if there are no roots.. why would you do anything at this point ??

you are on the verge of loving them to death..

once you do have actual roots .. then think about moving them ...

a picture would sure help ..

ken

OK here is a pic
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I would put that in the ground or a pot at this point. I would also remove the stem above the strongest node. Looks very promising!

Dolzadell,

Take it easy, I'm sure Ken didn't mean any harm! He just writes in a kind of stream-of-consciousness way, and is occasionally (as I'm sure we all are) misunderstood.
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As for the plant in question, I agree with Purpleinopp.

Thanks, there are about 1/4 inch roots now, the top is cut off and I moved it into a cup and added soil, letting it grow longer roots first. The top 2 growth are quite strong, the bottom ones are hardly doing anything now.

Sounds good. Be sure to poke a hole in the bottom of the cup in case there is any excess moisture. It needs to be able to drain fully when watered or it will rot. Can you show another pic?

Um, why would it rot in a mixture of soil and water, when it has been sitting in water for 8 weeks? Anyway it's full of water now and I will let it dry out slowly to the point of being just damp an keep it at that

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That looks great!

I think the "um" was uncalled for, just trying to help you out. It would be silly for me to attempt to give you a scientifically sound answer since I'm not a scientist. I would guess bacteria that would cause rot can survive in wet dirt but not plain water. Don't really know & it's not important why unless you're just curious. The unscientific & working answer is, it just will.

If Brandon or one of the more formally educated folks comes back, they may have something to add. Or you could google some stuff I'm sure.

Keep up the good work!

Sorry about the "um". I figured that roots may rot if they are deprived of oxygen, but if they are already in water which had low oxygen to begin with it shouldn't be a problem. But maybe I'll keep it less wet just in case.

Accepted, smile. I know the change to letting it get a lot more dry in soil after moving from water seems counter-intuitive. If there is enough moisture to drip out of a hole in the bottom, that's when you get into the danger of rotting. Here's one last encouragement to put at least one small (at least half the diameter of a pencil) hole in the bottom. You don't want to let it get bone dry, but slightly moist would be a better goal than wet. It should be ready to start getting a little more light, maybe be moved into a shady spot outside, preferably with quite a bit of dappled light and/or some morning or evening exposure, if that's an option for you.

Should it be planted in the ground this year or wait till next year? it's a deciduous magnolia, looks like stellata or saucer.

Since it's in the clear cup, you can easily see the roots growing. I like to wait a little while until cuttings have a decent root system, but I think that's just a personal preference. I think it cuts the risk of rotting. If you do plant it out and it starts to wilt, you can set a lawn chair over it to make temporary shade.

Very interesting information of rooting in water. Kindly inform me the variety of the Magnolia used for rooting in water.
I am having Magnolia grandiflora, a big tree and wish to propagate it for our another house.
Thanks

Unfortunately I don't know. Was at a flower show and the vendor was selling branches with buds, he said the buds would open when kept in water (I used a blue glass vase) but they did not. Hope I'll eventually get flowers so I can ID it!

If you have a big tree you can certainly spare a few branches to experiment. Good luck!

I assumed you obtained the branch from a local tree, taipc, so sorry, eh? If it is M. grandiflora (southern Magnolia, with the big white flowers that smell like lemon Pledge to me) it is not hardy (able to survive winter) in Canada, so planting it in the ground is not a good idea. Hopefully it is not that kind if you were hoping to plant it outside, although they are evergreen and might make a decent house plant if you have enough light in the winter and can put it outside in the summer.

Plants are classified in terms of hardiness according to temperature zones. You can find your zone here. If you include it in your profile info, it will show up next to your name in your posts. Most people also include their 2-letter state to give people an even better idea of where they are. Canadians might put CANADA or their province. By knowing where you are, people will be able to give you more specific advice.

When I bought the branch from the vendor, it had buds and no leaves, I would guess it's a deciduous type grown locally rather then having been shipped from the South! I'm zone 6a.

Southern Grandiflora Magnolias sure do grow in Canada! I just spent the afternoon with a friend pruning two very large ones on my property.

Yikes, forgot I can’t edit.. pls ignore the exclamation mark..I use them too often. I just put about ten large cuttings in water to try and root some for my friend, I’m inspired that yours worked so well!

I can't seem to see photos you guys are attaching, I just took a branch cutting off my parents and was hoping it could be water propagated but this is the only post I have come across even mentioning it and I can't see any photos haha. I need proof, im impatient

I’m in the same boat, @stephanie_oconnor61 ! I took a cutting this morning and placed it in water and hoping ill be able to get it to root. Please let me know if it worked for you!

It seems that there has been a purge of old pics from old discussions.