***Disclaimer: I am NOT affiliated with the “Nature Garden” Amazon storefront nor are they selling plant propagation materials I have provided for sale or done any QC on. If you’ve found this video via a QR code you received with some cuttings you’ve ordered, it is simply another company sharing my videos as their instructions, and at this time I have no connection to or financial support from the business you’re purchasing from.***
If you don't have a huge space to grow in but still want to, then this segment is for you!
I'm currently having some wild success with rooting fruit tree cuttings in the greenhouse and wanted to share the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way (mainly from my own failures, coupled with the successes of friends I'm learning from on IG.)
A few notes:
-If you're using a cutting that has leaves or green buds, you'll want to trim off all of the leaves/push off the buds that would otherwise go below the soil line or you may have issues with rot and whatnot. (I haven't had an issue with not removing totally dormant buds, but YMMV.)
-If there are any fruit or flowers on the above the soil line portion, go ahead and remove those as well.
-I'd recommend using the dome method if your cutting already has some foliage (the airspace will make or break you)- you can also give a washed out ziploc bag or bread bag a second life here.
-When the leaves of your cutting begin to fully unfurl, that's when you can begin venting if you're using domes. Keep an eye on the cutting when you do this, and if it looks like it's beginning to dry out, get it covered back up for a while and try uncovering again a few days later. (This is why I love the drink bottle method- because then you can vent without fully sacrificing that humid environment.)
-When I say "create suction up into the wood" (#brainfart) I meant "encourage dormant nutrient and water uptake pathways to restart their processes via exposing the living cellulose on a cutting to environmental stimuli"... or something along those lines. Sometimes my brain and mouth don't cooperate and I just have to print it and move on, as I have a ton of work to do outside of this. (I hope you got the gist though. :P)
-I know I'm recommending single use plastic as my first option, and that's a big MEH. I weighed the options and their costs before filming, and realized that we had a roll of saran wrap that doesn't really get used anymore because we're into more reusable methods of storing food now. Plus if a few inches of it results in a perennial tree, then maybe it's a solid short-term loss (that we took stewardship of when it was purchased) for a long term gain. Idk. Plastics in farming will be something I will constantly grapple with, no matter how much upcycling I manage to do.
-Rooting with this method generally takes 2-4 weeks under optimal conditions. I don't attempt to remove the new plants from their containers until 6-8 weeks. Treat their roots sort of like you would care for a tiny baby seedling, as that's pretty much what they are in the early stages!
As always, feedback is super welcome as I constantly want to learn more and do better, and if you have a different method that already works for you, then stick with that! But if you don't, then maybe give this one a shot. :)
