormone just to get them started faster. It doesn't seem to hurt them at all and it doesn't get rinsed off like it would in a jar of water.

Katlian: I believe 'Soil Moist' is a polyacrilamide crystal --similar to watersorb. There have been speculation (over on GW) that it might not be a good for plants or soil or birds since it is not an organic product. The manufacturer (of Watersorb) however says it beaks down into nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water. All normal elements in soil.

The Zeba Quench crystals above are made from cornstarch. Certainly, that is an organic product.

Another type of gel used for plant propagation is agar agar which is a type of sea weed which is used in Tissue Culture cloning.

All of these can be augmented with root hormone for plant propagation.

I found that the polyacrylamide crystal is a good medium for both seed and plant tissue propagation but it not a good growing medium because growing plants need both air and water. Just have to be quick at moving the plants on.

'Soil Moist' is the name brand of the crystals I have too. Mine are in the potting shed and if it quits raining I'll run out and get them later.

This is really an interesting subject...a bit confusing though! LOL!

I do remember now that the recipe I had for mixing my crystals was given to me by the nursery owner. I wasn't using what was listed on the label, so that's why we didn't match there Katlian.

Gloria, what would you think of using the Soil Moist but adding something to it to keep oxygen more available to the cuttings? You don't think that Katlian's rather dry mix looked like it might provide enough oxygen? I was wondering about mixing in some perlite or something similar but maybe less absorbant? Thoughts?

those pictures that PotEmUp has show pretty healthy plants. whatever she is doing, must be right.

I finally found a picture of of the Zeba (cornstarch) gel and now I understand the thicker vs. thinner gel question. The zeba gel looks like it would be a great soil additive because it absorbs more water but it doesn't hold the shape of the crystals when it expands so there are no air pockets. I think for rooting you would need to run a bubbler in the gel to add air and then it would be easier to just use water. I haven't tried the zeba gel; if anyone has had success rooting in it, I would like to hear about it.

The synthetic crystals are thought to contain trace amounts of petrochemicals and salts from the manufacturing process. I figure a small amount of salts and chemicals in a small amount of gel in the soil is only a fraction of the salt and junk that's in our water. Around here the water is not great, whether it comes from the tap, well, or rain water. Every garden has it's challenges, at least I don't have to contend with Japanese beetles!

I have added some Zebra to some things I potted up in the fall. I also got the stuff in tea bags for some trees and shrubs I was planting, but I forgot to use it. Haven't tried to propagate with it yet but will update y'all when I see some results.
carol