There is a beautiful tree in my neighborhood with gorgeous white flowers, I’ve spoken with the owner and have permission to take some cuttings (young 10 inch branches) in hopes of rooting them and growing my own shrub / tree.
I’d like to start these cuttings in my click and grow garden to make sure they get the most consistent care and growing conditions. …but I keep reading about rooting hormones and rooting mediums. Is it safe to fully my old pods with rooting medium, and put rooting hormone in the click and grow water (I don’t want to gunk up the filters)
Who has had success with this? What products did you use? What plants did you propagate?
#BRANDNEWGARDENER
Also, a quick shout-out to click and grow - thank you for introducing me to gardening. I bought this garden one month after purchasing my first home, and NEVER would have considered growing my own tree without the green-thumb-experience that comes from having the C&G garden. It’s my first spring, and I’m ready to garden!!
I’ve rooted many cutting over the years, and lately starting elderberry shoots to give to friends. I dampen the end and use a rooting powder before inserting into organic compost soil. Indirect light, soil moist but not too wet. No problem. Haven’t tried in the C&G unit yet. You could try one or two in it and them some in soil as an experiment. You could report back to which worked the best then for the rest of us. If you start now, they should be ready to plant by September with chicken wire around them to keep bunnies and other critters from eating them and wrapping with burlap and/or mulching for winter protection.
I usually root plants without any rooting powder. Some plants are easier, some harder. Practice makes perfect.
Just take the cutting. Remove all big leaves (avoid evaporation). Leave the growing tip intact and keep in a moist environment. Spray or use a plastic cover. This way most plants can be rooted.
Another PRO TIP for rooting very very difficult plants:
Take a Click & Grow experimental plant pod.
Make it in half. Pour out fertilizer.
Attach it to the growing branch of the tree with copper wire (yes, leave the branch growing).
Make it moist and sometimes spray it.
Wait for a month. Or two if necessary.
Cut the branch below the substrate and replant it together with the substrate.
Using this method you can grow roots on ALMOST ANY tree, shrub or plant.
This image may give you an idea. But you can use the Click & Grow substrate instead of soil:
This question kept me searching for a couple of days. It is called “air layering”.
It can be performed really well using the Click & Grow substrate. And you can get even better results, if you bend the branch to damage it or cut the bark or if you put a couple of rounds of copper wire around the bottom part of the branch.
