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Waxing results

Results of some waxing of Stella cuttings.
I took some very very cold Stella cuttings an dipped them into some hot wax melted on top of my wood stove. It is quite obvious that the wax did not harm the cutting. I cut the top of wax Stella into 1" pics and planted horizontally and placed back into propagating bin. To maintain humidity i take several paper towels and wet them and stick them to the back of the bin. My propagating mix in perlite and oil dry 50-50 when the oil dry clay lightens up in color i water. I have watered twice in the last 2 months.

Al
Burlington County NJ
Z 6

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Thats something i never saw !
Talk about experiments .
Many thanks for sharing those nice pictures i truly enjoy seeing them.
Best luck with them and hope to see more pictures good or bad in future.
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Hello,

     I have waxed the top ends of cuttings, especially those that are more freshly cut, thinking that it might seal the ends, limiting critical moisture from escaping.     I made up a mixture of paraffin, linseed oil and I think bees wax was in the mix.   It is softer than regular candle wax.    This mixture did not affect the growth of my cuttings and if a bud was covered with the wax, it pushed right through it.     
    The wax in the pictures above appears to be the very soft wax used to seal toilets.   I did not use this because it stuck to plastic bags, otherwise it looks good.

Ingevald
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Ingavald,
   The wax is from my wife's Yankee candle Cranberry Chutney.


     I have a number of other cuttings with the same wax and planted 1/2 over wax line in my propagating pot. I have not had a lot success with the baggie method. My new system of using perlite and clay and putting them in a dark Rubbermaid container until growth begins, than moved to a more clear container. Some of my cuttings in the dark have masses of roots moving out of the pots however there is no bud break. All are sitting close to the wood stove temps range from low of 56 to highs in the 70's.
When i removed the above cuttings from there pot there were no roots developing below media level. I re potted and put back in the dark.

Al
Burlington County NJ
Z6
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This gets my vote for the most unique rooting method I've ever seen in my life.

I must ask, and hope you will answer:  What possessed you to try this?
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Jason,

Well I have seen fruits & veg tables along with roses coated in wax to keep them from dehydrating. Noticing any cuttings that did not have a good cover would dry out i coated some in wax. Many of my cuttings in water bottles with a water bottle cut as a cover would get moldy I had to try and find a way to cut my losses. When you get mold on a cutting you need to dispose of the container and starting media or sterilize it. A couple of years ago I spoke with a elderly gentlemen from Italy who told me that when you cut branch's on you tree you should cover the wound with wax to keep insects and water from entering the wound especially a cutting that is vertical. I have done this and it keeps the branch from dying back very far. This is in the fall when pruning and the tree is not growing.

Al
Burlington County NJ
Z6
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 Wow!  Talk about novel and forward thinking idea.
Thanks for your sharing of your idea/experiment.  Fred
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