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Re: What's Everybody Doing?

Cindy Meredith wrote:
> 
>
> Here in South Central Texas it is hot, hot, hot. We're having August
> weather in June. 

> I've set lots of mint cuttings, divided my lemon thyme and took cuttings of
> an English thyme. The cuttings didn't do well at all. I placed them in a
> soilless mixture, kept the medium moist and misted at least twice a day.
> Still, lots of the cuttings dried up. Any ideas?

Hey, Cindy!  

The problem with your MENTHA and THYMUS cuttings probably is
transpiration, in spite of the frequent misting.
It's so hot in your area that misting isn't enough to keep the plant's
internal moisture from "sweating" out.

Place new cuttings in soil-less media with extra pearlite (they never
have enough drainage with media right out of the bag) and make a little
mini cutting house with a BIG freezer bag, the kind with a zipper. These
are tough and rather stiff along the bottom, making them more
self-supporting.  A coat hanger bent to a giant staple and inserted in
the pot to hold the bag also helps.  

Cut a small hole in the top of this structure to let out excess moisture
and heat and allow the nozzle of the spray gun in to keep them
frequently misted.  Not enough to run off the leaves, that promotes rot
and fungus; just enough to keep the internal moisture in place.

Cuttings root with lots of light, since the photosynthetic surfaces of
the leaves nourish the plant until the roots are established.  The other
component of lots of light is lots of heat. Misting is designed to keep
the heat down and the internal moisture level of the plant adequate
while the light does its thing. Having the cuttings covered with a
plastic "greenhouse" keeps evaporation down and the cuttings in a more
stable environment.  Watch the light level. too.  Too much is a bad as
not enough.

Don't forget to keep the rooting medium moist, not wet (hence the
pearlite).
> 
> Also, I want to take cuttings of my scented geraniums. I lost lots of the
> last batch due to stem rot. Any tips on how to better stick the cuttings? I
> did about the same with the scenteds as I did with the English thyme
> (above).


PELARGONIUM is even juicier and more prone to moisture-related problems
than MENTHA.  There are fungicidal "drenches" you can treat the soil
with, but the same combination of not too much water in the soil and
high humidity to reduce moisture loss in the air should keep down rot
while allowing the adventitious roots to form.

Think of some doctor show like ER. The first thing they always try to do
is keep the patient "stable." That is, homeostatic.  Balanced.  No
stresses on the systems.  Too much water at the roots promotes fungi and
rot, too little in the plant makes dry sticks out of your cuttings.  Get
the patient stable and its own internal mechanisms will take over fine.

What kind of scenteds do you have? I have chocolate, lime, pineapple and
something that smells like old cabbage or lavender, depending on who
smells it.

Good luck!

Glen Seibert
> 
>
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