I am currently trying to root my first ever cuttings. I have about 6 different varieties going at the moment – most in bags and some in shoebox sized plastic containers with lids. I did have a few questions.

First, is it normal for black or brown color to rub off of the bud areas that are covered by the paper towel? Is it shedding it’s “cover” as it breaks dormancy?

Second, I open my bag each day to look for mold and to allow fresh air in. How much air should I leave in the bag when closing? Does it matter?

Third, while the paper towels are moist, there is seldom any condensation within the bag. I also have a couple shoeboxes going with a perlite / peat mix and there is no condensation inside on those either. Do I need to add more moisture?

After 2 weeks I am finally getting some cuttings with initials (think that’s the correct term?) and seeing some bud swell and openings. The Dominick cuttings I started about a week ago are covered in white bumps from top to bottom. I should say the “dark” ones are, but the green cuttings from the same tree look almost the same as the day I got them. Is that normal?

I am a bit overloaded with information and I worry about doing something to accidentally kill the cuttings. It doesn't help that I am impatient either!! Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks!

George

Hi George,

Picture help.  The white bump could be roots starting.
I don't start in paper towels but I don't think it is normal for stuff to rub off but I've seen it with perlite too.
You can use the search function in the forum to see pictures of other rooting process which might help you decide whats going on with your cuttings.
No condensation could mean you are a little dry.

Sharon

Here is a picture with the white bumps:

 

1)  Unsure.  Didn't have this when I rooted, but it doesn't mean its bad

2)  IMO (which should be taken with a big grain of salt), the more you let them air out, the more any tiny roots sticking out have a chance to dry out.  I lost roots for 2 reasons...a) too wet for too long=rot  b) leaving at low humidity (e.g. room conditions) seemed to cause my roots to desiccate very quickly...perhaps in just 5-10 minutes.  I lost a few roots by leaving them to sit out of the bag...a couple days later they would shrivel on me.  I'm assuming its from exposure to the dry air in the house.  Its fine to air them out, but leave them in high humidity for sure.

3)  Condensation is a hot air/cold air thing, though humidity does influence it.  If inside bag is warmer than outside bag, even if it has lower moisture than outside air, it can still cause condensation.  If the paper towels are damp, don't worry about it.

4)  Those look like initials (lenticels, I think is the technical term), but remember...initials do not equal baby roots.  I had some show initials in a few days, and I'm on...something like week 9 or 10 right now and I still don't have roots on a couple.

Lenticels are tissues that help the cutting absorb oxygen from the surrounding air, they are not root initials.  I would root in perlite.  Perhaps try 1 of each type in the sphagnum or paper towels but keep the rest in the fridge until you see how these things do.  Jon said that he had fewer problems with mold when there was a lot of air in the bag.  Color generally rubs off from dead tissue ad dead tissue is an invitation to mold and bacteria.  I would rub off anything that's easy to rub off then treat it with bleach or peroxide.

Hi Daramus,
At which temp are the boxes kept ?

At the stage of the cutting at the left side of the pic, I would go to next step and pot them in whatever the potting media you planned to .
I use potting soil from the nurseries.

jdsfrance - the boxes and bags are in my house which is usually around 72-76 degrees. 

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I am trying several methods at the moment.