I’m having some troubles trying to grow some flowers and trees from cuttings. I have succeeded before in getting cuttings of flowers and shrubs to grow by putting them in one-gallon pots with a plastic bag over them to keep the moisture in. I dipped the stems in rooting hormone and planted them in peat moss mixed with vermiculite or perlite. That’s what I did in the past.

This time, I thought I would do more in less space by planting the cuttings in those little six-pack cells I use for seed growing and put them under the plastic lid that comes with the seed trays and place the trays under the fluorescent lights in my basement. That didn’t work too well. The flower cuttings that came from plants in full sun got pale and weak being under such low light. The Japanese maple cuttings stayed alive-looking, but none grew roots. I had them in place for probably two months, with no growth (at least on the tree cuttings). The flower cuttings have been there maybe three or four weeks. I tried rooting some Missouri evening primrose and a cool yellow Gaillardia specimen. It looks like one of the primroses worked, but not the others. I also tried some cuttings off my clematis, and I’m not sure if they’re working yet.

Here’s an idea: next time I try to grow cuttings, I’m going to plant them in clear plastic cups, with a hole punched in the bottom for drainage. That way, I can see if roots are growing in the cup and really know if they’re working. Don’t see any downside, unless roots get harmed by sunlight coming through the clear plastic. Also, I will place them outside under the shade of a tree, so they’ll get more light than under the fluorescents.  I just might try this method this week, because I really want to reproduce that yellow Gaillardia in time to plant the young plants out this fall for a head start on next year’s growth.