Rooting methods that work best for your soil and climate
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2 years ago
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strawchicago z5
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoRelated Discussions
Best Method for Rooting Cuttings?
Comments (19)There are three terms you might benefit from understanding. "Dormant", "soft wood", "hard wood". Dormant in my climate means wood which is removed in late winter/early spring BEFORE the plant begins pushing foliage and flowers. Some years that period seems not to occur, most years, it does. Hard wood is the growth BENEATH that which has most recently flowered. Sometimes it has older foliage on it, others, it doesn't. Sometimes that can be "dormant". Soft wood are the most recent flowering stems, usually those which have recently shed their petals. Wrapping, or "The Burrito Method", traditionally works most successfully with dormant material, though it CAN work wtih hard wood cuttings under optimum conditions. Most often, methods such as the "baggie", "terarium", mist, etc., require soft wood material, that which has recently borne a flower after the bloom has fallen. Dormant and hard wood material is "harder", it won't wilt easily and is usually more durable against harsher conditions. Its buds are more "dormant", requiring more time to mature before being stimulated into growing. Soft wood wilts rather easily as it is "softer", more juvenile. It usually contains more readily available nutrients, hormones, auxins, etc. which push new foliage and flowers. Under ideal conditions, it can often root very quickly. When I volunteered at The Huntington Library, propagating for the sales and gardens, I used soft wood material under their mist propagation set up. A flowering stem which had recently shed its petals could root under the usual summer conditions in the mist table in seven to ten days. Hard wood took several weeks under mist. Hard wood and dormant cuttings over winter in the green houses required three to four months. What is optimum for you to use depends upon a wide range of variables. You can study suggestions from other climates for each method, but you have to experiment with them where you are to determine which works best for you and at what times of the year. A rose breeder friend in Rancho Mirage has his best success in November using soft wood, if that helps. Kim...See MoreAloe roots stink... which method is best?
Comments (2)A big question arises: How do you water your plants? Aloe, being a succulent, does not need water like many other plants. And, if and when you water, do you water to drainage...or do you water in spits and spats, which you tell yourself the water is being received by the roots. And, how do you water? Water straight out of the tap? Cold? Water should be allowed to gain room temperature. The roots in the condition they are does suggest you have overwatered...to the point that water has been allowed to sit for a long time...and the soil doesn't drain properly. You can clean up the soil from around the roots...think to replace the soil AFTER you clean the pot thoroughly. Use a bleach solution on the pot....if its clay, soak it overnight in a clear rinse. Clay will absorb water into itself. Fresh potting soil after cleaning up the roots. Cut away as much as you think should be gotten rid of. You might decide to cut back the plant somewhat to match up the amount of roots they will serve. Into the water that you give the new soil, put some "Damp Off"...a fungicide to fight any bacteria that might linger. Do read the label. Water---hopefully, this is not water-softened--to drainage and dump the excess after a short full drainage. If you decide not to re-soil, drainage should occur within a specified time...depending on the amount of soil, size of pot etc.....drainage should be seen though within 2 - 3 minutes. If this is not the case, and water sits too long around the roots, the soil itself may be too compacted to allow proper drainage. In this case, replacing the soil is a must....See MoreBest and worst roses for your soil and climate
Comments (198)Carol: Forgot to commend you on your walking at -30 C or -22 F. Wow!! I admire that. Two years ago it got down to -20 F, I ran out for few minutes to dump my compost into the garden, with gloves & hat, and my hands were in pain when I got back !! I'm moving my compost pile closer to the house this year. Our temp will be -7 F, or -21 C in a few days, I'm praying that my kid's school will close !! I was walking for weeks daily in the summer, and didn't lose weight. But I lost 8 lbs. during flu-shot reaction: drank lots of fluid & slept a lot & zero exercise. So I'm doing the lazy way with smoothie (BIG THANKS TO KHALID) .. my pants are looser. I prefer the lazy way: sleep a lot, drink fluids via smoothie, see Khalid's thread on smoothie below: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4221380/breakfast-smoothies-with-rose-petals-and-rose-tea?n=48 Lavenderlace: I have been admiring your Twice in a Blue Moon and Singin' the Blue .. really wish Roses Unlimited would carry that. I'm into blue roses this year....See More12/5/15: rooting roses & best soil, wood ash, foods to lose weight
Comments (53)Merry Christmas !! I had just ordered Smart-pot in 10 gallon, only $9.97 from Amazon (free shipping). I'll buy 3 blueberry bushes this spring (Walmart sells them), put 2 in SmartPot, and 1 in the ground. Didn't know that I need 2 or more blueberry bushes to pollinate each other. Info. from About.com: " Fertilizing blueberries - Blueberries don’t like too much fertilizer. Twice a year in the early spring works well. For organic fertilizer try blood or cottonseed meal, or a fertilizer designed for acid loving plants. Blueberries need friends – To get your blueberries to fruit, you will need at least two blueberry plants for pollination, three plants is even better and they need to be placed relatively close together. Also it’s a good idea to grow a couple of different varieties of blueberries, because they will produce fruit at different times and extending your blueberry season. Protect your blueberries – While growing blueberries you’ll have few pests to worry about other than birds. To protect your fruit from feathered poachers, you can cover your bushes with a light sheet or netting, a few weeks before the berries are ripe." Sam: Do you protect your blueberries from birds? If I put Smart-pot right next to the patio, hopefully there's less pests. I re-post the info. that Bluegirl wrote on pine-fines to buy from Lowe's. I would need 1/4 pine fines with 3/4 potting soil to create the acidic soil for blueberries. Bluegirl in Texas wrote: "I think Amazon has the sulfate of potash for ~ $11 still. See if your Lowes carries the mix ours does. It's "HapiGro Landscape Mix", sold in a big clear bag for about four dollars. Almost pure pine fines to look at it. Here are some photos, the bag is kind of faded, it's a mostly clear bag with white on front. dry stuff inside--looks to be mostly fine pine bark with a nugget or two of perlite. THis is some moist stuff from inside a bucket--finger for size. Pictures & info. above are from Bluegirl in Texas. THANK YOU, Bluegirl, for allowing me to post your info....See Morestrawchicago z5
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