Question:
What are softwood cuttings? I'm new to gardening, and I see this term often while learning about propagating plants.Answer:
- Softwood cuttings are a type of stem cutting. They are taken from the soft, succulent, herbaceous, or new growth of deciduous and evergreen plants.
- This type of growth is common in the spring and occurs sporadically throughout the rest of the year.
- Older growth is called hardwood or semi-hardwood. The new growth looks different from the mature parts of the plant.
- Don't be misled by the word “wood," because it often doesn't appear woody. Again, they're soft, succulent, and herbaceous.
- In some plants, the color of the new growth is brighter than that of the old wood. In others, new wood has a glossier texture. Sometimes, it's both.
- Also, choose new growth that doesn't have flower buds at the top.
- Non-flowering shoots have more energy to put into developing roots.
- In the morning is the best time to gather cuttings. While waiting to prepare the cuttings, keep them moist by wrapping them in a damp paper towel.
- They should be six to eight inches long, with two or more nodes. Remove the bottom two-thirds of the leaves, and cut the basal end at a slant.
- Before placing them into a rooting tray, dip the ends into a rooting hormone like 'Dip and Grow' or 'Rootone' to promote root development.
- Various media can be used for rooting cuttings, such as vermiculite, perlite, sand, peat, or a mix of these. Well-draining potting soil also works well.
- These cuttings typically root within five to six weeks. Finally, always take three to four times more cuttings than needed. This allows you to select the strongest cuttings for transplanting.
Question:
What are the odds that a poinsettia would still be in bloom today and have lots of new green growth at the same time? Is it a very common thing that I have just missed?Answer:
- It is quite unusual for a Poinsettia to be in bloom at this time of year. The bright red color has probably faded to a duller shade.
- What you are seeing is not the actual flower. The brightly colored parts of the Poinsettia are modified leaves called bracts that change color with short days.
- The real flower is the tiny yellow or red structure in the center of these bracts. They have incomplete flowers because they lack petals or sepals.
- Bougainvilleas are another example of a plant with colorful bracts, not flowers. The flower of a Bougainvillea is the white structure in the center of the colorful bracts.
- To get it to rebloom, i recommend keeping your poinsettia plant fed regularly and watered. Also, pinch back new growth so side shoots develop, which helps keep the plant compact and bushy.
- Additionally, make your last fertilizer application in September.
- In October, you can start triggering the reblooming cycle by lengthening the nights, which involves covering the plants at dinnertime with a box and removing it at breakfast for six to eight weeks.