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When should I Give Up on a Cutting?

13 years ago

I have a cutting that someone mailed to me...unfortunately, the cuttings were short and stumpy with few nodes (not sure if that is the right word...but the divisions in the branch where it leafs) and all but one succumbed to mold.

The one that I have left is still in lightly moistened Perlite in a covered plastic bin on top of my fridge. It has ever so slowly developed little white bumps that look like the precursors to actual roots. It has been stagnant in this white-bump stage for about three months...no leaf development. Just recently, there is a tiny rootlet that has started pushing out...about one centimeter in length and very skinny...it has a good healthy color but it looks kinda sad and pathetic.

My questions are...when do I give up on this cutting? Is this rootlet the last dying gasp of a valiant effort? Is there any way to provide some nutrient to help the root system develop? Is this really just a organic material destined for the compost bin? Should I give up and move on to new plant relationships.

Thanks for your opinions and expertise...Geoff

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Comments (2)

crez
13 years ago
From what I have read, nutrients have very little to do with successfull rooting of cuttings. The main issues are disease control and good air/moisture balance. Some varieties are much harder to root too, I have heard. There are many people on the forum that have had a lot more experience than me with cuttings. I have done some in sphagnum moss, which has natural disease fighting properties, and also a good air/moisture balance. If your cutting is just starting to root then it is still alive, and where there is life there is hope!

David
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years ago
Ficus c is an extremely vigorous tree, so we can get away with practices rooting them that would be disastrous in other less vigorous plants. Still, the two most important influences on cutting success is the state of vitality and health of the parent plant, and cleanliness. In operations that propagate vegetatively, great pains are taken to see that the stock plants are in peak vitality and free of diseases. The propagation area and all things that come in contact with the plant are sterile or as close to sterile as possible.

Nutrients in the propagation media/media solution actually inhibit the cuttings ability to remain hydrated. Additionally, the cutting cannot utilize nutrients until root primordia appear. At that point, it's beneficial to apply a weak fertilizer solution.

Be patient. You're on people time and the tree is on tree time. They're different ..... and only one of you is capable of making allowances for that difference. ;o) .... and please don't move the cutting around so you can check for roots. You'll easily break the microscopic hair roots and set the rooting process back.

Good luck.

Al
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