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| Hi all you bella experts out there,
I had my bella outside to get some of nice cool damp air we are having and the lovely breeze that we were also having blew it down. When I found it on the ground (looked like a crime scene to me), I saw that four of the vines were damaged. I clipped them off and have them in water now. From my search of this forum it seems that most people have success rooting their bella clippings in water. Is this right? Is there anything else I should do? Also, my pot cracked and now I need to get a new one. I have also gleaned from the other posts about bella that those who have had success are using self-watering pots. Has anyone had trouble with their bella in a self-watering pot? Any recommendations on where to get a good self-watering pot? Also, any other general tips for bella would be welcome and desired? I had no idea that it was so temperamental for some when I purchased it. I was just over come with greed and desire and had to have it. Thanks, Anne |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I find it difficult for most cuttings to make the transition from water roots to soil roots. But it's a good place for them initially, so don't worry about them being in water for a few days. Sometimes, when I have a dehydrated plant or I just don't have time to pot up cuttings I'll stick them in water for a couple days. Then I put them in pots with moist soil and into a large gallon-size clear bag that I blow up and seal. I open the bag every 4-5 days and let the old air out, blow in new. I keep it in a very shady location - no sun whatsoever. This seems to produce very healthy little pots of cuttings - I like it even better than the aquarium for the smaller Hoyas. Denise in Omaha |
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| Thanks Denise, That seems to be a good standby method.Didn't know if there was something special for bellas since they seem to be temperamental. Anne |
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- Posted by greedyghost 5 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 13, 11 at 12:31
| Anne, I wouldn't stress too much about bella. For every person who struggles with a given Hoya, there is another person who finds that Hoya trouble free. I have rooted bella clippings in small 1-2" pots of moist medium, and in water. I've never lost one, and they don't seem fussy to me. If it were my plant, I would just stick those broken vines right back in the pot with the mother and just keep it well watered. If you want to try them in water, that's fine too. IMO, it's not good to worry too much about any plant. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. :P |
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| I've not had trouble rooting bella either. I just trimmed my main plant back pretty far, stuck some of the cuttings back in the pot, to even out the other side, and stuck some in semi-hydro to root out. Renee |
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| My cutting of bella rooted quickly in orchid bark and is now one of my fastest growers. I think this is the second most common Hoya grown in Finland (after carnosa), and that must mean something. I think that the thin stem might mean it can rot when rooted in water, though. My thin-stemmed cuttings (buotii, wallichii, serpens and lacunosa) seemed to like moss and orchid bark for rooting. By the way, GG, please tell us how your experiment is going. |
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| hhhmmm, know what you mean about self-fulfilling.... GG. Ok well I think that the mother plant is so big and I have noticed that others think that that putting more than cutting in a pot seems to help so I have some orchid mix of bark, coir, hydrotone and perlite. June is our most humid month here so I guess I will just put it outside on my porch under the ledge to protect it from bright light. Thanks for the confidence boost all! |
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- Posted by greedyghost 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 14, 11 at 12:38
| /Kukka So far, dark + willow has a STRONG lead, followed by light + willow. The two waters are lagging far behind. I won't be able to tell how the soil cells compare until the end. I am taking progress photos, though, and I'll post everything at the end so you can see how things progressed. ^_^ /Anne Sounds great! Let us know how it goes! |
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| /GG, interesting! I was starting to have doubts about the whole dark + willow thing already. Sounds like you didn't drag the twigs around for nothing, then. |
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- Posted by greedyghost 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 14, 11 at 12:56
| I was pretty shocked! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. |
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- Posted by pirate_girl Zone7 NYC (My Page) on Tue, Jun 14, 11 at 18:56
| Well I'd put some cuttings in water & other cuttings in mix. You could even try a 3rd set in moistened perlite or pumice, depending on what you've got or can find. I used to have a lot of trouble w/Bella, have lost it & its variegate several times. I was recently down to one last tiny sprig of it & seem to have suddenly got the knack for it. To prove the point it started a spur, which sadly dropped off some time later. But it's happy & got new growth so I'm thrilled! |
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| ooooo increase my odds. I like it!!! Someone put on their smarty pants today! |
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