Cuttings

[z5guy]

i have the worst black thumb in the world! every single thing i have tryed to root has died in a horrible way. ive tryed easy to root cuttings (suposedly), hard to root cuttings and everything in between!! every single on has failed! im thinking about quiting gardening for good seeing i kill everything, i wanted to become a horticultrist but if i dont have a hint of a green thumb then im bound to fail. you guys always make it seem so easy....:(

[decompost]

:( awwwwww, z5, http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/traurig/sad-smiley-002.gif http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/traurig/sad-smiley-002.gif http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung0304/traurig/sad-smiley-002.gif don't give up, everything's gonna be okay . . .
<_< . . .hey, wait a minute, i've seen some pictures, a certain waterlily, for one. . .
:rolleyes: . . . i think you're just kiddin' around, huh???
;) :lol: ;) :lol: okay, okay, ya got me !!!

[Phia]

Decompost, I agree with you. z5Guy, you have really beautiful plants. Can explain your rooting process? What medium do you use to root the cuttings?

[gardenlady]

do you have a book that you are using as a guide? that might help. :D

[donybee]

Have you tried Sedum cuttings yet? Two of the easiest cuttings to root are Sedums and Geraniums. Most will root even without hormone powder. The one I have trouble with is Clematis. I have never had any luck, but I'm told it can be done. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Ginny42]

z5Guy, don't give up just yet. A lot of those cuttings are very tricky. It's all trial and error. When I do cuttings (which isn't very often) I take about 6 of the same plant because you usually loose more than you root. ;)

[boo]

I have not mastered taking cuttings either :( unless it's sedum.

[Sneezie]

:unsure: z5guy you are disappointing me terribly. I came to think of you as one of our shining stars on B.S. What are ya gonna go and do, quit just cause you can`t get the hang of rootin stuff? You will. And some of the flower pictures you`ve posted for us are outstanding. Now I don`t want to hear anymore of this talk ' I`m just gonna give up' I don`t think so, you just get outside and play in the dirt a while, that`ll cure ya of this nonsense talk!! I MEAN IT!!!!!

[MrSeedy]

I always had good luck until recently, since I've not been using a sterile mix for starting them and rot is one of the biggest enemies in the process, since with the plastic or other covering and the constantly moist environment without good air circulation is a recipe for rot. I always used a peat lite mix that's naturally sterile. NO. 2 is to have them in bright light short of actually sun , which will cause them to overheat and almost cook, and using gro'lites has always provided bright , but not hot light for starting most cuttings. Also removing most of the leaves can help as if you leave too many leaves , it means the plant needs to support more leaves , even when it has no roots yet, before it's rooted. Some people will actuall cut some large rose leaves etc. and other large ones in half to reduce the stress on the cuttings. For some "bottom heat" is almost a must as well, especially for some tropicals but even some cold hardy perennial shrubs and trees can help . Sorry I can't offer more advice to solve your problem , but even I don't succeed all the time!!

[z5guy]

well, i use a soil-less mix and i have book and i follow all the directions and nottin! i do everything they say, use soil-less mix, bottom heat, cut the leaves in half, put in humid environment, etc... the closest ive ever been to rooting something was some blue spruce cuttings, they were doin great and i had them for 3 months (the book said they would take 3 months to root) but then they just droped dead! i dont know wat to do. but i guess ive had some success! i did manage to root those demon cacti! but those are to easy, ya practially drop em on the ground and they root.

[MrSeedy]

z5guy, I've tried repeatedly to root some Murraya cuttings, and no luck, despite following "normal" recommended procedures" and the only thing that might have been lacking for those to root successfully , was perhaps the bottom heat that some cuttings need. The last one I tried to root (or ones , since all the others turned yellow and died) was just starting to get some very small roots after at least three months in the "rooting chamber" , when I forgot to close the bag after inspecting the plant for root growth, and since I wasn't in the habit of having to water that covered plant, I promptly forgot to water the uncovered cutting, and it dried out and died. I could have kicked myself for that little blunder after waiting months for some roots, but I've not tried to root one since, and have found luckily that the seeds are much easier to get new plants of those.

[z5guy]

ya, well it seems to be as hard as root cuttings on some plants as it is to germinate seeds. like for insantance i couldent germinate palm tree seeds for the life of me! I got one too but then it promptly died.

[PRH]

z5guy -
Hang in there! " I agree with what Sneezie typed to ya about playing in some dirt!" I understand though about the way you may feel sometimes ( you want it to happen like yesterday )! Sorry, that doesn't work that way when it comes to plants! ( you know that huh )? So ... pick yourself up, dust yourself off, take a deep breath and move forward! Thats how alot of us have done stuff in the plant world! Now its your turn to do the samething!!!
Phil :-) :D

[Rich]

I'm rubbish at it too. Occasionally I have a success, like one of the twenty lavenders I planted.

There goes the hedge plan. Oh well, I can always try again until I get it right.

[buster]

Zone 5 guy, I've read that they root very good outside in sand. Dig you up a a place and fill it with sand. Put them in and keep them misted. I've never tried it, but there is a site on the net and this guy says hell sells plants from his home and that's how he does it. Buster

[grindle]

I love trying out cuttings Z5 and most of them die on me but sometimes I might get the odd one that takes and that makes it worth the effort, keep trying, it's not failure if it doesn't work

[z5guy]

thanks everybody for all ur great support, ur the best ;)

[MrSeedy]

I wonder sometimes if some of those cuttings don't need the most sophisticated devices to get good results. and indeed some growers use a system of misters rather than covering the cutting completely with a clear cover, and letting them root with the moist soil, which needs little watering once its' been wetted. Those "misters" put out a fine mist over the cuttings on timers, so they never dry out , but at the same time, since the areas are covered, they allow lots of air circulation to reach the cuttings so they have fresh air all the time, which isn't the case in covered plants. Not sure that's the big difference with their success, but it does seem to work for most hardy hardwood cuttings like evergreens etc. Sometimes bottom heat is almost a must as well, and as I've said I had lots of success for years , only to find I have little the past couple of years. It can be puzzling sometimes and frustrating if it's a favorite plant you want to reproduce.

[z5guy]

ya, i dont get it, they tell they u need to give it humidity, but also give it air circulation! i dont know bout the rest of u guys but i certainly dont have the money for a greenhouse with mister unit and fans and all sorts of gizmos like that! the most i can get is a heat mat and a plastic bag strecthed over the top, lol!

[ravenhawk]

Well z5 dont give up yet. Like grindle said it only takes 1 success to make it all worth while. If you need a moral booster try something easy. Example: Wandering jew. They will grow roots where ever a stem touches the soil and I start them in plain old potting soil. African violets root easily as well. Of course those are house plants but might be good to start. Do you use a rooting hormone? Sometimes I just stick my plant piece in water and see what happens. Quite often I get stuff to root but I tend to kill it when I plant it in soil. Good luck and keep trying

[Nettle]

Hi z5! Don't give up! I took cuttings from my deutzia, my weigelia and my hamamelis this year. I try and find soft wood and an extreme healthy looking twig. Then I cut it off very slanted so that the wound is big, so that the twig can get the utmost amount of water through it. Then I used old, not too much fertilized dirt, mostly old dirt from pots I already used for other plants. I stick them tiny twigs in and cut of most of the leaves, so that the twig concentrates on rooting as well as on producing new leaves. Then I water it and put it an a part-shady place in my garden. Works for me....
Sorry, if somebody already posted all this in a previous post, but I thought I should add my 2 cents here aswell.
btw, I had 95% survivers this year.
success to you, z5!

[z5guy]

thanks