Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Propagation help required
G'day from WA!
I have several Hibiscus Cottonwood (Hibiscus tiliaceus 'Rubra') I would like to have some more! But at Bunnings they're $28 each. I've tried taking cuttings using hormone gel and for the life of me I can't seem to get the cuttings to take. Has anyone had any luck with these plants? I'm wondering if layering may be the way to go. Many thanx Linda :-) |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Propagation help required
On Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:42:51 +0800, Linda wrote:
But at Bunnings they're $28 each. I've tried taking cuttings using hormone gel and for the life of me I can't seem to get the cuttings to take. What "soil" are you using? what preparation did you give it? Hard/old or new/fresh wood? Did you bury a node? not just a length? apps if egg sucking I'm wondering if layering may be the way to go. All it is going to cost is maybe a few flowers this year. When we do stuff like this, we just make up a poly box of soil/potting/seedraising/??? and fill it full of cuttings and see what happens, but I've never tried Hydrangeas or the like. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Propagation help required
"Linda" wrote in message
... G'day from WA! I have several Hibiscus Cottonwood (Hibiscus tiliaceus 'Rubra') I would like to have some more! But at Bunnings they're $28 each. I've tried taking cuttings using hormone gel and for the life of me I can't seem to get the cuttings to take. Has anyone had any luck with these plants? I'm wondering if layering may be the way to go. Many thanx Linda :-) don't know anything about hibiscus cuttings whatsoever, so take that on board! however, some experiences i've had with cuttings in general: * soft cuttings, taken from strong spring growth (i.e. wait a month or two) seem to take the best. (i've never ever got a hardwood cutting to take.) * heel cuttings, taken from a side sprig with the "heel", the point where it joined the stem, attached, (trimmed if necessary), seem to take the best. apparently all the nodes have concentrations of hormone within them, but these are the best nodes of all in terms of striking cuttings. as terry said you definitely need a node of some sort, heels are the best ones. * the entire arrangement needs to stay warm & moist, soil & air included. if the cuttings can't be kept somewhere naturally moist, use some sort of arrangement of glad wrap, a plastic bag or a plastic bottle, or something like that. failing that, you can mist them 3 or 4 times a day with water but that becomes strategically difficult of course. not too much sun, either, as it is drying in itself. half-shade is good as long as it's _warm_. * short cuttings are better than long ones, even if you have to cut their tops off. ideally, you want about 4 leaves. it is recommended to cut large leaves back by 1/2 or 2/3. ime, small-leafed plants take better, large leafed plants are troublesome. i found that the smaller the cutting (e.g. 5-10 cm) the better they went. 20cm just seems too long ime, but 20cm is necessary if the leaves are really large (you need to keep the arrangement to scale ;-). * soil for soft cuttings should not be too rich. experts use a low-nutrient mix of sand, perlite & whatnot with almost no nutritive value at all. this dries out easily of course, so see above ;-) when i was madly taking cuttings of everything i saw, i used about 3/4 coarse sand & 1/4 potting mix, cos i am too cheap to buy perlite or anything :-) this mix worked well for me, most of the time, except for where it didn't g. * it's well worth really packing them into the pot - they seem to like being close together (whilst still being practical, of course). a few cm apart is absolutely fine - close that they help each other stand up, but not to the point of being ridiculously crowded & risking them all going mouldy. firming them in well is also necessary. if that sounds like everything you've already done, i apologise for being patronising, and agree you might as well try air layering. or you can try again once spring is really rolling along by trying some by each method. again ime, some plants are simply resistant to striking from cuttings, in which case, what can you do? :-) also remember you can get a strike (without realising) which can dry out & then die, so look after them carefully & keep them cosy and moist. some things strike in a week, others may take months, so don't give up on them unless you are certain they have died outright. good luck!!! kylie |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Propagation help required
I tried heaps of cuttings all types of plants using hormone powder and never
got any to work, about 5 months ago I took 5 hardwood cuttings and 3 of them have rooted and are comming along great and I used honey not the hormone powder saw a guy on ABC using it and I can say its the only way mine have worked. "0tterbot" wrote in message ... "Linda" wrote in message ... G'day from WA! I have several Hibiscus Cottonwood (Hibiscus tiliaceus 'Rubra') I would like to have some more! But at Bunnings they're $28 each. I've tried taking cuttings using hormone gel and for the life of me I can't seem to get the cuttings to take. Has anyone had any luck with these plants? I'm wondering if layering may be the way to go. Many thanx Linda :-) don't know anything about hibiscus cuttings whatsoever, so take that on board! however, some experiences i've had with cuttings in general: * soft cuttings, taken from strong spring growth (i.e. wait a month or two) seem to take the best. (i've never ever got a hardwood cutting to take.) * heel cuttings, taken from a side sprig with the "heel", the point where it joined the stem, attached, (trimmed if necessary), seem to take the best. apparently all the nodes have concentrations of hormone within them, but these are the best nodes of all in terms of striking cuttings. as terry said you definitely need a node of some sort, heels are the best ones. * the entire arrangement needs to stay warm & moist, soil & air included. if the cuttings can't be kept somewhere naturally moist, use some sort of arrangement of glad wrap, a plastic bag or a plastic bottle, or something like that. failing that, you can mist them 3 or 4 times a day with water but that becomes strategically difficult of course. not too much sun, either, as it is drying in itself. half-shade is good as long as it's _warm_. * short cuttings are better than long ones, even if you have to cut their tops off. ideally, you want about 4 leaves. it is recommended to cut large leaves back by 1/2 or 2/3. ime, small-leafed plants take better, large leafed plants are troublesome. i found that the smaller the cutting (e.g. 5-10 cm) the better they went. 20cm just seems too long ime, but 20cm is necessary if the leaves are really large (you need to keep the arrangement to scale ;-). * soil for soft cuttings should not be too rich. experts use a low-nutrient mix of sand, perlite & whatnot with almost no nutritive value at all. this dries out easily of course, so see above ;-) when i was madly taking cuttings of everything i saw, i used about 3/4 coarse sand & 1/4 potting mix, cos i am too cheap to buy perlite or anything :-) this mix worked well for me, most of the time, except for where it didn't g. * it's well worth really packing them into the pot - they seem to like being close together (whilst still being practical, of course). a few cm apart is absolutely fine - close that they help each other stand up, but not to the point of being ridiculously crowded & risking them all going mouldy. firming them in well is also necessary. if that sounds like everything you've already done, i apologise for being patronising, and agree you might as well try air layering. or you can try again once spring is really rolling along by trying some by each method. again ime, some plants are simply resistant to striking from cuttings, in which case, what can you do? :-) also remember you can get a strike (without realising) which can dry out & then die, so look after them carefully & keep them cosy and moist. some things strike in a week, others may take months, so don't give up on them unless you are certain they have died outright. good luck!!! kylie |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Help required - fish dying | Ponds (alternative) | |||
help required - green water | Ponds | |||
Orchid ID - Help required | United Kingdom | |||
Lawnmower help required. | United Kingdom | |||
help required for honda motor mower | United Kingdom |