Soft cuttings need to in a 100% humid air space. This is provider by covering the cutting with a plastic bag, tight at the bottom so no air is exchanbed. Every day or two the bag must be removed turned inside out and replaced, This removed the excess moisture condensed on the inside of the bag. If you don't do this you will grow mold. Roots will grow faster if you have bottom heat also if you use hormone for most plants. You only need the weakest hormone for soft wood cuttings. Al

Thanks, calistoga. (By the way, I've been through Calistoga, California quite a few times). Your advice makes sense, when I read it. One thing I do wonder about is why so many people seems to think you only have to trim off a shoot and stick it into the pot's soil? They make it sound so automatic - albeit, a few say to trim off maybe half the leaves on the shoot, to reduce transpiration and the drying-out of the shoot.

J.

Some plants will root from cuttings just stuck in the ground. Most of us had a grandma who was able to do that. She never mentioned how many she stuck that just died or what time of the year she did it. Should you pass through Calistoga in the future try and stop at our little museum to get a feel for the area and our history. Al

One simple addition to the process is to dip the cut into baby powder (talc) to seal it so it doesn't rot. I have never lost a plant to rot since I started doing this. I use it for everything including separated daylilies (which I dust heavily with baby powder).

I like the tie type one gallon plastic bags which I remove once the plants start growing. When removing the bags first just open the top for a couple of days to let them adjust before final removal.

John

John, thanks.

Glad you brought this up. Yes, I have lost some shoot ends (inserted into the potting soil) to rot.

In what order would you use the talc-dip step? Would you cut the shoot, dip the ned in talc, then in rooting hormone? Or would you cut, dip in rooting hormone, then in talc?

Joel

I think most of commercial rooting hormone is made up of talc - with just a little hormone added.

Brenda, I've definitely seen "rooting powder" (which, yes, is a hormone powder), but also seen the hormone available as a gel.

Which is the better form? What's the best way to use these? Would I use gel and talc (i.e., use talc as John has suggested - if so, using the dips in what order?)??

J.

Powdered rooting hormone is more than 90% talc with a fungicide and about 1 percent hormone. There is no benefit to using more than the suggested hormone. And you would never use more than one type on the same cutting. Al

Thanks, Al. Sounds like you are recommending the powder, too (rather than the gel).

J.

I always used the powder with the fungicide. When I had a greenhouse and did controlled experiments I found that with easly rooted plants the fungicide alone was of more benifit than was the trace of hormone. I think that a rinse with bleach might be almost as good as the fungicide but I have never compared them in experiments.

If I am propagating a woody, difficult cutting I would use the liquid, Dip and Grow, for everything else I use the powdered type. I have never tried the gel, YET. The liquid is a pain in the neck to use as you must mix it when you need it and throw away what you don't use, which is 90% of what you have mixed. After being mized the shelf life is only 10 hours. It will stain anything it touches. It is the most effective, however on woody material, so I put up with its drawbacks when I need it. Al

As for most pothos and other fleshy vines I always just threw them in the fish tank!
Within days I get roots growing. Fish emulsion fertilizer works great! I never had any luck nicking the vine and sticking or pinning it down to the earth. The water method works best for me.
Anyone want some cuttings? Can't seem to throw them out!!!

For other cuttings i use the powder hormone and have some sucess and some not. I like the idea of taking the bag off and turning it around. I sometimes have problems not taking the bag off soon enough. I lost some nice clematis cuttings because they got too wet after they started to grow and rotted. I learned my lesson on that one!