jummyjojo, VERY well done! You've outlined and illustrated a very fool proof system. And you've given the post a good title so that it can be easily searched out.

I like that you emphasized cleanliness to start out with. That's important. You could have mentioned that one of the reasons for a very coarse potting medium (with lots of perlite) is the avoidance of root rot and algae growth. Your mix looks perfect.

Have you ever found that you needed to increase air circulation? (I do not typically put a dome over my cuttings, so I wondered about that.)

Thank you, rhizo_l. I usually put six pots inside the dome and put the mix in them instead of filling the whole tray. That way if one pot starts getting black stems I can remove just that one, and it also allows for proper drainage. Yes, the root rot problems most people encounter is because the mix and stems are too wet and not enough oxygen can get at it. Good idea, I'll add that to the doc.

I'd love to one day have a greenhouse with a proper missing system that has the correct air circulation too. But this is OK for now. I uncover it one or two times a day to hand mist and that brings in some fresh air. Actually the only downside at first, was the daily misting but now I love looking in on them :)

It's a real simple, quick method to grow cuttings that most anybody can do. Especailly if they don't have much room or bucks!

Well done, a nice presentation. There is some good information there.

I often use a single edge razor to make cuttings. Very sharp and gives a nice clean cut.

Thanks for sharing.

Janie

These Blueberry videos are all basically the same. They tell you how to cut the cuttings stick in rooting hormone and then in soil. Then leave you there. Nothing about daily care and watering. How long it takes to root. I also wonder if you could root the cuttings in water? I have tried 3 times this year to root Blueberry cuttings with no success. I tried the wood box with sand and an aquarium dome for humidity after a day the cuttings all turned brown. I have tried no dome no success. I am trying this time with a plastic dish pan with a mix of Perlite / sand then the cuttings inside a white garbage bag. Any more information appreciated.

mail (at) mikealrhughes (dot) com

For someone who has not done cuttings before, you have covered the basics very well. Thanks for all the effort you put into your presentation. Al

If Al approved, you passed the test. He is so knowledgable and writes in layman terms so a novice garden can understand. The tuitorial was great. Thanks! If you have anymore up your sleeve..please share with us. The pictorial method is so helpful to novice gardeners.

What are some plants that you have propagated using this method? Does that dome have air vents in the top? I have seen them in gardening books with those air vents. Do you mind sharing where you purchased the dome that fit over the sectional tray? I purchased dianthus seedlings from Home Depot in one of those sectional trays(I don't think that's the proper name for it, but I think you can figure out what I'm trying to say)The tray was filled with polka dot plant seedlings. It had 32 plants in it. I wondered if they weren't started from plugs. Can you buy the domes separately to fit over the sectional trays? Guess I will have to know the size and I would imagine you would want the dome to fit snugly over that seedling tray. Now another stupid question: Are you sitting these outside in the shade or light but not in the sun? Or are you starting these indoors? I see the heat mat which indicates to me you are starting them indoors.

I am so eager to learn new things about propagation. Today I finished planting the Emerald Blue creeping phlox that I dug up on Monday. Monday afternoon I got 3 "hunks" planted before the temps climbed to 90 and above; saving the rest of the creeping phlox until I could get back to planting it today. It was soaking in a small bucket of water since Monday afternoon to keep it from drying out. I planted the rest today and I read where you shear the creeping phlox after they are finished blooming so I sheared off about 3 in. after they were planted. The tips that I sheared off, I didn't want to throw away, and a light bulb went off in my head, why not try to root those tips? I stripped the leaves/foliage about an inch from the stem bottom and dipped it in Rootone and potted about 5 stems in a 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 in. nursery pot. Watered it well and we just had a good rain. I just went out and looked at the rain gauge and it shows 1 in. of rainfall. Yeh! It will cool it off and we needed that rain as everything is so dry here.

I know I have read that it is best to have a grow light and heat mat when starting seeds inside. I don't have room for a set up. I was wondering why I couldn't start the seeds indoors in something like that container tray or even ind.small pots and put them in window sill? Will they get too leggy without the gro light or shop light? I might could start them on a computer storage cabinet in the office and I could always buy a single shop light system and use that. As long as I put something on that furniture to protect it I won't have to deal with dear Hubby. I also have some wooden snack tables that I could set up by the window where there is natural light all day long.

Sorry this is so long. If you feel like you don't want to respond to all my questions here, feel free to email me direct.