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In around late May or early June, wintertime here in Sydney, I made a few grapevine cuttings. The mother plant had mostly shed its leaves. I placed the cuttings indoors in a water bottler near a bright window.
Now, over 2 months later, three of the cuttings have a few leaves budding. However, these cuttings still have no roots oddly, despite the leaves growing out from them. I am really confused here, because I thought rooting happens first and then sprouting. So what is really going on? Btw, these cuttings had started to bud from a month ago. Why aren't they rooting?
Should I just go on and plant them in soil? Or should I wait a bit longer until they root (if they ever do)?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Sprouting is common from dead branches, using the stored energy. I have see leaves appear on Willow firewood.
Are the cuttings hardwood? I have done several, and all I do is place a hardwood cutting in a pot of good soil in the late fall after the leaves have fallen. By spring they sprout and have good roots. That may not work as well if your winter stays too warm. Then I would use a rooting medium such as perlite or vermiculite, not just water.
Sprouting is common from dead branches, using the stored energy. I have see leaves appear on Willow firewood.
Are the cuttings hardwood? I have done several, and all I do is place a hardwood cutting in a pot of good soil in the late fall after the leaves have fallen. By spring they sprout and have good roots. That may not work as well if your winter stays too warm. Then I would use a rooting medium such as perlite or vermiculite, not just water.
How do you tell if they're hardwoods or softwoods? Sorry, I suck at this.
If I can transplant them into soil, with no roots, would they die out from shock?
I have successfully rooted grapevine cuttings in the summer, in water. They took around 3-4 weeks to root. Not sure why the story was different here. Perhaps this time I did with a dormant tree in winter?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,156 posts, read 80,278,112 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ethereal
How do you tell if they're hardwoods or softwoods? Sorry, I suck at this.
If I can transplant them into soil, with no roots, would they die out from shock?
I have successfully rooted grapevine cuttings in the summer, in water. They took around 3-4 weeks to root. Not sure why the story was different here. Perhaps this time I did with a dormant tree in winter?
They will root in water, but also should be done when dormant, and the water should be changed frequently. Hardwood is at least one year old, and brown. Just putting a cutting into soil has worked well for me, but then we get a lot of rain and cool/cold winters. That may not work in your climate.
They will root in water, but also should be done when dormant, and the water should be changed frequently. Hardwood is at least one year old, and brown. Just putting a cutting into soil has worked well for me, but then we get a lot of rain and cool/cold winters. That may not work in your climate.
I change the water every 7-10 days. More leaves are growing as I'm typing this, but still no roots oddly. It's driving me crazy. The mother plant was virtually dormant when I did the cuttings 2-3 months. The cuttings are of medium brown colour, like chestnut.
Our winters are on the dry side, but they are still a bit cool and windy (temps range from 37F-65F between night and day).
So there's a still chance of them rooting in water?
Is it a clear glass bottle? It might root in a container that doesn't let light through. It would be like being underground. I know I never had any success rooting herbs until I tried an opaque cup or mug rather than a clear glass. You can put a bit of plant food or rooting hormone in the water, too.
If you move them from water to soil, pour as much of the water in as you can so the change isn't too abrupt. Move them from water to mud to moist soil to regular soil by controlling the amount of watering. Definitely use a little rooting hormone if you move them to a pot.
Is it a clear glass bottle? It might root in a container that doesn't let light through. It would be like being underground. I know I never had any success rooting herbs until I tried an opaque cup or mug rather than a clear glass. You can put a bit of plant food or rooting hormone in the water, too.
If you move them from water to soil, pour as much of the water in as you can so the change isn't too abrupt. Move them from water to mud to moist soil to regular soil by controlling the amount of watering. Definitely use a little rooting hormone if you move them to a pot.
It's a clear plastic bottle, which is sitting below a window. Only the cuttings are facing bright light of the window. The bottom of the bottle is facing the wall. I do not think it's that bright down there.
It's a clear plastic bottle, which is sitting below a window. Only the cuttings are facing bright light of the window. The bottom of the bottle is facing the wall. I do not think it's that bright down there.
I'll try a rooting hormone and do your method.
Let us know when you figure out something that works.
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