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runnerup
student
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 708
Loc: USA
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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whats your favorite rooting medium?
#3488431 - 12/12/04 09:49 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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I usually have been using compost bark, w/rooting solution water & olivias rooting gel. Now I'm trying out perlite with rooting solution water & that powder fungicide rootone because I'm running low on the bark and want to save it for higher grade plants.
I am also trying to root a san pedro in perlite w/ light rooting solution water & that powder rootone with fungicide.
What do you guys use?
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felixhigh
Scientist
Registered: 06/24/01
Posts: 7,565
Loc: Ly
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3488624 - 12/12/04 10:29 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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garden dirt. and a bit rooting hormone but never for cacti. FH
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RRhoads
chemistry student
Registered: 10/26/04
Posts: 1,434
Loc: cahleeforneeah
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? *DELETED* [Re: felixhigh]
#3488821 - 12/12/04 11:12 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Post deleted by RRhoadsReason for deletion: '
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Lifenergy
Yo Mama
Registered: 08/05/04
Posts: 766
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: RRhoads]
#3489047 - 12/12/04 11:57 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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For rooting plant cuttings, I use a mix of roughly 40% vermiculite, 40% perlite, and 20% peat moss. For cacti, I root them in the soil I plan on keeping them in, which is a mix of commercial potting soil, perlite, rich compost, a small amount of peat, and some dolomitic limestone. It is probably overkill, but I also oven-sterilize soil I will be using for cuttings, and for seeds that take a while to germinate.
-------------------- Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.
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zerozero
Stranger
Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 782
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: RRhoads]
#3489106 - 12/13/04 12:09 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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for soft cuttings i have had amazing luck with coarse vermiculite. you could add peat to it if the cuttings are going to grow in it for a bit. when i use strait verm. i transplant as soon as i get nice sized roots( as quick as 4 days, also using rooting hormone powder and cool floro tubes, and CO2)
for cacti/succulents i use a coarse grit or rock mixed with some verm and maybe some perlite. you really can use about anything as long as it provides good drainage, cause you can provide nutrients through your water so you dont need added supplements, unless you want to leave the cacti in the same place for a while. then you could use some greensand and some worm castings, maybe some lime/peat/compost.......
also helpful is to use a fertilizer that will promote root growth, there are some ok transplant shock formals out there as well.
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kadakuda
The Great"Green".......East
Registered: 05/21/04
Posts: 7,048
Loc: Asia
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3489323 - 12/13/04 01:23 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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depends on plant but usually water.
i love water, get to watch the roots. but its far from the best, jsut my preference.
i use sandy soil for cacti.
-------------------- The seeds you won't sow are the plants you dont grow.
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Maverik
Stranger
Registered: 06/20/03
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: kadakuda]
#3489510 - 12/13/04 02:45 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Totally dependant on the type of plant. For soft stem cuttings usually 100% perlite with a wick resevoir, for San Pedro cuttings a modified version of Nans Soil mix. For Pereskiopsis regular potting mix with extra perlite added. Many other plants of course ... just a few ideas here.
-------------------- ~ Dead to the Core ~
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Aelph
Playing in thedirt again
Registered: 05/31/04
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3489852 - 12/13/04 05:38 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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For rooting cactus I use a sandy mix. Something like 2/3 sand 1/3 potting mix.
For plants I use commercial seed starter/rooting mix with some gel rooting hormone.
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runnerup
student
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 708
Loc: USA
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: Aelph]
#3492988 - 12/13/04 05:39 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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rad im going to save these replys.
Is a perlite not an optimal cacti rooting medium?
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Maverik
Stranger
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3493125 - 12/13/04 06:02 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Cacti throw out roots as a reaction to a lack of moisture, whereas a lot of other plants benefit from the wet medium and aeration that perlite provides.
-------------------- ~ Dead to the Core ~
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kadakuda
The Great"Green".......East
Registered: 05/21/04
Posts: 7,048
Loc: Asia
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3493381 - 12/13/04 06:35 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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may want to keep in mind that perlite wicks water it doesnt really absorb water, like vermic. so on its own it will stay fairly wet but added to dirt it will help drainage. pretty common knowledge...but jsut in case.
-------------------- The seeds you won't sow are the plants you dont grow.
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ToolTroll
tourettic
Registered: 08/02/04
Posts: 2,326
Loc: N. Cack
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3493636 - 12/13/04 07:17 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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I really like peat pellets for rooting cuttings, though sometimes just a shot glass of water is appropriate. I've also heard damp, coarse sand will work well. I am only experienced in soft stem cuttings, though, mostly coleus, mint, "tomatoes", etc.
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faslimy
Dead Man
Registered: 04/04/04
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: ToolTroll]
#3493871 - 12/13/04 07:49 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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for soft cuttings straght up propagating sand or water, depending on whats usually done. I don't like to disturb my cacti so i usually root cuttings in a medium they will stay in for the whole growing period.. i've only rooted columnars not any globulars mind you
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runnerup
student
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 708
Loc: USA
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: Maverik]
#3494985 - 12/13/04 11:02 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Quote:
Maverik said: Cacti throw out roots as a reaction to a lack of moisture, whereas a lot of other plants benefit from the wet medium and aeration that perlite provides.
Quote:
faslimy said: for soft cuttings straght up propagating sand or water, depending on whats usually done. I don't like to disturb my cacti so i usually root cuttings in a medium they will stay in for the whole growing period.. i've only rooted columnars not any globulars mind you
Nice, I was reading a couple different things about rooting cactus, this clarifies my understanding.
I have read in one tech not to water the medium for the first week while the cactus is rooting; another tech suggest one of the first things to do is to soak the medium. Both techs are referring to the San Pedro cactus.
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zerozero
Stranger
Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 782
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3495359 - 12/14/04 12:26 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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i just looked in my cacti and succulent books and they say to plant the cacti and then water it very lightly as it regrows its roots, and then step up the waterings to a normal level, what ever that is for your conditions.
i usually water mine the day i transplant just to settle the soil and out of convenience, but my soil is very fast draining and i know that the area around the cacti wont stay wet for very long.
and the important thing is that if you have a good scab over the bottom of the cactus then you will get roots, and you can water, if the bottom is a little mushy then wait to water, or else rot. the tek that says to wait is just being more careful. 00
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runnerup
student
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 708
Loc: USA
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: zerozero]
#3521224 - 12/19/04 04:31 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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just threw some cacti in 1/3 sand 1/3 perlite 1/3 merical grow soil
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zerozero
Stranger
Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 782
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: runnerup]
#3521275 - 12/19/04 04:45 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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thats cool, after enough different mixes you will be able to do it by sight/touch, like watching your grandmother cook with no measuring cup and no recipe.
don't water for several days unless you already did, which is ok to.
watch out for fungus gnats in that miracle grow soil, i get a few every time i use the stuff. i planted some plants about two weeks ago with some miracle grow and i'd say i killed about 50-100 gnats with yellow sticky cards since then. i just go ahead and put the cards out cause i know i'm going to get gnats with MG.
peace 00
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kadakuda
The Great"Green".......East
Registered: 05/21/04
Posts: 7,048
Loc: Asia
Last seen: 6 years, 2 months
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: zerozero]
#3521351 - 12/19/04 05:09 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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intersting with my psychotria water is rooting faster than soil.
kept in teh same humidity and light etc just run of the mill potting soil minus perlite and plus sand. about 3 times to root mass in all the ones in the water. just putting it out there.
-------------------- The seeds you won't sow are the plants you dont grow.
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runnerup
student
Registered: 03/23/04
Posts: 708
Loc: USA
Last seen: 13 years, 4 months
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: kadakuda]
#3521373 - 12/19/04 05:14 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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crazy anything added to your water? or just tap water?
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zerozero
Stranger
Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 782
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Re: whats your favorite rooting medium? [Re: kadakuda]
#3521453 - 12/19/04 05:31 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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you can definatly root some plants in water, some tropical plants can be adapted to living in water, you need to change the water as much as you can, and if you put nutrient in the water you can grow some nice algae. airated water can be very good for cuttings.
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