Hey Mike, i love the advice you give on your channel. Here in Albany, Western Australia we cant buy Rhododendrons because of myrtle rust and the potential threat to our unique natives flora so we have to stick with existing stock within W.A. witch is limited. I have tried propagating cuttings several times with no success, always turning black and dying at the last minute. I just took your advice and made a mix of fine pine bark but because i cant get it fine enough i've added perlite and very course river sand. Things are looking good and the cuttings are callusing up well, medium is retaining moister but draining with nothing to rot my cuttings.I have a really good feeling about this. Cheers
Sounds like the mix is working out well for you. I've been to Perth. Beautiful place. Sure does get hot in Western Australia. Do you have a lot of trees for shade?
@@MikeKincaid79 LOL thats why i got out of there and moved to a cooler climate. I live in Albany in the south west on 15 acres so much cooler than Perth averaging mainly between 54.5 F to 66.2 F with about a weeks worth of 95F with a mix of sun and shade so all in all pretty mild stable climate. It seems to be best of both worlds with me able to grow both Tropical and cool climate plants.
@Brad Wilkins The area is much bigger than I thought. I had to bring up google maps to see where you're at. Looks like almost 5 hours south of Perth. Sounds like you've got a great place for growing.
I love your videos so much it's strange to see a new one because I not only watch your old videos but I rewatch them over again. Thanks for the news one.
Hello Mike Thank you so much for your advice on using mulch to grow cuttings. I often failed trying to root my cuttings until I followed your advice and used the mulch instead of soil or sand. It also made a huge difference with my orchids and helped me replace spaghnum moss with the mulch and the orchids just love this stuff Keep up the good work
Great video Mike! I always enjoy all of the thought process that you go through about things. It helps me decide what I can do on our homestead here. When I first built my propagation frame, I was using potting soil and like you would suspect, I had very much Rot. Since then, I have switched to sand. It has been working awesome! I will probably do an experiment using perlite, sand, potting soil, pro-mix, and different things because like you, I love experiments.
I like to use seed starting mix with extra perlite added to it. Use those cheap peat cups which say you can plant it directly into the ground (I don't) with two sticks in it and a plastic sandwich bag taped to the cup. Its what works for me, I like it too since the peat cup is very breathable it makes over watering difficult. The cups will fully dry out in a week, its easy to tell since the humidity is gone from inside the bag. Take it off, water it a little more and tape it back. It's really the only method which has worked well for me. Not sure if its the breathability of the peat pots, the aeration of the seed starting mix, or the mix just dries out too fast for over watering to be an issue. Seriously don't know, but it works, and I don't mind watering them weekly. I started doing it last year, I still wish to learn more to improve but I did it with lavender. I always had horrible luck with propagating lavender, tried many times in the past, out of all of it I only ever had a single cutting root for me. But the first time I tried seed starter, with a extra perlite, and a peat cup every single lavender cutting in the pot rooted, and rooted very quickly.
hi Mike, excellent and informative video. We use perlite and vermicullite as a medium for sticking. But we first sterilize the medium in strong concentration of Sanidate 5.0 (peroxide solution). loss occurs from poor quality cuttings or if you over water. so yes, bacterial and fungal infection is the thing to worry about when propagating. And if you still insist on using potting soil or soilless potting mixture, microwave or cook it in an oven to sterilize it.
Thanks for the video, Mike. I’m planning to take a crack at some Dawn Redwood, Burkwood viburnum, and Homeycrisp Apple cuttings in peat moss in some cups, and sand in others. Fun little test to see what I have luck with.
I been subscriber for over 4 yrs, I use sand and I absolutely learned all of it from you, and apparently sands works best for me, my first plant was hydrangea, start with one 4yrs ago, now I have 11 and 9 of I grow from cuttings, from the first plant. Thank you Mike Very much, I appreciate it so much. You are awesome.
Thanks so much for your support Judilyn, I appreciate it. So glad you've been successful with sand, it's a great medium for propagation and is very forgiving. Have fun in the garden!
I am having a hard time finding anything like fi e fir bark in my area. I assume this is from logging/lumber companies which I do not have in my area. However, I have been a bonsai inthusist for many decades and I make my own bonsai soil as it tends to be quite expensive when bought commercially. I go to a company that makes concrete blocks. They use crushed haydite to make these. They let me shovel a garbage can full of some of the scrap that falls off the bucket loader near the loading area. I then take it home and screen out the fine particles. It's very porous, inertz and when mixed with my compost, makes an ideal bonsai soil. I believe the sifted haydite alone would work well as a cutting medium.
I've been watching you for a while and I finally started cuttings this year. I'm experimenting rooting the cuttings in "soil conditioner". I get the big bags in the garden section where they sell the potting soil, cow manure and such. I usually have a bag on hand anyway to mix in with the clay soil in my area when planting shrubs and perennials. I think it drains well yet has enough moisture and has air space . We'll see how it does.
Back in the UK we had something called sharp sand. It’s what we threw into cement mixers- it was rough, most of ours came from China clay mining, it was washed, it had a mix of fine and bigger particles. It was a must for potting, cuttings, and adjusting soils too loamy or too peaty, and at least in our area it was cheap because it was a waste product.
Thanks for your videos!. Do you have videos on next steps? I got several cuttings to root in a toto but once I took them out they all died. What are next steps after getting them to root?
Slow acclimation to a less humid environment over a period of a few days to a week. This time of year, you'll have to bring them inside and get them under grow lights. Alternatively, you can just leave them alone and let them go dormant outside if they're hardy plants.
Hey Mike, thanks for another great video. I first got into your content a few years ago with the Japanese Maple series, which I was just now revisiting due to it being prime time for seed hunting! Funnily enough in one of the first vids in that series you say exactly the same thing about rooting medium. Pretty cool to see that consistency. Now I'm wondering if you could show us what those maples which you had planted back in 2017 look like right now. Would love to see how they are doing in the fall. And perhaps some other maples you mentioned to have around your landscape. In fact I would LOVE an autumn tour of your landscape, garden and orchard(s). Cheers Mike, always appreciate your content, enthusiasm and honesty. I've come a long way with your advice in my gardening, propagating and germinating. Keep it up :) Vincent
What a nice comment, thanks for that. Yep, I'm about as consistent and resistant to change as they come, haha. Those maples are still doing well and sitting in the same spot in the hoop house. I've got fewer of them now due to giving some to my father, selling some, and grafting with some of them. I think there are around 15 or 20 of them left, still in 1 gallon pots. I wish I would have thought about doing a fall tour but most of the leaves have fallen off now. Maybe next year. I can do an update video on the maples if you'd like. Thanks for your support and hanging in there with me for so many years. The channel sure has come a long way since 2017.
Hi! Happy labor weekend! Loved this explanation! Question: Does the bark bring slugs and fungus to a small garden in zone 10b coastal ca? Does it make the difference if it’s pulverized? Thanks!
Hi Mike. My name is James from Arizona where now it is 110 pluse outside. I am new at this but I've been trying to propagate roses. It has been to hot outside even in the shade. Everything I put outside drys out. I move them inside and they start to root. I'm using potting soul
My grandmother rooted roses. She’d take the cutting, dip in root hormone, place directly into the ground (pre-dug), place a quart mason jar over the cutting and then water. I was too busy in jr high to care for my cuttings she prepared so I lost all but one. Mom was mad 😆 because these WEREN’T in any flowerbed. Grandmaw was simple and had beautiful flowers throughout her yard 😃🙌 still…not as beautiful as yours, Mike. 😎
The rhododendrons sure do take the cake when it comes to beautiful blooms. There's definitely a reason that many botanical gardens use them as center stage material.
Nice clarification.. I put my fig cuttings in water I know the horror. But I can do a lot of cuttings in a small space when the roots are about an inch long I transplant into potting soil .I do lose about 10 percent of them but space is a big problem for me
@@MikeKincaid79 it's like you said you have to go with what you have to work with sometimes. I left out an important part it takes about 2 months for my cuttings to root about an inch in water I have an unheated sun porch they can go to after mid March so I take my cuttings at end of December. Took a bit to get timing right. Also they don't tend to leaf out until they go into the soil.i wouldn't recommend keeping them in any longer than that because I do lose about 10 percent of them for various reasons. I also find if they do leaf out put them in soil right away or your percent off loses will go way up
With regard to cuttings in water: Water roots and soil roots are different, even from the same plant. It was explained as a survival method if the water table rises. The root that can absorb Oxygen from water is not evolved to absorb oxygen from air and visa versa. Water roots tend to be fragile and do not perform well in the other role of roots, anchoring. Much of the info on rooting plants in water is from house plant sites where anchoring is not a great requirement. I successfully rooted Cistus in water, planted one in the garden and it continued to grow, thrive and flower. 2 years later, after an autumn gale I found the whole shrub blown into a hedge bottom. No roots were attached just a 30mm stump of woody stem that was well soil stained ie the original cutting length. I still root some cuttings in water, I've had a lovely batch of Basil from shop bought sprigs this summer, but the hated being outside. Thanks for another thought provoking video, Mike.
I use potting soil/compost mix and always mixed with straw in it what I do for a good drainage it I use coco shell in the form as cut wood. The coco takes up moisture but also let the soil drain very wel. The drainage is important and in soil it is different then when you root in only water. In soil fungi and bacteria are more present then i just tap water. When the cutting have no roots you don't have to overwater hem just moisture the soil
Not sure figs would grow here so I have little interest in them. you have however inspired me to try some cedar and birch trees from our land. Cedar should be saleable birch... we will see. Thanks! Cheers from northern Canada
It depends on what it grows best in or what type soil it prefers. Some plants are acidic and some are alkaline. Some don’t Iike wet roots. If you look up type of plant “care and maintenance” it will tell you the type of soil and if acidic or alkaline. Good drainage has sand added to soil.
@@MikeKincaid79 Mike, I learned from your technical demonstration on how to propagate. I was excited when I had the opportunity to watch my first video of yours.
I've been watching for a while and you give advice on what has worked for you and I personally appreciate that. Though you suggested the sand in the sand bags that are meant to weigh down a vehicle, I was unable to find any. I used potting soil to propagate my roses (which has seemed to have worked) and my Firefly plant which I think only one of the 3 stems actually took. Either way you give advice on what you found that works. Thank you and I look forward to your next video! Have a great day!
Coco coir does not always work, some has too much sodium and the quality varies quite a lot. It can root cuttings but once the root comes out they may struggle to absorb nutrients as the coco coir can’t hold any of much nutrients because of the salts. My favourite is pine bark fines - it’s quite similar to a 50/50 mix of peat and perlite - holds moisture but allow air to flow through. It is also slightly acidic (ph ~5), and many journals that you can google suggest lower medium ph helps in rooting of cuttings.
Hi Mike! I love your videos! I have tried to propagate hydrangeas with no success but I watch your video with the clear bin, I alsl believe I was over watering the cuttings as I was also using pitting soil. How about pine bark for the propagation process? Would that work well?
Mike Seeing your video and learn. 🥴I mix pot soil with a little peat moss but with your video I notice that I overwater my pot soil, I planted my cuttings 2 days ago. Do you recommend redo it, and squeeze all the water and leave it just moist. 🥴🥴😨thanks
Have you tried using Cypress Mulch? If so, how well did it work? I'm concerned about purchasing Fir Bark, as I read that it may contain 'mites' which are hard to get rid of.
@@MikeKincaid79 I think I should have mentioned that I was referring to 'Bagged Fir Bark', (normally used & sold for reptile enclosures). If you know of a brand of 'trusted' Bagged Fir Bark, please let me know. Thank you.
thanks for the great info and thought processes--i love also that you like to experiment, and follow-thru on outcomes. thanks so much for that. question: i wonder how much pH factors in with the plant cuttings' media? fir bark and peat are very acidic... i bet blueberries and rhodendron LOVE it, (though i know you root everything successfully in that). so do you think it might make it harder for plants that prefer more neutral or alkaline pH? or does it make no difference whatsoever? i don't have as green a thumb as you--it might be purple at this point? but anything i can do to make tree cuttings grow, would be great. thanks
This material is fairly inert. I wouldn't say it's acidic at all. I'll have to measure it sometime. That being said, I've found that a slightly acidic ph is beneficial in rooting just about all cuttings. You can achieve that by watering with distilled water and I intend on doing a video about that.
I'm with ya Mike... Last year was my first year trying to grow plants from cuttings. They did great and I used potting soil. Thing of it is I can't remember what brand I used. This year I tried several different things to root them. No luck at all. I'm about ready to give it up. I tried sand that was to fine and wouldn't drain. Several different potting soils and with no luck. I only had a few plants actually make it. I thought about bringing me a bucket of sand back from the beach.
That should work but make sure to rinse it and get all the salt out first. Don't give up on this Marty! You've come so far. Remember, Thomas Edison found 1000 ways the light bulb wouldn't work before he found the one way it would work. Now the whole world uses light bulbs.
Mike, have you ever heard of Kalkaska sand? I live in Kalkaska, MI and for many miles around this area, it’s known that we have Kalkaska sand. Soil for growing needs lots of amendments. I do have great vegetable and flower gardens but if I were to dig a foot down, it would be all sand. Just wondering if I dug up some of our local sand how it would compare to sharp sand or builders sand.
I've never heard of it. There are so many different soils depending on what part of the country you're in. I guess all you can do is dig down and see what it looks like and how it works for you. If it drains well and isn't full of bacteria and fungi then it will probably work fine.
I've been asked about sawdust a lot and want to do some experiments with it. I worry about mold that can grow on sawdust but maybe it wouldn't be a problem before the cuttings root.
I'm really still trying to get propagation right - especially hardwood cuttings. Indoor plans work SO well in spaghnum moss...is this worth trying with the outdoor cuttings (fruit trees and bushes etc etc) too? Is there are reason why it wouldn't work with them (ie why I only ever see it used with house plants and not garden plants)? I know a lot of houseplants are epiphetic or semi, or climbers...maybe that makes a difference? I'm struggling with outdoor stuff right now and really want to pinpoint the problems and come up with solutions...
95% of this channel is about outdoor plants. Just keep watching, learning, and practicing. It's all right here, and most of the videos show proof that it worked with follow ups in the same video. Don't give up. Keep learning and practicing.
The cuttings in the water make roots because they have oxygen in the water and sunlight (photosynthesis). And these do not rot because they are in pure water with no other microorganisms such as bacteria found in a potted plant in standing water with soil.The soil in the pot has tons of microorganisms that can flourish in the standing water which are not found in pure water. These organisms can rot the plant and that's the difference: one is standing in pure water and the other is standing in a soggy mess of water, soil, bacteria, and bugs.
New subscriber here! Thank you for sharing your tips and tricks! I really appreciate it and you are a gift to the planting community especially to us newbies. My question is, can I use pure rice hulls as rooting medium? There is a lot of it where I am from.
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! I've never used rice hulls but I would think you can use them as long as they don't swell and break down when water is applied, like white rice would.
So I tried the play sand tried a hard wood cutting and it just dried out it didn't rot. The sand was quite a bit too moist. It still has tiny leaves but it's shriveling up sould I give up on it or spray it.
Hmm, I guess that makes sense why when I used premix potting soil for cuttings and they died ... it was fertilizer mixed in and as the cuttings didn't habe enough roots, the fertilizer might be killing instead of ... well, fertilized hehe. I prefer sands, whether coarse or fine, as both worked well with my cuttings, compare to other type of soils i.e. potting, seedling, etc. Though with fine sand, might need to be careful with how much water is needed. I don't want to "bother" my cuttings and checking on their root growth by removing them from their pots. So I'm not sure when it already have enough roots and ready for repotting. Need lots of observations and experiments for me finally get rough idea hehe.
As always, great info Mike. Once plants are rooted and you start to grow them out, do you continue to use the fine fir bark and just add fertilizer, or do you switch over to potting soil somewhere along the way? Or, does it vary depending on the type of plant? Thanks.
I actually use the fir bark for growing them as well. It makes a really nice soil for rhododendrons. The only problem is that it doesn't have any nutrition in it so you have to fertilize every year. I suppose that someone could mix this with grass clippings and get a pile of it composting to help increase the quality of soil for growing plants in.
I wonder ... if it's not adviceable to mix sand with other soils due to its finer grains, what about layering? For example, when repotting, use sands as bottom, shallow layer then put potting soil for the rest of pot volume.
I don't like to layer with sand on the bottom of pots. It wastes space for root growing area and I find that the roots do just fine without the extra drainage.
@@MikeKincaid79 thanks for your advice. Ok, I will try not too wet soil when it's time to change pots for my plants 👍. I can focus using the sand for propagate cuttings, instead.
There is a sweet spot for all of those mediums. Some may be better than others but experience will teach you where the sweet spot is for the medium your using. I use what ever i can get cheaply. from peat to perlite to mixes of them all and mixes from leftover up pottings. but...moist but not dripping wet. seems to work in them all..on MOST of the cuttings i propagate. The rest i do more grafting and air layering. And always learning and trying other techniques for more tough to root species.
good video i had to buy my fine fir bark been using it on my house plants there happy im going to use fir bark peat moss and perlite mixed for my seeds and cuttings
Mike this is off topic but you’ll know the answer to my dilemma. I have 2 acres we’re building on. This past Spring I planted several Spring Grove Arbs & a SweetBay Magnolia. Hand carried water to them all summer. Well…Deer have taken to rutting on the Magnolia & Arb. These are 3’ trees…damage was shredded to the cambium layer. Do you think they will heal themselves? If so will new branches form where the bark was stripped? Today we went out & placed deer netting around all of them….and spread Milorganite also. TY. I’m in SW Ohio.
Sorry to hear that. I've lost some plants to the same problem. As long as the cambium is still intact from the roots to the top, then the top will survive. If the cambium layer was completely broken all the way around then the top will die back and it may send up new growth from below the damage. I have a cedar that got beat up pretty bad by deer about 4 years ago. They stripped all the cambium around the trunk but left one think strip of cambium about an inch wide on one side that connects the top and bottom of the tree. The tree is now over 12 feet tall and has a huge area that is scarred from the damage but the cambium has grown like crazy and almost completely encircled the trunk again. I'll try to get some pics or make a video about it.
@@MikeKincaid79 it’s not stripped all the way around the tree…a strip in the middle. Maybe I could lift the trees out rotate the back side to the neighbors view🤣next year. Thanks for answering.😊
Good video. I have on hand several of those mediums. Best luck I've had with rooting so far was to stick the cutting in the ground outside shaded area very late Winter or early spring and forget about them for three months. This year I put cuttings in the same area in Early October and sprayed tops with Wilt Pruf, to keep the cuttings from drying out. This Instead of grafting tape. Time will tell. Hopefully I can get apple tree cuttings and other cuttings started in the house this winter using that coconut stuff as a medium. I'm learning and your videos provide good pointers.
That's right Mike! Bottom line is just trial and error. Even if we use the medium you use we could screw it up, unless you have done it enough and often enough that you have it dialed in. Thanks for the video, awesome like always! Good to see you my friend! Have a fantastic week yourself! Hugs to you and your girls! 🤗💜🤗
I use everything available to me and mix thing up when I think it makes sense, but what I use depends on the month when and what I am trying to propagate. The longer it takes to get roots, the more my focus goes to a well draining medium with as little as material in it that can create fungus and rot If something gets roots very fast, I prefer some nutrition in the medium I use, so it can stay in the same pot longer and grow. Also propagation indoor or outdoor makes a difference for me when chosing a medium.
Ok.. now you've turned me into a mad scientist..ie: propegator....my last experiment was coconut fiber...works really well..next I saved enough egg shells dried them out in a low temp. oven ground them up to the consistency of perlite...so #1. I put a chili pepper cutting in a clear cup with just egg shells n water..and #2..I mixed the egg shells 50/50 with my coconut fiber with another pepper cutting...I'm waiting now...I'll let you know...
@@MikeKincaid79 I just saw I even root cuttings by accident ... I trimmed some of the hydrangeas a month ago and placed some of the cuttings in a vase on the table outside with some water in it for decoration, half of them have huge root balls now. The only problem is: they do not have flowers on them, so I have no idea which rooted. Maybe I will put them in some soil this week so they can survive the winter and then give them someone, I don't need them.
I don't think that the reason why plants root well in water is because of anaerobic conditions. Water dissolves air readily. I think it has to do with the relative lack of particulate matter. Most bacteria live in a film, a thin layer on the surface of some substrate. Moist soil has a lot of particulates with a lot of surface area. Clean water has only the surface of the container.
Thanks Mike, while watching this video a few things came to light as to maybe why certain plants are struggling. I mean I had them in certain medium, how I bought them but really not knowing why. I think I get it now, thank you.
For softwood cuttings, I like to use potting mix and a one-pint root pouch for each. It takes up more space than just sticking them all closely together into one large flat but you can get maybe 24 into a 1020 tray. The pouches are good for aeration and can be cut off when it's time to plant them out. Some type of soil blocking may be a more eco-friendly way to do the same thing.
Thanks Mike. What's the difference between the potting soil and potting mix? Also, I use sand to propagate some rose cuttings and they dried up. Should I add perlite to the sand to prevent rooting?
Mike, when using sand as a rooting medium, do you fertilize with slow release after rooting and repot next spring once roots are hardened off? Or is it better to repot same season as root initiation into a better medium, fertilize w/slow release, and grow from there? You may have answered this in last summer’s videos when you were showcasing your ultra rare and precious pick-up weight “rose sand” (slight smirk indicating sarcasm) but I don’t see the answer in my notes (yes, I take notes with you, you drop THAT much knowledge)
Or just talk that much, haha. Yeah, I prefer to let them root the first summer and just leave them in the sand until the following spring. Fertilization depends on the plant but if I'm doing softwood cuttings early on and they root by mid summer then I will fertilize with slow release. If it gets later in the summer like in August then I usually won't fertilize at all until I pot them up the following spring. The cuttings do just fine.
Do you have a dr Bronners mixture for ipm? I want to add a couple more essential oils to it as well. What dosage per gallon on the Bronners (peppermint) and the oil concentrate from rosemary n thyme?
Trial and error. Many houseplants and tropicals will root in water. More tender varieties of plants tend to root in water. Some trees like willow and cottonwood will root in water. I get my fir bark at a local landscape supply business.
Part of the potting soil debate is the vast variety of potting mixes available. A pro-mix high porosity will be a far better medium than a than a topsoil based potting mix or a finely ground seedling mix. There are specific potting mixes that are for cuttings now but not many places stock them. The one I saw was a mix of course peat moss, fine fir bark, and perlite. Looked like a great mix but was only available by the pallet load from the manufacturer.
That's a great point, Robert. There are so many different mixes out there. I think that as long as people are aware of the amount of moisture they hold and don't over water, they should be fine.
HEY, DUDE listen to this:I always use a mixture of potting mix and river sand or river sand alone while propagating plants from cuttings. The medium in which the roots form should be porous for good aeration and drainage. The roots will rot if there is no air. Capable of moisture retention.
Yes!!! Awesome, thanks Mike!!! Always look forward to gaining more knowledge from you! Thanks for the petunia video!!! I saved tons of my favorite plants! :)
Hey Mike I know this isn't related but Ive been wondering myself, is there any plants you know of that thrive In darkness or at least absolutely no Sunrays?
As far as I know, all plants need at least some light. That being said, I'm sure there are some plants that grow in the dimmest light imaginable. Many houseplants will grow in low light. They are acclimated to the under-story of dense rain forests and jungle canopies, where very little sun light breaks through. Pothos is one of them. If you're looking for an indestructible house plant that will grow in almost no light then search no further. Fungi need very little light but they aren't classified as plants anymore due to their cellular structure and other differences.
I've never used a pre-mixed soil that is advertised for propagation. Just make sure it drains water well and is relatively inert. You should be fine. There is a broad range of what will work but don't over water.
I've been trying to root/propagate *anything* in potting soil- it just seems like everything I use has a fungal or mite problem. I have a hard time finding inert, unfertilized soil but I guess I don't have much of a choice.
The best thing you can do to ensure instant success is to build a small frame and fill it with play sand or builder's sand from Home Depot or Lowes. Sand is just about the easiest medium to find that drains will and is inert. The only downside is that it's heavy. Just build a small frame from pressure treated 2x6 lumber. The frame can be as small as 1 foot by 2 foot. Fill it with sand. Build another frame the same size and place it on the other. Find a piece of plexi glass to cover the frame with. Make sure the direct sun never touches the lid but the frame gets plenty of overhead sky light (north side of a building in the northern hemisphere, south side in the southern hemisphere). Voila!
I wonder if anybody used silica gel for growing medium. I think any medium should have available water to give away so if the water is part of the chemical structure of the medium it may not be a good thing to use. For example can we use gypsum for growing plants? my thoughts is it won't work because 5 molecules of water is part of its structure and can not be pulled away, same thing might be true with silica gel. That is just a thought it needs experimentation in order to be proven!. Good subject.
I've used potting soil before and got amazing and fast results. These days I am using clay. It is not bad but it too slow to see the results with the cuttings. So , please use potting soil if you wana geeat results. Good luck
bro...i dont see those green giants in the hoop house anymore. i know you're doing something with them over there! you can't keep it a secret forever booiii!!! oh jah!
Hahaha, there he is. I have hundreds of them in the hoop house, lol. Time got away from me and I never got to the green giants this year but I will before we die, don't worry, haha.
That's it, haha. I think we get locked into our comfort zones. That's why I experiment so much and make this videos. Trying to push the envelope of possibilities when it comes to plants. Got some really cool stuff coming up over the next year if it all works out.
Hi Mike. My name is James from Arizona where now it is 110 pluse outside. I am new at this but I've been trying to propagate roses. It has been to hot outside even in the shade. Everything I put outside drys out. I move them inside and they start to root. I'm using potting soul
Hey Mike, i love the advice you give on your channel. Here in Albany, Western Australia we cant buy Rhododendrons because of myrtle rust and the potential threat to our unique natives flora so we have to stick with existing stock within W.A. witch is limited. I have tried propagating cuttings several times with no success, always turning black and dying at the last minute. I just took your advice and made a mix of fine pine bark but because i cant get it fine enough i've added perlite and very course river sand. Things are looking good and the cuttings are callusing up well, medium is retaining moister but draining with nothing to rot my cuttings.I have a really good feeling about this. Cheers
Sounds like the mix is working out well for you. I've been to Perth. Beautiful place. Sure does get hot in Western Australia. Do you have a lot of trees for shade?
@@MikeKincaid79 LOL thats why i got out of there and moved to a cooler climate. I live in Albany in the south west on 15 acres so much cooler than Perth averaging mainly between 54.5 F to 66.2 F with about a weeks worth of 95F with a mix of sun and shade so all in all pretty mild stable climate. It seems to be best of both worlds with me able to grow both Tropical and cool climate plants.
Beautiful place !
@Brad Wilkins The area is much bigger than I thought. I had to bring up google maps to see where you're at. Looks like almost 5 hours south of Perth. Sounds like you've got a great place for growing.
This is the video I was looking for! Trying my first attempt at rooting cuttings. Thanks Mike!
Glad you found it and glad it was helpful!
I love your videos so much it's strange to see a new one because I not only watch your old videos but I rewatch them over again. Thanks for the news one.
Yeah, no problem. I post about once a week, more in the summer. Thanks for your support.
Hello Mike Thank you so much for your advice on using mulch to grow cuttings. I often failed trying to root my cuttings until I followed your advice and used the mulch instead of soil or sand. It also made a huge difference with my orchids and helped me replace spaghnum moss with the mulch and the orchids just love this stuff Keep up the good work
So glad to hear of your success Julie! I'll keep going as long as you keep watching. Have fun in the garden.
Great video Mike! I always enjoy all of the thought process that you go through about things. It helps me decide what I can do on our homestead here. When I first built my propagation frame, I was using potting soil and like you would suspect, I had very much Rot. Since then, I have switched to sand. It has been working awesome! I will probably do an experiment using perlite, sand, potting soil, pro-mix, and different things because like you, I love experiments.
I like to use seed starting mix with extra perlite added to it. Use those cheap peat cups which say you can plant it directly into the ground (I don't) with two sticks in it and a plastic sandwich bag taped to the cup.
Its what works for me, I like it too since the peat cup is very breathable it makes over watering difficult. The cups will fully dry out in a week, its easy to tell since the humidity is gone from inside the bag.
Take it off, water it a little more and tape it back. It's really the only method which has worked well for me. Not sure if its the breathability of the peat pots, the aeration of the seed starting mix, or the mix just dries out too fast for over watering to be an issue.
Seriously don't know, but it works, and I don't mind watering them weekly. I started doing it last year, I still wish to learn more to improve but I did it with lavender. I always had horrible luck with propagating lavender, tried many times in the past, out of all of it I only ever had a single cutting root for me.
But the first time I tried seed starter, with a extra perlite, and a peat cup every single lavender cutting in the pot rooted, and rooted very quickly.
hi Mike, excellent and informative video. We use perlite and vermicullite as a medium for sticking. But we first sterilize the medium in strong concentration of Sanidate 5.0 (peroxide solution). loss occurs from poor quality cuttings or if you over water. so yes, bacterial and fungal infection is the thing to worry about when propagating.
And if you still insist on using potting soil or soilless potting mixture, microwave or cook it in an oven to sterilize it.
The oven is a great way to do it, I've done that myself.
Chuck here. Another great one Mike. I always learn so much from your vids.
Thanks Chuck, I appreciate your support.
Thanks for the video, Mike. I’m planning to take a crack at some Dawn Redwood, Burkwood viburnum, and Homeycrisp Apple cuttings in peat moss in some cups, and sand in others. Fun little test to see what I have luck with.
Good luck David!
I been subscriber for over 4 yrs, I use sand and I absolutely learned all of it from you, and apparently sands works best for me, my first plant was hydrangea, start with one 4yrs ago, now I have 11 and 9 of I grow from cuttings, from the first plant. Thank you Mike Very much, I appreciate it so much. You are awesome.
Thanks so much for your support Judilyn, I appreciate it. So glad you've been successful with sand, it's a great medium for propagation and is very forgiving. Have fun in the garden!
I am having a hard time finding anything like fi e fir bark in my area. I assume this is from logging/lumber companies which I do not have in my area. However, I have been a bonsai inthusist for many decades and I make my own bonsai soil as it tends to be quite expensive when bought commercially. I go to a company that makes concrete blocks. They use crushed haydite to make these. They let me shovel a garbage can full of some of the scrap that falls off the bucket loader near the loading area. I then take it home and screen out the fine particles. It's very porous, inertz and when mixed with my compost, makes an ideal bonsai soil. I believe the sifted haydite alone would work well as a cutting medium.
It sounds like a good material. As long as it also holds some moisture, you should be fine.
I've been watching you for a while and I finally started cuttings this year. I'm experimenting rooting the cuttings in "soil conditioner". I get the big bags in the garden section where they sell the potting soil, cow manure and such. I usually have a bag on hand anyway to mix in with the clay soil in my area when planting shrubs and perennials. I think it drains well yet has enough moisture and has air space . We'll see how it does.
Cool to hear that you're experimenting. That's the best way to learn. Have fun in the garden, Sandie!
Oh there's an idea, thanks!
Back in the UK we had something called sharp sand. It’s what we threw into cement mixers- it was rough, most of ours came from China clay mining, it was washed, it had a mix of fine and bigger particles. It was a must for potting, cuttings, and adjusting soils too loamy or too peaty, and at least in our area it was cheap because it was a waste product.
Yep, we've got it too and it's listed as either sharp sand or builder's sand. Great stuff for propagation.
That just goes to show there is no such thing as a waste product in a circular system. Waste nothing want nothing.
Wonderful for your beautiful videos , making great beautiful plants I always watch your more videos !😁😁👋🌿🌿
Thanks for your videos!. Do you have videos on next steps? I got several cuttings to root in a toto but once I took them out they all died. What are next steps after getting them to root?
Slow acclimation to a less humid environment over a period of a few days to a week. This time of year, you'll have to bring them inside and get them under grow lights. Alternatively, you can just leave them alone and let them go dormant outside if they're hardy plants.
Hey Mike, thanks for another great video.
I first got into your content a few years ago with the Japanese Maple series, which I was just now revisiting due to it being prime time for seed hunting! Funnily enough in one of the first vids in that series you say exactly the same thing about rooting medium. Pretty cool to see that consistency.
Now I'm wondering if you could show us what those maples which you had planted back in 2017 look like right now. Would love to see how they are doing in the fall. And perhaps some other maples you mentioned to have around your landscape. In fact I would LOVE an autumn tour of your landscape, garden and orchard(s).
Cheers Mike, always appreciate your content, enthusiasm and honesty. I've come a long way with your advice in my gardening, propagating and germinating. Keep it up :)
Vincent
What a nice comment, thanks for that. Yep, I'm about as consistent and resistant to change as they come, haha. Those maples are still doing well and sitting in the same spot in the hoop house. I've got fewer of them now due to giving some to my father, selling some, and grafting with some of them. I think there are around 15 or 20 of them left, still in 1 gallon pots. I wish I would have thought about doing a fall tour but most of the leaves have fallen off now. Maybe next year. I can do an update video on the maples if you'd like. Thanks for your support and hanging in there with me for so many years. The channel sure has come a long way since 2017.
Hi! Happy labor weekend! Loved this explanation!
Question: Does the bark bring slugs and fungus to a small garden in zone 10b coastal ca? Does it make the difference if it’s pulverized? Thanks!
No, greens are what attracts slugs. Finely ground bark will work just fine.
Hi Mike. My name is James from Arizona where now it is 110 pluse outside. I am new at this but I've been trying to propagate roses. It has been to hot outside even in the shade. Everything I put outside drys out. I move them inside and they start to root. I'm using potting soul
My grandmother rooted roses. She’d take the cutting, dip in root hormone, place directly into the ground (pre-dug), place a quart mason jar over the cutting and then water. I was too busy in jr high to care for my cuttings she prepared so I lost all but one. Mom was mad 😆 because these WEREN’T in any flowerbed. Grandmaw was simple and had beautiful flowers throughout her yard 😃🙌 still…not as beautiful as yours, Mike. 😎
The rhododendrons sure do take the cake when it comes to beautiful blooms. There's definitely a reason that many botanical gardens use them as center stage material.
Nice clarification..
I put my fig cuttings in water I know the horror. But I can do a lot of cuttings in a small space when the roots are about an inch long I transplant into potting soil .I do lose about 10 percent of them but space is a big problem for me
Sounds like you've got a good system that works for you.
@@MikeKincaid79 it's like you said you have to go with what you have to work with sometimes. I left out an important part it takes about 2 months for my cuttings to root about an inch in water I have an unheated sun porch they can go to after mid March so I take my cuttings at end of December. Took a bit to get timing right. Also they don't tend to leaf out until they go into the soil.i wouldn't recommend keeping them in any longer than that because I do lose about 10 percent of them for various reasons. I also find if they do leaf out put them in soil right away or your percent off loses will go way up
With regard to cuttings in water:
Water roots and soil roots are different, even from the same plant. It was explained as a survival method if the water table rises. The root that can absorb Oxygen from water is not evolved to absorb oxygen from air and visa versa. Water roots tend to be fragile and do not perform well in the other role of roots, anchoring. Much of the info on rooting plants in water is from house plant sites where anchoring is not a great requirement.
I successfully rooted Cistus in water, planted one in the garden and it continued to grow, thrive and flower. 2 years later, after an autumn gale I found the whole shrub blown into a hedge bottom. No roots were attached just a 30mm stump of woody stem that was well soil stained ie the original cutting length.
I still root some cuttings in water, I've had a lovely batch of Basil from shop bought sprigs this summer, but the hated being outside.
Thanks for another thought provoking video, Mike.
You're welcome and thanks for a thought provoking comment, Gwen!
I use potting soil/compost mix and always mixed with straw in it what I do for a good drainage it I use coco shell in the form as cut wood. The coco takes up moisture but also let the soil drain very wel. The drainage is important and in soil it is different then when you root in only water. In soil fungi and bacteria are more present then i just tap water. When the cutting have no roots you don't have to overwater hem just moisture the soil
Not sure figs would grow here so I have little interest in them. you have however inspired me to try some cedar and birch trees from our land. Cedar should be saleable birch... we will see.
Thanks! Cheers from northern Canada
Awesome! Happy to inspire. Good luck with your cuttings.
Margie waterman- great information and will follow your advice. Thanks!
You got it Margie!
It depends on what it grows best in or what type soil it prefers. Some plants are acidic and some are alkaline. Some don’t Iike wet roots. If you look up type of plant “care and maintenance” it will tell you the type of soil and if acidic or alkaline. Good drainage has sand added to soil.
I appreciate your insight. This is such a big subject and so many opinions and experiences.
@@MikeKincaid79 Mike, I learned from your technical demonstration on how to propagate. I was excited when I had the opportunity to watch my first video of yours.
I appreciate you support Nancy, and I'm glad you enjoy the videos!
I've been watching for a while and you give advice on what has worked for you and I personally appreciate that. Though you suggested the sand in the sand bags that are meant to weigh down a vehicle, I was unable to find any. I used potting soil to propagate my roses (which has seemed to have worked) and my Firefly plant which I think only one of the 3 stems actually took. Either way you give advice on what you found that works. Thank you and I look forward to your next video! Have a great day!
That's it, you've just got to find what works best for you, in your area, and with the plants you're propagating. It will all vary.
Lots of helpful things to think about, thanks. 👍
Coco coir does not always work, some has too much sodium and the quality varies quite a lot. It can root cuttings but once the root comes out they may struggle to absorb nutrients as the coco coir can’t hold any of much nutrients because of the salts. My favourite is pine bark fines - it’s quite similar to a 50/50 mix of peat and perlite - holds moisture but allow air to flow through. It is also slightly acidic (ph ~5), and many journals that you can google suggest lower medium ph helps in rooting of cuttings.
I’m talking about rooting cuttings here. I wouldn’t use coco coir as a potting soil.
Can i combine ¾ fine ground fir bark and ¼ potting soil? I'm just curious. Or should i stick to fine fir bark?
Hi Mike!
I love your videos! I have tried to propagate hydrangeas with no success but I watch your video with the clear bin, I alsl believe I was over watering the cuttings as I was also using pitting soil.
How about pine bark for the propagation process? Would that work well?
That would probably work just fine.
Mike Seeing your video and learn.
🥴I mix pot soil with a little peat moss but with your video I notice that I overwater my pot soil, I planted my cuttings 2 days ago. Do you recommend redo it, and squeeze all the water and leave it just moist.
🥴🥴😨thanks
Yes, if you just stuck them and the soil is wet, I'd wring it out.
Thanks a lot for all of your answers. I’m gonna send you a message when my cuttings growth🥰 Say hi to Johny Johny 😆
Have you tried using Cypress Mulch? If so, how well did it work? I'm concerned about purchasing Fir Bark, as I read that it may contain 'mites' which are hard to get rid of.
I've been using fir bark with great success for over 12 years.
@@MikeKincaid79 I think I should have mentioned that I was referring to 'Bagged Fir Bark', (normally used & sold for reptile enclosures). If you know of a brand of 'trusted' Bagged Fir Bark, please let me know. Thank you.
thanks for the great info and thought processes--i love also that you like to experiment, and follow-thru on outcomes. thanks so much for that. question: i wonder how much pH factors in with the plant cuttings' media? fir bark and peat are very acidic... i bet blueberries and rhodendron LOVE it, (though i know you root everything successfully in that). so do you think it might make it harder for plants that prefer more neutral or alkaline pH? or does it make no difference whatsoever? i don't have as green a thumb as you--it might be purple at this point? but anything i can do to make tree cuttings grow, would be great. thanks
This material is fairly inert. I wouldn't say it's acidic at all. I'll have to measure it sometime. That being said, I've found that a slightly acidic ph is beneficial in rooting just about all cuttings. You can achieve that by watering with distilled water and I intend on doing a video about that.
As always perfectly said and I totally agree with you, I love your video's and keep em coming. Thank you for all the info and watch you later. 😊😊😁😁🤗🤗
Good to see ya, Glenda!
I'm with ya Mike... Last year was my first year trying to grow plants from cuttings. They did great and I used potting soil. Thing of it is I can't remember what brand I used. This year I tried several different things to root them. No luck at all. I'm about ready to give it up. I tried sand that was to fine and wouldn't drain. Several different potting soils and with no luck. I only had a few plants actually make it. I thought about bringing me a bucket of sand back from the beach.
That should work but make sure to rinse it and get all the salt out first. Don't give up on this Marty! You've come so far. Remember, Thomas Edison found 1000 ways the light bulb wouldn't work before he found the one way it would work. Now the whole world uses light bulbs.
@@MikeKincaid79 I put my bulbs in the ground. Hope they will shine next year. 😄
Haha, love it!
Mike, have you ever heard of Kalkaska sand? I live in Kalkaska, MI and for many miles around this area, it’s known that we have Kalkaska sand. Soil for growing needs lots of amendments. I do have great vegetable and flower gardens but if I were to dig a foot down, it would be all sand. Just wondering if I dug up some of our local sand how it would compare to sharp sand or builders sand.
I've never heard of it. There are so many different soils depending on what part of the country you're in. I guess all you can do is dig down and see what it looks like and how it works for you. If it drains well and isn't full of bacteria and fungi then it will probably work fine.
Another great video thanks Mike keep it up man!!
You bet!
Great video thank you so much
You are so welcome!
My latest experiment is sawdust for rooting because I have some to hand. It's a bit drier than others I've tried.
I've been asked about sawdust a lot and want to do some experiments with it. I worry about mold that can grow on sawdust but maybe it wouldn't be a problem before the cuttings root.
I'll keep you updated! I'm trying English Laurel in it..
Great! I'd love to hear how it goes.
Great advice.
I'm really still trying to get propagation right - especially hardwood cuttings. Indoor plans work SO well in spaghnum moss...is this worth trying with the outdoor cuttings (fruit trees and bushes etc etc) too? Is there are reason why it wouldn't work with them (ie why I only ever see it used with house plants and not garden plants)? I know a lot of houseplants are epiphetic or semi, or climbers...maybe that makes a difference? I'm struggling with outdoor stuff right now and really want to pinpoint the problems and come up with solutions...
95% of this channel is about outdoor plants. Just keep watching, learning, and practicing. It's all right here, and most of the videos show proof that it worked with follow ups in the same video. Don't give up. Keep learning and practicing.
There are also beneficial microbs and fungi that helps the cutting against the bad guys
The cuttings in the water make roots because they have oxygen in the water and sunlight (photosynthesis). And these do not rot because they are in pure water with no other microorganisms such as bacteria found in a potted plant in standing water with soil.The soil in the pot has tons of microorganisms that can flourish in the standing water which are not found in pure water. These organisms can rot the plant and that's the difference: one is standing in pure water and the other is standing in a soggy mess of water, soil, bacteria, and bugs.
New subscriber here! Thank you for sharing your tips and tricks! I really appreciate it and you are a gift to the planting community especially to us newbies. My question is, can I use pure rice hulls as rooting medium? There is a lot of it where I am from.
Thanks so much for the wonderful comment! I've never used rice hulls but I would think you can use them as long as they don't swell and break down when water is applied, like white rice would.
So I tried the play sand tried a hard wood cutting and it just dried out it didn't rot. The sand was quite a bit too moist. It still has tiny leaves but it's shriveling up sould I give up on it or spray it.
Hmm, I guess that makes sense why when I used premix potting soil for cuttings and they died ... it was fertilizer mixed in and as the cuttings didn't habe enough roots, the fertilizer might be killing instead of ... well, fertilized hehe.
I prefer sands, whether coarse or fine, as both worked well with my cuttings, compare to other type of soils i.e. potting, seedling, etc. Though with fine sand, might need to be careful with how much water is needed.
I don't want to "bother" my cuttings and checking on their root growth by removing them from their pots. So I'm not sure when it already have enough roots and ready for repotting. Need lots of observations and experiments for me finally get rough idea hehe.
Yep, sometimes it just takes a little trial and error to get your setup right and crank out cuttings with a high degree of success.
As always, great info Mike. Once plants are rooted and you start to grow them out, do you continue to use the fine fir bark and just add fertilizer, or do you switch over to potting soil somewhere along the way? Or, does it vary depending on the type of plant? Thanks.
I actually use the fir bark for growing them as well. It makes a really nice soil for rhododendrons. The only problem is that it doesn't have any nutrition in it so you have to fertilize every year. I suppose that someone could mix this with grass clippings and get a pile of it composting to help increase the quality of soil for growing plants in.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks a lot Mike. That would certainly save a lot in the cost of potting soil as well.
Thank you for the information sir,, that does help me!,,,
Glad to help
Thanks so much for the info
Any time!
I wonder ... if it's not adviceable to mix sand with other soils due to its finer grains, what about layering? For example, when repotting, use sands as bottom, shallow layer then put potting soil for the rest of pot volume.
I don't like to layer with sand on the bottom of pots. It wastes space for root growing area and I find that the roots do just fine without the extra drainage.
I would prefer to start with soil that's not too wet.
@@MikeKincaid79 thanks for your advice. Ok, I will try not too wet soil when it's time to change pots for my plants 👍. I can focus using the sand for propagate cuttings, instead.
I'm still going to send you a angel trumpet cutting
Nice
There is a sweet spot for all of those mediums. Some may be better than others but experience will teach you where the sweet spot is for the medium your using. I use what ever i can get cheaply. from peat to perlite to mixes of them all and mixes from leftover up pottings. but...moist but not dripping wet. seems to work in them all..on MOST of the cuttings i propagate. The rest i do more grafting and air layering. And always learning and trying other techniques for more tough to root species.
Well said, thanks for your input.
good video i had to buy my fine fir bark been using it on my house plants there happy im going to use fir bark peat moss and perlite mixed for my seeds and cuttings
Good idea for the seeds, they seem to like a finer material.
Mike this is off topic but you’ll know the answer to my dilemma. I have 2 acres we’re building on. This past Spring I planted several Spring Grove Arbs & a SweetBay Magnolia. Hand carried water to them all summer. Well…Deer have taken to rutting on the Magnolia & Arb. These are 3’ trees…damage was shredded to the cambium layer. Do you think they will heal themselves? If so will new branches form where the bark was stripped? Today we went out & placed deer netting around all of them….and spread Milorganite also. TY. I’m in SW Ohio.
Sorry to hear that. I've lost some plants to the same problem. As long as the cambium is still intact from the roots to the top, then the top will survive. If the cambium layer was completely broken all the way around then the top will die back and it may send up new growth from below the damage. I have a cedar that got beat up pretty bad by deer about 4 years ago. They stripped all the cambium around the trunk but left one think strip of cambium about an inch wide on one side that connects the top and bottom of the tree. The tree is now over 12 feet tall and has a huge area that is scarred from the damage but the cambium has grown like crazy and almost completely encircled the trunk again. I'll try to get some pics or make a video about it.
@@MikeKincaid79 it’s not stripped all the way around the tree…a strip in the middle. Maybe I could lift the trees out rotate the back side to the neighbors view🤣next year.
Thanks for answering.😊
LOL
Good video. I have on hand several of those mediums. Best luck I've had with rooting so far was to stick the cutting in the ground outside shaded area very late Winter or early spring and forget about them for three months. This year I put cuttings in the same area in Early October and sprayed tops with Wilt Pruf, to keep the cuttings from drying out. This Instead of grafting tape. Time will tell. Hopefully I can get apple tree cuttings and other cuttings started in the house this winter using that coconut stuff as a medium. I'm learning and your videos provide good pointers.
Glad to help. For Apple cuttings, I'd take them as hardwood cuttings in late winter and stick them in a good draining medium. Good luck!
That's right Mike! Bottom line is just trial and error. Even if we use the medium you use we could screw it up, unless you have done it enough and often enough that you have it dialed in. Thanks for the video, awesome like always!
Good to see you my friend! Have a fantastic week yourself! Hugs to you and your girls! 🤗💜🤗
Thanks Camelia, and great to hear from you too! Yep, there is no substitute for trial and error.
You are right! We all learn like that! 🤗🤗
I use everything available to me and mix thing up when I think it makes sense, but what I use depends on the month when and what I am trying to propagate.
The longer it takes to get roots, the more my focus goes to a well draining medium with as little as material in it that can create fungus and rot
If something gets roots very fast, I prefer some nutrition in the medium I use, so it can stay in the same pot longer and grow.
Also propagation indoor or outdoor makes a difference for me when chosing a medium.
Really great points, Bart! Thanks for your insight.
Ok.. now you've turned me into a mad scientist..ie: propegator....my last experiment was coconut fiber...works really well..next I saved enough egg shells dried them out in a low temp. oven
ground them up to the consistency of perlite...so #1. I put a chili pepper cutting in a clear cup with just egg shells n water..and #2..I mixed the egg shells 50/50 with my coconut fiber with another pepper cutting...I'm waiting now...I'll let you know...
@@MikeKincaid79 I just saw I even root cuttings by accident ... I trimmed some of the hydrangeas a month ago and placed some of the cuttings in a vase on the table outside with some water in it for decoration, half of them have huge root balls now.
The only problem is: they do not have flowers on them, so I have no idea which rooted.
Maybe I will put them in some soil this week so they can survive the winter and then give them someone, I don't need them.
So cool, Doris! I love experimenting with plants. There's so much to play around with when it comes to growing plants.
I don't think that the reason why plants root well in water is because of anaerobic conditions. Water dissolves air readily. I think it has to do with the relative lack of particulate matter. Most bacteria live in a film, a thin layer on the surface of some substrate. Moist soil has a lot of particulates with a lot of surface area. Clean water has only the surface of the container.
That's an interesting thought
Thanks Mike, while watching this video a few things came to light as to maybe why certain plants are struggling. I mean I had them in certain medium, how I bought them but really not knowing why. I think I get it now, thank you.
Glad to help you work through your setup and get closer to figuring it all out.
For softwood cuttings, I like to use potting mix and a one-pint root pouch for each. It takes up more space than just sticking them all closely together into one large flat but you can get maybe 24 into a 1020 tray. The pouches are good for aeration and can be cut off when it's time to plant them out. Some type of soil blocking may be a more eco-friendly way to do the same thing.
The trays sure are great, and easy to use. I just re-use mine over and over again for years.
Thanks Mike. What's the difference between the potting soil and potting mix? Also, I use sand to propagate some rose cuttings and they dried up. Should I add perlite to the sand to prevent rooting?
Did they dry up because you didn't have a humidity dome over them?
Very helpful information. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful, Kathryn!
Dear brother good evening.i am lived up in India. What your address, your contry name.
Jackfruit cuttings grow.
Fabulous..
I use cocoa peat, works for me. I just spray with water with vitamins and good to go.
Awesome, thanks for weighing in on this, Elena. I've got a bag of coco peat that I use for some plants and it's great stuff.
All the petunia cuttings I am trying to root now have blooms. Should I remove them? They have been under the dome about two weeks.
It depends if root system is adequate. I slowly let it have sun until it can handle full day sun. Once has a good root system.
When it comes to petunias, I just let them bloom. Eventually they will start putting out green growth.
👍
Mike, when using sand as a rooting medium, do you fertilize with slow release after rooting and repot next spring once roots are hardened off? Or is it better to repot same season as root initiation into a better medium, fertilize w/slow release, and grow from there?
You may have answered this in last summer’s videos when you were showcasing your ultra rare and precious pick-up weight “rose sand” (slight smirk indicating sarcasm) but I don’t see the answer in my notes (yes, I take notes with you, you drop THAT much knowledge)
Same inquiry for Perlite, Vermiculite, or “glass beads”, or any of the more corse materiel mentioned in the video.
Or just talk that much, haha. Yeah, I prefer to let them root the first summer and just leave them in the sand until the following spring. Fertilization depends on the plant but if I'm doing softwood cuttings early on and they root by mid summer then I will fertilize with slow release. If it gets later in the summer like in August then I usually won't fertilize at all until I pot them up the following spring. The cuttings do just fine.
Do you have a dr Bronners mixture for ipm? I want to add a couple more essential oils to it as well. What dosage per gallon on the Bronners (peppermint) and the oil concentrate from rosemary n thyme?
Hell yeah thanks 👍
How do you know what plants roots in water ? And where do you get your fur bark from
Trial and error. Many houseplants and tropicals will root in water. More tender varieties of plants tend to root in water. Some trees like willow and cottonwood will root in water. I get my fir bark at a local landscape supply business.
Part of the potting soil debate is the vast variety of potting mixes available.
A pro-mix high porosity will be a far better medium than a than a topsoil based potting mix or a finely ground seedling mix.
There are specific potting mixes that are for cuttings now but not many places stock them. The one I saw was a mix of course peat moss, fine fir bark, and perlite. Looked like a great mix but was only available by the pallet load from the manufacturer.
That's a great point, Robert. There are so many different mixes out there. I think that as long as people are aware of the amount of moisture they hold and don't over water, they should be fine.
Awesome as always!
Thank you!
HEY, DUDE listen to this:I always use a mixture of potting mix and river sand or river sand alone while propagating plants from cuttings. The medium in which the roots form should be porous for good aeration and drainage. The roots will rot if there is no air. Capable of moisture retention.
That's pretty much what I said here.
MIKE, thank you for another great video!!,,,,, some people just ask questions just to ask questions
Haha, true. And I love answering them to the best of my abilities. It's just hard to shut me up, lol.
@@MikeKincaid79 yup, me too i find my self talking to the dogs, chickens, and the assorted wild life i have around my place even the plants and trees
Yes!!! Awesome, thanks Mike!!! Always look forward to gaining more knowledge from you! Thanks for the petunia video!!! I saved tons of my favorite plants! :)
You are so welcome and I appreciate you support. Great job on the petunias and I hope you get tons of beautiful blooms through the winter!
Lov your descriptions…a soupy mess..lol
😁
Hey Mike I know this isn't related but Ive been wondering myself, is there any plants you know of that thrive In darkness or at least absolutely no Sunrays?
As far as I know, all plants need at least some light. That being said, I'm sure there are some plants that grow in the dimmest light imaginable. Many houseplants will grow in low light. They are acclimated to the under-story of dense rain forests and jungle canopies, where very little sun light breaks through. Pothos is one of them. If you're looking for an indestructible house plant that will grow in almost no light then search no further. Fungi need very little light but they aren't classified as plants anymore due to their cellular structure and other differences.
great video as always.!!!!!
Thanks!
Which propagation mix soil is good?? I found Sungrow propagation mix soil from internet!!
I've never used a pre-mixed soil that is advertised for propagation. Just make sure it drains water well and is relatively inert. You should be fine. There is a broad range of what will work but don't over water.
@@MikeKincaid79 Can u show us how to mix it please?
DIRECT AND CLEAR!!!!. LOVE IIIIT!!!. THANKS!!!. BLESSINGS!!!.
Thanks Luz!
Hey Mike, Sand working here. Everything rootin well
Right on, thanks for weighing in Dean.
I always cross my fingers that I will get the extra O when propagating. Please let them "roOt, not rot!" 😂
Hahahaha, that's pretty funny! I pray you get the extra "O"!!!
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks! I used the tote method this past season and was successful with both hibiscus and hydrangeas. Fingers crossed for 2022!
I'm "rooting" for you!
I've tried fertilizer potting soil had some stuff roots but alot of plans don't like it it's according to what the plant is some do better then others
Very true, some do better than others.
Thank you Mike
I've been trying to root/propagate *anything* in potting soil- it just seems like everything I use has a fungal or mite problem. I have a hard time finding inert, unfertilized soil but I guess I don't have much of a choice.
The best thing you can do to ensure instant success is to build a small frame and fill it with play sand or builder's sand from Home Depot or Lowes. Sand is just about the easiest medium to find that drains will and is inert. The only downside is that it's heavy. Just build a small frame from pressure treated 2x6 lumber. The frame can be as small as 1 foot by 2 foot. Fill it with sand. Build another frame the same size and place it on the other. Find a piece of plexi glass to cover the frame with. Make sure the direct sun never touches the lid but the frame gets plenty of overhead sky light (north side of a building in the northern hemisphere, south side in the southern hemisphere). Voila!
I wonder if anybody used silica gel for growing medium. I think any medium should have available water to give away so if the water is part of the chemical structure of the medium it may not be a good thing to use.
For example can we use gypsum for growing plants? my thoughts is it won't work because 5 molecules of water is part of its structure and can not be pulled away, same thing might be true with silica gel. That is just a thought it needs experimentation in order to be proven!. Good subject.
Thanks for your input. Definitely something to look at more closely.
I've used potting soil before and got amazing and fast results. These days I am using clay. It is not bad but it too slow to see the results with the cuttings. So , please use potting soil if you wana geeat results.
Good luck
Sounds like your system is working well for you. Thanks for weighing in.
Gottcha!..gotta love your train of thought..lol.. ;)
Sometimes that train travels a long way to get from point A to point B, haha.
Very cool video. When you going to eat more hot peppers 😂
Thank God fall came and the peppers are don't growing, lol.
You might want to do a video of eating Carolina reaper and then trying to explain how to plant stuff might be interesting.
Sounds interesting for everyone but the guy making the video. I learned my lesson.
Hi
What's up, good to see ya hear Emad.
potting soil? With some plants, you can jam a cutting into the ground and it will grow just fine.
That's very true. I'm sure that willow and figs fit that bill.
😁👍👍👍👍
Guys just use sand that’s it
Nice, easy, and a sure fire bet. Thanks!
bro...i dont see those green giants in the hoop house anymore. i know you're doing something with them over there! you can't keep it a secret forever booiii!!! oh jah!
Hahaha, there he is. I have hundreds of them in the hoop house, lol. Time got away from me and I never got to the green giants this year but I will before we die, don't worry, haha.
@@MikeKincaid79 ah just didn't see the one gallons in this video...wondered if you planted them out. jah bless!
Why is it soo hard for soo many people to understand there is more than one way to skin a cat?
That's it, haha. I think we get locked into our comfort zones. That's why I experiment so much and make this videos. Trying to push the envelope of possibilities when it comes to plants. Got some really cool stuff coming up over the next year if it all works out.
LOL WTF👎👎 sand
Hi Mike. My name is James from Arizona where now it is 110 pluse outside. I am new at this but I've been trying to propagate roses. It has been to hot outside even in the shade. Everything I put outside drys out. I move them inside and they start to root. I'm using potting soul
You’re definitely in an extreme environment. I’m from Phoenix originally so I get it. Sounds like you’ve got it figured out.