Rooting cuttings in plain water?

[JerryHaskins]

As I mentioned earlier, I have started rooting cuttings in 2-liter Pepsi bottles. It works great, but you have to remove the cuttings and re-pot them while the roots will come out through the small opening in the top of the bottle. Alternatively, you can just cut the plastic bottle opening with scissors and extract the newly rooted plant.

Attached are photos of 6 New Gold Lantanas I rooted this way, and have re-potted into 1-gallon pots.

I am trying to root some Shishi camellia cuttings but it's not doing much.

I did root a coleus cutting for my wife, and it is doing great---almost ready to re-pot.

[GrowingCoastal]

I have wintered over mature Lantanas in my unheated garage here in winter after letting them weather in the fall and then pruning and removing all leaves. It never freezes and stays dry. The lantana becomes a larger plant the following year. A late starter, breaking from old wood in June.

[GrowingCoastal]

Jerry, seeing your camelia trial gave me the idea to try a viburnum I haven't been successful rooting in soil, next year.


Whenever I have rooted plants in water I have found that I need to keep the soil very wet after transplanting until they develop 'soil roots'. They do very well.

Thanks, Jerry- I really want to succeed- the plants are hard to find here in the spring.

[JerryHaskins]

Originally Posted by GrowingCoastal

I have wintered over mature Lantanas in my unheated garage here in winter after letting them weather in the fall and then pruning and removing all leaves. It never freezes and stays dry. The lantana becomes a larger plant the following year. A late starter, breaking from old wood in June.

Good tip. Thanks.

I will give that a try this winter. Now all I need to do is make enough room in my garage for a few pots!

By the way, deer will not eat any part of New Gold Lantana.

They don't eat Sun Rise or Sun Set Lantana leaves either---but they eat the blossoms off of Sun Rise and Sun Set.

Deer are bad around my house. I bought 30 broccoli and cauliflower plants yesterday (for $17.00) and the deer ate them last night before I could set them out. My garden is protected but the new plants were just sitting on the concrete next to my garage.