When I read the thread about propagating trees from leaves,
I had to
LOL. Then Alfred Falk mentioned that only certain plants
can be
propagated from leaf, and it reminded me of my Rex Begonias.

I adore them, and have tried to propagate them twice. I
researched them
on rex sites and read about a method where you slashed the
veins on the
leaf, and laid it on soil. It said to weigh it down with a
pebble. I
tried that with several leaves, in a terrarium, in indirect
light. Nada.
All the leaves shrivelled up and died. Then I read another
article, by
Martha Stewart this time, about how she and her grandma used
to
propagate dozens of rex begonias in the early spring for
planting in the
garden. So I was inspired to try again.

I took two juicy, perfect, youngish leaves, laid them on
moistened soil,
pegged with down with floral pins, slashed their roots, put
a drop of
liquid rooting compound on each cut and covered the tops of
the china
pots with stretch wrap.

Martha described another method, where you cut the leaf into
triangular
bits, each with a portion of vein, dipped it in rooting
compound and
inserted the dipped vein end into the ground. I split
another leaf three
ways and covered the pots with stretch wrap. These cuttings
died within
a few weeks.

The leaves that were pegged down, looked good, but nothing
was happening
.... and nothing happened for over 2 months. I gave up on
them when the
vegetable seed starts, and the garden beds, needed my
attention. I
shoved the plastic covered begonia pots aside to deal with
later ... and
promptly forgot about them for the entire season.

At the end of September, I decided to collect all the soil
in pots from
failed plants, and repottings, scattered hither and yon for
recycling
outside. I pulled the plastic off the first of the two
begonia leaf
attempts, and there was a dry leaf and bone dry soil. I
dumped it. I
popped the plastic off the second pot expecting to see the
same thing
.... but instead there were two little plants, close
together. I totally
freaked. They hadn't been watered in 5 months! The soil in
their pot was
very dry, but not quite as dry as the other pot, but the
little plants
looked pretty juicy. I have no idea at what point in those
5 months
they'd started to grow, or how they managed to survive
without water.
Perhaps the plastic had deteriorated enough in that time to
allow air in
and out. But still, I'm amazed that they could grow under
those
conditions.

I find Rex Begonias to be fussy plants, and prone to
'wearing out' in a
few years. They're hard to come by, so that's why I'm keen
on
propagating them. Maybe the next time I attempt propagation,
I'll prep
them, cover them in plastic, and then just ignore them for
half a year.


Flora

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.

Flora wrote:
When I read the thread about propagating trees from leaves,
I had to
LOL. Then Alfred Falk mentioned that only certain plants
can be
propagated from leaf, and it reminded me of my Rex Begonias.
\sni Snipped bits out

Flora-

I see you are using a pretty old version of Netscape on Mac OS9. You
might want to update to 4.8, which is more stable than 4.74.

But the real reason I write is your post is very hard for me to read. I
think you must have your line wrap set to a low number, or perhaps you
hit return when at the edge of the Window?

I used to do nothing but help Netscape users a long time ago, but I have
forgotten just where certain settings are located.

Cordially,

John McWilliams

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 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.

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.

Jan Flora
Zone 3, Alaska

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

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.

Hi there,
Did you heat the cuttings 24/7, or only during the day? What temp? I tried
this with some of them - a heating pad under the terrarium base. It was
about 80F inside, ambient temp. 16 hours a day. I had a moisture source,
but not a mist bench. Maybe I'll try it again with peat moss and sand.
What ratio did you mix?

Thanks,
Flora

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.

Hi John,

Sorry about the formatting. Long story. I'm doing the best that I can.

Flora

John McWilliams wrote:

Flora wrote:
When I read the thread about propagating trees from leaves,
I had to
LOL. Then Alfred Falk mentioned that only certain plants
can be
propagated from leaf, and it reminded me of my Rex Begonias.
\sni Snipped bits out

Flora-

I see you are using a pretty old version of Netscape on Mac OS9. You
might want to update to 4.8, which is more stable than 4.74.

But the real reason I write is your post is very hard for me to read. I
think you must have your line wrap set to a low number, or perhaps you
hit return when at the edge of the Window?

I used to do nothing but help Netscape users a long time ago, but I have
forgotten just where certain settings are located.

Cordially,

John McWilliams

Flora wrote:
Hi John,

Sorry about the formatting. Long story. I'm doing the best that I can.

Not at all. Thanks for cordial reply; I somehow figured you'd be that
way. It looks like you fixed it, anyhow.

If I can help, I've been on Macs a long time, and am familiar with all
Netscape stuff.... or was....

--
John McWilliams

On Thu, 12 Oct 2006 03:05:42 -0400, Flora wrote:


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.

Hi there,
Did you heat the cuttings 24/7, or only during the day? What temp? I tried

24/7, ca. 85oF, about 50-50 sand and sphagnum.


this with some of them - a heating pad under the terrarium base. It was
about 80F inside, ambient temp. 16 hours a day. I had a moisture source,
but not a mist bench. Maybe I'll try it again with peat moss and sand.
What ratio did you mix?

Standing air (with no movement) tends to let fungi grow more easily than
the moving air in a mist bench. That may be part of your problem.

There's an old set of books called "Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture", by
LH Bailey. It's often useful for home growers to check his propagation
techniques because it was written in the low-tech era. :-)

Kay