Cheap rooting chamber.
 

It works quite nicely.

My $0.50 rooting chamber:

By joereal at 2008-03-05

Made from translucent plastic container from garage sale and saran wrap. Inside are cuttings of blueberries, pomegranates, figs, mullberries.





By joereal at 2008-03-05
Look at how the fig roots love the near 100% RH inside. I checked the grapes, pomegranates, and blueberries, the end cuts are all calloused and have roots already. Considering that the pomegranates are so hyped nowadays, each one costing $29, my setup is a complete miser. Styrofoam cups would be the most expensive component, at about $0.89 for all of them. The super soil potting media, maybe a total of $0.75 worth of potting soil for all the cuttings.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

That's cool. What temperature range do you keep it at?

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Our house thermostat is set at 64 deg F, and that is by the window in our southernmost bedroom. The temperature is fluctuating between 75 to 85 inside the chamber. Very ideal for rooting!

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

how do you make a rooting chamber? It sounds like fun and best of all inexpencive!

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Joe,
Where can you get a plastic pan that size for less than 50¢. (I said less than because there's a cover - LOL)

Great job, though!

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Well the trick is really the potting media. Make sure it is moist but not too moist. The technique is to measure a loosely filled cup of potting media. Place about 1/3 cup of water. Then mix it, and squeeze with all your might and collect the water. The potting media that has been squeezed will have the ideal moisture content for rooting. Now measure the difference with the 1/3 cup of water and what you squeezed out. It varies with the status of potting media, so I can't give out a standard formula. In my case, I end using a net amount of about 1/8 cup of water per cup of potting media. I then used that to mix measured amount of water with so many cups of potting media, without the need to squeeze them, just mix nicely. I spray the measured water while mixing the media.

The next step is to dip the cuttings in rooting powder or gel or whatever rooting hormone concoction of your choice. Then insert them in the cups that contain the potting media.

Then line up the cups inside the translucent container. Seal everything with Saran Wrap if you don't have a translucent cover. Well, I got the container on the cheap without the cover, so I use the saran wrap. I secure the saran wrap with tape. You wouldn't need to water this for about ten days. Place the setup in the warmest part of the house, partially or indirectly lighted by the sun, not exceeding 90 deg F of inside the chamber temperature.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Thanks! The reason that I got it for 50¢ is because it doesn't have a cover. I could have bargained for 25¢! I've been duped!

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Can you do cuttings from orange trees like that?

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Yes, although as the plant grows soil type becomes a consideration. This is why most commercial trees are cuttings grafted on rootstocks.

From another thread on this topic ...
For propagation of plants in general, I give a strong recommendation to this book:
Plant Propagation, edited by Alan Toogood. The "DK Books" and the "American Home Garden" edition are exactly the same texts with a different outside and inside cover. Booksellers sometimes sell one for half the price of the other!

:2623:

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Here's my style for citruses:
Epson PhotoCenter - Visit Albums - Album Index

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

It looks like that will be very helpful. Thanks,

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Only problem I have is all the seedling I am growing are from seeds from the grocery store so most likely they will be sour.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Most citruses, especially oranges come true to type. Yes they will be sour in their first three years of fruits, but then again, they will improve dramatically on the seventh year of fruits if from seedlings.

What you can do to speed things up is to do a combo T-bud and bark grafting on those seedlings. You can get scionwood from many members here too, who are citrus afficionados.

Here's my citrus bark-grafting tutorial which perhaps you have seen already:
Citrus Growers Forum :: View topic - Citrus Bark Grafting Tutorial - the Real deal!

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Thanks for the information. It would be nice to get some scionwood. What would you like for some?

I am about to try to use your rooting method for some wax myrtles on some property we bought. We need some more for a privacy screen.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Joe Thank you for the pictorial on bark grafting, I'm also a member at Citrus Growers and never saw that post. This is rounding up ( in May ) my first year with Bananas and Citrus, Truly drastic learning curve as I started with a purchase from Home depot for Meyer Lemon, Washington Naval Orange and a Dwarf Cavendish Banana plants for $30.00, thought it would be a good experience for my step kids and myself, ya know kinda bond beyond video games stuff, they think the plants are cool but wanna get back to the Wii instead, I however have clicked with this and am now an addict, looking for warm shipping weather to expand my collection of both Citrus and Nanners, here in N. Il. we still have the possibility of sub zero night temps.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Check out the Robertson Navel available from Four Winds Growers and other sources. It originated as a sport on a Washington Navel tree next door to my grandfather's orchard in Redlands, CA. It bears in clusters, so you get more fruit per tree. Really great tasting fruit too.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Thanks Richard!

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Richard, do you know if the plants form that site you sent are ones that will fruit very soon?

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

If you mean "how long before they bloom" -- it will be at least next spring, not this one, depending on the size of the tree and how you care for it.

If you mean "how many months for the citrus to ripen", that varies by variety.

Re: Cheap rooting chamber.
 

Yes, that's true. Some grapefruits for example are excellent if you harvest them 18 months from bloom. Some like Calamondins, can be harvested 2 months from bloom, but depending on the time of bloom.

Some citruses have year round fruits. Many will tend to alternate bearing if you don't thin them.

Sometimes when I t-bud citrus, it will sprout blooms right away the same month I budded them. I have some pics there in the citrus forum about such weird things happening. And it produced fruit.