First time propagating supply questions

Bill D

Bill D

Member
This will be my first time attempting propagation. Im going to attach a picture of what I have in mind. Any advice on supplies and techniques is greatly appreciated and I just want to thank this community for making me feel so welcome and educating me on everything figs!
 

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Looks pretty good to me!

Do the sizes of the heating mats match the size of your growboxes?

Get yourself a couple of Sterilite boxes at Walmart: if you buy one that's 12-13 inched high as a growbox (they hold exactly 4x5=20 4x9 pots and about the same number of cups) and one that's about 7 inches high as an upside-down cover, you're good to go!
IF I use cups, I always use the lids too: cut them once to the center, and you can easily put the lid around the cutting (or take it off). Use Painters tape to tape the cutting line and secure the lid to the cup. (y)

Happy rooting!
 
1. Coarse/Super Coarse/Chunky perlite would be better than horticultural grade perlite, which is smaller and often with a lot more dust. Coarse/chunky perlite can be expensive plus shipping (even though it is light but takes up space) so try to source it locally first.

2. 24-36 oz may be better than 16oz. I had done it in 8 or 12 oz before but definitely like bigger ones. Some of the plastic bottles in your recycled bin may work as well.

3. Ideally, the controller is separate from the heatmat so you can replace the heatmat if you need a bigger one or this one breaks down.

4. Need some lights and/or racks if you don't have it already. You can use shoplight and try to set it up so you can adjust the light distance from the canopy top as the cuttings grow. Get some mylar reflective sheets(or thermal blankets) to have better light coverage,
 
Good suggestions @grasshopper !

Some small add-on suggestions :):

- Make sure to always wear a mask when playing with perlite (or DTE)

- RE: Cups I agree that bigger is slightly better -> You can let them grow longer before you have to up-pot. I always burn a few holes in the bottom, so I can water from the bottom later on (I always weigh them when I start them, so I know how much water to add). Your local Starbucks/Pete's/... has great cups (with lids): bribe the barista with a $10 banknote and be done...

- Harbor Freight and Walmart have good value for money shop lights. Pay attention to the Lumens (light power) and temperature (in K) (color)).
 
Hard to see that picture on a laptop, few notes as it looks like you're using the cup method.....

Be sure you're using an affiliate link either to help a charity or another local gardener, etc. (Costs you nothing extra and they get a few cents.)
The cups need to be 32oz. Transition is when we loose them, once we switched to 32oz that got cut back.
Not sure if you are going the bag over the cup setup similar to a figpop, bu tthat's what we have done the last few years, helps balance moisture and greatly improved our success. https://amzn.to/48YYvdO
ProMix BX was our other game changer, we didnt use perlite, but do in our uppottings with our soil mix.
Wax or parafilm over the tops of cuttings.

This abotu timing and where you'll be able to put them when they're larger than just the pots. We've often started them over Christmas break because of time, which is fine. However if you can wait a month or two then when they start growing you can transition them outside much faster because temps are right.

Good luck!
 
Yup, all that stuff plus some parafilm to wrap the tops. Also, check around to see if you can get promix locally ( grower or nursery suply store). You can often get it for less than half that price. Also, If you do the promix, the perilite isn't really necessary.
For the holes in the cups, I usually use a small drill bit
 
I'm sure there local price differences exist, but I'm using cheaper Sunshine Mix #4 instead of Promix HP;
I pay $36.98 for 3 cu ft at Lowe's and it works just fine in my hands (even without adding extra perlite).
I use the left-over to up-pot (I add about 10% potting soil and some Osmocote to it then).

I use a soldering iron with a small tip to burn holes: drilling often cracks the cups when I do it...
 
Schoenie said:
I'm sure there local price differences exist, but I'm using cheaper Sunshine Mix #4 instead of Promix HP;
I pay $36.98 for 3 cu ft at Lowe's and it works just fine in my hands (even without adding extra perlite).
I use the left-over to up-pot (I add about 10% potting soil and some Osmocote to it then).

I use a soldering iron with a small tip to burn holes: drilling often cracks the cups when I do it...
Click to expand...

I use a soldering iron for making holes in plastic, too- so much easier than other options!

The cheapest Promix HP I have found is $35.50 for 3.8 cu ft.

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