cuttings

[flimbin]

I took some semi-ripe cuttings of different shrubs about 4 weeks ago an

put them in pots filled with a recommended cuttings mixture. I put the first in polythene bags and then, when they showed signs of growth into my coldframe. All are surviving and appear to be healthy , but i I dig any out of the pots, I can't see any roots.

How much root growth should be visible before I move the cuttings int individual pots? I guess there must be fine root hairs, which maybe cant see, but I am not sure.

If I leave them as they are until spring, are they likely to survive a the compost does not contain much in the way of nutrients

-- flimbin

[Ol' Duffer]

"Shrubs" is a pretty broad term. If they are evergreens, expect them to be very slow. I took six cuttings from the bushes in front of my house in the spring of 2005. Two died within the first month, no big surprise, and showed no signs of root growth. A third kicked off for no apparent reason after about six months, and had a wad of fine roots about the size of my thumb. Three survived and actually showed a tiny bit of new green in the spring of 2006, at which point I moved them to their final location. At the year-and-a-half point now, I think I have stable root systems, though not much growth aboveground. It remains to be seen if they will survive their first real winter. I do not have a greenhouse, but kept them on the windowsill where they got full sun part of the day, giving them a couple ounces of water about every other day, rotating them about once a week, and giving them a drop of plant food about once a month. There may be chemicals and methods that will improve upon my bumbling attempts...

[zxcvbob]

I need to trim my roses; I've been thinking about trying to root some of the trimmings from my favorite two roses (which I think are on their own roots). Do they root pretty easy this time of year?

Along the same lines, has anyone ever rooted the stems from florist roses once the blooms fade?

Bob

[Scooter the Mighty]

A lot of bred oses don't make good roots and have to be grafted onto root stock.

[bittersweet]

Ol' Duffer, I have successfully rooted many types of shrubs, often as a fluke. If the cuttings are from a woody type such as cedar, cypress, yews or juniper, it is best to scar the base and use a stimulating hormone. Root developement takes many weeks. If you do this in the late fall you may find root developement and new growth in the late spring of the following year. Anyway, it has worked well for me. Patience has often been my friend. Bittersweet