I use garden soil (horrors!) and moisture crystals. Of course, the cuttings are in the garden, not in the house or garage. I also pour some willow water around them a couple times over several months just to get the roots jump started. This is best for hardwood or semi-hardwood cuttings, but I've found it works well for middle of the summer softwood cuttings that also get a nice little shade tent over them for a week or so.

For delicate cuttings indoors, I use coir 75% and perlite 25% with moisture crystals, or peat moss if I've run out of coir. I don't particularly like the white perlite and wish they would dye it (organically of course) brown or gray or black or come up with something that doesn't look quite so "man-made". I have not had success with peat/vermiculite mixture but at least it is gray/silver. I think the soil is too loose. When I transplant the babies outside they have to struggle in the sand/clay jumbled soil of mine. But for delicates indoors, I may give the perlite/vermiculite mix a try like Brenda_on_the_Eno uses.

Newbie here :-) About how long can I expect until the roots are plenty, or ready for planting?

Where do you buy perlite? I bought a 2 cubic foot bag for about $14. Is that a good price?

CLacy2k, too many variables to answer that one. It varies from one plant to another as well as within the same plant family. Time of year, temp., health of cutting, etc., etc. Tell us what you would like to start out with. Or ask what would be an easy first plant and you will get lots of opinions, but make it a new post, so the answers will come to you, OK? There is nothing wrong with being a newbie... or asking questions...only way to learn and we all did it at one time or another, and still do. Millie

Most of the large hardware stores carry 4cu ft bags of perlite for about $10-12. Try Home Depot if you have one there. The better nurseries carry them here as well.

I don't think the mix/medium is as important at air and drainage. I use about 75% perlite in the colder months because I have a problem with peat moss getting waterlogged. In the summer I swap it the other way to about 66% peat moss/33% perlite.

CLacy2k: The legnth of time varies by species, light and temperature. Some Cupheas (Cigar Plant, etc) strike root in about 2-3 days during the summer. Salvias, usually within 5-7 days. Double the time in the winter. Others like Mahonia are easy to root, but take 15-30 days.

I am currently sticking Chinese Snowball, Loropetilum, Oak leaf hydrangea and Azalea. The mix is 1/3 peat, 1/3 Perlite, and 1/3 fine pine bark. The cuttings are in 1" cell packs under mist. With a mist system the mix needs to drain really well. For transplanting, the peat gives a little structure so the media doesn't fall off the roots. When I transplant into larger pots, the plants never realize they have been moved.
The Oak Leaf Hydrangea will be ready to transplant and come out of mist in 3-4 weeks, the Snowballs will stay in for up to 3-4 months. They all stay in there until I can see roots thru the drain holes.

I just use root cubes, rockwool or oaSIS. Great success.

50/50 perlite/vermiculite, and I do smaller cuttings (perennials and half-hardies)in a closed container. It doesn't work well in summer (too warm), but under lights in the winter, with the medium barely moistened, I have very high success rates. Preferred containers? Clear plastic cylinders from almost-gourmet cookies, with a few drain holes poked in the bottom just in case.

Sand. Just plain sand, kept evenly moist. I learned this from a horticulture teacher who had us root everything in long sand beds in a greenhouse. It's the only way I've been able to propogate pelargoniums, and I've done some beauties this year.

Yep, constantly moist sand works best for me.

Have any of you people tried finely shredded styrofoam. I chop some in a blender and mix with an equal part of milled peat moss. It seems to work just a bit better than perlite and is certainly much less expensive. As a bonus it, it seems to be somewhat fungicidal...or perhaps I am overly optimistic!

Depending on the plant in question, I've had very good luck with sphagnum moss - the long fiber kind. It worked beautifully with boxwood cuttings.

I have great success with coarse sand and perlite equally mixed. Trina

Has anyone tried 100 percent perlite mediums before?

I personally do not care for peat moss because it hardens. I Just place my cutting in water for 24 hours, dip them in a rooting powder, and plant them in a 50-50 compost and garden soil. My success is running about 75 to 80%. I normally get cuttings from trees which are suitable for bonsai. I have learned that I have a better chance of success when I plant cuttings just prior to springs.

Hi guys. I have a 10" pot of potting mix on my sun porch. I took some leaves off my New Guniea Impatients. The stems are almost an inch long. Stuck them in hormone root.
Now how many leaves do I, need to put around this pot?

I have hanging baskets of geraniums on my carport. How can I make more geraniums for new pots? Also how can I force more blooms on the hanging baskets?

Here what I use in equal quantity. Perlite, Vermiculite, peat moss, sand and soil mixed with Cow manure. But first I make small cuts in the lower part of the cutting wash it with house hold detergent and dip it in rooting hormone. I don't grow every plant from cuttings only Figs, Roses and Jasmine. I have a healthy group of these guys. I have a friend who told me that he had good success by spraying the cuttings with Lysol to protect against bacteria. I have not tried that.

This year I changed my mix, and so far I am happy with it. I am using about 40% Turface, 40% ground fir bark and about 20% granite fines. It is dense enough to provide good support for the cuttings, retains enough moisture, and remains loose enough to separate rooted cuttings without root damage. Al

Pure sand in trays, keep moist & root 75% most of the time/100% of some flowering shrubs. Using roottone on somethings. The only thing I have not rooted, that I tried to root is dogwood tree. You can get 80% color from seeds anyways.

I use half Sunshine Professional mix #1 and half perlite. A bale costs about $25 here, with a 20 lb bag of perlite costing about $15 from stores that sell agricultural products. I do a lot of propagating and this lasts me for a season.

I see some use sand. What type of sand? I have used a lot of different methods but have never used sand. Please tell me the type of sand and where I can get some. Thanks.

Well, if these answers prove anything, it is that there is no single best medium, or at least no agreement about it. I use a coarse sand mixed roughly equally with either coir or peat or bagged seeding soiless mix, either with or without some vermiculite. Works fine.

I also bag it in microwaveable bags and zap it for a few minutes in the microwave prior to using it everytime. I am convinced this extra sterilization helps as I never have problems with fungus, etc.

What about using pumice instead of perlite in one of these mixes. I get pumice from a farm/horse supply, it's packaged as Dry Sweep, used in horse stalls on the floor to absorb moisture. It costs about $10 for a 40 lb bag, which looks like about one cubic foot.

John

wet Sphagnum Moss. My grand Mom successfully used water

Great forum and wonderful propagation tips. I wonder if climate plays an important part in success of propagation? I would think a warmer climate might be a good asset; like Calif. I have never seen more beautiful roses grown in my life as I saw at Edwards AFB in Calif. Everybody housetrailer had a lot of rosebushes and all were hugh bushes or climbers. Size of the flower was so big. Different then any I've seen on the east coast of the USA.

I prefer 40/60 peat to vermiculite.

> Posted by madrone
> 20 lb bag of perlite

Isn't that bigger than a dump truck?

Im talking course vermiculite if you can find it. But once you uppot and have nice rooting going on I go to a different mix of which I have been using for a few years now.

1 part coco coir

1 part course verm. mix well

2 parts sifted compost

1/2 part worm castings if you have it or can get it. [I have my own but rural king sells it]

Another tip - If I have at least a 3/4 qt size pot I will add about a dozen worms and some ground oatmeal as food for them and they will eat it and leave their castings [poop] add this to a well rooted cutting/plant.

Over a period of time watch the beauty of said plant explode.

As for propagation, most often I use a sequence of media types.

Plain water first. Length of time max two days for something very tender,
one or two weeks for something woody;
longer, if necessary, for something that is likely to start roots in water
without rotting.

After water, next phase depends on whether roots have started.
If so, then into hard granules (refer to Container Gardening forum),
for fabulous root growth.
If not, then into a firm (grips cutting) moisture-retentive medium until rooted,
then into hard granules.

Could you explain in more detail...I have no idea what "hard granules" are, and "firm moisture-retentive medium" would be useful knowledge with some specific examples.

My current favourite cutting mix is perlite and peat, 7:1

The perlite is fine, not the course stuff which used to be the only perlite I knew.

Be careful with perlite. You should not breath its dust. The mix is moistened to keep down dust and when the pots are filled, they are watered in well before poking in the cuttings.

jbclem, I purposely kept it general, and referred those who want specifics
to Container Gardening forum --- specifics enough to occupy one for weeks
(well worth the effort).

With regard to firmness, the objective is to prevent cutting from
wobbling around (wind and whatever),
thus avoiding
- gaps between cutting and medium
- the rending of nacent roots.

30%peat, 50% vermiculite, 10% coarse sand 10% chicken flint grit.

This is my ideal mix but I have had to be fairly pragmatic and will use whatever is to hand...as long as the mix is friable, retains enough moisture and allows a nice even root growth, not bothered. I like to use a fairly inert mix for woody cuttings though and miss out the peat. as this is always the most problematic ingredient if fungal or bacterial problems crop up.

I sell plants at markets. I use bought mix because I figured out that it comes cheaper. Mixing potting mix by hand is really not what I want. In Australia everything is expensive I pay $80 per meter. But I am interested in the sand idea. It is not cheaper because he charges around $60 a ton which is less than a meter. One question does san work as well for acid loving plants? Is sand better than potting mix? Why? The only disadvantage is that I would have to build a second bin to put the sand in, I take care to have a bin that can be directly filled by the truck.

Some cuttings do not require a special mix to succeed. For 20 years I have been using a bulk commercial mix sold by the yard by my local landscape supply. The last I bought lacked the sand and I thought the loader just got the wrong mix. After hauling it 20 miles and unloading by shovel I went ahead and used it with very poor results. Yesterday I bought another load and insisted on inspecting before loading. It was the same bad mix as the last time. I pleaded with the loader driver to inspect for a better mix. When none was found he offered to make up a mix with the added sand which he did. I don't know why they changed mix components but it is a disaster if it doesn't drain and rots the roots. Al

If using sand, make sure it is course sand, which will drain well. And yes, it is absolutely okay for acid-loving plants.

Fine sand is a no-no. It's air-holding capacity is about zero, perhaps. Roots will curl up their toes. They won't be able to breath.

Potting mix is awful for the rooting of cuttings. It's really hard to explain why. I might come back in here later once I get my thoughts together. If I do.

What is this "course sand"? Are we talking about golf course sand, the stuff in bunkers? At first I thought it might be an alternate spelling for "coarse", or a British/Australian term meaning "coarse" because I see many people online using it. I googled "coarse" to check for synonyms, but no luck there.

I use Quikrete All Purpose Sand, found at Home Depots. It's called coarse, but no size is given. I've emailed them to see if they came give me the size range for the grains. And I've also found some size information online:

Fine sand: .02mm-.2mm

Coarse sand: .2mm-2.0mm

Avoid beach sand because it's rounded, you want sharp sand.

So what's the coarsest sand that's easily available?

I was 8 years old when it was explained to me.

We were rooting azaleas in course sand.

Why I ask?

Because coarse is large & let water flow though & will not pack tight.

Fine sand is small to powder, it holds water longer & packs so tight that the roots will die.

Beach sand is salty. Isn't it brickies sand plain and simple? It is not terribly cheap here - more than 60 for a meter.

'What is this "course sand"?'

Course sand is the sort of sand that bad spellers of the world use. It is very coarse. The sand from a golf course is too fine and is therefore not suitable; that's how it looks through my binoculars anyway, from behind the bushes.

Beach sand is all wrong too. Even if is wasn't salty.

What you need is river sand. Washed. Maybe sieved a little, or a lot.

I imagine that anything bought from a big whopping store is probably a big whopping waste of time.

Brickies sand is fine sand.

Potting mix is mostly pine bark (composted at least to some degree, though sometimes our potting mix was still composting, which used to drive me batty).

It also holds fertiliser, which is not suitable for a cutting mix. Cutting mixes should contain no fertiliser.

Cutting mix holds air and water, probably in higher amounts than a potting mix. And it also acts as a 'holder'. It anchors the cuttings. Plus, it allows roots to travel through it, as though they were growing in the ground. I mention this because I do not like to root things in water. The roots have no 'structure' to them when you take the cutting from the jar. They just all stick together.

When you empty a pot of rooted cuttings which have been rooted in a good cutting mix, you can shake the mix from the roots very well, in gentle motions. This allows you to then pot up that cutting with its roots nicely splayed. Of course, some people just shove them in - I've seen it. It makes my head hurt. I'd rather waste time (in their book) and arrange the young plant to my liking.

Potting mix just won't give you (or more correctly, the plant) as good a root system.

Oh gosh, I am still going on.

It's the same thing regarding using some kind on rooting hormone. You can get roots without it, often, but just not as nice a root system.

On this site I have read about willow water and would like to try it. Has anyone used it with success? The one thing that I don't like about bought rooting hormones is their heath risk. But this is a different topic really, I guess.

Interesting thought about the rooting hormone...

OK I will talk to my landscape supplier and buy some river sand, coarse. That is maybe the reason why my cuttings took more time to root as they should.

Tete I don't exaclty understand what you are doing instead of shoving the plant in..... I usually hold the plant with one hand and with the other I put the potting mix in. Is there something wrong with this?

Probably not, I am just pedantic with rooted cuttings.

Anything that is big and diseased or covered from head to foot in mealeybug, I am quite happy to play God and send it on to its next life. But healthy, young, enthusiastic-for- life rooted cuttings make me feel like giving them the best possible start.

I grow everything I expect to be in the same pot for more than 2 years and start at least 90% of the many cuttings I regularly stick in this:

It holds water and especially air very well; plus, the proximal end of the cutting is never immersed in soggy soil - almost impossible to drown a cutting in it.

BTW - all rooting aids are not created equal. E.g., some plants won't respond to NAA and will only respond to IBA. In some plants, the converse is true. Some plants respond to both, and some plants react negatively to one or the other, making rooting less likely. Also, in many plants, the concentration of the rooting aid (in PPM) can be critical. IOW - it pays to do your research.

Al

NAA, IBA; only respond, react negatively; concentration
Fabulous information, Al. I would love to apply the information.
I fear that Web research of it for specific plants at hand would be painful,
the nose repeatedly bumping dead ends.

Yes, if you do a good deal of propagation, you'll need to invest in a high quality text on propagation, one that addresses each genus individually.

Al

What is your mix, tapla? And what is the width of that coin?

The coin is an American dime, 5/8" (16 mm)

The mix is equal parts by volume of

screened Turface MVP (calcined clay granules)

screened fir bark

crushed granite or quartzite (cherrystone) with dust removed

All particles are screened to a size range of approximately 1/10" (2.5 mm) -

3/16" (4.75 mm), with the highest concentration of particles favoring about 1/8" (3 mm).

Al