Hello to everibody. It's been so, so long since I post something here...
Life is so strange :roll:
Well, lets get on point:
here are some pics of my Sally. She is a "dother" of my old Sally which have passed away :cry: . My fault: overwattering is a bich :evil:
(//http://img460.imageshack.us/img460/7675/p3290031smallim2.th.jpg) (//http://img460.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p3290031smallim2.jpg)
(//http://img460.imageshack.us/img460/484/p3290032smallno5.th.jpg) (//http://img460.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p3290032smallno5.jpg)
(//http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8227/p3290034jj9.th.jpg) (//http://img341.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p3290034jj9.jpg)
(//http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/4947/p3290036smallyq9.th.jpg) (//http://img454.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p3290036smallyq9.jpg)
As you can see, she is doing fine (or not?). Now I have a questin abot making cutting. What do you think, should I cut the top 4", and start rooting it?
After disaster with last Sally, I'm little...too nervous
I would if that was my only plant. It looks big enough.
Place the cutting in cup of water and use and aquarium air stone for best results.
Have you some special directions for cuting her? Is my thinking, to cut 4" from top of plant OK? One cup, what volume is that? 0,2 litres?
I was thinking to put it in some 1 dl (0,1 litres) and use the coca-cole bottle with cutted botom to cover it. What do you think?
And is it better to put it on the windowsill, or on darker place?
Is the couple of ours of direct sun OK for rooting?
Thans a lot dude :)
PS
@TooStonedtoType: Please can you delete the doubled post I made?
Thanks again.
I would cut it right where you have it tied in the bottom photo. Then cut the two leaves off right above it. Then cut the larger leaf off above that. The volume of water you mention is fine. If you use an aquarium air stone, it does not need to be covered. I would not let it have any direct sun light, indirect light only. Let it have 18 hours (or more) of light a day. If you need to, place a florescent light above it, 12 inches (30 cm) or so above it.
Make sense - if not I will draw a picture tomorrow.
Tstt
But I don't have the aquarium air stone, so that means that humidity cover is needed? Right?
I can't put the fluo lamp over cutting, because I need to do all proces in my livingroom.
Abou cutting, did you mean to cut like on tis pic, or exactly where the rope is tied? If I cut where the black rope is, then the cutting will be about 2" long?
Is it better to take smaller or longer cuttings?
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Air stone is to keep the water oxygenated and pathogen free, not to humidify the air.
Sally can be rotted without a humidity dome.
My experience is that there is a sweet spot temperature range of a water temperature of 70-75 deg.F for best results.
My theory is that too cool and the plant is slow acting, whereas too warm and it cannot stay hydrated and the water cannot hold enough oxygen or something else.
But do not try to root in cold water or in direct sun, it won't work.
Under artificial light or in a slightly sunny location will work.
I have the jar with my first cutting of the year on a seed tray warming mat.
Also, don't cut off ever leaf that will get submerged.
There is no reason to do so.
Submerged leaves will live.
Cut leaf steams die and fall off and fall the water.
Thus by keeping intact leaves, the plant will have more resources during the rooting process and after transplantation.
Quote from: "winder"Air stone is to keep the water oxygenated and pathogen free, not to humidify the air.
Sally can be rotted without a humidity dome.
My experience is that there is a sweet spot temperature range of a water temperature of 70-75 deg.F for best results.
My theory is that too cool and the plant is slow acting, whereas too warm and it cannot stay hydrated and the water cannot hold enough oxygen or something else.
But do not try to root in cold water or in direct sun, it won't work.
Under artificial light or in a slightly sunny location will work.
I have the jar with my first cutting of the year on a seed tray warming mat.
Also, don't cut off ever leaf that will get submerged.
There is no reason to do so.
Submerged leaves will live.
Cut leaf steams die and fall off and fall the water.
Thus by keeping intact leaves, the plant will have more resources during the rooting process and after transplantation.
So where do you sugest to take a cut? On the stem where I marked with red or where is the blac rope?
The lower, if you must.
But why the rush with the cutting?
Another thing I have found about cuttings is if they are to small, they are somewhat doomed.
They need to be thick and I think yours may be too thin.
They need to have the energy reserves to put out roots and that looks too thin in both spots.
The squareness of the stem should be well established.
The optimal length seems to be about 10 inches, long enough that the cutting will stand out slightly from a mason cannng jar.
Quote from: "winder"The squareness of the stem should be well established.
The optimal length seems to be about 10 inches, long enough that the cutting will stand out slightly from a mason cannng jar.
Hmmm...
Well, then it is better to wait for a week more before take the cutting, isn't it?
Thanks dude :wink:
You want the cutting to net you an increase in plants and that is best acheived with both the parent and the clone surviving.
Also, I think it is better to try rooting multiple cuttings together with the air stone. Plants can communicate about their environment through hormones that they release. With more cuttings in the same jar, the concentration of auxins will be higher promoting more and faster root growth.
Some advise against more than 1 cutting per jar, but with 8 per jar, I am more succesful.
Also, I change the water only about every 5 days at the most frequent.
Yea, the lower cut would be better. The plant looked bigger to me in the photo than it appearantly is.
I have always taken the lower leaves off the plant (the one that will be underwater), but if winder says to leave them, thats probably best.
"Some advise against more than 1 cutting per jar, but with 8 per jar, I am more succesful. "
I have not noticed much difference between one cutting and many. But since you only have one plant right now, I would take the one cutting soon.
Winder: "Plants can communicate about their environment through hormones that they release. With more cuttings in the same jar, the concentration of auxins will be higher promoting more and faster root growth."
I have heard of putting a willow cutting in with other less legal cuttings to release rooting hormones, but haven't tried it with Salvia - have you heard of this? So far salvia has rooted so easily for me, I haven't seen much need.
cuttings are really easy. I've experimented with many methods and the one i like the best now is a pan about 2.5 inches deep filled with potting soil with no drain holes. place outside in spring keep very wet but don't dislodge the cuttings. i got like 19 out of twenty rooted within 2 weeks.keep in shade/dappled light . i had a humidity dome on 2 of the cuttings they look nicer and rooted a few days faster but no big deal.of course this isn't your situation but in the future....
I wouldn't cut the tip just yet . try a leaf cutting. this way you don't destroy the fast growing tip , and 2 leaves and a new stalk should quickly replace the one you cut. don't start taking tip cuttings till you have multiple tips . It will take a while for the plant to put off the 2 new shoots after you cut the tip slowing things down alot.
just cut the leaf from the stalk making sure to grab a nice chunk of node material. Burry it at 45 degrees with half of it in the dirt and half out .
You don't need all this fancy stuff for a tip cuttings . just place in a shotglass or cup. sticking it in vermiculite or wet potting soil all work great . If its warm i just stick em in the ground but snails get em alot. i've got tip cuttings to root from litraly 1/2" totaly size with leaves all the way up to 6 inches. 2-4 inches is perfect, I actualy have better luck with the smaller ones but i suspect its cuz i don't use a humidity dome and htey have less surface area for evaporation.
this may be helpful with your salvia growing. i wrote this last year it needs to be updated slightly.
Potency/growing conditions
Growing my own Salvia has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my entire life! Getting the plant to thrive is not hard at all.
Temperature-Salvia will grow well if temps are above 65 with warmer being better so long as there is enough humidity/water. It will tolerate temps down to the upper twenties at night. I notice only a little difference in growth between upper 60’s and high 90s. What I have found is that temperature relates to potency. Summer harvest can be up to twice as potent. I always felt this and sure enough I stumbled across a study that confirmed it but I forget the source. So far this seems to be the main factor in regards to potency.
Water- Sally grows along creeks and loves to have its roots wet but be careful in a pot not to over water. I have dug channels in my yard which flow through the salvia like a little creek and they seem to love the flowing water compared to Still water. The hotter it gets the more watering you will need. At 60 just watering deeply once a week may be enough but during summer temps of 90+ it may require daily watering depending on the humidity and moisture holding ability of your soil. If you think it is over watered letting it dry till wilting slightly will help and won’t hurt the plant but keep an eye on it. If it’s in the ground it’s pretty difficult to over water.
Humidity- Salvia grows just fine with low humidity. The texture of the leaves may be affected but overall they seem to grow at a pretty similar rate. Misting this plant indoors is generally a bad idea leading to more problems then it solves. This goes for most plants. If you want to increase humidity get a COOL mist humidifier. If the plants are outdoors a little misting can be helpful but make sure you do it early enough that the water will be completely dry by dark. I personally only mist if I happen to be home during the dry hot Santa Ana condition which is basically desert southwest climate for a few days at a time. My plants experience a Mediterranean climate the rest of the time
Light exposure- My plants had to endure a few years with direct sunlight for 6 or more hours a day when I had limited options .this made the nodes close together and a lot of small ugly leaves. They lived and grew tall but where dropping leaves constantly. Now in full shade many of the limbs grow with nodes very far apart. Instead of a couple inches its more like a foot but the leaves are huge with a smooth rich green that I love. A friend of mine grows it in dappled sunlight under a tree and that seems optimal. This lighting produces large healthy leaves packed close together. Shade cloth may offer even more options and probably the best way but you’ll have to experiment. My plants do flower in the fall when getting a lot of sun .I’ll update on flowing now that they live in the shade. I have a bunch of flowers I have yet to smoke! Anyone know of any analysis of their chemical composition? I would be delighted to see it.
Soil â€" I find it grows great in anything that is well drained with rich black organic goodness. I like about 35 percent perlite with DR. Earth soil or other quality soil. They grow MUCH better in the ground. I hear hydro works great. If you must use a pot make sure you place a few inches of stones at the bottom to help drainage. They will never grow to their full potential in a pot. Pots also create watering issues. It is much harder to kill plants due to water when they are in the ground.
Fertilizer-My best results have been with fertilizers that have high nitrogen but generally high everything is good … Fox Farms Grow Big has about 10-10 -10 and when I switched to that stuff it really did grow big. My plants sometimes turn purple and after some research discovered fertilizer is the cure. There may be some magic formula but all I can recommend is what worked for me.
Pests- So far mine have only suffered from slugs, snails and worst of all thripes. Slugs and snails love new growth and can destroy a small cutting in a night so be careful! White fly seemed to avoid my plants but you may not be so lucky. (update: spider mites are a horrible plague that cannot be stopped and caggage loopers which are green caterpillars also are very destructive. Hoseing down the plants and under the leaves with a firm spray of water to wash off the mites is the only thing that helps. I try to do it daily if its warm. I worry it washes off the salvinorin but havn't used salvia in years so i can't really say.)
Clones-Salvia is a very important tool that should be available to those who know the risks and choose to proceed. People are very important tools for the Salvia Spirit and the strange dimension in which it exists. Humans are critical to the survival of this plant. This sacrament will be scheduled soon and the window for free trade will be closed. Clones for free to everyone you know is the best way to keep this symbiotic relationship alive! They grow great indoors and make a nice house plant.
Salvia reproduces in the wild by falling over in moist soil then growing roots. If the air is humid enough the root system can be seen from above ground coming out of the steams on the surface of the soil. The Stalks only emerge from the nodes.
If you just want a lot of sally you can help it out by throwing some dirt over a branch that has tipped over. Cuttings ready to GIVE to all your friends in order to ensure a long life for this plant are easy.
Simply cut just below a node and place in water after trimming some lower leaves. Change the water every one to two days. Or if you put it in soil bury about half of the leaves and keep it very moist.
Leaf cuttings will work too. Put leaf with a moist paper towel in a sandwich bag with a few pin holes opening it daily for air. For soil bury on a 45 degree angle with half the leaf tip exposed. When experimenting with clones just remember roots will grow from anything, even a leaf, but without a node a stalk will not emerge. Keep it moist, mild temps, and no direct light. Good luck.