Identifying and root stimulation

18 years ago

How do I increase a cuttings root structure?

Last summer I brought back a tip cutting from Sweden, of a gesneria. She didn't tell me which gesneria it was, (or I missed it in Swedish!), but it had fuzzy/velvety leaves and blossoms. The leaves grew in pairs and I believe they were long and slender, and I think they had purple on the underside. The flower was orange red, and tubular in shape. I rooted it in water, but it rotted, and so I took the tip (the original cutting was normal sized and four inches) of two smaller leaves and put them in soil. The cutting took, but the two larger leaves died, leaving a tiny pair of new leaves which are continuing to grow, but so tiny I used a magnifying glass to see them. I started watering them with African violet fertilizer, and they are now a little larger, but still very small: the plant has four pairs of leaves, and still is only one third of an inch tall. Its pot is a shot glass. My question is based on the assumption that the plant is not growing at normal size because the root structure isn't able to support it. At one point I did replant it by putting the plant down into the soil- like one plants a tomatoe plant down further into the soil, puting the leggy stem down or the soil up on the stem. Any ideas? Thanks.

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Comments (2)

greenelbows1
18 years ago
I'm a fan of Superthrive, which does stimulate root growth--be sure to dilute it well and don't do the 'if a little bit is good. . .' thing. But first a question--you say it's in a shot glass. That sounds like it isn't getting any drainage. I think I'd be inclined to pot it in a small pot with holes, or maybe a solo cup also with holes. I find drainage holes to be absolutely essential not only to prevent over-watering, but to allow salts to be flushed out and at least my theory is it alows for some air exchange. Roots need air as well as water and soil. HTH
jon_d
18 years ago
I once received a small rooted plant from Sweden. Actually it came from Germany, was mailed to Sweden, and hand carried to Kansas City, where I got it. It had been wrapped in loose wet moss in a ziplock, and it rotted off all the leaves; so, I was left with a stem with a healthy tip (an episcia). I took the moss, squeezed out excess moisture, and potted the stem back into it, in a small regular pot, putting the now potted plant back in the ziplock and placed on the window sill. I was at the convention that week, so it had to make do with a hotel room window sill. By the time I was ready to head home to California (five or six days later), it was starting to recover, with leaves so tiny they needed a microscope to see them ;). It survived its plane ride, went under lights, and grew into a plant, which I now grow.

So, the "moral" of this story is: I rooted it in long fiber moss (New Zealand type is best but American long fiber sphagnum moss works well too), in a small pot, enclosed in a ziplock bag and in good light. After it grew a healthy shoot I propagated it again into a standard gesneriad mix (peat, perlite and vermiculite). I agree with Nancy, a shot glass just doesn't sound right. You need a small pot with drainage. When I pot an unrooted cutting, I will take some dry moss and thoroughly wet it to total saturation in the sink, then take it in my hand and squeeze out the water. I take that compressed ball of well squeezed moss, fluff it up again and lightly place it with cutting in the pot, not compacting it at all. In the loose moist moss and enclosed in the bag the roots are exposed to lots of air and very high humidity. They then shoot out through the moss capturing all the moisture. Once you have roots going wild, then a light feeding will speed things up.

Jon

PS: When you say you got a gesneria, do you mean a plant of the genus gesneria or are you using this word in the old fashioned sense, as a general term for a gesneriad? Really, this term should only be used for plants of the genus Gesneria. Plants in that genus need high humidity, constant moisture, and should never be allowed to dry out. They often are best grown in terrariums or in small pots under enclosures like sweater boxes or domes. Many plants in the genus Gesneria can be hard to root.
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Identifying and root stimulation

Comments (2)

greenelbows1

jon_d

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