Today I received a box of hardwood cuttings from the ARS for a joint project. My first task is to get as many rooted as possible. Here's a little pictorial:
Cuttings right out of the box, a bundle of twigs from each of the nine plants.
Loading moistened soil into the 3-inch peat pots the cuttings will be rooted in. Putting a colander into a larger metal bowl to catch the water, I fill the colander with soil, pour water over it, then squeeze out the excess water. A full colander will fill up 8 peat pots with soil. The spray bottle is used regularly during the entire process to keep the cuttings from drying out too much.
Here's the agricultural inspector performing his official duty ...
The cuttings have been cut in half, then trimmed up so that at least 2 nodes are in the bottom 2.5 inches that will be inserted in the soil. The ends are wetted, then dusted with Rootone, and placed in the peat pots.
To avoid removing too much Rootone when pressing the cutting into the soil, I first use an extra cutting to press pre-made holes into the pots.
And here they are, ready to start. Afterwards I will put the plastic dome over the tray to maintain humidity and place the whole thing on a heat mat to keep the temperature in the mid-70s F.
And as I type, they are sitting next to me being serenaded by Irene Kral "Kral Space" ...
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