My tiny little two-leaf cebu blue was rotting on me a couple weeks back! And then I thought of your perlite prop boxes and made my own out of a Tupperware container! So far it’s looking fantastic and I even spotted a new leaf unfurling 👀 all thanks to you, Fern! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to use this method with other cuttings! 🌞🪴
Hey, thanks so much for making a video about the actual maintenance of prop boxes. So many people make videos on how to make them but forget this crucial part, how to keep them going. Do you have a video or any insight to share about how you choose which plants to prop in perlite vs spaghnum? Thanks again!
Superthrive has IBA in it which is what one of the things we use in tissue culture to get roots. It’s a rooting hormone. If you look at rooting hormones, that’s usually the active ingredient.
@@wildfern thank you. I have a raphidaphora tetrasperma wet stick, rooting in perlite. It has two new leaves but minimal roots. I think I'll wait a bit longer.
I love that hastatum behind you. Mine's so small and it's been a very slow grower for me. By the way, after months of watching your videos, I finally figured out who you resemble. Suki Waterhouse.
I'm 36 years young, and I watch Fern's videos religiously. I recently started using propogation boxes, with perlite, and I'm happy to say it's worked out incredibly well. If you haven't tried it yet, DO IT.
I have a question for you Fern. I have pothos wet stick propagations that have rooted and produced 1 leaf and are working on a second in perlite. Is it safe to pot them up now or should I wait for second leaf to completely open? I don't want to lose the second leaf. Thank you for any help you can provide.
Hey quick question plant community! I have a beautiful LARGE prop box and have 20+ varieties of cuttings (mostly tropical or subtropical and love humidity) and most have been in there for 4-6 weeks and little to no issues. They reciee 10-12 hours of light from a full spectrum grow light (attached to the lid via velcro). However, the tips seem to get "soggy" and brown/black in the last few days? Unsure why I spray it when it gets dry-looking and I also treat the whole box with Neem oil once a week. I get some mold sometimes. Any help on what's happening? Is it leaf rot? Does it need to air out more than once a day for at least an hour? I love the box and it will be my primary source of propagating.
@@wildfern thank you! I think I’m understanding why 100% humidity doesn’t work for me. I’m trying this with chonks and that’s too high of humidity for those but perfect for smaller cuttings. Thanks for the reply, that’s the confirmation I needed. Appreciate ya
Once mold spores are in the house, air, objects, soil, ect it’s hard to never have it again. I deal with mushroom spores bcuz I grow mushrooms in monotubs in my grownroom (opening the tubs after 1 month to check mycelium growth). Spores are a HOLE OTHER LEVEL 🤣 growing mushrooms/spores is a HARD THINGGG that only few can achieve ... (like me 😎🙌😎💋)
@@PoisonB478 Absolutely! I just thought the comment was asking how often to put fresh perlite into the box. Anytime I use it in cups, I boil it after taking out cuttings and putting in new ones
Yeah algae can definitely happen! I haven't had any major issues with it. Once the plants in it are rooted you can boil the perlite to re-use it and I find that gets most of the algae off.
I put wet sticks in both perlite and sphagnum! I’ve had good luck with both. I did just find a couple rotted in my perlite box though :( so use caution lol! I’ve also had great success. It’s not 100% guaranteed of course, but I have a pretty high (maybe 90%) success rate with both perlite & sphagnum wet sticks. Perlite is faster.
Ok so I still have a question 😅 anddd maybe you could do a video on this also but how do you prepare your plants for the prop box? Because I tried again and I’ve rotted three stems and one has mold within three days! There was no standing water and the perlite was only rinsed and there’s wasnt even a spec of humidity showing like your boxes 😅 I don’t think I have the touch hahaha
Huh interesting!! I usually just cut and pop them right in. Sometimes I let them callous for an hour or two if they are oozing (like Hoya etc) It's fascinating how everyone has such a different experience! Good luck x
@@wildfern maybe it’s the size of some of the pieces... and if they’re dry or not before I put them in the box. Idkkk. I’m going to wait and see what happens and just leave the boxes be lol
I've gotten mold everytime I've tried perlite. Same w prepping. Just rinsed the perlite. Wasnt super wet. No water on lid etc. And within a few days everything was molded. And a few rotted
@@KaylasPlants I have no idea! I live in Georgia which is humid. But my house isn't. House stays about 72 consistently in summer and 65ish in winter. Especially in summer there's plenty of air movement w the ac. The containers I've tried were small Tupperware so maybe size plays a factor. I forgot I had 1 success w perlite.. it was a large Starbucks cup that I put perlite in and put a hoya krimson queen clipping in.. then covered the top w plastic wrap. The only difference was that clipping had already started rooting and I planted it in soil but it wasn't taking to the soil(after rooting) so I put it in perlite and it did speedily gain more roots for soil. But all my other clippings I've tried in Tupperware failed. So im too hesitant to root perlite cuz I don't want to lose my clippings
I try not to disturb mine very often. But I think once a week-ish is okay! I haven’t really had any negative effects from it. Sometimes you just need to peek hahah :)
And it will act as a rooting hormone! The only concern I can see is that cinnamon is ground fiber, so when combined with heat and moisture, it can become rather gelatinous 😫😫 I haven't tried it in a prop box though so 🤷🤷
Oh no! Sounds like it was a bit moist 😫😫 Things that I've had rot in spahg do root for me in perlite! I have one box of each and certain plants I've had better luck in one or the other
immediately looks at my stack of prop boxes i literally never maintain just jam more stuff in HAHAHA
Wet sticks “coming back to life” is them mmmmm so interesting to me! I had success with one of my adansonii sticks
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience
That's so awesome to hear! It's really an amazing medium 🤩
My wayetii's roots were wack and all jacked from the nursery so I'm propping in perlite thanks to you. I am so excited to see how it does
I hope it does super well! 👏
My tiny little two-leaf cebu blue was rotting on me a couple weeks back! And then I thought of your perlite prop boxes and made my own out of a Tupperware container! So far it’s looking fantastic and I even spotted a new leaf unfurling 👀 all thanks to you, Fern! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to use this method with other cuttings! 🌞🪴
Ah that's so awesome to hear!
I literally just checked my first prop box and it was full of mold. Thank you for this! Perfect timing
Glad I could help!
Love this lip colour!
Also, appreciate how consistent your uploads are! 😊🙏💕
I’ve made a few small perlite bins (like, yogurt container small 🤣) and have been seeing progress on my plants that were NOT rooting for me!!!
Love this video, thank you!!! I’ve been wondering about prop boxes and this came up, perfect timing.
Hey, thanks so much for making a video about the actual maintenance of prop boxes. So many people make videos on how to make them but forget this crucial part, how to keep them going. Do you have a video or any insight to share about how you choose which plants to prop in perlite vs spaghnum? Thanks again!
Hello thank u.please up load mars grow light.yes lip stick is beautiful nice natural color😊🌹🌹
You answered a lot of the questions I had about water in the perlite, thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Boy do I need this video... trying to save a lucanosa silver in a perlite box....
You and your plants are so beautiful.. thank you
Thanks so much 😊
Fern you are such an inspiration! I love your videos. Wish we could meet sometimes, but I live in the Netherlands 😢
Awe thanks so much! I wish we could too!
Superthrive has IBA in it which is what one of the things we use in tissue culture to get roots. It’s a rooting hormone. If you look at rooting hormones, that’s usually the active ingredient.
Also, IBA can grow fungi so if someone is using it frequently and getting mold, this is why.
No wonder it works such a charm - thanks for the info!
my magical box: perlite and spaghnum on top. lol. welcome
I recently bought that nail polish you recommended and it went to my old address in another state. I was so excited to try it out and show you. 😭
Noooooo!!! That sucks so much :(
When you pot up a wet stick propagation that has roots and a new leaf, do you keep the "stick" part above the soil level?
Yep I do. I try to cover the roots a bit, but honestly it will root up just laying on the surface because of the humidity!
@@wildfern thank you. I have a raphidaphora tetrasperma wet stick, rooting in perlite. It has two new leaves but minimal roots. I think I'll wait a bit longer.
I love that hastatum behind you. Mine's so small and it's been a very slow grower for me. By the way, after months of watching your videos, I finally figured out who you resemble. Suki Waterhouse.
Yess new video!!
I love propping in perlite ❤️
I'm 36 years young, and I watch Fern's videos religiously. I recently started using propogation boxes, with perlite, and I'm happy to say it's worked out incredibly well. If you haven't tried it yet, DO IT.
Yessss I needed this video!!!! Thank you Fern!
You can do it girl !!! I was going to tag you in this video lol
@@MindfulnessMama 🙌🏼🙌🏼 I’m trying again!
I have a question for you Fern. I have pothos wet stick propagations that have rooted and produced 1 leaf and are working on a second in perlite. Is it safe to pot them up now or should I wait for second leaf to completely open? I don't want to lose the second leaf. Thank you for any help you can provide.
Could you use peat moss in the mix instead?
If we did get mold on the props on the sphagnum moss, how do you clean them and redo them? I want to salvage them if I can LOL
Hey quick question plant community!
I have a beautiful LARGE prop box and have 20+ varieties of cuttings (mostly tropical or subtropical and love humidity) and most have been in there for 4-6 weeks and little to no issues. They reciee 10-12 hours of light from a full spectrum grow light (attached to the lid via velcro).
However, the tips seem to get "soggy" and brown/black in the last few days? Unsure why I spray it when it gets dry-looking and I also treat the whole box with Neem oil once a week. I get some mold sometimes.
Any help on what's happening? Is it leaf rot? Does it need to air out more than once a day for at least an hour? I love the box and it will be my primary source of propagating.
Perlite is magic, I swear
It seriously is!!
Can I use a propogationbox for my albo Monstera cutting I had to cut the roots due to root rot and I don’t want to loose this plant
Such a great idea ❤️
Which medium is best for hoya and wet sticks and which is best for philos/pothos?
Ugh I set my box up wrong... I put holes in the lid smh. I wonder if it will still work
I just can not get the perilite 🤷🏼♀️
Time to try again.
Your hair is cool 😎
My open prop boxes ALWAYS get mold. I just don't understand 😭 any tips would be amazing.
I am bewildered by your watering can. Where's the hole to put the water in? 😂
There's a hole between the top handle and the handle on the back. You can see it in some of her other videos when she's filling it up
Question, Have you ever put a small humidifier meter in your box just to get an idea of what level it’s at?
Yes I have and it stays 100% if the lid is sealed.
@@wildfern thank you! I think I’m understanding why 100% humidity doesn’t work for me. I’m trying this with chonks and that’s too high of humidity for those but perfect for smaller cuttings.
Thanks for the reply, that’s the confirmation I needed. Appreciate ya
Once mold spores are in the house, air, objects, soil, ect it’s hard to never have it again. I deal with mushroom spores bcuz I grow mushrooms in monotubs in my grownroom (opening the tubs after 1 month to check mycelium growth). Spores are a HOLE OTHER LEVEL 🤣 growing mushrooms/spores is a HARD THINGGG that only few can achieve ... (like me 😎🙌😎💋)
When I put propagations in there that already have leaves, is it important that the leaves don't touch the medium? Like will they rot?
Honestly I haven't had an issue with them touching the medium!
I've made a perlite propagation box recently because i saw you had really good luck with it 🥰 i do wonder if it's necessary to chance the perlite?
Change it when? Unless I have a reason to change it (like mold or very bad/widespread rot) I don't, I just keep putting plants into the box as it is.
@@hollypuckett3931 thank you!!
You can also cook them to reuse them :)
@@PoisonB478 Absolutely! I just thought the comment was asking how often to put fresh perlite into the box. Anytime I use it in cups, I boil it after taking out cuttings and putting in new ones
@@merelwillems1040 you're welcome! When it is time to change it or if you ever want to reuse it for anything else, boiling it will clean it 👌😊
Do you put wet sticks in you perlite boxes or only your sphagnum boxes?
What do you do with yellowing leaves in the box? Cut down to a bare stick? Leave it?
If they are completely yellow then yes I will cut them off. If they are only slightly yellowed I will leave them.
The perlite prop boxes never work for me. They always mold and smells funky.. Drives me crazy.. but sphagnum does ok, just more needy w drying out
do you think that a prop box with soil in it would work well?
I have no idea, haven't tried it! I am curious of what the result would be
I made a couple perlite prop boxes and everything is growing roots fine but the perlite is completely green from algae 😬 is that normal? 😂😂
Yup, that's how mine is too! I'm pretty sure it doesn't hurt anything
Yeah algae can definitely happen! I haven't had any major issues with it. Once the plants in it are rooted you can boil the perlite to re-use it and I find that gets most of the algae off.
@@wildfern okay, thank you!
I think I missed it, but do you propagate your wet sticks in perlite too? Or just sphagnum? Love the video!!
I put wet sticks in both perlite and sphagnum! I’ve had good luck with both. I did just find a couple rotted in my perlite box though :( so use caution lol! I’ve also had great success. It’s not 100% guaranteed of course, but I have a pretty high (maybe 90%) success rate with both perlite & sphagnum wet sticks. Perlite is faster.
Ok so I still have a question 😅 anddd maybe you could do a video on this also but how do you prepare your plants for the prop box? Because I tried again and I’ve rotted three stems and one has mold within three days! There was no standing water and the perlite was only rinsed and there’s wasnt even a spec of humidity showing like your boxes 😅 I don’t think I have the touch hahaha
Huh interesting!! I usually just cut and pop them right in. Sometimes I let them callous for an hour or two if they are oozing (like Hoya etc) It's fascinating how everyone has such a different experience! Good luck x
@@wildfern maybe it’s the size of some of the pieces... and if they’re dry or not before I put them in the box. Idkkk. I’m going to wait and see what happens and just leave the boxes be lol
I've gotten mold everytime I've tried perlite. Same w prepping. Just rinsed the perlite. Wasnt super wet. No water on lid etc. And within a few days everything was molded. And a few rotted
@@amandaw3141 what are we doing wrong 😭 maybe it’s our climates?
@@KaylasPlants I have no idea! I live in Georgia which is humid. But my house isn't. House stays about 72 consistently in summer and 65ish in winter. Especially in summer there's plenty of air movement w the ac. The containers I've tried were small Tupperware so maybe size plays a factor. I forgot I had 1 success w perlite.. it was a large Starbucks cup that I put perlite in and put a hoya krimson queen clipping in.. then covered the top w plastic wrap. The only difference was that clipping had already started rooting and I planted it in soil but it wasn't taking to the soil(after rooting) so I put it in perlite and it did speedily gain more roots for soil. But all my other clippings I've tried in Tupperware failed. So im too hesitant to root perlite cuz I don't want to lose my clippings
Is it bad to keep checking the roots a few times per week? Or am I disturbing them too much by taking them out of perlite to look at them
I try not to disturb mine very often. But I think once a week-ish is okay! I haven’t really had any negative effects from it. Sometimes you just need to peek hahah :)
The more I watch your videos the more I want to try using perlite 😅
A little Cinnamon sprinkled in would need another way to prevent mold 😊
True!! I usually do that with my soil plants but haven't thought about putting it in a prop box!
And it will act as a rooting hormone!
The only concern I can see is that cinnamon is ground fiber, so when combined with heat and moisture, it can become rather gelatinous 😫😫 I haven't tried it in a prop box though so 🤷🤷
Girl... your just the best. I love watching all your videos! I was wondering why my perlite prop box was all messed up then realized I have kids 😂😂🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣 i can relate!
@@KaylasPlants I've been teaching my sons about plants and the names. My 5 year old can probably name all my plants 🤣🥰☺
@@MindfulnessMama my kid is the sameeee hahaha he’s always pointing out plants now!
Mind are almost in the complete dark and I will leave them for months. I have around 90% success rate in my moss prop boxes
Do you just keep reusing prop boxes or do you disinfect them at any point?
I just reuse them. Unless there are bugs. In that case I would discard, disinfect, and start fresh.
Why wouls my wet sticks be molding? It isnt even that wet
I did mine in spag moss and mine got rotten 😭🙈
Oh no!! Try perlite
Oh no! Sounds like it was a bit moist 😫😫 Things that I've had rot in spahg do root for me in perlite! I have one box of each and certain plants I've had better luck in one or the other
Early😝
You are!! ❤️
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I can't believe girl's have mullets.