If you're interested in any of the products I frequently use around the nursery, here are some links. Thanks for supporting the channel and happy gardening! Hormodin #3 Rooting Powder: amzn.to/3n5F9tS Clonex Rooting Gel: amzn.to/37WqhJF Dip N Grow Rooting Liquid: amzn.to/2WXIU9Q Corona Shears: amzn.to/2WUS2Mt Leaf Trimming Shears: amzn.to/38KrVxt Orchard Lopper: amzn.to/2Jt5pAo Propagation Tote: amzn.to/34WIdlB Propagation Dome and Heat Mat Combo: amzn.to/37WqHQf Indoor Grow Light: amzn.to/2WSxJiT Grow Tent: amzn.to/37X01Pj Heavy Duty Heat Mat: amzn.to/3hyTAoV
Thank you for giving time with my querries . Looking forward more of your videos . God bless you more and keep on inspiring people who loves gardening as well ... Keep safe as always ...
I'm in the process of repotting rose plants and I've been mixing perlite in with potting mix. Do you think putting a few inches of the coarser sand on top would be beneficial and eventually work its way through the pot, or would that be harmful? My main purpose for this question is I'm trying to prevent a fire if someone (tresspasser ect) decides to put their cigarette butt into the potting mix. I'm hoping sand would prevent a fire and also gradually areate my rose bushes.
Hi Mike and Readers, I have worked in greenhouses (commercial, research, teaching set-ups) and I have used many mediums for propagation. Sometimes it was straight vermiculite, perlite, water, sand, fir bark or mixtures of these owing to the fact that I had to use what was on hand. Sand, by far, for most cuttings, is the way to go. It develops much stronger root systems than the others- and there is research on this. It's what I saw used in the old school greenhouses: Frames with sand on benches with a timed mister. Works like a charm. I taught hundreds of kids- 1st-5th graders on propagation techniques and we decided that sand in the little milk cartons was the way to go. Lol. Right now, I am doing an experiment with native rhododendrons to see if pure sand or a mixture of 50/50 sand and fir bark will give the best results for root development.( I am planning to grow native and rare plants/shrubs/trees my community and restoration.) Thanks for the video!
You're welcome, and thanks for your input and expertise. So I've been working with rhododendrons for over 15 years and started with sand. They rooted well but it was a pain to pot them up from sand. As you know, rhododendrons have fine hair like roots, and so when you go to pull them out of the sand and shake it off, the roots are damaged easily. I lost a lot of rhododendrons to sand for this reason. Then I tried just up-potting them with the sand around the roots but the sand drains so well that they would dry out near the stem of the cutting. I finally settled on 100% finely ground fir bark and they root just as easily and up-pot amazingly well with no loss of rooted cuttings from the transplant. So when you mention rhododendrons, you're speaking my language and I've been there, done that. You're absolutely right about most other plants, sand is the best and probably the most accessible to people throughout the world. If you're interested, I've got many videos about rhododendrons (my favorite plant).
@@MikeKincaid79 How about perlite in cells in a tray to avoid transplant shock and ripping roots... then just water in bottom of tray replace after a few days. This way there is no risk of sodium from the sand just a thought
I use play sand from the big box store and it works perfect. I cut a sucker off of one of my tomato plants this summer and stuck it in the sand and it routed. Sand works great. You got me going all around my yard taking cuttings just to see what happens. I now have so many plants I don’t need. The one that worked the best is my 2 leftover poinsettia from last Christmas. I now have 8 new beautiful poinsettias.
That's great, Mike! I've had some poinsettia cuttings that have been sitting there and thinking about rooting since last winter, LOL. I think one of them has finally decided to make something of himself.
great video, I'm also a fan of using sand to propagate. one thing overlooked about sand is that the individual grains are mostly round. when you fill a container with spheres, 40% of the volume is air! even though it looks small, sand is letting plenty of air around the roots. it also has a negative charge which causes the hydrogen side of the water molecule with a positive charge to stick right to it. each grain of sand holds a one molecule thick coating of water. you get just the right amount of air and water for root development. Gary Matsuoka is a nursery owner with a youtube channel lectures about the benefits of growing plants minerals, like they do in nature, instead of organic dead rotting plants. definitely worth checking out. he makes a real gritty potting soil too called Top Pot that I've use for trees which is only a third organic material.
Right on! Thank for the chemistry behind it. I like everything about rooting plants in sand, except for the weight. I'll have to check out the channel, thanks.
That is great to know. Have recently placed some hardwood cuttings in sand (Crepe Myrtle and Hibiscus) and looking forward to them rooting in a few weeks.
Thank you so much Mike! I've been having troubles rooting softwood cuttings forever. And I finally found the solution in your method combining sand+plastic dome+aloe vera. Now cuttings are fun again!
thank you, all my previous propagation from cuttings always failed, except roses and grapes. Then i encountered your vids and the idea of draining well made me give antoher shot at propagation via cuttings. I cut some young willow branches in littel pievces, put that in water and used that to wet the sand. Our river has nice course sand i sift it and its pretty nice. In a larger pot with a translucent plastic pot over the cuttings. Just started putting cuttings in there so we'll see but the confidence of giving it another try is purely because i found your channel, thank you sir! ,Whether it works or not, it just feels right to use cuttings (we use olive leaves in herbal tea and it is just so cool to use a litle branche and now try to root it.) LOL i put a green asperagus in it, store bought, if somebody reacts or likes this post ill be able to find it in the future and report back on it :)
Thank you Mike! I failed not once but twice trying to transplant a Plumeria cutting. The cutting rotted out both times when it was transferred to a potting soil solution. I used your advice and the cutting is now finally taking off! I used the same cutting because it is a rare color. I watered it only once and checked back in 2 weeks. It now has roots. Thank you.
Hi Mike, its Spring here in South Africa and 6.11am. From watching your videos, propagting has my soul...i cant wait now to get out there this morning and try this out. I'm fairly new to gardening, found it a sanity saver during lockdown so a BIG thank you for your inspiring videos. Love your energy!
@@MikeKincaid79 the only thing i make sure of is i get the sand from a clean non-poulated source, more videos on your cooking like the waffeles,, cobblers,, pies ,, doughnuts and so forth PLEASE
This makes sense. Years ago I had transplanted daffodils from their store bought medium into a terra-cotta pot with some of that old soil and threw sand on top. I left it out after it bloomed for the whole summer and through the winter and it bloomed right on time in early Spring. None of the bulbs had rotted or become soft. It was a total surprise.
Thank you for this suggestion, Mike. I just got 1 cubic yard delivered from a major landscaping store here. I am very happy with their potting mixture. My strawberry plants are in pots and they have been tripled, seems great for propagation and seeds. It's a lot of soil, but I will use it.
I live in a beach community in California; we do jot have any regular dirt, it's all SAND! Lol. I love growing plants (all plants;) I love gardening 🧑🌾. I just started sticking my plants in the sand and now I have a beautiful garden in my front yard. I live the sand. I live. the drainage sand has. I agree with your method!!!! Hahah.
Yes sir!.... for some of you that are in the wet zones??? Get some crushed lava rock... mix that with the sand 50/50 and about 20% bag dirt or compost.. sometimes I save up the big bark chunks and use that... up here in the Pacific Northwest it is a must to have good drainage... good job Mike...
Mike, when i started getting interest in plants, I recall reading that it was a no-no when it came to use ordinary sand for cuttings. It was said that the cutting has no air space which we all know we can get with perlite and peat moss. It went on to say that builders sand was the best for cuttings. No wonder there is so much confusion when reading advice from different 'experts'. One says yes and the other says no. Well i am going to try your plain sand with my crepe myrtle cuttings.
I hear ya, different opinions conflict. That's why I made a bunch of videos about propagating different plants in sand last summer. I figured I'd show you first hand and remove the doubt. I won't steer ya wrong, Anthony.
Even for succulent propagation sand is a great medium. Most of the people use water as a medium to propagate, but it's quite difficult to change the medium from water to soil once rooting started. No such problems with sand, as one can tranfer it to the soil along with the sand without disturbing the roots.
Good Sunday Morning Mike .. another plant technique I should remember .. thank you so much for your awesome helped to get the best plant ever rooted from cuttings using sands You are the best Mike .. I will try this method .. God Bless and your Family .. Cheers
Went to the river and scooped up 16 ounces of sand in an empty Starbucks cup. My lavender cuttings have new leaves and stems! I’m looking to grow roses from my anniversary roses. I can’t wait! Thank you! And BTW, that peach cobbler looks just like my mom and I make. It’s delicious.
i live on sandy soil. My flower beds have been mulched for years with natural wood mulch. Anything grows in it even my cuttings. just cut and stick it in the bed; Love that the land makes me look like I semi-know what I'm doing. Thanks for your videos.
Mike ty so much for this video! I tried some coarse sand for Sunflower seeds, dwarf French beans, beetroots, nasturtiums and sweet peas! So far everything has germinated with beautiful roots apart from the sweet peas.. I might be too late with those but very excited... Plus.. Can reuse the sand again! You sir are a genius 😁
I have several species that also have delicate roots so I developed a method of making sure they do not get damaged when re-potting or when planting propagation from them. When Propagating plants in water or sand that have fine root trichomes (root hairs) there is a way to get them into your soil with out damaging them. First fill your receiving pot almost all the to the ideal level for your plant with your soil medium I would leave about 1/8th to 1/4th unfilled. Then using the finger of one hand plug the drain hole in the pot (or use a larger vessel to put the pot in). Now you run water over the soil to temporarily make it soupy. Now with your soil nice and sloshy insert your plant most of the way. Finally allow the water to drain and the soil will naturally cover the roots and their delicate trichomes and you can top off to the ideal level for the plant.
I live in Alabama. I think my maternal grandmother (1889-1978) used sand or at least "sandy" soil in which to root cuttings. She had the proverbial "green thumb." ha ha
Hello Mike. Greetings from Vermont. Loved the video. I managed to find fir bark mulch at Lowes. It is packaged as orchid growing media, and is very coarse and chunky. Of course, my wife was not impressed with me using her blender to make it more fine. I am so glad to find your latest sand media video and will be using playground sand. She is happy too, with that decision. Last year I followed your instructions on rooting cuttings of wiegela and hydrangias. They started out fine for 6 weeks but then I made the mistake of too much moisture, leading to rot. I learned this from this year's spring follow-up video that you did.I'm trying again this year. Looks like you've adapted to the pinky tendon injury. Best regards to you and your family, Craig
Hahaha, your poor wife is gonna kill you, lol. You're pushing your luck with that idea, Craig. Glad to help get you out of the dog house with the sand video. Yep, the pinky is all healed up. Still doesn't work right but I'm use to it.
hey what's up Mike how are you I hope you're doing well I'm busy repairing the house before the rains anyways I don't leave your videos behind I will support you every time
You're a good person and I appreciate your support. Make sure to get that house done and then come back to the videos during the rainy season. Hope all is well with you, Emad.
I propagate gardenias in tap water in vases and wine bottles in my kitchen window. Usually takes about 3 weeks for roots to appear. Ready to pot up in 2 months !
Hiya Mr.Kincaid, I've got some figs (White Genoa, Panache Tiger, and VdB) rooting in play sand with some rooting hormone. Some are budding at the moment, and I hope at least half of them root. Rooted them 3/1/22. I have never had a taste of figs, so I'm looking forward to it. Your video convinced me to try rooting with sand, so you have my thanks! Take care, Mr.Kincaid.
Great! Thanks for letting me know about your success in sand. You'll love the figs. There are so many different flavors and varieties so if you don't like one, just try another. I can see you with 100 fig varieties by next spring, haha.
@@MikeKincaid79 Haha, I got another variety off of Ebay called Belmont's Beauty. I think my descent is starting. Only my WGs are rooting, hopefully the rest root as well.
I am so glad to find this video! You are only the second person I've discovered on UA-cam to recommend sand as a growing medium (Gary's Best Gardening was the other). I use builder's sand--also called torpedo sand--in all my new beds and I mix it into my existing beds as much as I can. It rains a ton where I live, so the excellent drainage is really helpful. The biggest drawback is the weight. My garden dolly gets a workout! But the results are worth it.
Glad you've found this to be effective for you. Yes, as you know, the drawback is weight and I've moved plenty of sand over the years. Happy gardening!
Sand is widely available due to construction industry. Any DiY store will have it. Did you know Sandponics (a spin on hydroponics) is a thing? You can absolutely grow in sand. Seedlings need no nutrition, and once into first true leaves the water can have nutrition added. And you can use normal plant fertiliser for most grows - none of this specialist expensive A+B hydroponic solutions needed. It’s cheap and it works. I love it.
This is my first time propagating during the summer, it gets as hot as 110, I thought my cuttings would cook. I made a propagation frame, according to Mikes directions. I used a dual pane window frame as my glass top. I filled the frame with all purpose sand from Home Depot, which ranges from fine to course texture. We are 3 month later now. I think I got 100% success. They’re ready to be potted up, but I’m waiting till it cool down. The truly amazing thing is, inside my frame it stayed about 15 degrees cooler than the outdoor temp. I’m sure the wood frame provided insulation along with the dual plane window panel. It’s amazing! I didn’t have a north facing wall with good light, so I used 85% shade cloth as my wall. Morning sun afternoon shade! Thanks Mike! ❤️
Usually, while watching this kind of videos, I kinda wait for the people to...let`s say, corner themselves (in plain English: to say something either contradictory or really stupid). I did the same here - throughout the video. And guess what: to my surprise, this guy managed to be funny, poetic, get to the point, explain the different varieties of sand ...and...most importantly - not a whopper among all that. Kudos to you, Mike! PS: I, too, recently started growing my plants in SAND and I can only concur: YES, it works, damn it! It even has a few perks comparing to using regular soil. And by the way, I use the most affordable (cheap as hell) SANDBOX SAND. Nothing more, nothing less. (Unfortunately, it doesn`t say on the sack what size the sand grains are, so I have to assume that sandbox sand is kinda one-size-fits-all sort of sand......it`t pretty fine though, yet not as fine as the ocean sand). So, to those who don`t believe it, I can only say: give it a try, and you, too, will become a believer :-)
Glad you put this out there. I’ve tried your other methods using fir bark, soil and other mixtures, but there’s too much bacteria in the stuff, and that causes all of my cuttings to rot. This year I just used plain river sand with no additives and that gave me a 100 percent success rate. I sprayed the cuttings with an anti fugal solution every now and again. Instead of filling tubs or propagation frames with sand, I put each cutting in a see through plastic cup to keep the total weight down. You said that this method was difficult when using it with rhododendrons because of their fine root system, so I was wondering how long I should leave them in the sand before moving them to rhododendron soil.
I like to leave my rhododendrons in the frame for 1.5 years after taking the cuttings. This allows them to go through a winter after rooting and the new roots harden off and get tough so that they are easy to move around.
Cool video. I did have a flashback to the shrimping business from Forrest Gump when you kept going on about sand made me laugh. I know everything about Sand business. Very good information as normal.
oh when you water these cuttings is it best to use just water or that special plant food mix that you came up with -it works a treat on my house plants
Mike, I've had great luck with semi-hardwood cuttings in sand this summer. It was amazing! My question is regarding hardwood cuttings.......will dormant limelight hydrangea sticks also root in sand if stuck now? Thanks so much for your channel. great work!
I love hearing about your success, Holly! Yes, dormant hydrangeas can be propagated as hardwood cuttings. In my experience, Hydrangea Paniculata is more suited for hardwood cuttings than Hydrangea Macrophylla. Your Limelight is a Paniculata so you should do well. Just remember, Limelight hydrangea is a patented variety so you will need a license from the company that owns the patent if you intend to sell them.
Thank you for your great recommendation about using sand. I have used sand to sprout my water grass and bean sprout. I guess it might work with other vegetation to.
@MikeKincaid Got another one for you then. When you get to the stage where all your different examples produce roots, what permanent medium do you plant them out in? 1. For pots which will sit on the porch forever? 2. The garden’s soil - not all soils are equal (sandy, clay, stony, limey, acidly) so how do you ease rooted plants into their new permanent home to keep em going the way they were in the fir bark or sand propagating mix. Bit of a nightmare question worth about 6 episodes. I can see it now. ‘For Rhodes, x soil with a spoon of peach cobbler’ ‘For lavender, Y soil with half a cup of Doritos ‘ ‘For figs B soil but don’t forget the brass nuts ...’ ‘For passionfruit, any soil but throw a pig liver in the hole.’ Can’t wait Good luck
@@MikeKincaid79 whenever I get around to making some of my barbecue sauce I should send you a jar. Lol since it's getting close to Winter it would help keep y'all warm up there. Hahaha
We've started several cutting of hibiscus, geranium and crepe myrtle back in December - which are now showing new growth coming out of the stems. However, interestingly, there do not appear to be any roots?! Can you explain what may be going on, and when should we consider transplanting these into soil? Love your channel, very informative! 👍 😊
Not sure how much light you have but they will need some light for sure or the new growth will be pale and leggy. They also may just need more time to root. As long as they look healthy, don't disturb them. Nothing wrong with waiting even a few more months to up pot.
Hi mike found this video now so i have the answer to the sand question thanks, Hey have you tried eggy bread ?whisk 2 eggs put it in a Deepesh flat plate, then get your sliced bread lay it on it and literally soak both sides i mean soaked then put a little oil in a pan and put your bread into a pan and cook both sides its lovely kids will love it .im from Wales UK i learned of this 20 years ago try it out .Take care.
Water when you see the surface start to dry out. You can water every day if it's hot in your area. Sand drains well so there's not really an issue with overwatering.
I have always used sand for propagation and it works so great, the fact that its sterile plus the plants just let up so much easier when you remove them
Mike, Mike McGroarty's Backyard Nursery uses nothing but sand for all his propagation beds. I've been using contractors sand from Home Depot for a couple of years in clear plastic totes, setting them in shade so they get no direct sunlight, and they do great.
Thanks, Jim, I'm familiar with Mike McGroarty. I think he propagates a lot of deciduous plants since that's what grows best in his area. I've seen some of his videos and he has a really nice setup.
Thanks for the video, Mike. I've purchased some building sand for propagation and the only thing I'm not sure of is whether the sand needs to be washed. Did you ever wash your sand before using it? The only issue I've heard of with unwashed sand is that it may contain salts which could be detrimental for root development. I've tried washing the sand myself but it seems like quite a waste of water to me. I suppose I may only have to do it once though
Fine the bark .I've been using a bark from a tree in my park that's like co coir it's some kind of evergreen fur or something orangey type bark that's really stringy and when it's all ripped up kicks total ass for plant roots. Maybe that's what it is the bark, I've not fully identified the species of tree it is yet. Plants love it tho .breacks down really well and roots love it.
Sand is terrific for rooting; my grandfather was a gardener near the coast. The best sand comes from natural stream beds, not containing sea salt. NB sand gives you perfect carrots!
Another great video Mike! I got it the first time you said to use sand. I live in Nebraska about twenty miles from the Platte and Loup Rivers, both have sandbars everywhere, especially this time of year when the water is low. That's where I got my sand! ~Margie
As I continue on watching your different videos of your planting show .. I have learned that sands is a good soil for planting .. I have to try this but need to see what kind of plants that suits to the sands planting .. I will watch might you have something idea you can share me which plants I wll buy .. take care .. cheers
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks for the kind reply .. the rooting powder at amazon is unavailable .. is there any other store where I can order this product? thanks ..
You can use any sand, but yes, If it’s from the ocean then you’ll have to rinse it first. Easy to do. Fill a bucket with sand, stuff a hose down in it, turn the water on, and let it run for awhile and spill over the top.
@@MikeKincaid79 yes yes...just saw that 3 factor on cutting video of yours this afternoon 👍👍 I just tried sand for the first time last year and it was a 100% success rate in rooting azaleas and was river sand and I'm going to use it again this year... I live far far away from the sea anyways 😀
If you're interested in any of the products I frequently use around the nursery, here are some links. Thanks for supporting the channel and happy gardening!
Hormodin #3 Rooting Powder: amzn.to/3n5F9tS
Clonex Rooting Gel: amzn.to/37WqhJF
Dip N Grow Rooting Liquid: amzn.to/2WXIU9Q
Corona Shears: amzn.to/2WUS2Mt
Leaf Trimming Shears: amzn.to/38KrVxt
Orchard Lopper: amzn.to/2Jt5pAo
Propagation Tote: amzn.to/34WIdlB
Propagation Dome and Heat Mat Combo: amzn.to/37WqHQf
Indoor Grow Light: amzn.to/2WSxJiT
Grow Tent: amzn.to/37X01Pj
Heavy Duty Heat Mat: amzn.to/3hyTAoV
Wow Mike you've got a ton of new subscribers now, that's awesome!
Thank you for giving time with my querries . Looking forward more of your videos . God bless you more and keep on inspiring people who loves gardening as well ... Keep safe as always ...
I'm in the process of repotting rose plants and I've been mixing perlite in with potting mix. Do you think putting a few inches of the coarser sand on top would be beneficial and eventually work its way through the pot, or would that be harmful?
My main purpose for this question is I'm trying to prevent a fire if someone (tresspasser ect) decides to put their cigarette butt into the potting mix. I'm hoping sand would prevent a fire and also gradually areate my rose bushes.
I'm going to order one of them.
@@diannh2894 ua-cam.com/video/y2JIz01MKho/v-deo.html
Hi Mike and Readers,
I have worked in greenhouses (commercial, research, teaching set-ups) and I have used many mediums for propagation. Sometimes it was straight vermiculite, perlite, water, sand, fir bark or mixtures of these owing to the fact that I had to use what was on hand. Sand, by far, for most cuttings, is the way to go. It develops much stronger root systems than the others- and there is research on this. It's what I saw used in the old school greenhouses:
Frames with sand on benches with a timed mister. Works like a charm. I taught hundreds of kids- 1st-5th graders on propagation techniques and we decided that sand in the little milk cartons was the way to go. Lol. Right now, I am doing an experiment with native rhododendrons to see if pure sand or a mixture of 50/50 sand and fir bark will give the best results for root development.( I am planning to grow native and rare plants/shrubs/trees my community and restoration.) Thanks for the video!
You're welcome, and thanks for your input and expertise. So I've been working with rhododendrons for over 15 years and started with sand. They rooted well but it was a pain to pot them up from sand. As you know, rhododendrons have fine hair like roots, and so when you go to pull them out of the sand and shake it off, the roots are damaged easily. I lost a lot of rhododendrons to sand for this reason. Then I tried just up-potting them with the sand around the roots but the sand drains so well that they would dry out near the stem of the cutting. I finally settled on 100% finely ground fir bark and they root just as easily and up-pot amazingly well with no loss of rooted cuttings from the transplant. So when you mention rhododendrons, you're speaking my language and I've been there, done that. You're absolutely right about most other plants, sand is the best and probably the most accessible to people throughout the world. If you're interested, I've got many videos about rhododendrons (my favorite plant).
do you think it could work for leylandii and arizona cypress? thank you.
@@MikeKincaid79 How about perlite in cells in a tray to avoid transplant shock and ripping roots... then just water in bottom of tray replace after a few days. This way there is no risk of sodium from the sand just a thought
The "Old Time" growers always used sand for propagation.
We should listen more to the elders - they can often teach us a thing or two😀
I use play sand from the big box store and it works perfect. I cut a sucker off of one of my tomato plants this summer and stuck it in the sand and it routed. Sand works great. You got me going all around my yard taking cuttings just to see what happens. I now have so many plants I don’t need. The one that worked the best is my 2 leftover poinsettia from last Christmas. I now have 8 new beautiful poinsettias.
That's great, Mike! I've had some poinsettia cuttings that have been sitting there and thinking about rooting since last winter, LOL. I think one of them has finally decided to make something of himself.
Nice feedback Mike!. . All the best people are called Mike!... I wish I was called Mike 😔my dad is, close enough.
I used river sand in my school it's good for rooting
I use the sand from the arroyo on my property.
You are awesome! Thank you for sharing these great tips!👍
great video, I'm also a fan of using sand to propagate. one thing overlooked about sand is that the individual grains are mostly round. when you fill a container with spheres, 40% of the volume is air! even though it looks small, sand is letting plenty of air around the roots. it also has a negative charge which causes the hydrogen side of the water molecule with a positive charge to stick right to it. each grain of sand holds a one molecule thick coating of water. you get just the right amount of air and water for root development. Gary Matsuoka is a nursery owner with a youtube channel lectures about the benefits of growing plants minerals, like they do in nature, instead of organic dead rotting plants. definitely worth checking out. he makes a real gritty potting soil too called Top Pot that I've use for trees which is only a third organic material.
Right on! Thank for the chemistry behind it. I like everything about rooting plants in sand, except for the weight. I'll have to check out the channel, thanks.
That is great to know. Have recently placed some hardwood cuttings in sand (Crepe Myrtle and Hibiscus) and looking forward to them rooting in a few weeks.
I live in Florida Saint Pete so I’m glad you using sand
Lost of sand down there. You can grow beautiful tropical plants in that weather.
Thank you so much Mike! I've been having troubles rooting softwood cuttings forever. And I finally found the solution in your method combining sand+plastic dome+aloe vera. Now cuttings are fun again!
That's so awesome to hear, great news! It's much more fun when you're successful.
thank you, all my previous propagation from cuttings always failed, except roses and grapes. Then i encountered your vids and the idea of draining well made me give antoher shot at propagation via cuttings. I cut some young willow branches in littel pievces, put that in water and used that to wet the sand. Our river has nice course sand i sift it and its pretty nice. In a larger pot with a translucent plastic pot over the cuttings.
Just started putting cuttings in there so we'll see but the confidence of giving it another try is purely because i found your channel, thank you sir!
,Whether it works or not, it just feels right to use cuttings (we use olive leaves in herbal tea and it is just so cool to use a litle branche and now try to root it.)
LOL i put a green asperagus in it, store bought, if somebody reacts or likes this post ill be able to find it in the future and report back on it :)
Followup, while the olive cuttings are doing great the asperagus didn't make it
Thank you Mike! I failed not once but twice trying to transplant a Plumeria cutting. The cutting rotted out both times when it was transferred to a potting soil solution. I used your advice and the cutting is now finally taking off! I used the same cutting because it is a rare color. I watered it only once and checked back in 2 weeks. It now has roots. Thank you.
Awesome! Overwatering and transplanting too soon are the usual culprits. Glad you're having success.
Hi Mike, its Spring here in South Africa and 6.11am. From watching your videos, propagting has my soul...i cant wait now to get out there this morning and try this out. I'm fairly new to gardening, found it a sanity saver during lockdown so a BIG thank you for your inspiring videos. Love your energy!
Thank you, Linda! People like you inspire me to keep going. Enjoy your spring and summer and have fun in the garden!
Yes please do a cooking video for your wife anf kids ...You are a excellent gardener and am sure your are an excellent chef too
We love cooking around here!
MIKE, sand is the best rooting medium i have found plus i use it in my potting soil mix
There aren't many down sides to it that I can think of.
@@MikeKincaid79 the only thing i make sure of is i get the sand from a clean non-poulated source, more videos on your cooking like the waffeles,, cobblers,, pies ,, doughnuts and so forth PLEASE
How much do you mix sand with soil?
Where do you buy sand? Thanks for your response
@@shannatran7586 i use just sand
Coarse , medium or fine sand
Thank for your reply
Sand definitely works. I recently put some little apple and pear tree cuttings in a pot filled with moist sand, and they are sprouting and blooming.
Good to hear of your success! Sand is a great material because it's inert and won't rot.
Mike you're reading my mind. You just answered all the questions I had.
Happy to read your mind and get the info to you!
Thanks Mike. After I asked the question I found this video and watched it. Should have looked through the channel further prior to asking.
That’s alright, I’m here to help. Glad you found your answer
I have a Market Garden that I have started! I use sand in my green house and it works well! Thanks for this video!
No problem, Carlos!
Absolutely fantastic. Great Communicator.
Glad you enjoyed it David!
This makes sense. Years ago I had transplanted daffodils from their store bought medium into a terra-cotta pot with some of that old soil and threw sand on top. I left it out after it bloomed for the whole summer and through the winter and it bloomed right on time in early Spring. None of the bulbs had rotted or become soft. It was a total surprise.
Sand is definitely a great drainage medium.
What do you do with all the plants you propogate?
Thank you for this suggestion, Mike. I just got 1 cubic yard delivered from a major landscaping store here. I am very happy with their potting mixture. My strawberry plants are in pots and they have been tripled, seems great for propagation and seeds. It's a lot of soil, but I will use it.
Great!
Thank you, my thesis is about test to root specific cuttings using different medium like sand, you makes me feel strong to continue that idea🤍
You can do it!
I live in a beach community in California; we do jot have any regular dirt, it's all SAND! Lol. I love growing plants (all plants;) I love gardening 🧑🌾. I just started sticking my plants in the sand and now I have a beautiful garden in my front yard. I live the sand. I live. the drainage sand has. I agree with your method!!!! Hahah.
You’ve got this thing figured out! Glad to hear about all your success, Tami!!!
Thanks Mike great video. I used river sand for my local landscape supplies. Had great success so far propagating evergreens.
Nice!
lots of energy in your video. Well done.
Thank you for the information!! I Had to dig to find it but really appreciate you answering your subscriber questions!!
I try to answer as many as possible. Glad you found what you were looking for!
Mike.. You have a wonderful greenhouse with beautiful plants, I love to plant flowers ! 😁🌺🌺
Thanks! It’s a great hobby, business, and lifestyle.
As yes I love gardening at farm that my grandpa so gardening !😁👋
Play sand works well for me. Thanks for sharing.
Great!
Yes sir!.... for some of you that are in the wet zones??? Get some crushed lava rock... mix that with the sand 50/50 and about 20% bag dirt or compost.. sometimes I save up the big bark chunks and use that... up here in the Pacific Northwest it is a must to have good drainage... good job Mike...
Sure is, nothing like the Pacific Northwest! Love our part of the country!!!
Such a good teacher!
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Wow I now have info from you Mike that sand works Thanks a lot.
Sure does, and it works well!
Mike, when i started getting interest in plants, I recall reading that it was a no-no when it came to use ordinary sand for cuttings. It was said that the cutting has no air space which we all know we can get with perlite and peat moss. It went on to say that builders sand was the best for cuttings. No wonder there is so much confusion when reading advice from different 'experts'. One says yes and the other says no. Well i am going to try your plain sand with my crepe myrtle cuttings.
I hear ya, different opinions conflict. That's why I made a bunch of videos about propagating different plants in sand last summer. I figured I'd show you first hand and remove the doubt. I won't steer ya wrong, Anthony.
Thanks mike. Love your kids
Even for succulent propagation sand is a great medium. Most of the people use water as a medium to propagate, but it's quite difficult to change the medium from water to soil once rooting started. No such problems with sand, as one can tranfer it to the soil along with the sand without disturbing the roots.
Depends on how vigorous the new cutting is but overall, yes, it does create problems going between the two.
Good Sunday Morning Mike .. another plant technique I should remember .. thank you so much for your awesome helped to get the best plant ever rooted from cuttings using sands You are the best Mike .. I will try this method .. God Bless and your Family .. Cheers
Good morning Donna! Glad you are learning from the videos. Much more to come.
Went to the river and scooped up 16 ounces of sand in an empty Starbucks cup. My lavender cuttings have new leaves and stems! I’m looking to grow roses from my anniversary roses. I can’t wait! Thank you! And BTW, that peach cobbler looks just like my mom and I make. It’s delicious.
Great stuff, that cobbler is! Glad you found a source for sand.
Love the peach cobbler! Good job.
Thanks! It's a great recipe and we make it all the time in the fall.
I used play box sand and rooted three fig cuttings and it works great
Yes! Sand is a great material for rooting cuttings in.
i live on sandy soil. My flower beds have been mulched for years with natural wood mulch. Anything grows in it even my cuttings. just cut and stick it in the bed; Love that the land makes me look like I semi-know what I'm doing. Thanks for your videos.
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Mike ty so much for this video!
I tried some coarse sand for Sunflower seeds, dwarf French beans, beetroots, nasturtiums and sweet peas! So far everything has germinated with beautiful roots apart from the sweet peas.. I might be too late with those but very excited...
Plus.. Can reuse the sand again! You sir are a genius 😁
Yes, that's one of the best things about the sand. You can reuse it over and over!
Can you use sharp sand too
I couldn't find the recipe for the peach cobbler or what ever it is and I want it. You are the best 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Hey Glenda, the recipe is in this video: ua-cam.com/video/TenH_EDcVY4/v-deo.html
Good information - thank you, Mike.
What's up Mr. The Good, lol (nerdy Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure reference). Love your channel, long time subscriber.
This unique never thinks of this.Well spectacular video
Thanks! It works really well.
I have several species that also have delicate roots so I developed a method of making sure they do not get damaged when re-potting or when planting propagation from them.
When Propagating plants in water or sand that have fine root trichomes (root hairs) there is a way to get them into your soil with out damaging them. First fill your receiving pot almost all the to the ideal level for your plant with your soil medium I would leave about 1/8th to 1/4th unfilled. Then using the finger of one hand plug the drain hole in the pot (or use a larger vessel to put the pot in). Now you run water over the soil to temporarily make it soupy. Now with your soil nice and sloshy insert your plant most of the way. Finally allow the water to drain and the soil will naturally cover the roots and their delicate trichomes and you can top off to the ideal level for the plant.
Gives watering them in a whole new meaning.
I did a video similar to this a year ago: ua-cam.com/video/LzZzv3EtF2w/v-deo.html
Thanku very much for this video.I am from India.. Namaste Mike
You're welcome, so glad it was helpful!
This information is priceless. Going to try this. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
I live in Alabama. I think my maternal grandmother (1889-1978) used sand or at least "sandy" soil in which to root cuttings. She had the proverbial "green thumb." ha ha
I love hearing stories like this, thanks!
Wow mike Nice vid I planted 36 azelias 18 in compost 18 in sand THE ONES IN compost almost all have died the ones in. Sand ARE ALIVE !
Cool test. The compost is riddled with bacteria and fungi. It's great for plants that have roots and are growing but not for cuttings, as you found.
@@MikeKincaid79 exactly man it's so crazy you'd think sand is not great for cuttings but I guess results say otherwise Lol ty !
I’ve used sand for quite a while. It’s great!. Thank you for the video!
You are so welcome! Thanks for watching!
Hello Mike. Greetings from Vermont. Loved the video. I managed to find fir bark mulch at Lowes. It is packaged as orchid growing media, and is very coarse and chunky. Of course, my wife was not impressed with me using her blender to make it more fine. I am so glad to find your latest sand media video and will be using playground sand. She is happy too, with that decision. Last year I followed your instructions on rooting cuttings of wiegela and hydrangias. They started out fine for 6 weeks but then I made the mistake of too much moisture, leading to rot. I learned this from this year's spring follow-up video that you did.I'm trying again this year. Looks like you've adapted to the pinky tendon injury. Best regards to you and your family, Craig
Hahaha, your poor wife is gonna kill you, lol. You're pushing your luck with that idea, Craig. Glad to help get you out of the dog house with the sand video. Yep, the pinky is all healed up. Still doesn't work right but I'm use to it.
hey what's up Mike how are you I hope you're doing well I'm busy repairing the house before the rains anyways I don't leave your videos behind I will support you every time
You're a good person and I appreciate your support. Make sure to get that house done and then come back to the videos during the rainy season. Hope all is well with you, Emad.
I propagate gardenias in tap water in vases and wine bottles in my kitchen window. Usually takes about 3 weeks for roots to appear. Ready to pot up in 2 months !
Awesome!
I wanna try this idea. Thanks very much this video
Most welcome 😊
excellent yes keep them coming you make them well watch them
Awesome, I appreciate it, Chaz!
I love this video can't wait to try this. I've learned a lot from your video's keep them coming
Glad to hear it, Ralph! Thanks for being an avid supporter here!!!
I always love your enthusiasm!
Glad you enjoyed it, Shawn.
Thank you so much for this video. I love trying to propagate plants. Especially roses. I recently discovered your channel and I love it!!!
Got more rose videos on the way!
@@MikeKincaid79 that's awesome!!! Can you propagate this time if the year? I'm in Arkansas if that matters.
Hiya Mr.Kincaid, I've got some figs (White Genoa, Panache Tiger, and VdB) rooting in play sand with some rooting hormone. Some are budding at the moment, and I hope at least half of them root. Rooted them 3/1/22. I have never had a taste of figs, so I'm looking forward to it. Your video convinced me to try rooting with sand, so you have my thanks!
Take care, Mr.Kincaid.
Great! Thanks for letting me know about your success in sand. You'll love the figs. There are so many different flavors and varieties so if you don't like one, just try another. I can see you with 100 fig varieties by next spring, haha.
@@MikeKincaid79 Haha, I got another variety off of Ebay called Belmont's Beauty. I think my descent is starting. Only my WGs are rooting, hopefully the rest root as well.
I am so glad to find this video! You are only the second person I've discovered on UA-cam to recommend sand as a growing medium (Gary's Best Gardening was the other). I use builder's sand--also called torpedo sand--in all my new beds and I mix it into my existing beds as much as I can. It rains a ton where I live, so the excellent drainage is really helpful. The biggest drawback is the weight. My garden dolly gets a workout! But the results are worth it.
Glad you've found this to be effective for you. Yes, as you know, the drawback is weight and I've moved plenty of sand over the years. Happy gardening!
Always learning something new. Thanx!
That's what it's all about!
Sand is widely available due to construction industry. Any DiY store will have it. Did you know Sandponics (a spin on hydroponics) is a thing? You can absolutely grow in sand. Seedlings need no nutrition, and once into first true leaves the water can have nutrition added. And you can use normal plant fertiliser for most grows - none of this specialist expensive A+B hydroponic solutions needed. It’s cheap and it works. I love it.
ua-cam.com/video/WOCOr4mf4uI/v-deo.html
Love everything!
Thanks Cindy, love that your here.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
This is my first time propagating during the summer, it gets as hot as 110, I thought my cuttings would cook. I made a propagation frame, according to Mikes directions. I used a dual pane window frame as my glass top. I filled the frame with all purpose sand from Home Depot, which ranges from fine to course texture. We are 3 month later now. I think I got 100% success. They’re ready to be potted up, but I’m waiting till it cool down. The truly amazing thing is, inside my frame it stayed about 15 degrees cooler than the outdoor temp. I’m sure the wood frame provided insulation along with the dual plane window panel. It’s amazing! I didn’t have a north facing wall with good light, so I used 85% shade cloth as my wall. Morning sun afternoon shade! Thanks Mike! ❤️
Glad to here you're having so much success, Pam! Keep up the great work.
Usually, while watching this kind of videos, I kinda wait for the people to...let`s say, corner themselves (in plain English: to say something either contradictory or really stupid). I did the same here - throughout the video. And guess what: to my surprise, this guy managed to be funny, poetic, get to the point, explain the different varieties of sand ...and...most importantly - not a whopper among all that. Kudos to you, Mike! PS: I, too, recently started growing my plants in SAND and I can only concur: YES, it works, damn it! It even has a few perks comparing to using regular soil. And by the way, I use the most affordable (cheap as hell) SANDBOX SAND. Nothing more, nothing less. (Unfortunately, it doesn`t say on the sack what size the sand grains are, so I have to assume that sandbox sand is kinda one-size-fits-all sort of sand......it`t pretty fine though, yet not as fine as the ocean sand). So, to those who don`t believe it, I can only say: give it a try, and you, too, will become a believer :-)
Glad it's working out for you. Thanks for the positive comment!
@@MikeKincaid79 you deserved it!...keep up the good work!
Great video, 👍
Thanks
Glad you put this out there. I’ve tried your other methods using fir bark, soil and other mixtures, but there’s too much bacteria in the stuff, and that causes all of my cuttings to rot. This year I just used plain river sand with no additives and that gave me a 100 percent success rate. I sprayed the cuttings with an anti fugal solution every now and again. Instead of filling tubs or propagation frames with sand, I put each cutting in a see through plastic cup to keep the total weight down. You said that this method was difficult when using it with rhododendrons because of their fine root system, so I was wondering how long I should leave them in the sand before moving them to rhododendron soil.
I like to leave my rhododendrons in the frame for 1.5 years after taking the cuttings. This allows them to go through a winter after rooting and the new roots harden off and get tough so that they are easy to move around.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks!
Can I make a home made anti fugal spray
Very informative video.
Glad it was helpful!
Yep...🤝🔔
Glad to find ur channel
Welcome to the family!
Hi Mike my friend great information as always greetings from Serbia !
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Cool video. I did have a flashback to the shrimping business from Forrest Gump when you kept going on about sand made me laugh. I know everything about Sand business. Very good information as normal.
Hahaha, this made me laugh pretty good. I think I may be related to Bubba.
@@MikeKincaid79 I used to really love running a lot so I'm Forrest Forest Gump.
oh when you water these cuttings is it best to use just water or that special plant food mix that you came up with -it works a treat on my house plants
Just water. No nutrients during the rooting phase.
You rock ; thank you 😇
I'm learning so much from your videos
Awesome! Glad you're enjoying them.
Mike, I've had great luck with semi-hardwood cuttings in sand this summer. It was amazing! My question is regarding hardwood cuttings.......will dormant limelight hydrangea sticks also root in sand if stuck now? Thanks so much for your channel. great work!
I love hearing about your success, Holly! Yes, dormant hydrangeas can be propagated as hardwood cuttings. In my experience, Hydrangea Paniculata is more suited for hardwood cuttings than Hydrangea Macrophylla. Your Limelight is a Paniculata so you should do well. Just remember, Limelight hydrangea is a patented variety so you will need a license from the company that owns the patent if you intend to sell them.
Thats the darkest sand I have ever seen. I love it.
If your cooking is as good as your gardening; why not! I can use a few tips in the kitchen as well.
I love to cook. Took 2 years of culinary arts school. If you like to cook, definitely give this recipe a try. It's fantastic!
Thank you for your great recommendation about using sand. I have used sand to sprout my water grass and bean sprout. I guess it might work with other vegetation to.
It's a really nice, inert medium for rooting plants.
Mike. You know I asked and you gave a good answer. This sand video is even clearer. Thanks a lot.
Yep, you're questions is what spurred this on. Thanks.
@MikeKincaid Got another one for you then. When you get to the stage where all your different examples produce roots, what permanent medium do you plant them out in?
1. For pots which will sit on the porch forever?
2. The garden’s soil - not all soils are equal (sandy, clay, stony, limey, acidly) so how do you ease rooted plants into their new permanent home to keep em going the way they were in the fir bark or sand propagating mix.
Bit of a nightmare question worth about 6 episodes. I can see it now.
‘For Rhodes, x soil with a spoon of peach cobbler’
‘For lavender, Y soil with half a cup of Doritos ‘
‘For figs B soil but don’t forget the brass nuts ...’
‘For passionfruit, any soil but throw a pig liver in the hole.’
Can’t wait
Good luck
Great video, and yes I would love to see more cooking videos!
Get the aprons on the girls, lol
@@MikeKincaid79 whenever I get around to making some of my barbecue sauce I should send you a jar. Lol since it's getting close to Winter it would help keep y'all warm up there. Hahaha
I lived in Saudi Arabia...my garden was beautiful. Anything and everything would grow.
Sounds nice, I'll bet you had a good supply of water.
We've started several cutting of hibiscus, geranium and crepe myrtle back in December - which are now showing new growth coming out of the stems. However, interestingly, there do not appear to be any roots?!
Can you explain what may be going on, and when should we consider transplanting these into soil?
Love your channel, very informative! 👍 😊
Are they hardwood cuttings? Are they covered in a humid environment or uncovered?
@@MikeKincaid79 Hardwood. They are now uncovered, sitting in our cold frame.
This may be an issue with lack of light. We will put then in an area with more light, and mist them daily now.
Not sure how much light you have but they will need some light for sure or the new growth will be pale and leggy. They also may just need more time to root. As long as they look healthy, don't disturb them. Nothing wrong with waiting even a few more months to up pot.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thankyou. Will definitely take that into consideration.
Excellent video - always love the information!!!
Thank you, Aurora!
Hi mike found this video now so i have the answer to the sand question thanks, Hey have you tried eggy bread ?whisk 2 eggs put it in a Deepesh flat plate, then get your sliced bread lay it on it and literally soak both sides i mean soaked then put a little oil in a pan and put your bread into a pan and cook both sides its lovely kids will love it .im from Wales UK i learned of this 20 years ago try it out .Take care.
Sounds good. I'll have to try that soon, thanks!
Great information.
I need to know how often we need to water cuttings in a send? Thankyou
Water when you see the surface start to dry out. You can water every day if it's hot in your area. Sand drains well so there's not really an issue with overwatering.
I saw sand as growing medium for cuttings from an Indian vlog. I'm here too to find out
It works great. Drains well, holds some moisture, and is relatively inert.
Can I use it on my cutting rose? without rooting hormone?
Absolutely!
Thank you Mike for answering my questions 🥰 i will try it, sooner.stay safe☺️
Hi Mike,would sand alone work for petunias?
I am wondering the same thing
Yes, absolutely!
Awesome!! I am trying this tomorrow!!
awesome Thanks Mike.
I have always used sand for propagation and it works so great, the fact that its sterile plus the plants just let up so much easier when you remove them
There are some serious upsides to sand!
Absolutely brother, you will probably never use bark again lol
you answered my question... about sand draining, so I imagine you need to put holes in the bucket for drainage
Yep, gotta have holes in the bottom. When I use sand, I just put some weed fabric in the bottom to prevent the sand from pouring out the holes.
@@MikeKincaid79 thank you Mike :)
Thank you for this information. I received a notification. Oops. I'm a poet, too!
LOL
Mike, Mike McGroarty's Backyard Nursery uses nothing but sand for all his propagation beds. I've been using contractors sand from Home Depot for a couple of years in clear plastic totes, setting them in shade so they get no direct sunlight, and they do great.
Forgot to say he is in Northern Ohio.
Thanks, Jim, I'm familiar with Mike McGroarty. I think he propagates a lot of deciduous plants since that's what grows best in his area. I've seen some of his videos and he has a really nice setup.
Thanks for the video, Mike. I've purchased some building sand for propagation and the only thing I'm not sure of is whether the sand needs to be washed. Did you ever wash your sand before using it? The only issue I've heard of with unwashed sand is that it may contain salts which could be detrimental for root development. I've tried washing the sand myself but it seems like quite a waste of water to me. I suppose I may only have to do it once though
Nope, never washed it.
Thanks Mike! Should I use 50% Sand and 50% soil mix in a pot for leafy plants at my garden or 100% sand only?
100% sand
Can you use sharp sand
Yes
Thank you
You're welcome, Lily
Fine the bark .I've been using a bark from a tree in my park that's like co coir it's some kind of evergreen fur or something orangey type bark that's really stringy and when it's all ripped up kicks total ass for plant roots. Maybe that's what it is the bark, I've not fully identified the species of tree it is yet. Plants love it tho .breacks down really well and roots love it.
Sand is terrific for rooting; my grandfather was a gardener near the coast. The best sand comes from natural stream beds, not containing sea salt.
NB sand gives you perfect carrots!
Another great video Mike! I got it the first time you said to use sand. I live in Nebraska about twenty miles from the Platte and Loup Rivers, both have sandbars everywhere, especially this time of year when the water is low. That's where I got my sand! ~Margie
Awesome, Margie! The stuff can be found just about anywhere, can't it!
@@MikeKincaid79 Yep, and I think that the sand from the river might even have some natural fish fertilizer in it!
So how often do you need to water and is there a saucer under the pot?
I water every other day or if I see the surface of the sand starting to dry out. No saucer under the pot.
As I continue on watching your different videos of your planting show .. I have learned that sands is a good soil for planting .. I have to try this but need to see what kind of plants that suits to the sands planting .. I will watch might you have something idea you can share me which plants I wll buy .. take care .. cheers
Sand will work well for any plant cuttings. Have fun!
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks for the kind reply .. the rooting powder at amazon is unavailable .. is there any other store where I can order this product? thanks ..
I've heard that beach sand has salt and it isn't good for cuttings but river sand is the best...
I use it for azaleas
You can use any sand, but yes, If it’s from the ocean then you’ll have to rinse it first. Easy to do. Fill a bucket with sand, stuff a hose down in it, turn the water on, and let it run for awhile and spill over the top.
@@MikeKincaid79 yes yes...just saw that 3 factor on cutting video of yours this afternoon 👍👍
I just tried sand for the first time last year and it was a 100% success rate in rooting azaleas and was river sand and I'm going to use it again this year...
I live far far away from the sea anyways 😀
Okay I will buy sand and try it. Thank you 🙏
Good luck!
Mike great video I will try with sand! Have you ever used hay/straw as an inert material?
Thanks
No, I haven’t.