Mondays with Mike. This week . . .
Donkeys. Since we shot this videos the Donkeys have a greatly expanded pen and lots of new grass to eat. They’re happy. I no longer have to tie them out so they can eat a little grass.
Just getting ready to stick cuttings. Trying out the grand kids to see how they like doing cuttings with their Grandma and me.
Buckets of hardwood cuttings of Purple Sandcherry.
The how and why of sticking cuttings and exactly how we do it.
My hillbilly weather station and why I have it.
What a good liner should look like and why.
Questions or comments post them below.
I have been following Mike for 3 years now. I would love a free membership.
Hey Mike, the links on your creeping charlie page(http://www.freeplants.com/creeping%20charlie.html) that was emailed out today are broken. Whoever inserted the links didn’t use a correct web address.
Kevin, in the Email we use tracking links, maybe they weren’t redirecting as they should or not fast enough.
Hello Mike, I sure enjoy your videos. I’m just starting getting my sand boxes ready and all together. I have the misters ,timer, and I recently bought 3 un registered plants at an end of season sale at Harps grocery store as stock plants.
I’m having trouble locating that Woods liquid.
Any idea where I can get some?
How long do the cuttings stay in the sand?
Thanks
Bill Nazarenko
Bill,
It will be much easier to find Dip n Grow or really just about any rooting compound will work until you can find Dip n Grow or Woods. Cuttings can stay in the sand for 8 weeks to a year, sometimes even two years if slow growing evergreens.
Great video, Mike! Is the planting medium sand? Or a combination of sand and something else?
Nick,
All I use is coarse sand.
Mike I’ve tried rooting bridal wreath Spireae in course sand with the mist and the stems continue to go black. Is this from too much moisture? I have the mist system set at 10 min intervals for 10 seconds.
Thank you
Can you MAKE a homemade root stimulator solution without buying one?
You can make a homemade root stimulator using willow tea. Me? I use a commercial product because that’s what all of the professional growers use. I want every advantage I can get when it comes to rooting cuttings.
phew, i was starting to worry that we were too far behind on cuttings this year. Good to know its not too late! Your grandkids are freakin adorable!
Hey Mike,
I really enjoy the videos. Having the visual to your instruction is so powerful
and effective. Thanks!
David
Mike, Another great segment. Looks like you have 2 future gardeners there. A nice way for them to stock up money for their college education. Thanks.
Great video. I am amazed at the number of new plants you generate from all these cuttings. You are so lucky to have your grandkids so close by and involved. I keep meaning to try to do some cuttings but get busy with other garden projects. Is now the right time to do some hydrangea or elderberry bush cuttings?
Susan,
Right now is a great time, June through September doing this http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
hi mike,
how long do i leave my cuttings in the sand beds under the mist system?
i want to take them out and plant them in my raised beds instead of potting them. how long should i grow them in my raised beds? a year?
thanks mike, i love all the great videos and info you post for us.
Jim,
Cuttings can stay in the propagation beds for 8 to 10 weeks or until next spring. How long you grow them really depends on the plant and what size you want to sell them at.
Mike, thank you for your valuable information. You mention you turn off the misters when you don’t need a certain area getting wet. I have your misting system. How do you “turn off” a mister once the hole is drilled into the pipe?
Nanette,
The misters can be shut off by pushing down the pin, but that’s not great because some water still drips from the spray nozzle. Or you can pull the tubing out of the pipe and using a piece of rubber and hose clamp close off the hole in the pipe.
Blessings Mike to you and your family! Nice video_ the KIDS & the grandchildren are growing up!!!! I admire you and Pam .Keep up the good work. Donna lee
Mike, I’m disabled and have a number of ‘obstacles’ to overcome in order to be able to garden in the way I would love to. But I’ve continued to subscribe to your emails because I learn from your processes and I love to watch how you approach the various tasks/jobs of a gardener. I enjoyed seeing how you involve (&teach!) your grandkids in today’s message. And often when I’m having not the best of days, I find a message in my email from you about gardening and it right away lifts my spirits & gives me a more positive slant in my perspective. I’m glad I have the benefit of being a subscriber to your emails. And I just wanted to let you know — & say thanks.
Peggy,
Thank you for sharing this. It’s nice to know that people are benefiting from what I do when I don’t even know that it’s happening.
Thanks, Mike!
How deep is your sand in the cutting bed? (I’m just using plastic fames now so they’re only 3″ deep)
How long can you use the same sand?
What are the pvc ‘railings’ for along the sides?
God bless,
Judi
Judi,
My sand is 7.5″ deep. Being that deep I can use if for several years, usually top dressing with a bit of fresh sand if needed. The pvc rails are to support shade. We’ll cover that in the next “Mondays with Mike”.
Hi Mike,
Are the 3″ flats that Judi uses still deep enough for rooting? From what you said, I’m assuming that the 7.5″ depth in your bed is more for preserving and re-using the sand than for being a minimum requirement for rooting. Is that a correct assumption?
Thanks.
Vince
Vince,
You are correct. I’ve rooted cuttings in flats that are only 2″ deep. The cuttings root fine but over wintering them in the flats is a little more challenging. Not impossible, they just need to be covered so they don’t dry out.