Propagating/rooting semi-woody cuttings

[applestar]

I was given some big and very healthy freshly trimmed branches of Kaffir lime and Curry Leaf plant to harvest leaves from. So in addition to processing them for the leaves, I couldn't resist preparing some of the stems and trying to root them.

Here they are, starting to show some new growth.
I think the Curry Leaf is actually doing well but the lime keeps dropping the new growths... Luckily I started a lot of lime cuttings so hopefully at least one or two will pull through

[pepperhead212]

Good work, applestar! I have also found what you are discovering - that this is not a high percentage work, with many of the cuttings dying off, or even if I see roots, they just sit there. Then, there's the one that takes off! Good luck with the rest of them!

[applestar]

Thanks, pepperhead212

[imafan26]

Citrus cuttings work best just before the new leaves come out. When they are dormant, the mortality rate goes up.

[applestar]

I decided to dig up this thread so I can post progress•update photos of the propagated cuttings mentioned above as well as some that I started last fall. ...This is also nearly a good time to take and grow new cuttings. Ones that need good bottom heat can be put on heat mats along with peppers and tomato seeds.

Since most of the information from these other posts are relevant here, I'll just copy and tweak a little to save typing

Going back a little further in time, here are some more references to the same topic

Subject: 2016 -- starting seeds and cuttings for the new season

[...]

Here are some of the more successful rooted herb cuttings. Lavender and Stevia are still out in the garage V8 Nursery since they seem perfectly happy. The mixed cuttings of Rosemary, Jasmine, Tea... Are on the upper shelf of Winter Paradise ("indoor greenhouse" covered shelves fitted with fluorescent daylight tubes).

They started out like this (tope right photo in the collage) in perlite and water lapping at the bottom 1/4" of the cells:



Subject: Indoor organic herb gardening

Here are photo collages of my Winter Indoor Herb "Garden". I grow all of these outside during the warmer months -- some in containers, others in the ground and then dug up and potted for winter. These are mostly ones that don't survive the winter outside here. The ones that normally survive outside or are "borderline" (sometimes survives and sometimes not) are harder to keep indoors during the winter.

Top 3 : Rosemary in Garage V8, FR Cool Gang, rooted cuttings with Jasmine and tea cuttings (rooted stevia cutting behind) in WP2
Middle 3 : Marjoram and Thyme in YBR, Thyme, Celery, and Marjoram in V8, Marjoram in WPPH
Bottom 3 : Lemon Verbena in YBR, Thai Basil behind Dunkel Violetter in WP2, Lemongrass in BBR

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Rooted cuttings of Stevia behind marjoram in V8; Dormant stevia in Green Room

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{Rosemary ...with Tea and Jasmine... And Stevia cuttings}

Curry Leaf Plant in WPPH; Turmeric above Cool Gang

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{A cose up update photo of the Curry Leaf plant that was rooted from cutting last winter with the Kaffir Lime as mentioned above instead}


These are all Kaffir lime cuttings that were rooted last winter.


....

I'm throwing this in here because it needs to be mentioned, but I'm not sure ATM if this is the right place in the sequence to be clearly understandable -- The cuttings that I started back in the fall last year and rooted already (sometimes due to the relatively still warm fall temperatures of the garage) could actually thrive in the unheated garage without heating mats, etc. if they were kind of plants that tend to grow roots in cold but above freezing temperatures.

[imafan26]

Looking good Apple. Kaffir limes can be grown from seed easier than from cuttings but they give very few seeds. Murraya also grows very easy from seeds. Mine actually reseeds so well I have to pull up the seedlings or cut off the berries before they drop.
I used to root things and put them under the bench and took them for granted and months later they would be there. Lately, I have lost my touch, it has been a struggle keeping cutting alive even of things I did not have problems with before. I am using the baggy method on some of the rose cuttings, they seem to do better and my lavender did better on top of the bench than under it. Under the bench, I am having problems with too much sun from the side and still having a lot of dead cuttings, more than I used to. The top of the bench is fuller so maybe not enough light is coming down from top. We used to root ohia lehua easily at the garden on the mist bench and but I am not having the same success. I think I may have found one of the solutions. The cuttings that are taking are from semi ripe wood and not tips. Only problem is my mother plants don't have that many branches to give. I will have to find another source and see if I can get more semi ripe cuttings.

[banana123]

Hey apple! Was really intrigued that you were growing a curry leaf plant. Where did you get the original cutting from? And how is it faring now? Was it a quick grower? From the pics it looks like the little guy just took off!

[applestar]

Hi banana123 The photo above is recent. It wasn't growing much all last summer, and had me worried, but it seems to have finally settled in. The yellowing may or may not be just because it's winter and colder. From all I hear, here on out, it wii be a monster.

Cuttings were given to me from a generous friend who only meant to give me a bunch of leaves to use since he had to prune it down to wrestle it inside for the fall, but if someone gives me whole healthy branches, I can't just strip the leaves and throw away/compost the stems -- I HAVE to see if I can get them to root.

[applestar]

@imafan, isn't it annoying when you think you are doing everything the same way as before when it worked... and it doesn't? Then you have to start investigating like you are doing.

-- I'm sure you will figure it out.

[imafan26]

Yeah, especially since I can't figure out what is different except for climate change and having more plants on the top of the bench than every before. This is especially annoying with the lavender since few cuttings are rooting and if I do manage to root them they die shortly after transplant. Same thing with the rose. So far only one green rose is still alive.