Camelia Cuts
Denerley's Tips For 100% Success With Camellia Cuttings
The First Dip
Cut 150 mm long cuttings in the cool of the day and immediately put them into a 3 litre ice cream container. This should be filled with water to which has been added some plant hormone, such as Yates Kelpak Seaweed Extract (containing the naturally occurring root hormones, cytokinins and auxins). Leave the ice cream container somewhere cool until you're ready to pot up the cuttings.
Remove Leaves - Take each cutting, shake off the excess water, and remove all the leaves except the two top ones. If these are very large, cut them in half. The theory is that, by reducing the size of the leaves, you'll cut down on water loss from the cutting.
Scarring - Scrape the bark at the bottom of the cutting using a sharp pair of secateurs. Take a narrow strip down either side of the bottom centimetre to the base. The new roots will form on the sides of this scarred area.
The Second Dip
Dip the end of the cutting into some Clonex Purple Rooting Hormone gel. "I've found the gel is better than the old cutting powders," Denerley says, "Because it sticks better to the base of the cutting." Clonex also has additives that will help prevent diseases from developing.
The Pot
The next step is to put the cuttings into the potting mix. Denerley makes his own but, if you prefer to buy something ready prepared, it's comforting to know that Yates Seed Raising Mix has been formulated specifically for striking cuttings, just as much as for growing seeds. Yates Seed Raising Mix contains microfine Nutricote controlled-release fertiliser (one of Denerley's favourites), which will supply the young plants with all the nutrients they need.
Inserting the Cuttings
You can use a pencil to make holes in the top of the mix. Denerley keeps a small wooden butcher's stake just for this purpose, but a pencil would do just as good a job. Put the prepared base of a cutting into each hole and firm the mix around it.
Rooting Time
Dunk the whole pot in water, lift it out and let it drain. Denerley then leaves his pot (uncovered) on some concrete in the shade and waters it twice a day.
Checking
Check for root formation after about six weeks. Denerley does this by giving one of the cuttings a gentle exploratory tug. If it feels firm, he knows that the roots are developing well.
Once they're showing plenty of good new growth, he pots each baby camellia into its own pot, where it can continue growing until it's ready to plant out. Another sprinkling with Nutricote at this stage will supply nutrients for this important period.
The First Dip
Cut 150 mm long cuttings in the cool of the day and immediately put them into a 3 litre ice cream container. This should be filled with water to which has been added some plant hormone, such as Yates Kelpak Seaweed Extract (containing the naturally occurring root hormones, cytokinins and auxins). Leave the ice cream container somewhere cool until you're ready to pot up the cuttings.
Remove Leaves - Take each cutting, shake off the excess water, and remove all the leaves except the two top ones. If these are very large, cut them in half. The theory is that, by reducing the size of the leaves, you'll cut down on water loss from the cutting.
Scarring - Scrape the bark at the bottom of the cutting using a sharp pair of secateurs. Take a narrow strip down either side of the bottom centimetre to the base. The new roots will form on the sides of this scarred area.
The Second Dip
Dip the end of the cutting into some Clonex Purple Rooting Hormone gel. "I've found the gel is better than the old cutting powders," Denerley says, "Because it sticks better to the base of the cutting." Clonex also has additives that will help prevent diseases from developing.
The Pot
The next step is to put the cuttings into the potting mix. Denerley makes his own but, if you prefer to buy something ready prepared, it's comforting to know that Yates Seed Raising Mix has been formulated specifically for striking cuttings, just as much as for growing seeds. Yates Seed Raising Mix contains microfine Nutricote controlled-release fertiliser (one of Denerley's favourites), which will supply the young plants with all the nutrients they need.
Inserting the Cuttings
You can use a pencil to make holes in the top of the mix. Denerley keeps a small wooden butcher's stake just for this purpose, but a pencil would do just as good a job. Put the prepared base of a cutting into each hole and firm the mix around it.
Rooting Time
Dunk the whole pot in water, lift it out and let it drain. Denerley then leaves his pot (uncovered) on some concrete in the shade and waters it twice a day.
Checking
Check for root formation after about six weeks. Denerley does this by giving one of the cuttings a gentle exploratory tug. If it feels firm, he knows that the roots are developing well.
Once they're showing plenty of good new growth, he pots each baby camellia into its own pot, where it can continue growing until it's ready to plant out. Another sprinkling with Nutricote at this stage will supply nutrients for this important period.
posted by FUND5 at 5:24 PM
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