i'm trying to root some cuttings. i believe these are dormant cuttings.

i have tried old baggie method, and found white mold on the cuttings. i have tried putting the cuttings in the cup and leaving on the kitchen counter, and they are getting dried on the tip that's not in the water.

can someone suggest what i need to do? i heard that some cuttings will take upto 4 weeks to root. is that 4 weeks to root initial?

what i'm planning to do is once the root initials are showing, they will go into dan's peat pot method.

thanks in advance,
pete

After seeing a Jason post on Ray Givan propagating, I would try moistening soil in a pot Put the cutting in and a cut  1 or 2 liter bottle with the cap on over it, buried about 2 inches. After four weeks I would open the cap but leave on. After another week take cap off. If  leaves wilt, put back on. If they don't, roots have advanced far enough to support the cutting. Remove 2 liter bottle and slowly acclimate to outside.

Bullet--I haven't done enough rooting to be able to make a first-hand recommendation of any particular method as being best, but you might want to do a search and find previous posts on this topic. There have been many ideas shared on this forum, and if you have enough duplicates of each variety to afford some experimentation, you could try several different approaches to find out what works best for you.

noticed that few of the cuttings were getting root initials yesterday. put them into the "peat pot" method. now the waiting really begins.

put my thermometer thing in the container and it's showing 78-80 degree with above 80% humidity (the marking doesn't go higher than 80%).

pete

First, what are you calling "initials"?

Some people think the white "freckles" all over the stick are initials.  If you're not seeing at least 1/16" of actual root sticking out, I wouldn't call that an "initial".  This is what a root "initial" looks like:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/show_single_post?pid=38282895&postcount=15

For another example of very short root initials, please see the bottom of the left-hand stick in this picture, notice the two tiny root nubs at the bottom:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/file?id=921611

Here is a good thread on water rooting:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=5089855

Notice the first picture... the massive amount of white "fluff" is not yet roots, and may never form roots, but you can see an actual root initial is formed, and it is quite long (and tender, which means a lot of care is required!!). 

jason,

it's not as long, or as many as the other posts you pointed. the root is white and very short. i still have few in the bag waiting for something to come out.

one of the cutting rafed sent has green leaves coming out on top also.

first rooting, not sure at all what i'm doing.

pete

Personally, I wouldn't transfer into a pot or cup until you have at least 2-3 root initials that are at least 1/4" long each (OR) you have a single root that is at least ¾" - 1" long (long enough that if it got any longer, it would risk breaking). 

That's just my preference, it's sort of like waiting on "proof" that this stick is going to root and root well.

Someone mentioned the Ray Givan video on propagation for the stick-in-the-ground method, which I have had about 5% success with (very poor, baggie method is way better for me).  Find that video here: 

Thanks for the clarification, Jason--I had been under the impression that root initials were those white spots/bumps; I guess I've been jumping the gun. On the other hand, as you say, they're an encouraging sign, so I expect real roots aren't far behind.

damp spaghnum moss in a zip loc bag is the key to getting the cuttings to root and like jason said until you see some actual roots penetrating from the cuttings I would just leave them alone just keep them in a warm place where there is no light and air the bag out every day and the cutiings should start to root without a problem. I wish you sucess!!!!

i'll wait on those few that are still in the bag to get bigger roots. i think i'll move ones in the water to my container which will give better moisture for the parts that's above the water.

pete

@Ken,

See this thread: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3007893

And also this thread: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=4019565

After you read through those, it will (hopefully) leave you with more knowledge and less confusion about them.  I admit, it may just confuse you more, though ;)

There is a science behind the "fluff", and there have been many a thread about it here and on GW.  "Fluff", "Barking", "Initials".... so much going on there and not a lot of concrete information out there about the process.  I think Al (tapla) has probably made the best explanation of it on the GW forum.

I feel like it would be helpful for someone to type up an explanation of fluff/barking/initials for the F4F FAQ section.