In article , Charlie
Pridham writes
I presume your old beds were outside the greenhouse?
No they were on the greenhouse shelves Charlie. I found that ramming
cuttings in all together gave me more success than individual pots so
just built these boxes with holes at the bottom to take all the
cuttings. They did get a bit heavy but lasted about 10 years though the
slatted greenhouse staging has rotted away. I used to put hard wood
stuff in the sharp sand and compost and the softer stuff or the cuttings
taken in the late spring etc in a mixture of vermiculite and sharp sand.
Have rooted all sorts this way including Calycanthus and even a Daphne.
Have never covered them.
Anyway, I prefer separate pots sitting on the heat as its more flexible (I
still use clear fruit punnets as you can see when things are rooting)
Oh brilliant idea! I did think this might be better or I'll be yanking
out the soil cable with the roots as some plants can root extremely well
into the cutting mixture!
but I
know folk who insert direct into the bed. The main thing you will find is
adjusting to the watering requirements, heated beds dry out far more than
ordinary plunge beds.
Was thinking of giving very gentle heat and then if there's space I can
sit slightly tender plants on top of the sand during winter. Is that a
good idea?
I also find a covering of thin white polythene really good for cutting out
sun scorch.
Sounds like you are going to have a busy season :~)
Just sown about 45 pots of Hardy plant seeds though they are going into
the cold frame. Many of my gardening friends have large gardens (over 4
acres) and they let me wander round and take cuttings of all sorts, they
then get plants back that come from other gardens so we all benefit. I'm
afraid have to confess that I tend to lose a bit of interest once the
cuttings has struck or the seed germinated ! I tend to get one plant
going and then use it as a mother plant.
I wondered if using these two heating aids would save me heating the
greenhouse? I don't do a lot of tender/half hardy stuff.
Thanks for the advice.
Janet
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Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk