"Springtime" wrote in message
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I have been using the rooting gel that comes in six pots - similar to
yoghurt pots but transparent.
Out of interest I trialled cuttings from an Anita variety fuchsia in both
the gel & in potting compost. Both were kept in a propagator for 2 weeks.
The gel cuttings produced good roots but the tops of the plants leaves
curled over dramatically & were a light green.
The traditional cuttings in potting compost looked a healthier darker
green,
the leaves were normal and the root growth was as good as those in the
gel.

Maybe the gel is more suitable for difficult cuttings or is it just a
gimmick.

SH

Whether it's a gimmick or not, I bought some around 15 years ago.
It worked o.k. but not so well that I bought any more, in preference
to more traditional methods.

Quite possibly where they need to root plants in laboratory
controlled conditions - with no possibilty of diseases or
fungal growths or bacteria etc in the rooting medium, then gel
is a good alternative to something like vermiculite. Its probably
easier to ensure a good distribution of necessary nutrient or
whatever in gel for instance. In theory therefore, this should
make it easier to produce a suitable gel for novice\amateur use
which leaves less room for guesswork on their part.

Having had a look at the RHS website suggested by Rupert,
has just reminded me of the fact that you can actually watch
the roots developing in the gel. This may be of interest
to anyone really curious about how roots develop - to impatient
people who are discouraged if they don't see results of some
kind fairly quickly - and perhaps especially to children.
I can't remember being exactly over the moon about this
feature myself however, at the time.


michael adams

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michael adams