How long for cuttings to root?

[Roy]

I have had my cuttings from a Dutchmans pipe vine in hormone and potting type soil now for over two weeks. They have not wilted or drooped and look fine. The entire pot of clippings are inside a plastic teepee affair so its like being in a greenhouse. It gets full sun all day ong, and each evening, I o pen it up to allow a change of air. They appear to be thriving, but am leary on pullinng out any shoots to see if they have delveloped roots yet, so what would be a good time frame to check........1 month 2 months or ?

This is the first time I have ever tried rooting anything so I am sort of in the dark. Visit my website:

expressed are those of my wifes, I had no input whatsoever. Remove "nospam" from email addy.

[Tom Randy]

A month may good but remember, some things take longer than others. If they have not wilted they are probably rooting. Wait another 2-3.

[Janet Baraclough..]

The message from [e-mail] (Roy) contains these words:

I don't know anything about Dutchmans pipe; but in general, if you just have to know what's going on in a pot of cuttings (as we all do)

either; look at the pot drainage holes, to see if any little new root tips are appearing yet.

Or, very gently tap the pot, support the top surface of the soil with the fingers of one hand, and partially slide off the pot, leaving the soil still intact in the shape of the pot, as if you were going to make a sandpie. If the cuttings are rooting, you'll see some new roots at the edge of the sandpie.

Janet.

[David Ross]

I really would not leave cuttings in direct sunlight. While they need strong indirect light, they can cook in their "plastic teepee".

Also, you should use a potting mix that contains no compost or nutrients (both of which help your cuttings to rot rather than root). A 50-50 mix of sand and peat moss is excellent.

I have rooted some houseplants in less than two weeks. Azaleas took over three months. The time varies extensively, based on the plant. Herbaceous cuttings (e.g., perennials) generally take less time than woody cuttings. Plants that naturally root wherever they touch soil (e.g., via runners) take the least amount of time. Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 of the cuttings to fail (just as not all seeds sprout and not all transplants survive).

[Phisherman]

There are many factors on the rate of root growth. I found that fluorescent lighting does an excellent job rooting cuttings for many plants. My lavender took 2.5 months to establish roots, a Christmas cactus almost 4 months, and coleus about 10 days. Anyway, I'd check once a month. You might want to put a small hole in the plastic to allow some ventilation.