View Single Post
  #9   Report Post  
Old 19-05-2018, 02:02 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Jeff Layman[_2_] Jeff Layman[_2_] is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,166
Default Oleria Traversii seeds?

On 19/05/18 09:34, Martin Brown wrote:
On 16/05/2018 15:52, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 16 May 2018 13:49:14 +0100, Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp
wrote:


A final query, I can't help but notice the cuttings with rooting
compound have an almost zero success rate. To be honest I didn't
follow the instructions to the letter and wipe the excess off, I just
planted them with what was left sticking to the cutting after dipping.


I never wipe off the excess either; I just touch the end of the
cutting onto the rim of the bottle to allow the drip to run off, but
never actually wipe.


I suspect the main effect of the rooting compounds on public sale is as
an antifungal agent rather than a root promoter but it can still help.
More important is a nice sharp blade cut just below a node that doesn't
crush the plant tissue. Nodes are typically keen to form roots.
(as ever there are always some exceptions)


The exceptions being the most desirable plants which are always
difficult to propagate!

But it does not seem to be that simple. In late February I decided to
prune the roses; I'd given up waiting for really cold weather so just
went ahead. Never wanting to waste anything I cut the pruned branches
into 30 cm lengths. All were treated with HRP and put into a couple of
20cm "long tom" pots with around 22 cm of compost/sand mix in them, and
pushed down almost to the bottom. As I had only two pots, I decided to
divide the cuttings into two cultivars per pot, with a gap between them.
There were between 6 and 10 cuttings in each half. The pots were left
out over winter in the shade, and watered when needed.

The result surprised me; of the 4 types of rose, there was a range of no
cuttings surviving to all cuttings surviving (I make no claim that they
have actually formed roots, just that the stems were still green, and
leaves have appeared. The dead cuttings were all dark brown).

Survivors:
Pot 1
Deep Secret 0/9
Chris Beardshaw 5/8

Pot 2
Golden Wedding 2/10 ( soon, I believe, to be 0/10!)
Margaret Merrill 6/6

Now I know that it is best to take hardwood cuttings in summer, but even
allowing for that, why should there be such a difference in survival
rate between these HT roses?

--

Jeff