Hoya Propagation forum: Rooting in Hydroton #2
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Views: 101, Replies: 38 » Jump to the end |
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| I am rooting some cuttings for a friend and myself and decided to do a step by step for anyone still unsure about rooting cuttings. The cuttings I am rooting are H. aff. albiflora which is growing way up an avocado tree...which accounts for the scuzzy looking cuttings (not clean and green as when they are grown out in the greenhouse). When cuttings have big leaves, I generally leave most of them on but I cut them in half...this allows the plant to continue to function (photosynthesis) but cuts down on the area where it might lose moisture thru evaporation. First of all, I put the pot in a bowl/cup or a tray that will hold water and keep the water level in the pot up about an inch. Hydroton will wick the moisture UP to the hydroton around the rooting area, giving moisture but not making it all soggy.  Now the cutting: pointing the clippers at the node I am going to use. The roots will come from the bottom 'crotch' between the leaf 'stem' and the vine.  I've trimmed the cutting to dust with rooting hormone  All of the cuttings are in the pot....  I fill the pot with hydroton and cover the areas that I want to root...but only about 1/2" down...  Here is a pot of H. megalantha cuttings that have rooted in their pot. I tugged on them and there was resistance.  Here are the balls of roots on those cuttings....  When I pot these cuttings up (into 2 pots with multiple cuttings) I will leave the hydroton on them and slip them into a pot with my normal mix which is light and airy..... Any questions? Some folks use soil for rooting...and generally the same process works. We have a lot of humidity here so I need a light porous medium. Leap. The net will appear. |
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| You dont bag them or cover them , Carol ? |
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| No I don't, Dom...but they do sit in a corner with 'low-ish' light and I will gradually move them out to higher light. If we get dry winds I mist the whole greenhouse... Leap. The net will appear. |
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| Thanks for the awesome tutorial, Carol! Can you post here what your normal mix is? |
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| http://cubits.org/AlohaHoya/thread/view/22279/ Tomorrow I'll go find the company that makes Big R as it's hard to find. Big R are redwood shavings...but small chips they use for planting orchids would do just as well. Donna, it grows plants very well here in the tropics (I grow everything in it)... I would say that if your environment has humidity and warmth...this mix would work for you. I know Mark Randal uses something very similar...practically the same. If you live in cold climes and heat your house artificaially...you may want something a bit denser...but remember, the hoya loves the fact that the roots can breathe..... If you provide enough ambient humidity, this mix should work for you.... Funny...Joni grows beautiful plants and can't use my mix...and I can't grow in hers. But we have both found the optimum.  Leap. The net will appear. |
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 Thanks for a great article! |
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| Thanks, Carol! Maybe some in Canada like Lee Ann or Christine can post there hoya soil recipes. |
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| I use a store bought mix (Walmarts cheapest) to which I add a couple of handfuls of perlite and a couple of handfuls of orchid mix to whatever amount I'm needing. |
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| hydroton..............? is that them little ball looking things? actually to my eyes they look like baby taters. i never heard of this either aloha?  |
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| I use a wal-mart tropical soil, mixed with equal parts of perlite & vermiculite. Light & airy. Kinda like me....  I think I'll be changing though- to a mix of tropical soil, perlite, vermiculite, with orchid bark and maybe some hydroton for extra aeration. I root in 2/3 perlite & 1/3 tropical soil. Purchased hydroton for $35 50L Going to try rockwool. Bought big slab for $9 "When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other." - Chinese Proverb |
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Be careful with the rockwool, Laura. I tried it AND tried foam....the issue is that once the cutting puts out roots, it continues to hold water AT the base of the cutting...which can rot easily. Trying to take the rockwool/foam off of the roots nearly always tears the roots off. Neither is really good in the LONG run...even a short long run. Leap. The net will appear. |
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Thanks for the advise Carol!  But, poop!   I really wanted coir instead. Got sold on this, as being better. Wonder what to do with this stuff? Again I say, poop. I guess I should have asked those with more experience, first! "When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other." - Chinese Proverb |
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| Coir is no better.... My rule of thumb is that if Orchid Growers advise against something...it won't work for hoyas either..... Better to use Orchid Bark or Landscape Bark (fine)..... Leap. The net will appear. |
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| Carol, Is megalantha a difficult one? Is easy to root? Is it thin or thick? Thanks |
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| Megalantha has a thin leaf...it's like rubida, leuchoroda, dennisii. It seems easy to root..... Leap. The net will appear. |
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| So probably won't make the long trip! |
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| I rather doubt it.... Leap. The net will appear. |
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| Lee Anne and Laura, The walmart tropical mix you use, is it similar to the miracle grow mix? I'm in Michigan and I should probally use something similar to what the two of you use. I use miracle grow mix, then add a bag of shredded bark for terrariums and a bag of sphagnum moss that I chop up into smaller pieces. I get the bark from my local pet supplies store. The bag is about 2-3 times larger then the orchid bark sold at Lowes and is less then $5. Oh and I add some charcoal to the mix. I was experimenting and ended up with quite abit. I am coming to the bottom of the bucket and not sure if I should try something different or keep using the same thing. A number of my plants really seem to like it, but then some are just doing ok. I have never had any of my hoyas bloom but I they do put out lots of green leaves. I would just love to get at least one bloom. Thanks Rain |
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| Rain....the only problem I can see with your mix is 1) Miracle Gro mix has fertilizer already in it which may be making your hoyas grow but not bloom....and it may not have the essential minerals you do need (calcium, magnesium etc.). 2) Spagnum moss stays wet for a long time (soggy) and then when it dries it dries really thoroughly (like peat) and is hard to rewet. The best to use is something that would look like the trash in the crotch of a tree in the woods. Airy. Loose..... Leap. The net will appear. |
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| This Hydroton method is great. I put couple of compacta cuttings I got on April 11.Now they are showing roots ! I used a clear disposable 4 oz cup and filled 1/3rd of it with some Hyroton.I put very little water,just enough to wet hydroton and few extra drops every few days. Planning to use it on other cuttings in future. |
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