Another element to consider - your water quality itself. Often water has been treated with chlorine, and fluoride added to it. Most plants/flowers do not do well with chemically treated water. That is why you often see the suggestion to only use rainwater or distilled water. The usual pH of water is close to 7; plants do better (take up more water) if the pH is between 3-4, in floral design work where you want blooms/foliage to last. You can use a touch of citric acid (lemon juice) to adjust pH. The 2nd component to consider is aeration in the water. Propagation success is higher if you aerate with a small fish tank pump/stone. Roots need air as well as water. That is why clay soil is so bad. It has very little aggregate spaces for air and the soil goes anaerobic. The algae issue has already been covered; eliminate light. Leaves: You want the plant to focus on root development so trim all leaves except 2 at the top. Clip those in half if they are large. All plant energy should go to root development. Following those adjustments should increase your success rate.
I found an abandoned rose in a paddock. I had nothing with me to get a cutting. So I broke off a piece, and it had a 5cm untidy broken mashed up stem. After leaving in water for two weeks (change water every day) there were roots growing all the way up and down that broken 5cm. Amazing. Maybe we don't need tidy cuts!
Same here, found a beautiful rose of sharon growing on a roadside. Wife and I just quickly broke off a long wood branch near the base. Drove an hour home, put in water. Also cut the branches on the main branch and put in water. About half of them rooted, including the wood branch which kinda shocked me. It's mid September and we are planting them tomorrow- hoping they get rooted in the next 2 months before winter sets in. Also plan on mulching good for a little protection 😁
Thank you. :) I have a Meyer Lemon that has a severe case of scale. I made 3 cuttings that I washed thoroughly, dipped in hormone and put them in soil. I now have 3 scale free clones of the tree :D
I've had excellent results with rooting cuttings in a fish tank. I float styrofoam on top, poke tiny holes to push the cuttings down into the water while keeping the tops with 2 leaves above the water. Run the air pump the same as if you had the fish in the tank. The aerated water has rooted every plant I've put in it. One big bonus is that you can see the roots as they grow. No need to pull them out of dirt or keep changing water. This system works very well for me.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm @Fraser Valley Rose Farm The aeration is a must in my opinion. I actually use an Aeroponic Cloning Machine that I built. (Its quicker to google it than me explain the set up.) but it basically mists the cuttings stem from below and the cutting is suspended in an enclosed container with neoprene collar, so leaves stay perfectly dry. No humidity dome or misting at all. I can get enough roots on the cuttings in a week to 10 days or so to be ready to plant in dirt. Before I started doing that I floated styrofoam also... works really well, just takes about twice the time as the aero. I had random luck just going straight into dirt. My downfall was remembering to mist them, or forgetting to put domes back on etc... the aero i just turn it on and forget it...
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm definitely aerate your water, run a fish tank air pump and air stone provides a constant oxygen supply. you will see the difference. and if you can use a larger container with a lid and make foam plugs to go in the holes you can put your cutting in container and keep all the light out to prevent that algae. google cloning stations for a visual reference on the plugs etc. but easy as to make yourself
What a great comparison video! Very helpful to me. Now I know why I’ve had poor success transferring my water rooted hydrangeas to soil. 😊 I also enjoyed reading so many helpful comments. It’s great to see so many helpful and resourceful people here.❤
Very nice! It's beautiful when RU-vidrs will play with plants and learn from them, and show us the results. It really depends on the plant, I have propagated Basil in water many times and you can see the roots in day 3, it propagates as easily in soil. With Rosemary I've had a bit more difficulty, but that's due to my carelessness. Mint proapagates really easy both in water and soil. Ideally you need to change the water every day or every two days.
Roots formed in water undergo a change when transferred to soil. Submersed roots have no hair roots because they take nourishment directly from the water, Immersed roots have hair roots for absorbing nourishment from moist soil. For those species that I root in water, I prefer to make the change when the roots are only an inch long. If the cutting has been left in the water longer, I trim the roots back to an inch. Water contains little or no nutrient, so the sooner the plant is transferred to soil, the better. As a general rule I find that plants that form woody stems root better in soil. You need to experiment a little to find which plants root well in water. Some species root quickly, while others only rot. In case of doubt, root it in soil. My preferred method is to make a green wood cutting with four to five nodes, making my cut about a quarter to a half inch below the bottom node. Remove the leaves from the lower two nodes that will be under water. Leave only one or two leaves on the top of the stem. I have several 4 oz. jars with plastic lids. In the center of each lid, I drill a 1/2 to 5/8 inch hole with a forstner drill bit. This holds the cutting upright and slows evaporation from the jar. Most cuttings take less than three weeks to root.
I found this very interesting. In my experience basil and tomato side shoots root very well in water. I usually grow tomatoes from seed and if I want a few more plants I root side shoots in water then pot them on. At the end of last summer I tried an experiment - rooted a few side shoots, potted them up, and kept them alive indoors through the winter (I'm in the UK so they wouldn't have survived outdoors), taking further sided shoots from them when they got too straggly. Planted them in my greenhouse this spring and they've done quite well - still going but it won't be long before it gets too cold for them.
Thank you! I just got my first rose cuttings last week. I saw a video about doing cuttings in water, so I went that route. I'm going to try and put half of them in soil tonight, and pray that I didn't totally kill everything
@Mike Studmuffin everything is dead 🤦♀️ I contacted the seller, who graciously sent me a second batch. Those died too. The lavender cuttings, though, are doing much better hydroponically.
IM ..3RD WORLD FARMER JOHN HAM..ON YOU TUBE ALMOST ALL WAS TAKEN DOWN.BUT IVE PLANTED 2000 TREES OF 40 DIFFERENT SPECIES,WITH 500 GROWING TREES IN THE GROUND NOW SO I GOT 25 PERCENT IN VERY HARD CLAY SOIL DOING CUTTINGS,EXCEPT FOR PAPAYA,AND COFFEE WAS ALREADY HERE.JUST STICK IN 5 TO 8 CUTTINGS IN THE PLACE YOU WANT THE TREE ,EXPECT 1 LIVIVG PLANT,OR TREE .WORKED BEST WITH MULBERRY.
There are so many things I read a couple months ago on how to propagate hydrangeas. I opted to try water vs putting them straight into a nursery pot with potting mix and puttiny the soil props under a grow light. I like to experiment way too much, and also love getting free plants from friends lol. A friend gave me a couple cuttings from her big leaf hydrangea a little over two weeks ago. From my googling, and youtube seaches, everything says the clippings should be 3-4 inch long from a non-flowering new top growth that is still a green stem. The few inches provides a few nodes to root from. Hydrangeas have woody stems, which makes it almost impossible to prop older and woody brown stems in water or soil. The greener stems are a softer wood and easier to prop. Whether proping in soil or water, you remove all the leaves from the stems except the top two leaves. It helps to provide more energy and moisture to propagations quicker. It takes up to 3-4 weeks propagating in soil and water. Mine have only been in water for a little over two weeks and im already seeing roots growing from the nodes. My secret for propagating any clipping, easy or hard plants to prop, is clipping a pothos that has a 3+ nodes, removing most leaves except the top ones and putting the pothos clipping into the same water reservoir with the hydrangeas. Pothos cuttings release a natural rooting hormone into the water and it helps harder to prop plants root faster. Make sure non of the leaves from both the hydrangea and pothos are under the water or you'll risk rotting them.
I heard somewhere that watering newly repotted plants do well when they are watered with, "weeping willow water." This is made by soaking weeping willow cuttings in water for several days. It is said that willows run thick with the rooting hormone.
Hi Laurel. I've heard the same - but haven't done any serious trials with willow water. IBA is the main rooting hormone in willow branches, and it's not very soluble in water - so I suspect the levels would be quite low. Maybe good for easy cuttings, but for more difficult propagation I'd be more inclined to go with a commercially available hormone.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I got the impression that they were using it to water plants to enhance the growth process. I did a sort of accidental trial a few years ago. I was cleaning up after I trimmed a weeping willow and accidently left the 5 gallon bucket sitting by some shrubbery. It sat undisturbed for I think, 2 months. That summer it rained in biblical proportions! When I came across it again, the twigs and pieces had roots. In fact, they were a bit of a clump of very fine but healthy strings. I used up the water gradually on some border plants I had just put in. I always left enough water in the bucket to keep the twigs saturated and I let the rain refill the bucket. I have to admit my observations were far from scientific. Perhaps I should have used the willow water on only half of the plants. I let the rain refill the bucket and kept using the water for a few weeks. I needed the bucket for something so I fed my experiment to my sheep. All of those new plants survived and looked good but I don't remember noticing any exceptional growth that was out of the ordinary. The ewes all stayed the same size, too! Lol Oh, let me add that I love your tutorials! I knew nothing about cuttings prior to finding your chanel. You explain thing clearly, without any unneccesary superfuous flutter and your advice is supported with first hand observation and studies. You are always adding topics. And you are an enjoyable go-to! I have started some juniper virginia (something like that) cuttings and I'm so excited about them! These are what are called, "red cedar" around here. I think they are fully native. They are narly as the devil but make the best nesting habitat I've ever seen! A cat will NOT climb up after anything that nests in those trees. The trees offer good shelter and cover from birds of prey. They grow fast and make great, but somewhat ragged looking, bluish green wind breaks. And ever body must eat the seeds because they grow everywhere. (Except inside of 2 miles of my farm!) I talked to our county forester to see if seedlings were available for that specie. He was less than enthusiastic. But that seemed to be his general demeanor, lol. So far, my cuttings are still in the bucket! Lol. But they look a bit better than when I collected them a week ago! I'm going to do a half and half this time! One item more: I've been searching for reasonably priced native rose bush seedlings or cuttings. I want to scatter them over my 30 acres! I just love those hard working guys! I'm in the process of replacing and populating every non agricultural spot available with native plants. I call my work a,"Wildlife Restoration Project," by reintroducing native plants. "If I feed them, they should come!" Thanks so much for replying to my comment. You are fantastic!
I really love your Chanel! I've been bitten by the love of gardening within the last couple years and you have helped tremendously with my knowledge of roses. Haven't had success with my propagating yet but I'll get it eventually. Thanks again
Try SLOWLY adding soil to the water container. Start with about a tablespoon every couple days for about 10 days, then start adding about 1/4 cup until it's full of soil instead of water.
I've always had fairly good results with water in jar/vase on windowsill. Yesterday I potted four Rosemary herbs with roots approx. 6 inches long, but threw out 12 Hydrangeas potted in soil, outside. Several others grown over 3 years now have flowers. It's a hit or miss game.
Sometimes it’s as small as changing location. Don’t give up! We had a kalanchoe that took about 4 months to put out roots in water - it was a long-term experiment my students could do while following Covid protocols. When that suc started rooting, it started creating new leaves like crazy and now, it’s spilling over the container along with the pothos vine that started rooting around the second week. Crazy thing is there is no natural light in my classroom so my student use whatever strength of grow light they think they need - never thought I would see a succulent thriving in water right next to the healthiest ZZ plant a class has ever grown. This is when I love teaching science!
What a great video Jason - I had 6 fig cuttings in the summer, placed in water for 3 months - they developed a tangle of roots - then stuck them out about 6 weeks ago in grow bags and they are fully leafed out and are two feet tall!!! I am in zone 8b in MS 60 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico. Sooooo, rooted in water and then transferred to rich soil in large grow bags. I am just a novice at this point but I do think that fig cuttings take very well in my area (as long as you have the patience!!!). Thanks again for a very informative channel.
i always thought the water method was a joke. only thing i've ever been able to get to root that way was willow. glad you took the time to do a side by side comparison. jah bless!
Here’s a secret no one talks about. Heating pad! I was having no luck with cuttings (in water or soil) until I put them on a planting heating pad. Now all my cuttings root perfectly and make the best mature plants. Rooting hormone helps too. Shady place but good lighting under a dome for humidity. That’s it! 😎
Helpful experiment - thanks for sharing the knowledge. Just a few observations on the water method. it is essential not only to change the dirty green water every 4-5 days but also to thoroughly wash out the cup itself each time water is changed, in order to remove all algae stuck to the cup. Secondly, the cut at the base of the stem should be at a 45 degree angle. One effect of this is to materially increase the surface area of the stem base, through which the cutting absorbs moisture and breathes. Thirdly, I cut stems down to single nodes wherever possible and with all but one original leaf cut off, in order to conserve energy for the stem. Fourthly, adding a very few tiny granules of rooting powder or hormone to the water gives the cutting extra nutrition. All these extra steps should help to narrow the advantage that soil naturally has over water, as soil naturally provides significantly more nutrition (minerals, etc.) than pure water. Several of my recent rose cuttings produced callusing and roots within 3 weeks of placing in water. They have subsequently produced one or two spectacularly colourful South American hybrid tea roses each, already standing at just over two feet tall each, within 2 months of potting. This is immensely satisfying.
I had better results in water. The problem was that when I transplanted them in potting soil I lost a lot of them whereas the ones in soil transplanted very well.
You need add soil at the last stage, bit by bit to the water propagation, It will give time for your plants to adapt, It will be easier for the root to growth and survived... cheers!
@@s4pulidi I've never heard of your method, but it makes good sense to me. Now I want to see the results from the next logical followup to the experiment we watched in this video. What we've observed thus far suggests a second experiment, a three-way test, whereby: The first cutting goes into plain water, inserted into a light-proof black container, so that the bottom half of the cutting is in darkness and underwater for the duration of the experiment. This cutting and the next two should be disturbed from their containers only once, to inspect the root development midway through the test.. The second cutting will use a variation of Joseph's intriguing method. The stem of this second cutting goes into a second, identical container. Like the first, this second container will remain saturated with clean water for the duration. At the beginning of the test period, we will add some soil to the water in the second container, and then add more soil incrementally over the course of the test. The Third cutting will get plain water overnight to help saturate it before potting it, after which it will develop its roots (we hope) in simple potting soil for the duration of the experiment, in a simple pot. The potting soil will be kept consistently moist until the end of the test. The same light source, temperature and humidity would be provided to all three test cuttings over the course of the experiment. Does anybody have suggestions to improve this experiment? I'd appreciate your comments, as I may attempt it in the near future, just for the love of curiosity. Two heads are better than one, right? ;) Thanks to the Rose Farmers for educating us all with this video. I'm gonna go watch some of your others now, . . . just for the love of curiosity. ;) Deeply felt best wishes flow straight from my heart this week to all my neighbors, near and far. May you ALL find a more abundant supply of strength, wisdom, goodwill and understanding in the coming weeks. May ALL my countrymen, and our treasured neighbors throughout the world, weather these turbulent times, without hating or distrusting your neighbors and countrymen even more than you do today. I mean that sincerely friends. May you ALL find more peace and brotherly love in your future, and less conflict.
Some of the good folks reading this youtube thread may be encouraged to learn that the words I typed at the end of that last post are sincere, even in this very moment. It was something about the pleasant spirit surrounding you folks, who focus your energy on bringing new plants into our world, perhaps, that propelled me into a sensation of being warmed by some upswelling of genuine mercy and compassion that overwhelmed my consciousness for a few sort of blissful, and too-short moments, just as I was finishing typing my post. That outpouring of love and compassion inspired the final paragraph. Now, the last remnants of that pleasant spell have inspired me copy the words I typed at the end of the paste them around the web because our world be a better place with more of that sentiment spreading. I wish I could share that compassion-rush widely too. If any of you get some warmth from that paragraph, feel free to spread it around as you wish. G-nite dirt-lovers!
I've done both water and soil. The garden center said do sunpatients in soil. If you choose to use water, remember you will need to change the water at least every third day, maybe more. So you would need to be near a water source. That is a lot of work.
Thank you. So interesting! Would choose soil but when given cuttings, to this day I immediately put them in water for fear they may wilt... consequently some root! Mostly die of course. All the same, I enjoy all your knowledge!!!
Doing this exact experiment right now with most of my trees and shrubs(fruiting and non fruiting) - My weeping willows(golden, normal) rooted the fastest...less than two weeks. They produced a lot of roots.... Most all the other trees are growing new leaves but the original leaves I left on there to indicate death did in fact die but new growth came in... Don't waste money on new trees when you can do this...and it's super fun!!! Happy Growing!!
What works for me: 1. Leave cuttings in water/rooting hormone solution for 48 hrs. 2. Plant in moist sand, dipping the ends 1st in rooting hormone. 3. Cover with a clear plastic shroud or bag for 4-6 days. 4. Remove shroud & mist regularly. An optional step is to also dip in anti-fungal powder when planting in the sand.
@@twotales7337 - keep the cuttings in a warm, shady area. As they start to grow, move to a brighter area. Misting is for the sand. The sand must remain moist, but not waterlogged. Overwatering could result in fungal infection or rot.
Water rooting does have decorative value, or getting kids into botany. My favorite is mint, in a row of jars along a windowsill. Mint does well the most consistently for me. (Atlanta, Georgia. Zone 8.)
Agree! I find soil to be much more forgiving to any mistakes. I also have Florida swamp water that will be algae within a day even not in light! It just seems to rot my plants super fast. I'll use it for a day or two if I get behind, but much more success forgoing any rooting hormone or prep and sticking in dirt than trying to root in water.
Thank you Jason and Fraser Farm for the beautiful red heart and the beautiful message thank you again for sharing the beautiful very interesting videos stay safe keep well happy and healthy
Thank you for the video and the demo which was clear and factual. Its a good one for someone who doesn't have a green thumb. Will propagate in soil so I can have plants ready for next spring.
Can confirm that figs propagate surprisingly easy in water, the soft cuttings that is. But you gotta transplant them to soil immediately once they start to develop roots
Hi mate. I had great success with fig cuttings by wrapping them up in damp paper towel and putting them in a zip lock bag on top of the refrigerator (warmer). After about three weeks they were very well rooted.
My rule of thumb for rooting is that I use the water method for annuals (tomatoes cucumbers etc) and soil for perennials. For berries I also get the tip die back but as long as the entire stem doesnt die you still have a chance. Generally I find taking clippings of berries mid autumn is the best way to go.
I'm a tropical gardener and I have always prefered soil over water, double the speed on rooting, lower chance of fungi infection and in general, more convenient that having water somewhere collecting mosquito larvaes if unwatched, great video though!!!
I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. However, I did not know that you could propagate plants by sticking them in soil. The relative few that I have propagated have been in water. Except succulents, of course which I just lay on top of soil. I am going to research how one propagate using soil for the simple reason that it would say a lot of time and work because I change the water every other day, and then, when they do grow roots, I need to transplant them into soil. So it would be nice to not have to do that. Thank you for your video. Just as a bonus tip for everyone. All of my windows are north facing. Over about a one and a half year period of time after I moved in here, all of my plants, either died or were dying, and I gave them away to my neighbors across the hall who have south facing windows. Interestingly, two plants survived, and actually thrived. As far as I can figure out, they are Peperomia something. I think they are very attractive plants. For some reason I decided to try to propagate them. I’m sure I must’ve looked up if it was possible, and then how to. I used the water method, and they are growing very healthy roots after about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and I don’t think I lost any leaves. I thought I would share that with people. After not having very many plants for about a year and a half I started really missing them. This time around I am much more conscientious about keeping them as close to the window as possible. I even bought a fiddle leaf fig, which I know is crazy. I’m going to try and supplement the light with grow lights of some sort. I have had it for about three weeks and I have to say I’m very surprised so far seems to be doing well. I also have one spot in my apartment that is probably perfection for plants. It is in my master bathroom, so if I put them on the windowsill and hang some of them, they love it because of the humidity and light I’m assuming. Wish me luck.
lol man thank you, man you are the greatest, i tried the water method for clones, i wasted my time, and i started searching google i what i am doing wrong? i am doing exactly what the "pros'' says: clone in water, until i saw your video, now i understand life better thanks again, keep it going i am subscribing to you cuz you have a beautiful character
Tried water with hydrangea and verbena cuttings. Hydrangea was a complete failure in water and about 30% success in potting mix. Verbena worked fine in water with about 70% success although some failed to make it when moved into soil.
I have noticed that cuttings do better in water when the container BLOCKS the light where the roots will develope rather than using clear containers/cups. I also like to change the water out at least every two days.. happy growing.
I once had a problem w/ new leaves but no roots - it turned out, I did not let the stem cut dry before I planted the cutting in very moist soil - I basically achieved the cut flower in a vase effect by accident.
A clear plastic cup allows in too much light and encourages algae growth. I found using a opaque container not only reduced algae but enhanced root growth.
I have successfully rooted basil, tomatoes, geraniums (Pelargonium), and calibrachoa in water. Doing geraniums and callies over this winter - just potted up the rooted cuttings a couple of weeks ago, and they're all putting on new growth and looking pretty happy. Have not tried the comparison of soil to water in a "formal" experiment, but all the geranium cuttings I've ever tried to root in pots have rotted and died. With that particular species, I have better luck with water.
I see what you are doing, I had a similar experimental testing . It depend on the temperature the plant received in the water or in the potted soil if you add some rooting hormone in the water the cutting in water will grow root faster and better and every cutting you put in there while those in soil pot will grow some root but some of them will get rot
I've always had good success with rooting in light soil. My cuttings are places in terracotta pots, in the window sill, south-facing, and watered daily.
Amazing, thank you, so much helpful information for beginners... A request please, can you do a detailed information on alovera plant, leaf growing, taking care, repoting, as they are easy to kill, with not knowing how to care for them Please
Yes aeration there's bubbling, mini sprayers and ultrasonic mist. We use sprayers, dip n grow and a mild liquid nutrients with good results. I've seen sprayers with a bubbler in the reservoir. Possibly it's better. Use a light proof container and clear rez type product to avoid algae
We're cooling the room a bit this time of year in zone 8. A cooling loop on the reservoirs would or on a cold floor be better but not practical. Cool white florescent light
One of my best propogating happened when my Christmas tree after standing in water developed roots all around the trunk. So, 7-8 feet fir tree developed small roots. We did not intend to propogate. It just happened. But when we really want to propogate tiny cuts, dancing around, creating green house effect, we end up with nothing
Hi. Thank you for sharing this video. I wonder if you ever considered adding a fish tank bubbler to the water method? It will oxygenate the water and may improve the success rate.
I enjoy your videos. I have a different method of water rooting. I have a good size pondless waterfall with a fast flow. I can put many different types of cuttings stuck between the rocks and get good roots. Even the plants that don't root keep their leaves and stay fresh a long time. I discovered this when a flowering stem broke off the plant and I stuck it in the fountain. The flowers remained as long as they would have on the plant! This is outside zone 9 NorCal near Sacramento. I'm guessing this happens due to the coolness of the water plus the aeration. I have grasses and Canna growing in between the rocks also.
I never tried to use soil when propagating because I don't have any idea how often to water the soil to keep it moist so roots develop. I also only propagate house plants as opposed to outside plants. I've had good success with pothos in water and not had issues with algae however I use glass as opposed to plastice containers for propatation. I'm going to try the soil method with hydrangeas and see how that works. I did water this spring with a stem from a hydrangea that I overwintered that broke off and it did very well with water and I will overwinter that plant for next year.
Info // For easier tracking, I'm writing this in the middle of April 2021. I live in Belgrade, Serbia. I have red about some methods of rooting cuttings. So, I’ve decided to try some alternative methods, in combination with some of my own. Scindapsus (Epipremnum), I rooted very easily, in pure tap water. Didn’t changed water at all, just added new, from time to time, when I remember to do it. Works only on mentioned plant. As I’m also doing bonsai, some serious plants, mostly trees, are under the experiment. Also, as I sad, after some research, I’ve decided to try some alternative methods, in combination with some of my own. I’ve red about willow water as rooting hormone. I’ve collected cuttings of willow and cut them into small peaces. After I boiled water, and let it cool down to a room temperature, I inserted the cuttings of willow. It stayed so for a day. After I pulled out willow, bottled the water and put it in fridge. It can stay so for a month. After I’ve been done with willow water, I threw myself into collecting cuttings. This year spring started earlier , and some plants started earlier to shoot buds. I’ve putted cuttings into willow water for a day, then in a mix of molehill ground, ground from nursery and sand. Sand is about 60% of the mix. I put the cuttings in pots, and a bottle above, with cutted bottom and plug on top, on some of them. I’ve collected red flower horse chestnut, regular horse chestnut, wild plum (regular and red leaves), linden, cherry and ligustrum. These are all plants which are easily rooted, according to internet. For some I can confirm myself. The results can be seen already, just after one month. With plug on the top of the bottle: Ligustrum - I’ve put several cuttings that were about 5mm (1/5 inch) in diameter. At the beginning, they were doing well. Nothing for about a week, and then started developing new buds. Buds turned into small branches, about 2cm (4/5 inch). But then started to slow the growth, and to turn the darker color of cuttings. After a month, when I pulled the bottles up, and scratched them with a knife, none of them were green under the bark. They were brown and dead. I watered them before closing the bottles with the caps, and didn’t touched all the time. I’m planning to try with 2cm (4/5 inch) cuttings, as I stumbled on big plant from which took several cuttings, putted into willow water. Linden - Same results as the ligustrum. I used 1cm (2/5 inch) in diameter, and longer hight cuttings. Just as I read that will such cuttings root (smaller will fail). Regular wild plum - I’ve took several cuttings, with different diameter, and different age. They were all hardwood. Only one is still alive. All got cobweb. The one that is alive, got cobweb on the top of the plant, but bottom with the new shoots. I’ve cut the top, as it’s not alive. Continuing to monitor the situation. Cherry - So far so good. They are in the second week, and seems to show the first sings of buds. Using 1cm (2/5 inch) in diameter cuttings. Without plug on the top of the bottle: Red flower horse chestnut - I’ve put several cuttings that are about 2.5cm (1 inch) in diameter. All are growing like crazy. After they sprouted new buds, started to develop them into branches with leaves. I would say a lot of leaves. Even there’s no plug at the top of the bottles, there’s moist inside the bottles. Regular horse chestnut - Developing well, but not near as good as the red flower cousin. Using cuttings about 1.5cm (3/5 inch) in diameter. Red leaves wild plum - Some died, some are still alive. Alive ones are doing well, developing bud shots into branches (so far about 5cm /2 inches/ in lenght). Using cuttings with different diameter, 1cm - 2.5cm (2/5 inch - 1 inch). ------------ P.S. Planing to try with birch as well, as I like them a lot, even do I read they root harder. PDF comment, for ones who want to keep it on hard disk: mega.nz/file/oIZiWDQZ#NRDkGpChMuccjHj64Uf3eFwruBUK039m59Z3xLpYmO0
I rooted grapevines by putting sticks in a 1.5l bottle, putting 2 cm of water in there and leaving the cap off. They also rooted in soil. For the most part, things I try to root in water grow shoots, then rot and things I try to root in soil grow leaves, then dry out and turn brown.
Techplant is a great channel that tests different methods of water propagation and they found that changing the water hampers propagation. Rather than changing the water it is better to leave the water in even though it may look murky and have algae. I wonder if the reason soil worked so much better for you was because you changed the water twice per week.
My BlackBerrys propagate very easy on its own if the top of the stem (it doesn’t matter if the stem from this year which already produce or the stem which is going to produce next year) touches the ground it will sprout a route on the end of it in less than three weeks even in the middle of the winter I’m in North Carolina zone 7a
Hi Jason. Thank you for this great experiment! It is especially helpful that you took time to film it in few sessions and let us see all the steps from the beginning to the end, and the result. What potting soil did you use in this experiment? I saw quite large pieces of something that looks like woodchips. I tried to propagate many different evergreens for my backyard and I almost always fail. I used sand, high quality potting mix, plain dirt from my backyard. I did it indoor and outdoor. My best and only positive result was when I just pushed a stick into the ground in partial shade with dirt was covered with 20 cm of one year old woodchips.
Thanks. I use a mix of composted wood bark/chips and shredded cedar fiber. Evergreens are a bit slow compared to most of what I propagate - and I've seen people do them in in-ground beds (I think to keep the moisture and temperature more stable than containers over a long period).
I've had similar results. I think you might be able to use plain water to accelerate the formation of callus, and then move the cutting to potting soil or weak solution in a hydroponic system for even faster rooting, even more so probably with temperature control or bottom heat. Blackberries are easier to propagate from root cuttings, but you might have success with raspberries, which like to self propagate in nature from cane tips that droop to the ground.
