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fluffyclou

leave cuttings in perlite?

FluffyClou
10 years ago

Hello! Is it okay to leave cuttings in perlite while waiting for them to callous? If yes, how long can the cuttings stay there?

Thank you!

Comments (25)

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    If it's dry, sure. Dry is the key. No moisture while callousing over and while waiting for the leaf or cutting to root. I sometimes root in perlite and then plant in well-draining soil once roots have developed and the plant is ready to go.

    This post was edited by teatree on Sun, Jul 7, 13 at 0:03

  • FluffyClou
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you, teatree!!!

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    I should clarify, though. My sometimes using perlite for rooting is more laziness, because I have a bag of perlite sitting nearby, than it giving the leaves any advantage whatsoever. Really, it actually means I get to do another step of work later on because I won't be growing the new plants in perlite.

    It doesn't matter if it's straight perlite or if it's well-draining soil you're using for rooting leaves. Both work fine. It's just a matter of dry, dry, dry soil. (If you were to water unrooted leaves in perlite, they'd still rot. No type of soil mix is going to save you from that. Leave the leaves be.) But my understanding is that actually growing (not just rooting) in perlite does not provide the plants with the necessary nutrients they would get from a soil mix. The leaf you're rooting from will provide the necessary nutrients to the new plant it develops, regardless of what type of soil it's in. Just, by the time that mother leaf has started to die off, I will have placed the new plant starts in my regular soil mix to start them on their own. Unless you'd be fertilizing the rooted plants with each watering, actually growing anything in perlite probably wouldn't be your option and you'd need to move them to a normal well-draining mix for the long haul. I think that's an unnecessary step and you could instead just stick the leaves in the dry soil you'd normally use for growing and they'll root perfectly.

    You'll do the rooting process from leaf once and then you won't even think about it again. Eventually you'll be throwing leaves over your shoulder into soil and walking away. I mean, Echeveria and Graptoveria leaves put out roots with no absolutely soil present, when they've been tossed under a bench in the backyard. So, no need to over-nurture. Over-nurturing is what'll get you in trouble anyway--it goes hand in hand with the feeling that you need to water when you don't. Stick your leaves in your well-draining soil, walk away, check later, and they'll reward you.

    I usually 1) cleanly tear off the leaf
    2) immediately stick it somewhere in a soil mix I normally use for growing
    3) glance at it a week or two weeks later to find it has rooted
    4) eventually start spritzing and drizzling with water every so often once dense roots have formed

    This post was edited by teatree on Sun, Jul 7, 13 at 21:54

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    So you say you stick the cuttings somewhere in a soil mix.... Do you put the cut end down into the soil or just lay it on top of the soil? I'm a newbie. :)

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    and you said you immediately put the cutting into the soil after you tear it off.... I thought you had to let it callous over first...no wonder im confused.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    This is what I did with mine today. I let them callous over since Sunday. I have the ends just barely in the soil. The plant in the middle is flipped over since it hasn't calloused yet. Should I do anything different?

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    Sorry if I was unclear. I meant that if you have dry soil, it's unnecessary to let the leaf callous over sitting out on its own. I just stick it right in dry soil, and it callouses over and then roots.

    What I might let callous over for a day, not in soil, is a cutting, like how you have your Echeveria flipped over. Oftentimes I do just stick a cutting directly into dry soil, though. It really doesn't matter as long as the soil is dry.

    I stick the end of the leaf that was nearest the stem, where roots and the new plant will develop, slightly into the soil. Just as you've done.

    So, you're doing just fine, although that mix looks very peaty/Miracle Grow-y. Growing in it might not go well. It needs to be heavily cut with pumice or perlite to become more well-draining. About 50/50 soil to pumice/perlite. And of course the pumice or perlite needs to be mixed heavily throughout the whole mix, not just sprinkled on the top.

    This post was edited by teatree on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 23:11

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    Well the soil I have is mixed half and half with regular fertilome soil and perlite. I was told to go get some chicken grit to mix in also. I just feel like I can't get it right with the soil. :-/

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    I also have a ton of pea gravel. Would that be good to mix in as well?

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    Well, I don't figure that would hurt if you have nothing else. And you'll learn to know when it's looking right. Just, if the soil looks dark, like in your picture, it's not what you want. Some people use turface to lighten their mix; others, cat litter... You have some options, and perlite is fine, though you just need a lot more of it in there. When you're done, the soil shouldn't look heavy and dark, and should look pretty evenly balanced with the perlite.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    Well I was also thinking about getting some pine bark fines, and some turface to add also. Kind of like the gritty mix but I don't want to take out all the original soil.

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    That'd be a good improvement. :) As long as there's not still more of the original soil left than the well-draining ingredients.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    So tomorrow Ill be getting bark pine fines, turface, and chicken grit. So I need to remove the original soil all together?

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    Well, just how well-draining your mix needs to be depends on your location. In super hot places, you can get away with using what others would consider pretty cruddy soil because the hot sun dries things out really darn fast.

    You want some kind of soil in there, to give the plant nutrients. For some plants it's best to get rid of peat-filled soil altogether and substitute it with a mix of bark instead, but a little normal peat-y soil in there should be just fine to grow what you have. Just as long as the other ingredients are dominant in the mix.

    This post was edited by teatree on Thu, Jul 18, 13 at 0:30

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    I got this stuff at lowes. It's called landscapers mix. And that's what the ingredients say. It was cheap so I bought a big bag of it. I also bought a bag of chicken grit and turface on my outing.

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    Good for you! Looks like it's full of bark, which is fab. Mixing a good amount of that with some of the chicken grit, turface and perlite should be great.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    so how do I know if its pine bark or not? Im really excited that I found it though. I went to petco and saw the reptibark stuff but I just couldn't fathom paying that money for such a small bag.

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    I'm certainly no soil expert. I'd say it's not a huge concern. It looks to me that it's predominantly bark, if not with no peat whatsoever, and it should be fine as the basis for your mix, mixed with your other ingredients. Looks great.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    Should all the ingredients be equal parts or should the pine bark be the dominant?

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    Yes, the bark would be the dominant ingredient with what you're working with. Maybe 30 percent bark, 10 percent potting soil, and the rest turface and your other well-draining ingredients.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    Hey tea tree I'm going to post some pics of my soil pix that I just did on my other thread "growing succulents in Louisiana". Would you mind going over there and taking a look at them? I feel like I've totally hijacked this thread. Lol.

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    So I have a question about my cuttings. I have them in my new 1-1-1 mix and I'm of course patiently waiting for them to root. So do I water them at all or wait? I feel like some of m.y cuttings are just shriveling up.

  • Colleen E
    10 years ago

    Do not water, no--after all, no roots means there's nothing to take up water, so water right now would do nothing to help any shriveling. Patience is key, and have the plants in a shaded area while they root. You can, however, lightly mist them with a spray bottle of water every few days. That will encourage roots to develop. But no more than lightly misting.

    Also, if you have your other thread you're posting in, and even posting this same inquiry, there's no need to post here as well, please. I do look at the other threads, but you're taken care of with the advice you've gotten there.

    This post was edited by teatree on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 22:43

  • rachpreach
    10 years ago

    Ok. Thanks teatree. I just posted here about the cuttings because it was a cuttings thread. Lol. Thank you. You are very helpful.

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    10 years ago

    I see my Maid of the Misting Bottle has visited - ah, all is well. And she is extremely helpful.