Repotting Gang-rooted cuttings

13 years ago

I just potted up 5 cuttings that were gang-rooting in a large pot. I wanted to take photos, but I was up to my elbows in mud! LOL!

Anyway, I turned the pot slowly onto its side. Some of the top inch or so of soil fell out. Then I carefully slid out the large root ball from the pot. It held together because the roots were fairly well developed.

Then I carefullly submerged the entire rootball into a large 5-gal. bucket of water.

Gently agitating the rootball allowed the loose soil to fall away (it was at least half perlite anyway and much of it floats). Slowly and carefully I coaxed apart the individual root systems. It's much easier on the plants to do this underwater as the water supports the root systems. The soil, as it falls away, does not tug on the tender roots, breaking them.

I'm sure I broke just a few roots, but salvaged most of them and this time of year they'll grow back quickly.

This post was edited by dave_in_nova on Sat, Jun 22, 13 at 14:32

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Comments (7)

Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
Original Author
13 years ago
Here are the five new plants:

2 cuttings of an 'orange rainbow' seedling. The plant bloomed last summer for the first time. It was too large so I took several cuttings and threw the rest away.

2 cuttings of a 'Maui Beauty' seedling. It has never bloomed yet, but was getting too large for me to keep. Hopefully these will bloom at a smaller size.

1 Penang Peach. It broke off while I was moving the plant.
desamecyra
13 years ago
Nice healthy cuttings? Thank you for confirming what I suspected, that I'd have to take cuttings of my rooted plumies, -when they outgrow my available space.
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beachplant
13 years ago
They certainly look happy.
Tally HO!
jandey1
13 years ago
Dave, are you the one who ordered a big multi-tip Celadine from Molokai earlier this year? Did you have any luck with it? Just wondering.
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
Original Author
13 years ago
jandey,

No, that wasn't me.

NO MORE ROOM for new plumerias! LOL!

From the island of Moloka'i? or someone named Molokai? Is there another good vendor out there that I'm not aware of? Have you been holding out on us?? LOL!
dpolson37
13 years ago
JANDEY: Might have been me. Here is a photo of it waiting patiently inside for warmer weather. Turns out the cutting rotted. I came home after a week vacation to find it laying in my front yard. I salvaged what I could and now have three smaller multi-tip cuttings that I'm attempting to root. Time will tell.

I did get another canopy cutting from Molokai and have it almost ready to begin rooting. It was so fresh that I needed to harden it off before potting it.

Big Wave Dave
jandey1
13 years ago
Dave1, haha, no I would NEVER hold out on you guys! Molokai Plumeria specializes in celadine cuttings and leis.

Dave2, thank you, just wanted to know if you'd had luck with that fat cutting. Did it get dug up by an animal? And did you also get a bonus cutting?