sounds like a great theory .... only time will tell if you win ...

presuming its well watered now.. and try to memorize the weight in your hand.. if it is losing water... then it will lose weight. ... though i dont see you mention what you actually put them in.. all one flat??.. individual pots???

you said in a DARK place ... you need to avoid all direct sun.. but it should be pretty bright .. not what i would call DARK ...

i would not have mixed all them in one flat.. sedum you could have probably thrown in the garden where you wanted them.. and odds are.. they would root in .. with no further care.. cant kill most of them ...

the hydrangea and lilac.. are more woody.. and may take a long time.. so i would have separated them .. if you gently pull on them.. and they slip right out.. they have no roots.. as roots develop there is resistance. and the media will pull up.. and that is how you know there are some roots ...

the phlox.. i would probably have crown divided in early spring or fall ... and just pulled a mature one into 50 pieces ...

you have ID'd quite a few variables.. addressed them all .. and really seem to be on track.. but only time will tell if you fail.. and if you do.. figuring out which variable.. did you in ....

good luck

ken

If I've understood what you're doing, there are holes in the bottom cups for drainage, with another cup sitting inverted on top. But I wasn't sure if there are any ventilation holes in the top cup? Since these are outside, I don't know if you need the top cups. I don't use any type of lid for outside cuttings. In just a few minutes of sun mid-day between 2 leaves, or even early morning/late evening rays, it can get way too hot & rottingly steamy in there. If it drains well, misting shouldn't be necessary, just water them well when they seem dry.

Are these your own plants you are propagating? If so, you might be interested in trying layering. Generally, that's where a new plant is grown while the baby remains attached to the mama, by pinning a branch to the soil, partially burying it, laying a rock or brick on it. It's a great "lazy" thing to do since you basically ignore it until these 3 things coincide: there are roots, you have time, weather permits successful separation & transplant. Sometimes a couple months, sometimes a year. If your branch won't bend that far, one can try air layering, where a wound is made, then packed with moss. Google yourself a basic education if it sounds interesting.

These ideas are for general enabling, Ken gave good specifics!

purpleinopp - No ventilation holes cut in the tops...I thought that I needed to create that 'greenhouse effect' in there. So far everything is looking good. These are my own plants - I'm definitely going to try layering for my hydrangea. Thanks for the tips!

Ken - fingers crossed! It's not in total darkness, but under a really shady pine tree so that it doesn't get direct sun. Just nice shade. They're not in flats, but in cups. The cups were left over from earlier use and already had holes cut in the bottom for draining, so it was easy to just put some soil in, the cutting, and upend a cup over it all.

We'll see if it works! :)

you might want to contemplate this setup ...

no holes in the bottom ...

you tell when and if it needs more water.. based on the dew on the inside of the bag ...

i used it indoors under lights.. but i dont see why not outside ...

ken

{{gwi:5067}}

btw.. the pic above.. its the setup i wanted you to see ... rather than playing around with individual cups ...

i dont know if the perlite was the best decision on my part ...

its just an mind picture for an alternative method .. rather than 'my way worked' .. lol

ken

Looks great! What do you have your plants starting in? It looks a little like perlite.

I've seen another method using one of those clear plastic shoe boxes - I'd like to try that too. One of the reasons I used the cups is because I just have a few starts of this and a few starts of that, and I was afraid I'd forget what I was growing if I didn't have it written on something, like the individual cup!

One of the best greenhouses for 'this and that' is a plastic milk jug. You don't need holes in the bottom but leave the cap off. The clone containers should have drain holes. You load up the milk jugs with clones and tape it closed, write on the side. Peek down the hole to keep an eye on things. Microwave potting soil if you use it because fungus gnats can be a difficult problem. Aphids sluff off their outer skins as they grow so watch the top of the soil for clues. Every one of the plants will clone differently so expect to change your method to suit them. You mention new growth which implies tip cuttings. Air layering on older growth is worth a try. You can take identical cuttings and some will sprout roots like a pipe cleaner and others will do nothing. A healthy mom growing robustly with no bugs will improve your success rate. Persistence is what it takes. Pitch the failures without despair and celebrate your successes.

Great advice! I tried it this week (the plastic milk jug) with about 15 boxwood tip cuttings. It's not exactly air-tight with the jagged cut pretty sloppily taped, but hopefully it's enough to create a nice humid environment!

did you sterilize the jug with 10% bleech???

and do understand.. air movement is requisite ..

you can have air movement and increased humidity ...

e.g. monarda ... lack of air movement can lead to powdery mildew ...

ken

Sloppy is fine, air tight is not good. I use a straw and blow into the milk jug whenever I check or touch them. 13 tip cuttings in a jug implies direct planting?. I use 7 oz cups, 4 with cuttings and one upside down in the center to keep them stable. See-through cups allow me to watch the roots form. Some plants like a lot of moisture, some don't, they are all different. There are lots of variables. Write on that milk jug, media is this....date, plant was that, hormone was this blah blah... Trial and error becomes success as you learn and change your methods. Pitch the loses and keep trying.

Hmmm, I would say that my clippings are in a fairly 'air tight' atmosphere...should I cut venting in the tops of the containers?

The current set-up is: large clear plastic cups, drainage holes cut in the bottom, with much smaller white plastic cups that I've slid down to cover the clippings, no vents. I've been checking the clippings and I don't see any mildew or wilting, but it's only been 2 weeks. I guess I thought it needed to be airtight to achieve the necessary humidity...

Ventilation has been suggested three times so far. Is it not fairly humid outside where you are now? If not, I'd be happy to send some your way if I could!

I have gotten conflicting opinions online, which is why I'm asking. You had written that you didn't know if I needed the top cups...that's fine, but I was hoping that someone had a definitive answer. Thanks anyway!