Re: Personal experience with plant rooting hormones

Well said, Claire.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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> From: ECPep@aol.com
> 
> None of these messages are signed.  I am wondering who we are
talking to.  
> The rooting procedures for home gardeners are not the same for
professionals 
> who need hundreds or thousands of cuttings to strike in order to
stay in 
> business.
> 
> Home gardeners can increase their success by checking the part of
the plant 
> used, the best type of cutting (half-hard, heel, etc.) and the time
of year 
> that gives the best results.
> 
> Many a rose grower gets a cutting with a mayonaise jar over the
cutting in a 
> shady spot, left over winter and finding a plant in the spring. 
Dealing with 
> cuttings at home will result in losing a good part of them but also

> succeeding with a goodly amount.
> 
> The first rose cuttings I tried defoliated nearly immediately and I
thought 
> the process was over but it was not.  They rooted late in the
summer and were 
> small plants the following spring.  
> 
> My experience, which does not include professional numbers of
cuttings,  is 
> that two powder forms of rooting hormone can be purchased.  One for
soft 
> cuttings, perennials and one for shrubs.  There are many others but
these two 
> in small amounts are all a home gardener would need.  There is also
a very 
> old controversy as to the efficacy of a product kept on the shelf
more than 
> six months.  I don't know that I have ever read anything that
settled that.
> 
> I used peat and sand mixed together for years because it works.  I
have never 
> changed that mix although there are certainly many others.
> 
> A home gardener who wants to try rooting cuttings should be
encouraged with 
> some success stories and not discouraged with highly technical
information 
> that is not necessary for a half dozen hydrangea plants.  A great
many plants 
> will root with no hormones.  Another and easier method is layering.
  If you 
> lose some cuttings, try some research on the best season, best type
of 
> cutting and try again.  Some of the cutting will always fail, that
should not 
> discourage you.  One of the problems with home produced cuttings is
that 
> attention is needed to care for the cutting, water, etc.  One does
not always 
> have the time to give this specialized attention.  Still bunches of
them will 
> root and many are very easy.  
> 
> Willow and forsythia will root in a vase.  Hydrangea is easy, many
viburnums 
> are easy.  Perennials need to be done in just the right season to
get roots 
> and plants but if done so are also mostly easy.  A propagation
manual with 
> the best times and plant parts will give you all the help needed to
get 
> started.  A great many of the shrubs in my garden were started from
gifted 
> cuttings. The new Ken Druse book on propagation is excellent.
> 
> There are some that are very reluctant to root, rhododendrons for
one which 
> yield to layering.  
> 
> In short, try more than once and do not worry too much about the
correct 
> hormone chemical makeup.
> 
> BTW, I am still working my way through computer backlogs.  If I owe
you a 
> message, I will get to it.  
> 
> Claire Peplowski
> NYS zone 4
> 
>
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