MIKE,
This is fantastic! I have never used sphagnum moss for rooting cuttings. It makes so much sense! You did a great job showing step by step w/informative desciptions and photos--Thanks a million!!

Mary Jane

Hmmm...May have to try that :)

Thanks for sharing Mike :)

Im giving it a try. I havent ever used it but I have gotten cuttings from people who did and they all seem to like it.

Mike I am really glad that you share your experience and successes with us. I can not wait to try this method. This year everything landed in earth. But then I have not cut back yet myself yet.

Thank you Mike. You are a terrific Garden buddy
Lucy

There is something about that Sphagnum Moss. I did the brug rolls last year and had about 40 cuttings in a plastic bucket x 4. They were neglected due to time and still only lost about 10.

The cup method makes it fun to watch them grow. I am not a house plant person. My buckets only came in if it was raining for a few days or might freeze. Survival of the fittest.

Thanks for the tutorial. I know it will help a bunch of people be successful.

Jim

What a wonderful job giving step by step instructions with photos. I am going to try this method also. I have one question...When do you pot your rooted cuttings into a potting soil?

Thank you so much for sharing your rooting method.

~Tj~

Thank you for the great tutorial Professor Mike!!! I have the same question as TJ about when to put them in potting soil? I also wondered if this is just a way to grow them during the winter so you have less rotting with the moss rather than putting them in potting soil once the nubs appear? I think you would make a great teacher!
Thanks,
Joyce

Awwwwww! 'Golly Gee!' lol! Thanks! Just trying to help others succeed in their brug cutting (growing) experiences! I remember when I started with brugs. Sheeshhh! All the questions I had!

TJ & Joyce

I'll take them out of the cups when the roots are growing through the bottom. Or sooner! If it's a good size root system - it will get potted up. What's nice about the Sphagnum Moss is - you can plant it too! Take hold of the brug cutting - pull it out of the cup & pot it up! When the Sphagnum Moss is a little dry you can actually pull the brug out of the cup & see how well the roots have grown, or not. (just be gentle when doing this!) Nice, huh? But I like to keep them in the cups as long as possible. Hopefully through the winter months! :)) Most of the cuttings I did last year stayed in the 14 oz. cups I use until Spring! I did pot up a few - as they were bigger cuttings to start with!

Mike

Mike, where do you get the "white cup holders"? This sure would keep my smaller pots from falling down.

Hey Mike thanks for all the great planting info.I need to give it a try.
By the way...Its all your fault!!! I'm seeing dirt ducks everywhere!!!
Dorothy

You did a GREAT presentation Mike!! Thanks so much for taking the time to help not just the new growers but for giving everyone something to think about and a different method to try..
Kylie

Thanks Mike. I am going to try that on some. Right now they are all in the bucket of brug method until I can send out my cuttings and secret santa stuff. I will mail everything at once, lol. It looks like Bonnie bell pots and holders? Sometimes the places that throw away their dying plants will give them to you or if you buy a small flat of something keep the whole thing to reuse later for cuttings. If you have a craigslist in your area put an ad on there asking for empty starter pots and flats. You may find someone with a stack of them they saved and are ready to get rid of them. I had a whole bunch and hubby made me throw away a lot. I knew I should have hid them somewhere instead, lol. The small size is usually the easiest to get because thats what they get the plants in and either throw them away if they don't sell or pot them up into bigger size pots. Most of the ones around here don't start their own things from seed so they don't keep the little pots and flats.

Thanks Kristy, I'll check the nursery close to my home.

O Karyn...we KNOW what you can do with them :) lol
thats a lot of cuttings!

Mike that was a great presentation, and thank you both for sharing! looks like I gots ta get me some Sphagnum moss!

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna have to get me some of that moss. I noticed at my grandsons birthday party at Chuckee Cheese the other weekend that those little cups the tokens were in were a great size for newly potted cuttings and already had holes in the bottoms.... I 'collected' as many as I could find!

Thanks Mike, I now have yet another excuse to bring in more cuttings......... I love it... Thanks for sharing. Linda

Mike, I Was wondering about how often you are watering? When you initially put the moss in you wrung it out. When you water does it stay really wet or have that wrung out moisture level? I was also wondering about the heat from grow lights drying it out?
Joyce

Hey Mike - thanks for the tutorial and the cuttings to practice with (along with Caren and Kathy). How much sphagnum moss to the ratio of superthrive and H2O2?

Fur-babies are taking their afternoon nap! I've got a little bit of time to play 'catch-up!' :))

Here's a pic of the 'Neon Orange' cutting with a tremendous root system! Note: It was a 'greenie!' :) I watered everything last night & thought I'd check a few today to see how they're doing! I was surprised with this one! Roots coming out of the bottom already!! lol!

And now I just have to get it back into that 14 oz. cup!!

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Eloise - I get my cups & holders from a friend of mine who owns a nursery. He has left overs from 'Bonnies Plants' each year & lets me have them! Check around at some of your local nurseries - they'll let you take them, if you ask!

Dorothy - Ducks everwhere?? Hummmm! :))

Karyn - I've not tried that method! Yay! Something new & will have to try it! :) SIXTY cuttings in a 15" container?? A life saver & a space-saver!! Sounds great!

Joyce - The initial placing of the brug in the cup is when I 'wring' out the water from the moss. I only water when dry! The lights (and the over-all room temperature) do have an effect on the drying out process. But one good thing about the moss - you can tell by looking at it (at least on the top) - WHEN it's beginning to dry. Note the color difference.

Kathi - I keep adding the moss until there's no more liquid. :)) And then repeat the process! I don't like to throw out anything! Conserve - conserve!! lol!

I honestly hope if anyone tries this method - they have great success! :)

Mike

Hi Mike

Great method which I would love to try but can't seem to get H202 in Australia, is there anything else I could use?
Thanks

I'm shocked that you can't get hydrogen peroxide in Australia. You checked in your local pharmacy or drug store (whatever it's called down under)? A store where you would buy aspirin, antiacids, etc.

Karyn,I was thinking that myself.Probably, you could use the hydrogen peroxide for haircolor,(3% vs. 20%) just dilute it with water.
Good luck with that, Maya.
~Mike, great tutorial! I really went the lazy route. I layed my brug cuttings leaning up in a plastic box and made sure moss was all around the bottoms of the cuttings.

Theresa

Hi Mike...What a great presentation! Just got one question...would this method work for woody cuttings?

Linda

Silly old me,we can get hydrogen peroxide but I went in asking for H202 and everyone looked at me perplexed.
So just regular hydrogen peroxide will do it? what strength?
Thanks all
Mya

Linda this works fine for woody cuttings. Mya I use the 3% hydrogen peroxide.

I wonder if I am the only one thinking that we have to cut them back after this WE were we are suppose to get freezing Temps. Then I will try this method for sure.
Lucy

I think this is great Mike. I haven't tried it yet but I will sometime this winter. I love trying new things!

I used to use a different method with the green sphagnum moss to root my Hawiian Ti cuttings. I got an container that you buy mushrooms in (square styrofoam) and used the green moss, soaked it, rung it out, and placed it in the container. Then laid the ti logs down on thier sides, snugged them it the moss and put some clear plastic over the top. Then I just mist them every once in a while.
I put that under lights. It is the best method I've ever tried for ti's. It does work for some other semi-woody or slightly green cuttings as well if you want to root
log- style.

Okay...here's one of the "pleasures" of living in a small town....I cannot find Super Thrive anywhere. I'm tossing this question out there for anyone...can I use a liquid root stimulator instead with the same directions as Mike gave?

Linda

Mike...

Just wanted to tell you, I have used this method on several cuttings with AMAZING success!!!

Is there a difference between sphagnum moss & green sheet moss?

Thanks again for taking the time to walk us through each of the steps to this 'preferred' rooting method!!!!

What would we do without you?????

~Mary Jane

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mike, please don't forget me this spring. i really want those cuttings. WEREWOLF

Here is a link that might be useful: gardenweb

I am gonna BUMP this up becoz I think it is a Wonderful presentation with loads of vauable info...
Does anyone start seeds in SM???
Kylie

Kylie

lol! I had forgotten about this thread! I've not tried seed in SM. But hey - I may have to try it! I usually start my seed the first week of February! Soon - very soon! :) I'll have to try a few seed in SM just for a 'test!'

Mike

Mike do fungus gnats bother cuttings in moss? Those dang things are doing me in again this year.

Love the intructions, just got an ecuadorian white brug and Orange brug rooted cuttings, planted them in potting soil as soon as they arrived and tented them, hope i did right? Chris

Hey Chris!
If they are rooted there is no need to tent them just give them some heat ,sunshine and not alot of water and you should be fine.. You may not know BUT we love pic's got any?
What else do you grow.. ?? We are a very diverse gruop and are interested in many things not just Brugs!!!
Again.. Welcome!!!
Kylie

Bump up for those looking for ways to root brug cuttings.

I am glad I saw this thread..That is my next method..

I am rooting some in a sunny window as we speak but it's winter and boy does it take longer for the process without lights and a warm room.

I too was wondering how much Spagnum Moss and how much water ratio with the added ingredients?

Mike, thanks abunch.I was enlightened!

Mike

Thank you so much, Mike, for the info. I ordered lots of roses from nurseries, and the sphagnum medium is the one with the healthiest & largest roses.

I started using Mikes method and know for certain it works fabulously. Thank you again Mike.