growsolo
Active Member
Cuttings made easy.
The foremost thing that any grower from novice to pro has to remember and understand is that... You are life support for the new cutting until it shows roots, always keeping this thought in your mind is paramount.
Use standard flats (trays) with high dome covers (6" vented acro dome).
http://www.growers-inc.com/containers-propagation-tray-domes.html
Use 8 oz. clear plastic cups (Dixie) as a planting pots for your cuttings, this is done so as to make it easy to see developing roots. (You should be able to fit 18 of these into a standard flat (tray).
Use quality soil such as Faford Promix, non amended is preferred.
(The soil should be moistened to the point that when a handful is squeezed only a few drops fall out, it does not need to be saturated)
Use a quality rooting hormone, gel or powder.
Get 2 or 3 dollar store misting bottles, they don't often last long, you'll want back ups.
Prepare your cutting cups by filling them even to the top with moist soil, use a pencil or such to make a hole for the fresh cutting.
Taking the cutting....Try to always take cuttings from supple stems, hard stems will root but often take longer, cuttings should be in the 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inch length range.
Keep a 3 gallon tub of cool water next to yourself as you take your cuttings, as quickly as you make a cut, lay the cutting in the cool water stem down.
Making 9 cuts, and then treating them with hormone after the cool water bath has always served me well, do that twice and you have a flat filled (18 cuttings).
At this point you should have 18 fresh cuttings in clear plastic 8 oz. cups inside a high domed flat. The first 72 hours are critical. When you first finish taking your cuttings you are to mist every part of the flat and the dome and the cuttings, the vents on the high domed cover should be almost closed, a small gap for breath ability is all that is needed for the first 72 hours.
Mist no more that 2 times a day for the first 72 hours, over misting will cause "damp off", this is a rotting of the cuttings stem.
If your cuttings survive the first 72 hours, and they should, they will require misting only once a day at most from there to roots, again, be careful not to over mist (after 72 hours you should be able open the vents fully without incident.)
Normal incubation of roots takes from 10-15 days, it helps to label your flats as to what day you started them. After 10 days start examining for roots, look very carefully.
If I have missed something please feel free to ask me in this thread.
Always remember that you are life support until the cutting shows roots.
The foremost thing that any grower from novice to pro has to remember and understand is that... You are life support for the new cutting until it shows roots, always keeping this thought in your mind is paramount.
Use standard flats (trays) with high dome covers (6" vented acro dome).
http://www.growers-inc.com/containers-propagation-tray-domes.html
Use 8 oz. clear plastic cups (Dixie) as a planting pots for your cuttings, this is done so as to make it easy to see developing roots. (You should be able to fit 18 of these into a standard flat (tray).
Use quality soil such as Faford Promix, non amended is preferred.
(The soil should be moistened to the point that when a handful is squeezed only a few drops fall out, it does not need to be saturated)
Use a quality rooting hormone, gel or powder.
Get 2 or 3 dollar store misting bottles, they don't often last long, you'll want back ups.
Prepare your cutting cups by filling them even to the top with moist soil, use a pencil or such to make a hole for the fresh cutting.
Taking the cutting....Try to always take cuttings from supple stems, hard stems will root but often take longer, cuttings should be in the 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inch length range.
Keep a 3 gallon tub of cool water next to yourself as you take your cuttings, as quickly as you make a cut, lay the cutting in the cool water stem down.
Making 9 cuts, and then treating them with hormone after the cool water bath has always served me well, do that twice and you have a flat filled (18 cuttings).
At this point you should have 18 fresh cuttings in clear plastic 8 oz. cups inside a high domed flat. The first 72 hours are critical. When you first finish taking your cuttings you are to mist every part of the flat and the dome and the cuttings, the vents on the high domed cover should be almost closed, a small gap for breath ability is all that is needed for the first 72 hours.
Mist no more that 2 times a day for the first 72 hours, over misting will cause "damp off", this is a rotting of the cuttings stem.
If your cuttings survive the first 72 hours, and they should, they will require misting only once a day at most from there to roots, again, be careful not to over mist (after 72 hours you should be able open the vents fully without incident.)
Normal incubation of roots takes from 10-15 days, it helps to label your flats as to what day you started them. After 10 days start examining for roots, look very carefully.
If I have missed something please feel free to ask me in this thread.
Always remember that you are life support until the cutting shows roots.
