Hi all

Attached is a pic of a cutting that was well rooted and ppaced in one of FMDs 5 minute SIPs. It was about to leaf out but fizzled immediately. That was about a month ago. I have barely watered it in that time. I just tested the cutting w a razor blade and it is still green under the bark. Since the cutting is alive, I wonder if anyone has an idea how I can save this cutting, maybe re-rooting it in moss or something? The potting medium it is currently in is 66% Peat Moss 33% Perlite. It is my last cutting of a rare variety donated by a forum member, I'd like to save it if possible. Thank you.

Hi Rafael
What do the roots look like?  Are they still white or have they turned light brown and may have some rot. 
If the roots still look OK and if the soil is too wet maybe transplant to some new soil mix or just wait.  If it has roots and the cambium is still green with no brown around it then it should eventually grow.
If the roots have rotted I would take it out clean off the rotted roots and try rooting again.
good luck.

more humidity for the top might help. that bud might have dried up.

A few months ago I had cuttings I tried to root in perlite and MG mix on a heat pad and in a ikea box under fluorescent lights. They started to have little roots above the mix and the buds looked like they were about to open. Then it stopped. A month went by and still nothing. I removed them and they were moldly where they were in the mix. ...... Cleaning them and replanting them in perlite only worked on 1 cutting
I eventually cut off the part that was in contact with the soil mix. I made the cut where I started to see green.
I replanted them deep in perlite and put them back in the chamber/mat/light and now I have one with a bud opening and 2 more that look like they might make it.
Recently since one has bud opening I took them out of the chamber and put them on the mat.


My recommendation is replant in wet perlite in a warm humidity chamber 80f.

I agree.  Check it for mold and treat if it has mold.  Then put it in coarse perlite that's had all the fine particles washed or blown out.  Add a pinch of peat to the top.  Agricultural perlite #3 works better than coarse.  Hydroponics and orchid supply stores carry it.

After successful rooting I prefer to use between 80% & 70% Perlite to top soil. I have done 100% perlite
in the past. I would certainly not use peat moss and I would take cutting out and examine its status. Cut if
needed. Usually if cutting has roots, and if the roots are rotting, its usually game over. But no harm pulling
it out to check, remove a section & re-start. It had work for me a few times but its an uphill hope.

Thx everyone. Paully btw Frank's thread specifically recommends a mix of Spaghnum Peat Moss mixed w Perlite and it has actually worked well but on this cutting I may have overwatered and drowned it, not sure. Pino, uprooting the cutting from the mix to check on the roots is a difficult step, once you do it you have to have a definite game plan, hence this post, I want to be sure before I act. Will let you know when I uproot, am still mulling it over.

Rich
Does your hydro solution have any nutrients added?
Thanks

rafaelissimmo,

Doesn't help with your problem now but next time you may want to switch your ratios.  66% perlite and 33% peat moss.  The high amount of peat moss in your mix may be keeping your cuttings too damp.

50/50 perlite/soil mix works just fine. problem, if it's water, is with how much you watered them. in this case, how much water has been taken into soil by the sip set up. lookeing at the pix, the cutting still looks good. the whole length of the cutting is no drying out... yet. if this is problem with water, the cutting itself should dry out, not just the top end. looks more like lack of moisture dried out the bud.

two choices if it was my cutting. drastic measure is to pull it out and check the root. simple test is to cup the top to see if added humidity on top will bring back the bud.

if the whole length of the cutting is drying out, that means you cutting under the soil level has rotted.

Pete thx for the idea actually since last nite that is the idea I was toying with, not to uproot for now, I will just spray a bit and put a clear cup as humidity dome, and let's see what happens. I hope we can save this one, originally an black fig from Sicily.

If that bud turned soft green and then dried out it won't be growing back. When that has happened to me in the past it was always the next lowest bud which grew. If that bud is deep under the soil line is might rot and that is that...

Sometimes a bud will pop out from below the soil line, but good point, I do not see a bud available if I do save the cutting.

I would carefully excavate down an inch or two on the opposite side of the cutting from the top bud so the lower one can break through easier. It might already be growing so be very careful, if you do find a shoot leave it lightly covered with moist mix or it might also dry out.

bud will not come back, but in some cases, it will bud right next to it. it doesn't happen all the time, but i have seen this often enough on cuttings. if the bud has rotted or dried to a point that surrounding area on the node is damaged, i guess that node is done. but if the node where last bud dried out looks good, you might have a chance.

If there is a little green/live stump left then there are usually a couple buds, but it looks like that bud dried out totally to me. There are dormant buds all over but they take a long, long time and lot's of energy to form up.