Apologies for coming in late to this thread, but has anyone tried
using those water-retaining gel granules as a rooting medium (after
they've been well soaked, of course)? I would think they might be
ideal, holding lots of water but allowing air to circulate in the
spaces between.

You would not want air to circulate round the developing roots. they
need to be in contact with moisture all the time.

Do they, though? I was reading an article recently which said that,
contrary to previous belief, seeds and seedlings took in more water from
the air spaces between the soil than from the soil itself. So might not
the same hold true for cuttings?

And don't most people add sand to the rooting compost - not to hold
water, but to give air spaces?

I dunno - I don't go in for cuttings.

Im trying some cuttings in the water retaining gel granules at the
moment, just some tangerine sage and some pinks. So far after 5 days
they seem to be ok, I will post any results.

Did you use rooting powder/liquid and did you use a sterilising agent on the
cuttings?
I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Franz

Mark

K - these are just the ordinary water retaining granules used in
baskets, tubs etc.

Franz - didnt use anything else this time so its a bit like just
sticking cuttings in water to root them except hopefully if they do
root, the roots wil grow into the granules and so protect them when it
comes to potting them up.
However I will be trying out more cuttings of the same plants in the
gel but with a little bit of liquid rooting agent this weekend, not
exactly a scientific trial but it might prove interesting.

Mark

"Mark Fawcett" wrote in message
om...
Apologies for coming in late to this thread, but has anyone tried
using those water-retaining gel granules as a rooting medium
(after
they've been well soaked, of course)? I would think they might be
ideal, holding lots of water but allowing air to circulate in the
spaces between.

You would not want air to circulate round the developing roots.
they
need to be in contact with moisture all the time.

Do they, though? I was reading an article recently which said that,
contrary to previous belief, seeds and seedlings took in more water
from
the air spaces between the soil than from the soil itself. So might
not
the same hold true for cuttings?

And don't most people add sand to the rooting compost - not to hold
water, but to give air spaces?

I dunno - I don't go in for cuttings.

Im trying some cuttings in the water retaining gel granules at the
moment, just some tangerine sage and some pinks. So far after 5 days
they seem to be ok, I will post any results.

Did you use rooting powder/liquid and did you use a sterilising agent on
the
cuttings?
I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Franz

Mark

K - these are just the ordinary water retaining granules used in
baskets, tubs etc.

Franz - didnt use anything else this time so its a bit like just
sticking cuttings in water to root them except hopefully if they do
root, the roots wil grow into the granules and so protect them when it
comes to potting them up.
However I will be trying out more cuttings of the same plants in the
gel but with a little bit of liquid rooting agent this weekend, not
exactly a scientific trial but it might prove interesting.

Please continue to report.

Franz

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
"Mark Fawcett" wrote in message
om...
Apologies for coming in late to this thread, but has anyone tried
using those water-retaining gel granules as a rooting medium
(after
they've been well soaked, of course)? I would think they might be
ideal, holding lots of water but allowing air to circulate in the
spaces between.
snip
Im trying some cuttings in the water retaining gel granules at the
moment, just some tangerine sage and some pinks. So far after 5 days
they seem to be ok, I will post any results.

Did you use rooting powder/liquid and did you use a sterilising agent on
the
cuttings?
I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Franz
K - these are just the ordinary water retaining granules used in
baskets, tubs etc.

Franz - didnt use anything else this time so its a bit like just
sticking cuttings in water to root them except hopefully if they do
root, the roots wil grow into the granules and so protect them when it
comes to potting them up.
However I will be trying out more cuttings of the same plants in the
gel but with a little bit of liquid rooting agent this weekend, not
exactly a scientific trial but it might prove interesting.

Please continue to report.

Franz

No success at all with either batch, cuttings eventually shrivelled
and died. I had much more success rooting cuttings just in a glass of
water on the windowsill.
One thing that did surprise me though was just how much water the
granules could absorb so I may try again but with less granules and
more water. I could however, if I carry along with this track, end up
with the situation of more water than granule thus making the trial a
bit pointless!-)

Mark

"Mark Fawcett" wrote in message
om...
"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...
"Mark Fawcett" wrote in message
om...
Apologies for coming in late to this thread, but has anyone
tried
using those water-retaining gel granules as a rooting medium
(after
they've been well soaked, of course)? I would think they might
be
ideal, holding lots of water but allowing air to circulate in
the
spaces between.
snip
Im trying some cuttings in the water retaining gel granules at the
moment, just some tangerine sage and some pinks. So far after 5
days
they seem to be ok, I will post any results.

Did you use rooting powder/liquid and did you use a sterilising
agent on
the
cuttings?
I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Franz
K - these are just the ordinary water retaining granules used in
baskets, tubs etc.

Franz - didnt use anything else this time so its a bit like just
sticking cuttings in water to root them except hopefully if they do
root, the roots wil grow into the granules and so protect them when it
comes to potting them up.
However I will be trying out more cuttings of the same plants in the
gel but with a little bit of liquid rooting agent this weekend, not
exactly a scientific trial but it might prove interesting.

Please continue to report.

Franz

No success at all with either batch, cuttings eventually shrivelled
and died. I had much more success rooting cuttings just in a glass of
water on the windowsill.
One thing that did surprise me though was just how much water the
granules could absorb so I may try again but with less granules and
more water. I could however, if I carry along with this track, end up
with the situation of more water than granule thus making the trial a
bit pointless!-)

I have tried a number of cuttings from different plants in the "Gel2Root"
stuff. It was a near total disaster. They cuttings have been in for seven
weeks now and the strike rate is abysmally low.
I'll go back to old fashioned pure sand next year.

Franz

No success at all with either batch, cuttings eventually shrivelled
and died. I had much more success rooting cuttings just in a glass of
water on the windowsill.
I had the same result, the cuttings did not actually die but I could
see that they were not very happy and put them into water where they
started to grow shoots very quickly.
kate

In article , Mark
Fawcett writes

No success at all with either batch, cuttings eventually shrivelled
and died. I had much more success rooting cuttings just in a glass of
water on the windowsill.

Forget granules, forget hormones - just use a halfandhalf mixture of
sand and peat and make sure you do it at the right time of year for the
type of cutting and for the plant in question.

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

In article , Kate Morgan
writes

No success at all with either batch, cuttings eventually shrivelled
and died. I had much more success rooting cuttings just in a glass of
water on the windowsill.
I had the same result, the cuttings did not actually die but I could
see that they were not very happy and put them into water where they
started to grow shoots very quickly.

Apparently the roots in water are not the type of root that will sustain
a plant in soil

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

On 25 Sep 2003 00:42:06 -0700, (Mark Fawcett)
wrote:



No success at all with either batch, cuttings eventually shrivelled
and died. I had much more success rooting cuttings just in a glass of
water on the windowsill.
One thing that did surprise me though was just how much water the
granules could absorb so I may try again but with less granules and
more water. I could however, if I carry along with this track, end up
with the situation of more water than granule thus making the trial a
bit pointless!-)

Mark

How did you prepare the granules? Did you pre-soak them and then put
the lumps of swelled gel into a pot, followed by the cuttings, or did
you put dry granules into a pot, then dibbled in the cuttings,
followed by water (or yet another route)?


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net