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just bought martha washington geranium,cutting info needed
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Posted by tammyinwv z6/WV (My Page) on Sun, Apr 17, 05 at 23:40
I think you can root leaf cuttings of african violets. can you also do the same with geraniums, or do you need a stem?
Is this palnt easy to propagate? |
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RE: just bought martha washington geranium,cutting info needed
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Hello Tammy,
You are correct about propagating African Violets, I have not heard of this technique being applied to pelargoniums.
Rooting Martha Washington (Regal) pelargoniums is relatively straightforward provided that a few simple rules are obsserved and thes are basically the same for ALL pelargoniums.
Select material only from disease-free plants, if in doubt spray the plants with insecticide/fungicide beforehand.
Pelargonium cuttings can be taken all the year round except for REGAL and ANGEL pelargoniums which are best taken, in UK, between October and March i.e. the cooler part of the year.
The rooting medium I use consists of soiless compost 3 parts, Perlite or horticultural vermiculite 1 part. Mix the two together and moisten. It is also possible to use compressed peat discs. Make sure that the rooting medium is warmed to the optimum temperature for rooting cuttings which is about 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. Do not try to root pelargonium cuttings in cold compost.
To aid rooting, dip the prepared cutting in a solution of Ascobic acid (vitamin C) 1 gram per 85ml. cool boiled water. Store the freshly made solution in a brown bottle, make up fresh every two days. The solution should be colourless.
Pelargonium cuttings do not like hormone rooting powder or rooting liquid and tend to rot. If there is no Ascorbic acid available insert the prepared cutting straight into the rooting mixture. Water and allow to drain thoroughly. Do NOT cover or tent the cuttings Place them in a warm well lit place, not in diect sunlight and they should root in a few weeks. Some growers recomend that you water pelargonium cuttings from below i.ie stand the pot in a dish of warm water to lessen problems with Botrytis
Martha Washington (Regal) plants are prone to attack by Whitefly and Aphids: I use a systemic insecticide based on Imidachloprid (which also protects against vine weevil) to protect the plants.
Hope this helps
Ron |
RE: just bought martha washington geranium,cutting info needed
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Ron, thanks for all the indepth info.That was very helpful.
Tammy |
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