Re: [gardeners] Re:An unexpected fall, and the glories of spring.
Ron Hay (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 13 Feb 2001 07:26:00 -0800
Hello, Ranchmamma,
I really don't use any special technique to root my cuttings, especially
at this time of year, when they seem to have all their growth auxins in
high gear. I put them in a pot with some potting soil, perlite, a little
compost and some "regular soil." I put the pots on the patio, out of
direct sun, water about once a week, and voila! they root, or most of
them do.
I take the new green tips for best results; but, oddly enough, I have
taken some of the stalks from which the tips have been removed, and
hating to waste anything so beautiful, have stuck a few canes in odd
places without color. To my vast surprise, and delight, those
non-coddled cuttings do just as well, and in some cases, even better
than the potted cuttings.
But please bear in mind, SoCal is geranium country, where they tend to
grow like weeds. Why, we even have spindly wild geraniums which we root
out and discard to the compost bin, as they never produce any flowers of
note, just absorb precious moisture.
Speaking of moisture....what a gullywasher we are having in SoCal right
now! Streets are flooded everywhere, 30,000 home without power in
L.A....and traffic, which is never good during rush hour, is a nightmare
today. My wife was ever so glad she gets to take the train to downtown
L.A., to work.
Good luck with your cuttings.
Ron
Van Nuys, CA