Register  |   | 
 
Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Rooting Cuttings: Water Bottle Method
 
 


Reply
  Author   Comment  
armando93223

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,164
Posted Reply with quote  #1 
My Success Rate is very high around 90 pct. You may want to experiment with your extra cuttings. I have been using this method for about 2 months, inspired by a topic started by Gloria Ramaley. She was using water in bottles at a school, that helped children root cuttings in their classroom. Also, yes I have rooted expensive cuttings, the second photos has an Abeberrera Cutting.

Attached Images
jpeg no1.JPG (301.75 KB, 258 views)
jpeg no2.JPG (349.01 KB, 253 views)
jpeg no3.JPG (244.57 KB, 240 views)
jpeg no4.JPG (337.66 KB, 245 views)
jpeg no5.JPG (462.48 KB, 241 views)


__________________
Armando in the Heart of California
  

milehighgirl

Registered:
Posts: 284
Posted Reply with quote  #2 

It looks as if you are putting them under lights. Are they on a heat mat too?
__________________
USDA Zone 5b, Sunset 2b

Looking for: Becane, Dalmatie, Doree, Florea, Hanc's EBT, Italian 258, LaRadek's EBT, Longue d'Aout, Marseilles White , Negronne, Nordland, Sal's EL, Strawberry Vert, ...anything cold hardy and short season. (Willing to pay for cuttings)
greg88

Registered:
Posts: 800
Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Armando
What kind of success in up potting?
__________________
Greg North West Arkanasas Zone 6b
Wish list: any SPECTACULAR cold hardy figs, and/or perhaps a Niagra Bl., Laradek EBT, Kathleen's Bl, Hunt, a great UNK or anything anyone wants me to have???
Joe_Athens1945

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 365
Posted Reply with quote  #4 
I grow my herb cuttings this way with almost a near-100% result. I leave them in the water bottle for about 2 weeks in my kitchen or until such time as as the roots appear healthy or until my wife becomes edgy about table top space. I shall experiment with fig cuttings now and see! Thanks!
__________________
Athens, GA USA
Zone 7b

My young trees in the ground and in pots: Brown Turkey, White Triana JM, Magnolia, Strawberry Verte, Violette de Bordeaux, Panache, UK Brooklyn Dark JP, Ronde de Bordeaux.
 
Wish list: St Rita
armando93223

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,164
Posted Reply with quote  #5 
They are not under any lights, or a heating mat, they get diffused sunlight from a window.  On up potting, I wait until I see a lot of healthy roots, don't want to keep them in water past 30 days. I put them in a 1 gallon pot with a mix of perlite, dirt and potting mix....the ratio of the mix varies, will need to fix this...LOL   I also put a plastic bag over them to keep the humidity up and mostly because of those darn Fungai Gnats,    So far been having 100 pct up potting success (due to waiting for a lot of roots).

Note: I leave a gallon water out over night, so the chlorine/fluoride can evaporate. (using water from the faucet).
__________________
Armando in the Heart of California
  
rafaelissimmo

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,473
Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Armando I read you should change the water daily with this method, are you doing that?
__________________
Zone 7b, Queens, New York
Joe_Athens1945

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 365
Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Here in Athens Ga, a gallon of distilled H2O cost .87 cents. It best for water rooting cuttings.
__________________
Athens, GA USA
Zone 7b

My young trees in the ground and in pots: Brown Turkey, White Triana JM, Magnolia, Strawberry Verte, Violette de Bordeaux, Panache, UK Brooklyn Dark JP, Ronde de Bordeaux.
 
Wish list: St Rita
FiggieFive_0

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 259
Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Aloha, Armando!  I tried this method also with BT cuttings and had tremendous success.  I waited for roots to grow about 2-3 inches, then up-pot to cups.  Worked awesome!  Then I tried it with, I think Monstreuse?, and not so good results.  I think I may have neglected changing the water weekly.   I wonder if only certain varieties can be propagated using this method?  What other varieties have you tried, Armando?  Mahalo.

Nate
__________________
Nate

Faith, Family, Friends, and Figs (not necessarily in that order).
bullet08

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 6,920
Posted Reply with quote  #9 
lot of things that work for others don't work for me. rooting in water didn't work for me at all.
__________________
Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
Grasa

Registered:
Posts: 1,819
Posted Reply with quote  #10 
the main factor: temperature... it is not fair! why california? oh to compensate for the quakes?
__________________
Grasa
Seattle, WA
greenfig

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 3,182
Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Armando,

As I read you post, I recalled that I left some cuttings in a bottle under a sink in total darkness a while ago.
I just checked them.
Two cuttings (Black Mission), both have roots!
I think they rooted because I forgot about them :)
Remembering they are there would make me do some ‘improvements’ that eventually would hurt the process.
Needless to say, the water has not been changed for about 6 weeks.

Attached Images
jpeg BM_water_3.jpg (112.93 KB, 82 views)
jpeg BM_water_2.jpg (115.30 KB, 81 views)
jpeg BM_water_1.jpg (193.67 KB, 77 views)


__________________
wish list: Violeta, Calderona. USDA z 10a, SoCal

Frankallen

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 994
Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Armando...Congrats!! Looks like you are doing a great job! You got me thinking about trying this also! :)....You Da Man!
__________________
Frank from Bama-  Zone 7-b Alabama

....................................................

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever".

Mahatma Gandhi
armando93223

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,164
Posted Reply with quote  #13 
There are some cuttings that may take a long time to root, like Early Violet, Gulban ( you may have a good or bad result from these varieties ...????).....I have great results from fast rooting, Celeste, Kadota,Mission, and a little slower Abbererrera, LSU Purple.....Would like to try a Panache, but all I have are green branches (new growth).....Note: I have a green cutting of Celeste that is rooting
Thanks Frank, I was wondering today about all that knowledge that Jon has, I wish I could spend a few days walking around in his head...LOL
__________________
Armando in the Heart of California
  
Hoosierguy86

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 246
Posted Reply with quote  #14 
Armando,

Thanks for the photos and trial details. I have wanted to try this since Gloria uploaded those pictures but was afraid too since the moss was working. This looks like a fun easy way to root and I have a couple longer cuttings that I will give a try.
__________________
Scott N. Indiana 5b/6a
rafaelissimmo

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,473
Posted Reply with quote  #15 
Also, many folks have warned that water roots are very different from regular roots, and that they are easily shocked by potting medium. I have had mixed results with water roots, i had initial success but later in winter I lost A LOT of succesfully rooted cuttings, even when I pre-wet my potting medium.
__________________
Zone 7b, Queens, New York
armando93223

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,164
Posted Reply with quote  #16 
Thanks Rafaelissimmo, just showing people another rooting method. I have done real well, and this is only to experiment with. On shocking the roots, could of been maybe ???? in the mix.  Also winter is a tough time to try to keep these cuttings alive.   Also, the potting mix should be moist not to wet. Try again my friend....
__________________
Armando in the Heart of California
  
Bosco

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 211
Posted Reply with quote  #17 
Armando,

Thanks for the cool post, always looking for a new way to root a cutting.   Maybe even beat the dreaded fungus gnats out of a meal!   Those damn things are a relentless battle for me this year.

I accidentally created a water root cutting last year.  It was about a 2 inch diameter Celeste branch, about 24 inches long.   I had tossed in a bucket with a about 12 inches of water to keep it from drying out, then kept putting off doing anything, other than adding water, for several weeks.  This was out in full sun!  Walla…… to my surprise, about a month later I noticed roots growing.   I had heard water roots were difficult but, potted up anyway.  It took and now growing like a weed.
__________________
Jack
San Diego, North County Coastal
Zone 9A
Wish List for 2015: Black Madeira, Col de Dame Blanc. Noir and Gris,
eboone

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,100
Posted Reply with quote  #18 
Armando - looks like a very interesting alternative.  I gave some of the cuttings I got this year to a friend who is a 'Master Gardener' but had never grown figs.  Her cuttings she started in just water are doing great also. 

It looks like you are just using a few oz of water in the bottom of the bottle - any reason that putting more water in the bottle should not encourage rooting from a larger area of the cutting?

Also, I wondered about putting several cuttings in one bottle, then separating them out to individual bottles when they start rooting, just to be able to keep closer watch over that one bottle at the start (and because of space limitations)

Are you using wax or paraffin or anything on the ends of the cuttings to prevent dehydration or rot?

Thanks for sharing this!
__________________
Ed
Zone 6A - Southwest PA     
---------------------------
Short wish list: CDDG, LSU Red, Dark Greek (Navid),  Col Littman's Black Cross.   And any cold hardy early fig.
Chateauguay_Pino

Registered:
Posts: 134
Posted Reply with quote  #19 
I don't understand how you guys manage to get this to work. My mother uses the water method for every thing she tries to root. She has a huge success rate.
When i try to do it this way all i get is rot, mold, and cuttings that turn black.

What's the secret ?
__________________
Canada - Zone 5a

Wish List - Anything Italian. Calabria or Abruzzo regions.
JD

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,162
Posted Reply with quote  #20 
This post with the plastic bottles gave me 'vu ja de' with respect to a long (and loud) Rooting Summer Cuttings thread. The bottle in water method has been effective for me (9/10 root growth rate into 1GPs) but it requires more time and attention than other methods.
__________________

jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
Chateauguay_Pino

Registered:
Posts: 134
Posted Reply with quote  #21 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sppsp
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chateauguay_Pino
I don't understand how you guys manage to get this to work. My mother uses the water method for every thing she tries to root. She has a huge success rate.
When i try to do it this way all i get is rot, mold, and cuttings that turn black.

What's the secret ?


I think you just need to change the water and use clean container. I use a small amount of fertilizer. I have not try rooting figs this way...yet.


I tried changing the water every day Shailesh. I don't know maybe i fill it with too much water ?
I haven't tried adding anything to the water. Or maybe is it my water that is the problem?
__________________
Canada - Zone 5a

Wish List - Anything Italian. Calabria or Abruzzo regions.
armando93223

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,164
Posted Reply with quote  #22 
I think, that healthy looking cuttings is the key. Also, I soaked the cuttings for about 2 hrs after cutting/or receiving them in water. A small bucket with a drop or two of bleach, hopefully killing any mites and mold........... I basically look at the bottle as a humidity chamber and that's why I put only about 3 oz of water. Maybe adding more water would help...????  I don't know...??? LOL   I would think that the water would turn yellowy and may get moldy faster.
__________________
Armando in the Heart of California
  
Chateauguay_Pino

Registered:
Posts: 134
Posted Reply with quote  #23 
I'm going to try this method again with my next set of cuttings. I'll follow your advice Armando and add only 3 ounces of water.
I'm also going to use store bought water to try this. I have a feeling the additives in the water are what's killing the cuttings.
__________________
Canada - Zone 5a

Wish List - Anything Italian. Calabria or Abruzzo regions.
armando93223

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,164
Posted Reply with quote  #24 
Not using wax or paraffin or anything on the ends of the cuttings to prevent dehydration or rot?  Still new to all this rooting cuttings stuff...????  My 3rd year...LOL
I am not sure about one thing, do I cut the bottom of the cutting, to have the cutting drink from it...????   I have success, whether I cut the bottom or not......I look at the water bottle to the baggie method, in trying to keep the humidity up and letting it have some air to avoid mold. The difference also is that it gets fresh air around the clock.
__________________
Armando in the Heart of California
  
Aaron4USA

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 2,969
Posted Reply with quote  #25 
@Armando, thanks for bringing back the easy method and remind us to keep it simple!
Several weeks ago I was visiting one of my friends in DownTown LA  where those old lots are huge cuts and have old growths in them, anyway, as I was driving away I noticed he had a fig variety at the corner hillside at the exit, it looked very bushy and thinner branches, nothing I had seen before... so I asked him by calling back  and he said it was a black fig variety and has almost black , deep red insides... so I pulled and cut a long branch , with leaves and all... when I brought it back home I noticed it was heavily infested with MVD, so I got disappointed and threw it away from all my plants. 
A week ago I was cleaning the corner of our Tool Shack and I see the branch placed in a tiny ceramic pot with no hole underneath which had an inch of water which had turned into dark swampy smelling, moldy and full of mosquito larvae concoction. Must've been either my 3 y.o son or my friend 87 y.o who lives upstairs... With a disgust I pulled the branch out of it and was going to toss it further down the back goalie where deers are but I froze with awe. The roots were all over the bottom tip of that cutting and all old leaves had been replaced by new ones and NO MVD... I was shocked! Go figure!!!
AmandaLovesFigs

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 16
Posted Reply with quote  #26 
Looks great! I notice one person said they used a small amount of fertilizer in the water... but are you using rooting hormone? 
__________________
USA zone 8A: 4 fig trees! Celeste, BT, Magnolia, and Ischia (not sure if white or green)
wish list: got all I need for now I think, fingers crossed the cuttings given to me take root for me! Panachee, St Jean de Grise and BlackJack!
privateer

Registered:
Posts: 6
Posted Reply with quote  #27 
I've had very good success over the years rooting cutting in a vase of water and transferring the tangled roots to potting soil after a few months. I use fluorescent lighting, well water and my office @72 degrees. When potting cutting in 16oz clear cups I keep the soil very wet for the first two weeks or so until I see new roots develop. I then put holes in the cup for drainage. I wrap the cup in paper to keep the roots from sunlight.

I have noticed rotting sometimes when the cut is made far away from the leaf node. You want to make your cut as close to the leaf node to prevent stem rot!

Hope this helps from my experience.
eboone

Avatar / Picture

Registered:
Posts: 1,100
Posted Reply with quote  #28 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sppsp
Privateer, I am have a hard time visualizing what you do. I can understand the procedure up to the wrapping with paper. Can you explain the cut and leaf node part or can you post a picture?



I think he is talking about the bottom cut of a cutting.  If it is made way below the lowest node, that bottom part of the remaining wood is more subject to rot than if the cut is made just below the node. 
I know I am always afraid of damaging that lowest node, probably could make my bottom cuts just a little closer.
__________________
Ed
Zone 6A - Southwest PA     
---------------------------
Short wish list: CDDG, LSU Red, Dark Greek (Navid),  Col Littman's Black Cross.   And any cold hardy early fig.
Previous Topic | Next Topic
Print
Reply