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sibhskylvr

Experimental Cutting Method That Worked! :)))

sibhskylvr
15 years ago

I've been really, really busy today - then had to go to work! Rather have stayed home & finished up with the brugs & a package for Joyce! (Joyce - finished & will be shipped tomorrow!) (Shawn - received your check!) Thought I'd get those two things out of the way - before I start this LONG thread! Please bear with me - as I've not done anyhing like this before. OK! Ready! Set! Go!

Some people have asked during the summer - if I bury my brugs in their pots directly into the ground. I don't. I cut mine each year & start with new cuttings - like most that don't have the necessary storage space for larger plants. I avoided the question because I was doing a little experiment on my own. Sorry folks for not answering you directly. I apologize. :) But now I can share the little experiment with all of you! Maybe, just maybe, it will work for others! Hope so! Especially in rooting the more harder 'doubles!' Yeah! You know what I'm talking about! The dreaded 'doubles!!' lol! Sorry - got carried away there! On with the experiment.

Many of you have a Home Depot! I do - but no Lowe's! Stinks too! I'd like a little competition between these two stores in our area. :) Anyway - at Home Depot they have a 2' long (green) hard plastic border. It's approximately 5 1/2" high. It interlocks to make your garden borders. You can keep connecting them for how much you might need as far as how many feet you want your border to be. I didn't purchase them for that reason. (they sell for $1.09 each) When wrapped around the base of your brug - it's about a 7 1/2" circle.

When the brug is planted - wrap one of these borders around the brug. Fill it to the top with Shredded Cypress Mulch! I put a little more! Make it a HEAPING pile! lol! I did this for two reasons. One - to help retain moisture during the hot summer! Less watering always helps! We all know how they LOVE to drink!! And two - coming soon! I've included pics & I'm sure some are a little blurry! (It was down right COLD this morning!!) Im sure you'll see what I'm talking about as you scroll down. Mind you - I only tried this method with the 'doubles!' They are ones I seriously have a problem with in rooting. Out of the double brugs I have - ALL worked with this method. If it had been a little warmer I would have taken pics all darn day of my progress! lol! But then - I couldn't have gone to work! I hate work - it's a dirty word!! I would imagine this method would work with the singles also! (Duh! Had to throw this in!) lol! I've also added a little information below each picture. Before & after shots! :) Received an email from Bonnie concerning rooting an 'Adeline! Bonnie - this first set of pics are for you!! :))))


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Green garden border around 'Adeline!'


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Green garden border removed - exposing Shredded Cypress Mulch!


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Pull away Shredded Cypress Mulch - very gently! And look what we have here!! Roots!!


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ALOT of roots!




Next we have 'Golden Lady!' Same method!


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And then we have 'Double Peach!'



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And now for 'Pink Perfektion!'



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And now - just a few of the finished, rooted & potted products! I have alot to do before the night is over! Trust!! :)



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Now was that hard or what?? lol! If this method were to work each year - wouldn't it be GREAT????

Most of you know I purchased the new house in August! These babies didn't have alot of growing time to get established - but they did WAY better than I thought they would. They probably would have had larger root systems if they had not been moved! But - it had to be done! The nice thing about this method - just thought I'd mention this. The original root system is still IN the ground - covered & mulched for the winter! If they come back next Spring - Great! If not?? Isn't that why we have BACK-UP cuttings?? :))))

This is a list of what I ended up with - already rooted:

'Adeline' - two rooted cuttings.

'Creamsickle' - five rooted suttings.

'Day Dreams' - three rooted cuttings.

'Divinity!' - (Brenda's baby - the triple white) - one rooted cutting.

'Double Delight' - to rooted cuttings.

'Double Peach' - one rooted cutting.

'Enchanted Double White' - two rooted cuttings.

'Golden Lady' - two rooted cuttings.

'Hawaian Double White' - three rooted cuttings.

'New Orleans Lady' - three rooted cuttings.

'Pink Perfektion' - two rooted cuttings.

'Sweetheart' - two cuttings.

'Tiara' - two rooted cuttings.

I'm happy the way this little experiment turned out! And if anyone else decides to try it - good luck to you! I honestly think it can work! But does this stop me from getting MORE cuttings to cause me winter stress?? NO!! lol! I love cuttings!! The more - the better! :)

Mike


Comments (16)

  • dimples31312
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mike that sounds like a great idea and it looks like it worked great for you! Something I will be trying this coming. Com' on SPRING. LOL
    Chilly in Ga
    Dorothy

  • daniellalell
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mike, that is so awesome!! I basically had the same thing going when I had mine in ground..I had made collars for each one, but they werent as high, and so I didnt have as much mulch around the base. Mine werent doing well inground so I had dug them up and potted them..but this is so cool. Next year I will try this! Good job!!! And thank you for sharing!

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So Mike, if I understand correctly, you're planting the plants in the ground in Spring, right? Then as they grow, you put your border around the base, add several inches of mulch. Over summer, they develop roots higher up into the mulch (similar to ground layering). Then in the Fall after you've chopped down your plants, you remove the edging and some of the mulch, and cut maybe 6 inches of the trunk well below the mulch line, so that that piece of trunk already has at least a few roots on it. Then you pot those up to overwinter. Is that right?

  • Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What do you use to cut the trunk below the roots? A Saws-All?

  • givelittle_getlots
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK mike before I read the rest of your message I want to say ONE thing...My stomache just turned when I read the thing abou the green border things. I FEAR that I know that you are using them in your eperience and they must be working...now here is why I am sick to tummy ...lol...IF my thoughts are correct on what I am going to read in a minute...I want you to know that when I re did my flowerbeds I through out ALLLLLLLLLLLL those green things in the trash. :-(
    Now I go read on because that sounds like we are going to find out why your brugs do so great for you even after the move.

    :-) Lucy

  • funinthesunincl
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mike...
    Great (successful) experiment! You did a fine job documenting it with photos--thanks!!!

    Just one question--so a 'portion' of the plant's root base is dug up & put into pots and a 'portion' is left in the ground mulched and ready for winter? Is so...what a great idea!!

    Mary Jane

  • givelittle_getlots
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well I am glad they are not the same borders lol. Mine are the stiff kind you can not bend rofl. That made me already happy.
    How in the world did you come up with such a great way to root cuttings Mike? Here again you show us what great guy you are by sharing your success with us all.

    big hug and thank you goes to you

    Lucy

  • karyn1
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That's a great way to propagate the brugs, especially if you don't want to dig up the rootball. You could do that with container plants above ground as well. Thanks for the info and the pics definitely helped clarify what you did.

  • eloise_ca
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great idea Mike. It is sort of like air-layering except this is closer to the ground! By the way, either I am color blind or you are -- I see the border blue, LOL!

  • pagrdnr
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for sharing this method. I'll have to try it next year on some of the brugs I am having difficulty with. Do you think it would work to stick cuttings into mulch in a pot filled with the shredded mulch witout having the cuttings attached to the mother plant?
    Shawn

  • chena
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good Job Mike.. I use alot of heavy mulch and usually have roots popping out above the soil line.. But never considered doing on purpose...LOL
    Thanks for shareing this and taking the time to explain and post pic's.. You Rock!!!
    Kylie

  • karmahappytoes
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    sibhskylvr, what a great idea! One could also cut pots to different heights instead of buying those plastic boarders and put those on before sinking their brugs in the spring. I need to ask what is Shredded Cypress Mulch, is that special for you area? We have pine here and I can tell you it's difference from cypress. When we cut down our cypress I grabbed all the shavings and used it, I loved it.
    Do you find the mulch also keeps added heat to help them grow also or does it take away from the plant? Thank you for sharing this and yes it will be worth trying next year
    as we see some of ours with over 2 foot of roots.

  • luvmy3afhounds
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ah Hah!!!! I knew I saw what looked like pots sunk in your yard in some of your previous photos. After I asked you and you said no I went back and looked at your pics and still saw them. But I decided to let it go rather than argue with you. SO....I stumbled upon your big experiment huh??!!! LOL!!! I will forgive you this time for the sake of science! This is great! I am going to give it a try next year! I will have to see if I can find some of those borders. Thank you for sharing and detailing this great method "Professor"!!!!
    The shredded cypress mulch is my favorite! Tried a few others this year and will go back to cypress exclusively.
    On another note...I see you are extending my anticipation of my first brug cuttings a little longer?????? I am sure it will be worth it when they arrive!
    Thanks!
    Joyce

  • jumpin4joy
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mike that is awesome! Great idea saves time and space in rooting...I have a huge pile of that mulch I ordered Im gonna give it a try on my single Dr. Suess.

  • jumpin4joy
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I also want to say thank you for the cuttings. I will be potting them up tommorrow. They are in water now. Thanks for the extras. YOUR AWESOME!!!

  • gardenpaw
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great way to root them Mike!
    Thank you for sharing with us!
    Will have to see about getting Cypress mulch next year!

    Karen

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