Khat cuttings - shriveled and crispy

[Nifty]

I've got a thriving broad-leaf red Khat plant which I bought from the SAB nursery last year. Now, as an avid fan of the plant, I'm looking to make cuttings of it or otherwise get as many plants going as possible.

There already seems to be a fair bit of information on this in the forums, but specifically I would like to know how the red Catha Edulis plants begin in the SAB nursery? In other words, what do the pro's do?

My method so far has been to take a 20cm length of red stalk (including leaves) from the top of the plant, cut half the leaves off (mostly from the bottom), cut half of the remaining leaves in half, slice halfway (with a sterilised knife) into the leaf-joiny-thing at the bottom of the stalk, dip that bit in root-hormone and then put the cutting about halfway into the ground. I water once a week and have them in semi-shade.

Currently, using this method, I've only managed to get some very dodgy looking sticks sitting in pots - with green-ish dried leavs attached to them . Even if they miraculously start growing (which I doubt after 1 month already) I didn't see any dead/floundering ones at the nursrey. How long does a good method (of making cuttings) take before it's time to concede defeat and uproot the failed specimens?

[Torsten]

sounds like you have the basics right. keep the cuttings out of direct sun (heavy shade cloth is good) and water more often (daily if required). Take cuttings in late spring for best success and they will be well rooted by end of summer.

[Stonehenge]

I've found this one to be a little difficult to root despite what a few people have said. My gnome tried with a bubbler aerocloner and has had zero success so far. I think the soil with rooting hormone is the best though not all will make it. Rooting indoors might easier since you can control variables.

[C12H16N2]

This might be a longshot, but I was watching 'Burke's Backyard'....i think it was....Could have been that other show with the fella with the funny voice...

Anyway.... to lessen the confusion... HE said that Vegemite it fantastic to dip both woody stems and more pulpy stems... a yeasty rooting hormone.

I have not tried this method myself yet, but I reckon its worth a go...!

[toby]

With Khat you can bury it deep and the suckers will root and can then be cut off and potted later, maybe not great if you want lots of new plants..(unless you have a few plants already?)

[Nifty]

With Khat you can bury it deep and the suckers will root and can then be cut off and potted later ...

Is it possible to do this by bending down (but not breaking) one of the low-lying red branches, maybe stripping some leaves off and burying part of it horizontally?

I think I've read other methods that involve partially breaking the branch (in two places) to make it fit in the soil upright. I wonder how different this would be from simply planning a cutting - seeing as it's snapped at an acute angle to be able to poke into the soil upright.

[Benzito]

Is it possible to do this by bending down (but not breaking) one of the low-lying red branches, maybe stripping some leaves off and burying part of it horizontally?

This is called 'air layering', and I believe Khat respond to this quite well. I've never tried it on a Khat plant, but I've read this is one of the best ways to take a cutting.

You can even just slice around a node, and then wrap it in sphagnum moss. Keep the moss moist, and it should grow roots into it. That way you don't have to bend the branch.

Look around on bonsai sites for more detailed tek's. This is a method employed in Bonsai all the time, to obtain plants with mature trunks.

[indigo264nm]

I got my first khat cutting a few months ago... kept it sitting out under HPS, started doing the same as you mentioned above. Lost most of it's leaves.

Stuck it into the humidity area set up under the light (with Psychotria's and others), recieving a little less direct light and it's booming again.

[Tomer Corymbosa]

for cuttings i use this method:

for example, cuttings of rivea corymbosa:

i take bottle\deep glass of water and put some growth hormone and leave the cuttings for a week or more.only than i plant them with additional g.hormone in the grownd. i give them water almost everyday so the soil won't be dry for a second. after 3 weeks all of them develop roots and grow healthy.