Franz Heymann wrote:
Mist propagation was mentioned in another thread quite recently. That
triggered me into asking something I have always wanted to know:

What does mist propagation do which cannot be done by inverting a
transparent container over the cutting?
I have always thought that the purpose of either action is simply to
maintain an atmosphere which is as nearly as possible fully saturated with
water vapour in order to minimise evaporation from the surfaces of the
leaves.

Franz


Not much ;~)) It does keep the top of the cutting cool which helps in
the summer. The maxim was 'cool tops/warm bottoms'. A big problem with
the plastic bag or closed propagator approach is the high temperstures
you get with even a small amount of sunshine - the cuttings get cooked
quite easily. That said, if used with care it works well for a great
many plants. The aim in each case is to keep the cutting turgid for as
long as it takes to get rooted. The big advantage of mist or the more
modern fogging systems is huge throughput from quite a small unit but
that's usually irrelevant in a private garden situation. Many nurseries
opt for slower, less intensive methods needing less capital outlay -
reserving mist propagation etc for more difficult subjects. There are
also a few plants that don't respond well to those conditions.

Rod