Behind Mytutorlist.com: leaf cutting

Showing posts with label leaf cutting. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Plant Propagation Tutorials - In One Place!

I add new tutorials on how to propagate plants pretty often, and I edit the available links each time for all of the tutorials so that they link to each other easily.

To try and simplify this process, I'm going to put a link to all of them in one place on this post. That will make things MUCH easier for me and you.

Here they are!

Behind Mytutorlist.com Flower And Herb Propagation Tutorials:
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How To Propagate Roses And Geraniums

How To Propagate Impatiens

How To Propagate Dahlias

How To Propagate Primulas/Primroses
How To Propagate Rosemary

Rosemary Propagation - Week Four

How To Propagate Rue
How To Propagate Cosmos
How To Propagate Fushias
How to Propagate Petunias

How to Propagate Tomatoes
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Feel free to grab this button for easy reference!

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Rose And Geranium Propagation - Three Weeks Later

Well, it's three weeks later! Let's see how the rose and geranium cuttings are doing, shall we?

The geranium cuttings are still alive and well. One of the single leaf-with-its-stem is starting to yellow, but all the other leaves and stems are doing well. I have taken the plastic off for about half a week now.

In a moment of curiosity, I decided to gently tip the container upside down to see if there were any roots developed yet. I rinsed the cuttings in a pot of water and look what I discovered - ROOTS!

Some of the stems had just a few little roots, but they are good sized roots that look pretty good! I'm a bit confused as to how a new plant will grow from a single leaf, but oh well!

This single leaf stem had lots of roots! Wow, I'm impressed. It also appears to have something that looks like a base where other leaves could grow from, so I think it will do well.

This particular cutting had some pretty good-sized root development, so I decided it was good enough to plant. I think I could have given it another week, but I'm impatient :P

I dug a big hole beside the original parent geranium and buried it with love. Ah, my first propagated geranium. What bliss!

I repotted the rest of the geranium stems cuttings. The 2 root and lotta roots single stem cuttings got their own pot. Once they have some more leaf development, I can transplant them or give them away.

Out of the 6 cuttings that I started, 3 of them do not have any root development yet (50% success rate). Surprisingly, the largest proper stem cutting is one of them. I wonder if the thicker stem is more aged and doesn't develop roots as easily anymore. The perfect cutting was a thinner stem cutting from the top or side. I am going to let them continue to attempt to grow roots since they have not wilted.

The geranium leaf cutting experiment shows that the leaf cuttings don't work. Look how shrivelly they are! Terrible...

The rose stem cutting experiment is going very well. Two of the stems worked, and one didn't.

Look at the wonderful red and orangy leaves growing out from the successful stems! They're beautiful.

They're reaching out now for more sunshine. This is a good sign that the stems have probably taken root. I am leaving the plastic bag on for another week. It is still sealed with the twist tie, but I am opening it each week to give it some fresh air.

Happy Gardening!

UPDATES!

Rose and Geranium Propagation - Week 1
Rose and Geranium Propagation - Week 2
Rose and Geranium Propagation - Week 3
Rose Propagation - Week 4

Happy Gardening!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Rose and Geranium Propagation - One Week Later

It has been one week since I planted the rose and geranium leaf and stem cuttings. The bags were looking somewhat deflated, so I decided to open them up to have a look inside and to give the plants some fresh air.

The geranium plant bags had the most moisture locked in. See how wet the inside of the bags are? The rose stems, however, had minimal moisture. I wonder if it's because the leafy geranium leaves "breathe" more.

The first bag I opened was the geranium stems and whole leaves. The plant leaves looked lush and healthy. I have the most confidence in the success of this propagation.

You can see that this container has one geranium stem and then lots of leaves. I'm not sure if the leaves will actually grow, but it is optimistic that they haven't wilted yet.

The cut-up geranium leaf experiment seems to be doing fine. The edges of the leaves have healed over, but the rest of the leaf is still fresh looking. I don't have much confidence in the success of these leaf cuttings, but I'm still curious if it will work.

As you can see, my rose stems aren't in the greatest condition. They came from a mostly finished bouquet, and the leaves you see now were already wilted by the time I planted these stems. The stems themselves, however, are still green.

It also appears that the stem buds are still alive as well.

The top of this lower bud was already wilted when I planted it, but the base is still green. This could be a losing battle, but I'm going to give it a good run before I give up. If these rose stems don't work, I'll find some fresher rose stems to try again.

How are your garden projects coming along? Any luck?

UPDATES!

Rose and Geranium Propagation - Week 1
Rose and Geranium Propagation - Week 2
Rose and Geranium Propagation - Week 3
Rose Propagation - Week 4

Happy Gardening!

Sunday, May 3, 2009

How To Propagate Roses and Geraniums Using Stems

It's recession time, and we're all trying to save money, right? Well, it's the perfect time to make more of whatever plants you have available. In my case, I have one pretty red geranium, and a few fading rose stems from a bouquet. I'm not sure if the roses are in good enough shape to propagate, but it was worth a try.

To begin with, gather all your supplies. You will need rose stems about 6 inches long, or with at least 3 buds (points where leaves can sprout out from). Keep 2 strong leaves on the top bud. I have none available on mine, so I just kept those tiny, wimpy leaves under the flower.

For geraniums, choose stems with 3-5 leaf joints, and remove all leaves except two strong ones from the top. Do not leave flower buds as they take energy away from rooting.

You will also need sharp scissors or cutters, rooting powder, a pot, and sterile potting soil (light and fluffy kind so roots grow easily). You will also need a small spoon or pencil.

While you are working, keep your roses in water so they stay fresh.
Fill your pot to the top with the sterile potting soil.
Firm down the soil lightly all over.
Make a deep hole in the soil.
Cut the rose stems just below the last bud, and wound the stem once by scraping your scissor down the the stem. The roots will grow from the wound and bottom edges.
Dip the stem into the rooting powder and shake off the excess powder. Be careful not to inhale the powder or to touch it. Wear gloves if necessary.
Put the stem into the hole. You can add more stems into the same pot as long as their leaves don't touch. My sad rose stems don't even have real leaves so I can add more stems without any worries.
Firm the soil around the stem and water generously. Allow water to settle and drain for a bit so it doesn't pool in the bag.
Place the pot into a clear plastic bag (like the kind you find in the produce section in supermarkets). Gather the bag opening together and blow air inside. This adds carbon dioxide and makes it so the bag doesn't collapse onto your plant. Twist the bag closed and tie it with an elastic band or twist tie.
Keep the cuttings moist at all times. While there are no roots, the cutting will depend on photosynthesis from the remaining leaves, and from moisture in the bag. Some gardeners recommend opening the bag and closing it each day to let in fresh air. You can also check to ensure that the soil stays moist (not sopping wet). The cuttings should initially be placed in a bright location with indirect sunlight until they have taken root.

It will take 4 to 8 weeks before the cuttings take root. Some varieties of roses will root faster than others. You can tell that they are doing well if the cuttings stay alive and grow extra leaves.
I used the same method to propagate my geranium plant.
I am also experimenting with leaf cuttings. I know leaf cuttings are possible for begonias, but I'm not sure if it is possible for geraniums. I didn't want to waste the big leaves I cut off from the geranium stems, so I tried it anyways. I'll keep you posted on whether it works.