Wax

I use silicone caulk now. Easier than parafilm, wax, glue, or paint. Also unlike the others, very easy to remove. Peels off easily like a rubber cap.
 
DCallahan said:
If a person was using wax instead of parafilm for rooting and not just storage why wouldn't they wax the same length that they'd cover with the parafilm?
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I believe that moisture loss is primarily thru the cut end, and never seen the need to wrap them all the way down, thats just my preference, and what always worked for me.
 
figpumper said:
I believe that moisture loss is primarily thru the cut end, and never seen the need to wrap them all the way down, thats just my preference, and what always worked for me.
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I appologize, The OP was asking about sealing cuttings and your answer was for that purpose. I totally agree with you, just seal the tip, no need to do the whole length.

I do wrap or wax the length of the cutting to near the soil line once I'm rooting since it's no longer in a sealed container in order to help preserve internal moisture during the rooting process.
 
figpumper said:
Are you laying your figpops on their side
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I’m stacking them for now. There isn’t really a strict rule. Once they start rooting and pushing out leaves, I’ll take the excess out of the container and make the others stand upright. I might stack a few in between, and put the rest somewhere else.
 

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Figlantis said:
I’m stacking them for now. There isn’t really a strict rule. Once they start rooting and pushing out leaves, I’ll take the excess out of the container and make the others stand upright. I might stack a few in between, and put the rest somewhere else.
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No , they look great, lots of green growth, I just like to stand mine upright to promote the roots to grow downward towards the heat , but there is no strict way, everyone has their own preference, whatever works for that person!
 
Figlantis said:
I’m stacking them for now. There isn’t really a strict rule. Once they start rooting and pushing out leaves, I’ll take the excess out of the container and make the others stand upright. I might stack a few in between, and put the rest somewhere else.
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Welcome to the group by the way!
 
superdave336 said:
Troy has a video where he is dipping his cuttings in wax and he used the Treekote grafting wax and just melted in the tin. Search says it is a composition of rosin, beeswax, tallow, and similar materials. Just sit on a coffee warmer, easy peasy I think. I might try it this year myself. Also, just learned they sale beeswax at Hobby Lobby if anyone has a local store and wants to pick some up to try.
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Latest video Troy is just using Gulf wax in an old coffee pot.
 
I have used titebond III for years, during pruning and rooting, easy, dries fast, and safe. I start shaping trees the minute they sprout, all my trees are great single leaders due to this process, wax has presented challenges for me during the shaping process.
 
figologist said:
For those of you who use beeswax to seal cuttings - what are your thoughts about cutting the beeswax 50/50 with paraffin wax?
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I dip all my cuttings on both ends to preserve freshness. I use only paraffin wax it does flake off in transit and once it gets cold like in a fridge if you are constantly bumping them together. I’ve seen bees wax only and it sticks more and does not come off easily with your finger nail like paraffin wax does. When it comes to rooting I would try to stick to straight paraffin wax as it’s thinner / weaker and easier for buds to break through where as the beeswax can be a bit more strong. For me the flaking off is not a problem because when I go to root they aren’t in a fridge anymore or bumping up against each other in transit. If it comes to just rooting I’d say the paraffin wax dip is all you need. If you are looking to ship them waxed then try the 50/50 paraffin and beeswax or 1/3 toilet ring wax, 1/3 beeswax, and 1/3 paraffin. When it comes to rooting you do not want any wax below or at the soil line only above the soil line. For some reason the spots that have wax start to mold if they are below or at the soil line. So for me it’s important that I’m able to remove the wax easily when I go to root. I’ve heard of the toilet ring wax but never have played with it. If you are planning to save time in parafilm taping all your cuttings for rooting it’s is far faster to dip top int paraffin wax and the bottom end int rooting hormone and put it to root.
 
I’m really thinking about trying the paraffin wax this year on my cuttings. Put an old coffee mug on a warmer and fill with wax. Should be pretty quick and easy.
 
If waxed incorrectly its a huge issue for the buyer,
Shopbunker sent bith ends waxed, in thick really hard to remove 2 of the 3 cuttings had rot under the wax
Other orders i received the wax didnt cause a problem with the cuttings but made a huge mess which isnt a big deal but the wax was all flaked off before i even received them...so not sure how much protection it really provided.

I prefer them not waxed at all but the flaky wax isnt a problem.
All my cuttings from italian4u rooted with 0 problems.
Others with the beeswax or "wetter wax" i had problems with.
 
pjmac said:
If waxed incorrectly its a huge issue for the buyer,
Shopbunker sent bith ends waxed, in thick really hard to remove 2 of the 3 cuttings had rot under the wax
Other orders i received the wax didnt cause a problem with the cuttings but made a huge mess which isnt a big deal but the wax was all flaked off before i even received them...so not sure how much protection it really provided.

I prefer them not waxed at all but the flaky wax isnt a problem.
All my cuttings from italian4u rooted with 0 problems.
Others with the beeswax or "wetter wax" i had problems with.
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I’m glad they all rooted for you. The wax on my end is to keep the cuttings fresher longer by sealing in the moisture. Sadly USPS likes to play football with packages so the wax flaking off sadly happens. I always advise people if the top wax is still in good shape to leave it and only remove the bottom for rooting. If the wax on top end is damaged or flaked off either dip them again in paraffin wax or wrap in parafilm tape for rooting. Out of all the packages I sent out I think I had one person send me pictures back to where all the wax was as if I had just dipped them. I like the paraffin most because it comes off easily with your finger nail and you do not have to really work at it to remove it.
 
Italian4u said:
I’m glad they all rooted for you. The wax on my end is to keep the cuttings fresher longer by sealing in the moisture. Sadly USPS likes to play football with packages so the wax flaking off sadly happens. I always advise people if the top wax is still in good shape to leave it and only remove the bottom for rooting. If the wax on top end is damaged or flaked off either dip them again in paraffin wax or wrap in parafilm tape for rooting. Out of all the packages I sent out I think I had one person send me pictures back to where all the wax was as if I had just dipped them. I like the paraffin most because it comes off easily with your finger nail and you do not have to really work at it to remove it.
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Yea this wax was fine for the cuttings and it did stay intact on the apical bud which was nice. That thicker wetter stuff was not fun to work with at all. And yes i worked in logistics all those shipper bags get thrown everywhere.
 
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