How am I Killing This Cutting?

ohiobruce

ohiobruce

Well-known member
I started this VDB cutting on October 3rd. It didn't take long to send roots out to the side of the cup, but it has stalled and now looks like the roots are shrinking. I've given it maybe a tablespoon of water several times. It is in big box potting soil and I've had gnats crawling around.

Also not leafing out.

I have the mother plant and there are several shoots that I can air layer next spring, so this cutting doesn't have any value other than learning.

So where did I go wrong? Too small of cutting, didn't treat for gnats? Etc.?
 

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There are a lot of reasons why a cutting can have trouble…

1. Cutting bottom too low in the cup.

2. Too much heat.

3. Mix is too wet or too dry. (Yours looks a little dry to me.)

4. It can dessicate from the top down too much before growth has started. Yours looks maybe a little shrunken or wrinkly which means that shoots have to come from nodes below the soil that aren’t dessicated.

5. Rooting hormone can cause a cutting to peter out in some cases.
 
The green is some algae on the pearlite. I spritzed the top occasionally.
I sealed the top with Titebond III waterproof wood glue.
No rooting hormone.
The heating mat is on a controller and hits 80 degrees at the hottest. There is a sheet of 1/4" insulation on top of the heating mat.
There are some small, shriveled roots just below the surface.
I definitely leaned to keeping it on the dry side since I've read so many warnings about wet potting mix.

I'm going to dump it out and look for larvae.
 

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ohiobruce said:
The green is some algae on the pearlite. I spritzed the top occasionally.
I sealed the top with Titebond III waterproof wood glue.
No rooting hormone.
The heating mat is on a controller and hits 80 degrees at the hottest. There is a sheet of 1/4" insulation on top of the heating mat.
There are some small, shriveled roots just below the surface.
I definitely leaned to keeping it on the dry side since I've read so many warnings about wet potting mix.

I'm going to dump it out and look for larvae.
Click to expand...
My first thought looking at it was that the roots looked like they had received too much heat. Not saying that’s what it is exactly, but 80° is a bit too hot. That also can cause your mix to dry out too much.
 
I agree with GoodFriendMike. If fungus gnats infested your soil, they can quickly kill a young cutting.

Miracle Gro potting soil is notorious for drawing fungus gnats and I assume your big box store soil may have done the same.

Personally, my cuttings rarely have survived once fungus gnats start their attack. Sorry
 
I will agree that 80 is too warm...I always set mine to 70.
Seemed like a sweet spot for me anyway.
I also had LED grow lights over mine that got pretty warm, but heat rises so it wasn't really an issue.
Of course that was after foliage was present.
 
ohiobruce said:
The green is some algae on the pearlite. I spritzed the top occasionally.
I sealed the top with Titebond III waterproof wood glue.
No rooting hormone.
The heating mat is on a controller and hits 80 degrees at the hottest. There is a sheet of 1/4" insulation on top of the heating mat.
There are some small, shriveled roots just below the surface.
I definitely leaned to keeping it on the dry side since I've read so many warnings about wet potting mix.

I'm going to dump it out and look for larvae.
Click to expand...
I use parafilm and do not have experience with wood glue, but I saw a post where somebody used wood glue on a huge number of cuttings, and then used something else to seal another large number of cuttings, and all the wood glue ones died.
 
BucksCountyFigs said:
I use parafilm and do not have experience with wood glue, but I saw a post where somebody used wood glue on a huge number of cuttings, and then used something else to seal another large number of cuttings, and all the wood glue ones died.
Click to expand...
I put it on 10 of 91 of my classroom cuttings as an experiment. I'll report back. Of course, some other mistake could kill all of them and then we'll learn nothing. Lol.
 
So, try and I might, I just can't see and larvae. I even used a magnifying glass.
So here are some pics. I really think I let it get too dry and/or cooked it.. Last night I put several tablespoons of water on it, so it had been much drier for the last couple of weeks.
 

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ohiobruce said:
So, try and I might, I just can't see and larvae. I even used a magnifying glass.
So here are some pics. I really think I let it get too dry and/or cooked it.. Last night I put several tablespoons of water on it, so it had been much drier for the last couple of weeks.
Click to expand...
Anything is possible when it comes to failed cuttings. But I must say I still feel it is the gnats. Since you have been seeing them and your symptoms equal an infested cutting.
 
Opiem10 said:
I agree with GoodFriendMike. If fungus gnats infested your soil, they can quickly kill a young cutting.

Miracle Gro potting soil is notorious for drawing fungus gnats and I assume your big box store soil may have done the same.

Personally, my cuttings rarely have survived once fungus gnats start their attack. Sorry
Click to expand...
I haven’t had fungus gnats before, but how to prevent?
 
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