Jan Flora wrote:

In article ,
Kay Lancaster wrote:

FWIW, I used to get about a 95% "take" of rex begonia leaf cuttings
(the segmented cuttings, in sphagnum and sand) in sbout a month on
mist benches with bottom heat.

I'm able to root rex begonias and african violets with
leaf cuttings very easily. I just slash the leaf with a
sharp knife or a razor, stuff it into a light potting soil
and keep it watered. (Vermiculite would be good.)

I've tried that, but perhaps not with a fluffy enough growing medium.



I usually keep leaf cuttings like that on top of the
Monitor oil stove, so they'll stay warm. My fridge has
bottom coils, so it's not warm on top.

I don't use Rootone or any other rooting hormones, just
because I don't have any. When I need cuttings to root
in a hurry, I go out in the yard, cut a twig off a willow
bush and stick it in a jar with water with the cuttings.
Willows have something or other that helps things grow roots.

Interesting. What is a willow bush? Do you mean pussy willow?



My mom had a PhD in botany. I know how to grow stuff and have
absolutely no idea why it works, but it's what I learned
as a small child, working in my mom's greenhouses.

Neat.



Jan Flora
Zone 3, Alaska

--
Bedouin proverb: If you have no troubles, buy a goat.