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Tag: Cuttings

I Bought Rose Seeds Online. Are They Good?

“I purchased rose seeds on [online] and didn’t know they were from China till they shipped (rose image above). I’d love it if you could tell me if they are or are not rose seeds. I’m new to roses, and knowing if these are or are not rose seeds will be very helpful. Thank you so much! :)” Question from Bradley of Cleves, Ohio

Answer: You can plant your rose seed, but they will not mature, as shown in the picture. Many misleading plants and seeds are sold online, and this is one of them. The rose shown in the advertisement is a rambling hybrid climber with beautiful double red roses. It is not seed-grown. All hybrid roses available today are specially bred varieties grown from rooted cuttings or cuttings grafted onto a rootstock (probably a bit too much technical information). To put it plainly, rose cuttings are snipped off stem tips taken from hybrid roses. These are then dipped in a hormone that helps them root, and placed in lightly moist soil until they root and can be potted up and eventually planted into the ground.

Growing roses from seed is rare unless you are a rose breeder. Seed-grown plants will be variable in appearance and take a long time to grow. There are a few reliable seed vendors that sell rose seed, such those of  ‘Angel Wings’ miniature roses from Renee’s Garden Seeds, but these sources are not common. Buy full-grown plants instead. They may be a bit more expensive but well worth the investment.

Choose Reputable Companies

Buying from a trusted seed or plant source means everything. Here are my four favorite rose growers proven to provide healthy, beautiful plants.

1. David Austin Roses – This English rose company is famous for selling some of the most beautiful, vigorous, disease-resistant roses. (They are the best!!!)

2. Star Roses – If you want attractive, highly disease-resistant shrub roses, this is the go-to source.

3. Weeks Roses – Weeks is a famous American rose company with excellent varieties. You can’t go wrong with their selection and quality.

4. Jackson & Perkins – This old-American rose company has lots of wonderful varieties.

For a little extra information about choosing roses and growing them organically, watch the video below.

Starting Roses from Seed

If you want to try starting your rose seeds, they need to be chilled to enable them to sprout. Plant them in pots or a small tray of vermiculite that is just moist, not wet. Place the pots or vermiculite in a plastic bag and then chill them in the refrigerator fr 10-12 weeks. Then remove them and place them under grow lights or in a sunny window. Keep the vermiculite just moist. Ambient room temperature is ideal. They may take several weeks to sprout. Placing them on a heat mat can encourage faster germination.

Happy rose growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

How Do You Start Raspberries from Canes?

How do you start raspberries from canes? Question from Deborah of Los Lunas, New Mexico

Answer: Raspberries are one of the easiest fruits to propagate from canes or cuttings because they readily root, even without the help of rooting hormone. In fact, if you let canes naturally weep to the ground in your garden, they will root as they touch the ground. In time a single plant can become a brambly thicket of rooted canes, which is why these plants need to be pruned and maintained each season.

If you have rooted canes, all you need to do is cut at least a foot of top growth from the rooted segment, dig up the root ball, and replant the berry wherever you wish. If you want to root cane cuttings, here’s what you need to do:

Rooting Raspberry Cuttings

Materials

  • Sharp bypass pruners
  • 1-gallon pots
  • Rooting hormone with added fungicide
  • Quality potting soil, such as Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix
  • Raspberry cane cuttings (these can be dormant or actively growing)

Method

Use your pruners to take tip cuttings from your raspberries. Make sure they are about 1-foot long and cut from fresh, healthy stem tips. If you like, you can hasten rooting and protect the cuttings from rot by dipping them in rooting hormone with added fungicide. Place the cuttings about 3 inches down in 1-gallon pots filled with OMRI Listed potting mix formulated for organic growing. You can add up to three cuttings per pot. Water the pots in, keep them moist, place them in a cool spot with filtered light, and the cuttings will root in a matter of weeks.

I usually wait for two weeks, and then give the cuttings a small tug to see if they are rooted. If they resist being pulled out, they have set roots. Once new leaves start to appear on your cuttings, and they have clearly rooted, you can separate the rooted cuttings from the pot and plant them where you like.

To learn more about growing happy raspberries and other brambles, click here to read an article about growing them. Be sure to amend the soil where you plant them. I suggest OMRI Listed Black Gold Garden Compost Blend as the best all-around garden amendment.

Happy raspberry growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold horticulturist

How to Start African Violets from Cuttings

“I want to start some special African violets for friends. How do I divide or take cuttings from them? Question from Anna of Cheboygan, Michigan

Answer: You will be happy to learn that African violets are one of the easiest houseplants to propagate! The process does not even require rooting hormone.

Starting African Violets from Cuttings

Newly stuck African violet leaves in vermiculite.

All you have to do is take leaf cuttings from African violets and give them good care until they root and sprout. Simply cut healthy leaves from the base of the petiole (stem) and insert them in moist Black Gold Vermiculite. Maintain high humidity and keep them out of direct sunlight. After a month or so they should root. Then within a couple more weeks, new leaves will slowly develop from the petiole base. Once the sprouting African violets look like small plants, move them into small pots filled with Black Gold African Violet Mix. They should start growing happily straight away! I also encourage you to watch our video on African violet care below, to ensure your little plants grow to their fullest.

Happy African violet growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

Rooting Mint Cuttings

“When dealing with mint clippings, what is the best way to keep them alive and well until they root and can be planted directly in soil?” Question from Jacquelynn  of Torrington, Wyoming 

Answer: You are lucky! Mint is one of the easiest herbs to root. Start by choosing the healthiest stem tips and clip them off to a length of about 6 inches. Then rinse them off and place them in a glass of clean water. Change the water every four days or so. They should root in the water within a week or two.

Once your cuttings have rooted, prepare medium-sized pots filled with quality mix, like Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix. Dibble out holes big enough for your cuttings then plant them, being sure to firm the soil down around their roots. (Always leave at least an inch at the top of the pot for watering and make sure it has a saucer below.) Then water in your mint plants, and place them in a sunny window. Keep them trimmed back if they start to become too leggy, and feed them with a slow-release fertilizer to keep their foliage lush.

Happy indoor herb growing!!!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold® Seedling Mix, A Professional Mix for Home Growers

BG-Seedling-1.5cuBlack Gold® Seedling Mix is the perfect medium for germinating seeds and propagating cuttings, and the formula is the same blend used by professional greenhouse growers. Our mix is designed to promote better root development in young plants and holds water well due to the addition of an organic wetting agent. Moreover, it is OMRI Listed®, which means it is approved for organic gardening.

We start with fine, screened Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss  and fine perlite and vermiculite to give seedlings and cuttings the aeration and moisture retention they need to develop good root systems. An organic wetting agent ensures rapid water penetration, and the fine texture allows growers to germinate even the smallest seeds while also encouraging excellent rooting. Transplanting seedlings and cuttings with strong root systems grown in Black Gold® Seedling Mix is a breeze!

When it comes to germinating seeds, it’s simple working with this ready-to-use product. All you need is water, light, warm temperatures, and Black Gold® Seedling Mix.

Different seeds require different temperatures for best germination—some requiring cool temperatures and others warm. In general, seeds should be kept at temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees F and placed in bright light provided by grow lights or a window with a southern exposure. Some seeds need to be covered with mix to germinate and some require light to germinate and should be sprinkled on the surface of the mix, so be sure to check seed packets for details.

After planting, make sure the growing media stays moist, but not wet, and seeds and/or cuttings have plenty of water in the early stages of germination and rooting. Our seedling mix is designed with both peat moss and vermiculite, essential ingredients when you want to retain just the right amounts of moisture in your soil.

6-packsBlack Gold® Seedling Mix is made with the same ingredients we use to make our seedling/propagation mixes for professional greenhouse growers. Germinating your own seeds or rooting your own cuttings is a rewarding experience and one of the great delights of gardening. So, when you are faced with the question, “Why buy a premium seedling mix?” the answer is clear. Black Gold® Seedling Mix is high-performing and results in robust seedlings and cuttings. Why trust your seeds to anything else?

More seed-starting articles:

Bottom Heat for Happy Seed Starting

Seed Starting Tutorial: Part 1 of 6

Starting Seeds Indoors

Starting Perennials from Seed

Grow Free Bedding Plants with Cuttings

Cut Bedding Plant Costs with Cuttings

Coleus Plant Cuttings - Jessie Keith
Plant cuttings can turn one plant into five in just two weeks. And some bedding favorites are so easy to root, they are big money savers for those in the know. For instance, I never buy more than a few Coleus, Salvia, Lysimachia congestiflora or Agastache. A couple plants, some shears, seedling mix, rooting hormone and care are all that’s needed for loads more garden plants. (For some bedding plants, like coleus, rooting hormone is not even necessary.)

Start with a big, healthy plant — the bigger the plant, the larger the cuttings. Then fill clean, 4-inch pots or spacious seedling trays with Black Gold Seedling Mix. Lightly moisten the mix with clean water and dibble holes in the medium to hold the cuttings. Using clean, sharp shears, take 5 to 6 inch cuttings from the parent plants. Gently remove foliage from the bottom two inches of the cuttings and place them upright, like cut flowers, in a glass of cool, clean water. Before placing them in the seedling mix, dip the cuttings in powdered rooting hormone. Cutting pots should be kept in a spot with diffuse bright light and kept evenly moist, not wet. In a week or two they should have their own roots and be ready to plant wherever more summer color is needed!