Fast growing plants that like wet conditions naturally. Mediterraneans very bad. Trees no good at all. Tropicals excellent. One tip I have found very helpful. Instead of putting the cuttings in water, buy some small clay pebbles and soak them in water over night. Then put your cuttings in amongst the pebbles and cover them over with a transparent plastic container (mini-greenhouse) Keep them warm but out of direct sunlight. Run fast tap water through the pot once a week. You will know if conditions are right by the amount of condensation on the side of the container. As soon as you see new growth appearing just tip them upside down and you will have a lovely cutting full of roots ready to pot up. You can do this any time of year in central heating.
I've finally had some success rooting coleus. Have tried many times only to have the stems rot in the water. This week TA-DA, it worked.
I have a funny coleus story to tell. Our yard man came today, mowed the lawn and weed whacked the edges of the beds, used his leaf blower to clean up the mess they made, as they always do ,and went on his merry way after we paid him. Later in the day I went outside and was inspecting my newly planted garden metal art feature and saw what appeared to be thousands of aphids all over my Tradescantia 'Purple Heart'! Sorry, I didn't straighten out the top piece before getting my photo. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, as I have been watching that new planting closely of late and it couldn't be healthier. But to be safe, I sprayed the plans well with neem oil. Well fast forward, I was talking to my husband about the aphids later in the day and he said, "Peggy, remember you went out harvesting coleus seeds off the big coleus plant near this Purple Heart feature this morning and scattered a bunch of seeds on the ground". this was in hopes some just might germinate next year. Perhaps the leaf blower the lawn man used this morning just blew those around. I felt like a fool for not immediately realizing what the tiny things on my Purple heart were, as he was surely right. After all, I could see no "legs" on the aphids I saw all over the plant. I laughed at myself, but then realized if coleus germinates readily from seed, am I going to have coleus popping up all over my ground ivy and lawn nearby? Oh dear.
My sedum cutting has lots of root now. I took two more about two weeks ago and one of those has started growing roots, just spotted this evening.
I also took five penstemon cuttings which haven't rooted but are still looking very much alive. I'm misting the leaves.
and - two salvia mainacht cuttings which haven't rooted, but have started growing new leafy shoots from below the water level, where I'd have expected the roots to be.
Ive also noticed that my first sedum cutting (which rooted a while ago) is growing flower shoots from the same nodes that the roots are already coming from.
Has anyone else found root and leaf growing from the same point?
10 penstemen cuttings all rooted well, potted up and are now out the bottom of the 1lt pots. Would it be better to leave them potted up through the winter or plant them out now ?
I would keep them in their pots over the winter @owd potter , pinching out the top few inches off the tallest shoots - encouraging a bushy plant ready to be planted out when all chances of winter frost and snow have passed - so possibly March or April. Keep the plant in as light a position as possible, if you have a greenhouse then overwinter the plants in there. Keep them moist until the winter has really set in. I am sure you will receive further replies - we all have our own methods that work for us - depending where we live and the facilities we have. Maybe some will suggest planting out now, and if the plants are strong and substantial then that could be an option. Perhaps plant 5 out now and hold 5 back to overwinter in their pots.
Just to add to GD’s info, they will probably get powdery mildew over winter, don’t worry about this, in the Spring when the start growing again they will make fresh growth from the bottom and you cut all that mildew off. It’s not a problem. I don’t think I’ve ever had penstemon cuttings with out and they are fine once they grow on and are planted out.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Thank you @Guernsey Donkey2, @Lyn think I will do as suggested and plant out 5 and overwinter 5 in the potting shed. A little experiment to see which group fare better come next April... Regards
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One tip I have found very helpful. Instead of putting the cuttings in water, buy some small clay pebbles and soak them in water over night. Then put your cuttings in amongst the pebbles and cover them over with a transparent plastic container (mini-greenhouse) Keep them warm but out of direct sunlight. Run fast tap water through the pot once a week. You will know if conditions are right by the amount of condensation on the side of the container.
As soon as you see new growth appearing just tip them upside down and you will have a lovely cutting full of roots ready to pot up. You can do this any time of year in central heating.
I also took five penstemon cuttings which haven't rooted but are still looking very much alive. I'm misting the leaves.
and - two salvia mainacht cuttings which haven't rooted, but have started growing new leafy shoots from below the water level, where I'd have expected the roots to be.
Ive also noticed that my first sedum cutting (which rooted a while ago) is growing flower shoots from the same nodes that the roots are already coming from.
Has anyone else found root and leaf growing from the same point?
Would it be better to leave them potted up through the winter or plant them out now ?
I don’t think I’ve ever had penstemon cuttings with out and they are fine once they grow on and are planted out.
think I will do as suggested and plant out 5 and overwinter 5 in the potting shed.
A little experiment to see which group fare better come next April...
Regards