I'm Lazy--What can you root in plain old water???
Lisa Hayes
18 years ago
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Comments (174)
fieldofflowers
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agocountrygirlsc, Upstate SC
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How to tell if I'm burning the roots?
Comments (8)You need to repot your orchid. Your mix is to wet and broken down. You have moss growing on the near the edge of the pot. You have a little fertilizer (salt) burn but not to bad- the light brown splotches on top of your roots. To help reduce fertilizer burn when watering time comes water with plain water first to wet the roots and then fertilize. Personally I don't bother. You write "I follow the weakly-weekly plan, but I think I haven't been putting enough emphasis on the "weakly" part :-)" You kind of answer you question on fertilizing amount, though what one person considers weakly may be another persons strong or visa versa. Phals actually grow better with more fertilizer during active growth then your average orchid. The below link to a cultural sheet is based on Dr. Yin-Tung Wang's research into growing Phals. Here is a link that might be useful: Phal Care based on Dr. Yin-Tung Wang's research, Texas A&M University System...See MoreHow to do cuttings
Comments (12)The thing I did not see clearly in all those tutorial videos or instructions (that I saw before, not about this thread) was about how to make a cutting. I thought, cut it, call it a cutting, plant it, it's good to go. But I would have many failures. In fact, many plants do need a correct cutting also. The thing I learned later, which is good to use for any cutting even if the plant roots easily from other parts, is to have at least 2 leaf nodes (more is fine, just plant deeper like OP does, as well as I do that sometimes, too). Take off the bottom leaves, leave the top leaves. That's your cutting. When planted, be sure to plant that bottom node in the ground, since that is where roots will come out of. I used to plant just the lower stem (no leaf nodes), thinking that was sufficient. They would seem to stay alive when there was the covering for humidity, but never did well after weeks when I thought it would have rooted and took off the covering. Some plants do make roots from other parts and some do it more easily, even without rooting hormone, but if you take that kind of cutting to start, you'll have a better chance. From there, you can learn more about each specific kind of plant and how differently they can be rooted. Once I had a better understanding of the cuttings, I was able to root more successfully in various types of soil medium. Some people will have their favorites, but the experimenter in me tried different types, and found that all the ones I tried worked just fine. Again, the main thing was back to the cuttings and how to protect them until they rooted. Because of the tendency of the plants to make roots at leaf nodes, it's possible that some plants, if you cover their stem with soil or a medium that simulates the soil, they will make roots right there while still attached to the mother plant. Once they get their roots, you can snip it off. Salvias and many vining plants are a popular plant which can work like this. So sometimes when I see a particularly long branch, I no longer just automatically turn it into a cutting. I sometimes make a new plant that way first, then snip....See MoreWatering large old oak trees (root diameter?)
Comments (13)Thanks for this, Caldwell: "Roots are 2x the spread of the crown on ANY healthy/non-root-bound plant." Toronado asked, "how much are you going to have to water it and is it legal or a good idea in your part of the world." Probably once a month during this 5th year of drought where there has been no rain for months at a time in the very hot summers. Yes, it's legal on two days of the week during restricted hours. Ken asked: "why are you presuming it needs water???" No rain for several months during the last 5 hot summers. "why think you need to fix it ..." Lately some oak trees are dropping branches. Locals say that watering the trees may help. We will water once a month. We do this for our pine trees too, to help them produce sap to fight off the bark beetle. "i dont quite understand the street tree story.. based on this pic". The pic attached earlier was of the oak trees we are concerned about on our property. Attached to this message is a photo of the tree that dropped a HUGE limb on a public road; the limb landed on a passing vehicle; driver was okay but his vehicle was not....See MoreDifference between water and soil roots
Comments (9)"water roots" are those formed by a plant when a cutting - a slip - is grown in water only. I can't say how they differ morphologically from standard soil roots since this is not a topic I've ever studied but suffice it to say that they evolved to be able to absorb oxygen from the water - which soil roots cannot do - and some nutrients. There is a limit with this for most plants......eventually they deplete the resources available to them in just the water (unless topped up or replaced frequently) and they begin to fail. Water roots need to be carefully transitioned to a soil medium. Usually this involves dipping them into a muddy slurry before planting into regular potting soil or an interim step of growing them on in a very porous substrate like perlite and water and allowing the water to gradually evaporate almost entirely and then plant into regular potting soil. Plants grow water roots in water.......it's that simple :-) And not all plants are inclined to do this....See MorePagans Raven
9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agojohnva
9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years agojohnva
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agotrowelgal Zone 5A, SW Iowa
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoSharon Numnut
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7 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
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7 years agoVladimir (Zone 5b Massachusetts)
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6 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
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6 years agoCarol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agodonnaroyston
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