Search the Community

Hello all, good to be here! Currently got a young Phleb that I'm wanting to clone. Been growing for a while and I now have about 6 small cuttings, each about 10-20cm long. Guess I'll run through the process that I've put together from cursory net searches. Never done this before, so would appreciate some advice! I've cut each small branch right below one or two phyllode nodes, and plan to submerge these lower nodes completely in soil. I've made each cut at a diagonal edge, and shave off one side at about 5-10mm. Read this helps with rooting. I plan on soaking each cutting for a little bit, and then dipping each in a small amount of honey. Although the honey contains no plant hormone auxins, it's generally considered to be a good (..enough [?]) rooting substance. I will then plant each cutting in a small seedling pot, with normal potting mix (nothing flash, though I'm sure some perlite or such would help - worth investing?) and then mist/spray with water. Then, as the humidity needs to be kept up, I will construct a makeshift greenhouse out of a wide and tall circular laundry basket wrapped in a large white bin liner or two. I will then place the honeyed, moist cuttings in their pots and inside the 'greenhouse' - and with some containers of water, which will condensate and keep the humidity up. I will spray the plants every now and then, and ventilate, every now and then. The only thing then left is heat - haven't quite figured that out. From my Alchemical work I use a sand bath (electric fry pan filled with sand), but I fear this will be too hot - so perhaps I will construct a heat pad from a biscuit tin, filled with sand, and with a single strong light globe underneath. This may provide a gentle enough heat to create a warm, and subsequently humid atmosphere for the cuttings to root. The questions then are: 1. Do I need to soak the cuttings in water for a while before planting? 2. Should I not risk not using perlite/vermiculite and go and fetch some? 3. Is honey ok? 4. How far do I need to submerge each cutting, given that they are around 10-20cm high each and are relatively thin, and young? 5. Cutting/Cloning guides talk about soft wood and hard wood. This might seem a silly question, but I'm guessing A. Phleb is considered hard wood - even though these cuttings are small and soft currently? How does this change the cloning technique? Think that's about all for now. Will post some photos when I've got it all going. Cheers! x