On Sep 19, 8:14*pm, DaveP wrote:
On Sep 19, 5:02*pm, "vsop" wrote:
In last nights GW show a "leading expert" on cuttings gave a demonstration
on the way she took cuttings.
What surprised me was that she said to always cut through the leaf node..
Yet all previous advice I have ever seen and read on this matter has always
advised to cut just under the node ?
She had very high success rates whereas my propagation results have always
been quite hit-and-miss over the years,
What do others think of her technique ? Did I hear her incorrectly ?
It's a bit simplistic recommending just one method of preparing
cuttings for all plants, because root formation can be initiated in
many ways depending upon the plant.
I didn't see the programme, but I'm now just wondering. Might
sticking to one angle of advice make it easier for a novice to
remember, or might the just such a level of 'precision' information
make the whole process seem more technical and so more complicated
than necessary?
*Most soft cuttings will root
successfully if the cutting is taken with the node cut through so in a
way, she is correct.
Was the 'science bit' explained? (Meristematic Zone;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meristem )
*However, many plants will root as easily or even
faster from internodal cuttings and others require stem wounding to
nodal cuttings or even split nodal cuttings. *It all depends upon the
plant you are propagating, the type of material being used (soft, semi-
ripe or hardwood) and the time of year the cutting is being taken.
Personally, when I'm taking nodal cuttings I always 'nick' the side of
the node,
yep, exposing the Meristematic Zone
which is a variation of cutting right through the node.
When taking hardwood, internodal cuttings I wound the internode.
Depending upon the plant, I may use a combination of the above two
when taking semi-mature cuttings. *It all depends upon what I'm
propping and when . *I rarely get many failures, but then I've been
propagating plants for a very long time and have developed techniques
that work best for me and the composts that I use.
The advice given was not incorrect, but the technique demonstrated is
not necessarily the best for all plants at all times. *HTH