Butterfly bush propagation not growing or rooting

11 years ago

Hello! This is my first time on this forum, I have read many posts from here and you all seem very knowledgeable.

Sometime late spring early summer last year I started gardening, I had tomato and watermelon plants and several smaller plants as well as a bamboo, which is what started this all, Well point being, I'm brand new to all this and need some help.

I have several butterfly bush cuttings, all cut just below a knot where the branches came out of, which were cut off at the bottom, I managed to root one cutting but the others just wont root, They are all still easily alive, but no new growth on any of them and no roots, I have root hormone and i have tried it, But when i put them all in seeding soil with the hormone.

I lost several of them, I checked them all and only one had rooted, I decided to take the ones out of soil that did not root and put them back in water to try and save them, since then the woody bark of these cuttings has disappeared and i can see that they are healthy and green sittin in the water , They have been like this since fall last year, roughly haloween time.

These are supposed to be gifts for my grandmother so i would like it to work out. If someone could please help that would mean alot

Thank you.

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Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
googling your title.. brought up a GW post ... and the first reply said upwards of 100 days to root ...

has it been 100 days???

personally.. i never had the patience for rooting semi-hardwood cuttings.. some taking a year or two to root ...

but then they all a start arguing about it all.. lol ... but this link came up:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/propa/msg0118450523103.html

welcome to GW .....

ken

ps: how are you controlling humidity???? .. you really left out a lot of facts of how you do it.. wherein we might be able to fine tune your process ....

Here is a link that might be useful: link
flora_uk
11 years ago
Budlleja can be rooted outdoors just by sticking the cuttings (about a foot long) up to half their length in the ground and forgetting about them. Maybe you are trying a bit too hard. Remember it is January. Normally they would be leafless and dormant at this time of year, not actively growing. I would put them back in their pots and leave them alone.
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sean_a91
Original Author
11 years ago
Ah... I dont have any of the fancy equipment for controlling humidity, however i'm going to use a liter bottle as a dome as soon as we get some, that should help. They are just sitting in a cup of water right now, content with what they have lol, but im thinking about switching the rooted cutting to something a bit more absorbent like peat moss or coconut or something.
sean_a91
Original Author
11 years ago
Ah... I dont have any of the fancy equipment for controlling humidity, however i'm going to use a liter bottle as a dome as soon as we get some, that should help. They are just sitting in a cup of water right now, content with what they have lol, but im thinking about switching the rooted cutting to something a bit more absorbent like peat moss or coconut or something.
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years ago
Hi sja, welcome to Gardenweb! Assuming you're talking about Buddleia...

Without knowing where you are, it's hard to be too specific, but it's the wrong time of year. Totally agree with Flora. When done outside in the spring, as plants are leafing out, roots should form within a couple weeks, in a pot or in the ground. I do this every year as I'm trimming them and have started hundreds of bushes this way. It's serendipitous that the two should be done at the same time.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
a mini greenhouse for humidity can be as cheap as the pic below ...

ken

its sitting on that sublime potting bench i work off of
{{gwi:5067}}
sean_a91
Original Author
11 years ago
Thats neat ken thanks =) I just cut up some litter bottles and stuck em on top, Not very happy with it though, And now im confused as to whether or not they should be getting direct sunlight, they will only get the sun for about 2-3 hours a day , they face the west side of my house, All i have is some shelf space in my bedroom in front of the windows haha I can hang something in front of them though. maybe something to lessen the sun they get?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
my little setup went under fluorescent lights for 16 hours per day.. with a heat mat under .. maintaining 72 degrees ...

you are winging it.. that is very hard with woody shrubs ... but go for it..

otherwise you will need to ID and address a myriad of variables including wood age ... timing ... media .. humidity.. light.. rooting compound .. etc ..

a guy named Dirr wrote the book .. literally .. lol ...

a few hours of sun will not be enough.. 99% of the time.. there is always beginner luck to hope for..

BTW.. you are using a common name.. under which there are two plants.. you did NOT answer the ??? above as to which you are dealing with.. one is s tuberous plant.. which i doubt can be rooted ...

now you keep trying ... barely nothing lost in learning ... you might even succeed .. and write the next book..

GO FOR IT ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: find it at a library ... its not even a book i wanted/needed to buy.. lol ...
sean_a91
Original Author
11 years ago
Oh sorry, i must have either forgot or missed the question, Its cuttings from a purple buddleja/buddleia from what I understand

Since i posted this , my planted cuttings are suddenly growing, the leaves have doubled in size. =) the others however, are disliking the bottle... their green stems suddenly started darkening =\, Im removing the bottle for now.

Thanks for the info! =)

also should i use any fertilizer or nutrients? I cant believe they can live for 100 days before rooting without some sort of nutrients?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
if they dont have roots.. how will they process the 'food' ...

and if you insult the leaves.. you may interfere with photosynthesis..

so.. in my world.. you are better off NOT messing with them..

the line you must never cross is: loving them to death ...

ken
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
11 years ago
Congrats! That's cool! I agree with Ken, it's way too soon for fertilizer.