0
Posted on 3:14 AM by Wanto and filed under
By Morgan Lionel
The propagating compost may be one of several types, but should be sterile and very porous. Probably from the amateur's point of view it is best to eliminate soil from the compost as it is difficult to sterilise without the aid of rather elaborate apparatus.
One very good compost can be made up from sharp silver sand, fine granulated peat and horticultural vermiculite in equal parts; this seems to give a very good balance between water retention and sharpness whilst quickly losing any surplus water which may be supplied. Peat and sharp sand in equal parts may be used.
Many commercial growers root in pure sand, but it is not advisable for the amateur to do so as the risk of drying out is too great. Some growers use vermiculite alone, although this to some extent has the same disadvantages as sand in drying out rather quickly; besides this it is not always easy to make the cutting bed down well in this material as it is very light and loose.
One school of thought recommends the use of some soil in the compost, as the plants have available some nutrients as soon as roots are formed, but it is essential that the soil be sterilised if used in this fashion. If this idea appeals a very good mixture can be made from equal parts sterilised loam, peat and sharp silver sand (fine quality bird grit may be used instead of sand), adding a little charcoal and shell to keep the mixture sweet. It is very much a matter of opinion which is the best medium. So many growers get excellent results with diverse materials, including pumice, road sweepings and other comparatively unlikely materials, that it is impossible to be dogmatic.
But should cuttings he removed too high on the shoot, so that a stump containing one or more leaf joints is left, fresh shoots will grow from the leaf axils rather than the secondary eyes and these may not develop.
If no root is present there seems to be little advantage, in fact in some cases these cuttings take longer to root and the number of cuttings produced is greatly reduced, because many of the secondary eyes are destroyed or removed. It may be considered worth while if not too many plants are required.
One very good compost can be made up from sharp silver sand, fine granulated peat and horticultural vermiculite in equal parts; this seems to give a very good balance between water retention and sharpness whilst quickly losing any surplus water which may be supplied. Peat and sharp sand in equal parts may be used.
Many commercial growers root in pure sand, but it is not advisable for the amateur to do so as the risk of drying out is too great. Some growers use vermiculite alone, although this to some extent has the same disadvantages as sand in drying out rather quickly; besides this it is not always easy to make the cutting bed down well in this material as it is very light and loose.
One school of thought recommends the use of some soil in the compost, as the plants have available some nutrients as soon as roots are formed, but it is essential that the soil be sterilised if used in this fashion. If this idea appeals a very good mixture can be made from equal parts sterilised loam, peat and sharp silver sand (fine quality bird grit may be used instead of sand), adding a little charcoal and shell to keep the mixture sweet. It is very much a matter of opinion which is the best medium. So many growers get excellent results with diverse materials, including pumice, road sweepings and other comparatively unlikely materials, that it is impossible to be dogmatic.
But should cuttings he removed too high on the shoot, so that a stump containing one or more leaf joints is left, fresh shoots will grow from the leaf axils rather than the secondary eyes and these may not develop.
If no root is present there seems to be little advantage, in fact in some cases these cuttings take longer to root and the number of cuttings produced is greatly reduced, because many of the secondary eyes are destroyed or removed. It may be considered worth while if not too many plants are required.
Post a Comment