Taking cuttings using Rooting hormone and soil
1. Helpful items when taking cuttings:
Dymo (to make labels of
the varieties being used),
Clonex-rooting hormone, sharp knife, branch
from the desired variety,
and a small tray filled with peat or soil.
(I
personally prefer just peat, or peat-based soil.)
2. Branch from the desired variety. I chose NuMex Suave Orange.
I
will cut the branch slightly above the shoulder of the big leaf at
around
the upper-middle of the stem.
3. The long stem has been cut off, still looks too bushy to root
easily.
There’s even one tiny pod forming. That doesn’t matter. 🙂
4. Some extra leaves and tiny pod removed.
We’re starting to get there…
5. Time to cut the big leaves smaller,
otherwise the cutting will
drop them off too easily and the rooting will take much longer.
6. Now, it’s a good thing to make an oblique cut.
It’ll be a spot where the first roots usually emerge.
7. The result should look something like this.
8. The stem of the cutting will be dipped into Clonex rooting hormone.
9. At least the oblique cut should be totally covered with rooting
hormone.
All parts of the stem that will be in the soil can be covered
with the same way.
‘
10. And now, the cutting will be transplanted into the tray filled
with wet peat (or soil).
First it’s good to poke a hole in the soil
before transplanting the cutting
to prevent from wiping off all of the
rooting hormone.
11. Done! Just the last step left…
12. The cuttings should be moved into tiny box with a high humidity
and add some light on top of the box (a fluorescent tube or sun for
example).
The moisture is very important at this point (along with the ventilation)
because there
are no roots available and the cutting will use the leaves to suck
the
moisture it needs from the air around it.
After 2-3 weeks roots and small tiny leaves should be emerging!
Always take many cuttings each time, some varieties root very easily, some don’t.