"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
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"Douglas" wrote in message
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"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
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"Douglas" wrote in message
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"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in
message
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gOn Tue, 6 Jul 2004 08:28:14 +0000 (UTC), Franz Heymann wrote:

The time for taking summer cuttings is approaching. This
raises
the
perennial questions which bother me at this time of the
year:

Is the shelf life of last year's purchase of "Strike" powder
long
enough for me to risk using it again this year?

I think I've read that the active ingredient decomposes fairly
quickly and that you should buy fresh powder annually. Do I
myself do this? No.

I've also read commments (perhaps here in urg) that for most
plants, rooting hormones are an irrelevancy, so the potency or
impotency of one's hormone powder is also irrelevant.

Still, I use the stuff just in case, but as time goes on my
methods become more and more primitive. Right now I've got
rose
cuttings underway, powdered and dibbled directly into the soil
with a glass jar over them, just like grandma used to do.

******

They'll grow, - but the purists don't like them.

Hard luck on the purists. I have grown roses satisfactorily from
cuttings for years and years. My impression is that the trade
uses
budding mainly because they can get a larger number of offspring
from
one stock plant that way.

[snip]

Franz
******
In friendy spirit,
I have to disagree. Budding and grafting usually puts three scions
on to one
rootstock and done properly they all prosper and form an acceptable
show of
branches from which the usual bush develops. You therefore have
control over
the plant and that control derives from the rootstock
characteristics, one
of which is of course 'dwarfing'.
This is especially important for fruit trees because the rootstock

I know nothing at all about fruit trees.

******
What a pity. If, like me you had ventured into that field you would have a
much better insight into
the ramifications of plant proliferation, - the whys and wherefores and the
successes and failures in propagation.
If rose growers tried to introduced roses cultivated by single cuttings
stuck into compost they would very soon be out of business as the public
gradually tumbled to it that they had an inferior plant on their hands, -
er, sorry! - lands.
This has nothing whatsoever to do with numbers of cuttings from stock
plants. The best propagators put three scions on each rootstock, so, -
apart from having the expense of providing and rooting the rootstock, it is
not sure that all grafts or buds will take, so they will get their price for
a three-shooted rose but a two shooted-one would bring half that price,
whilst a one-shooted rose would only be bought by unknowing people who think
that even though it's a cheapoitt will give a big show, - which of course,
it doesn't.
Doug.
******



I was talking about taking
rose cuttings. I have had enough success with that to keep me happy.

[snip]

Franz

******
Horses for courses , so to speak.
Sellavee!.
Doug