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Mar 1, 2015 9:46 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
A friend called me yesterday and said he need advice about rooting camellia cuttings. He said his next-door neighbor had several heirloom camellia bushes that had the most gorgeous flowers we had ever seen. He asked for and obtained permission to take 8-10 cuttings. He dipped the cut ends in Rootone and stuck them in (the necks of) 12oz. soda bottles filled with water. He told me that's the way his mom rooted her cuttings. Anyway, he said not a single cutting rooted.

I have never grown camellias and never rooted them, so I need someone to tell me how to root what appears to be difficult-to-root camellias.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Mar 1, 2015 10:34 AM CST
Name: Anne
Summerville, SC (Zone 8a)
Only dead fish go with the flow!
Plant and/or Seed Trader Birds Cat Lover Greenhouse Tropicals Bulbs
Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Master Level Hibiscus Hybridizer Garden Sages Butterflies
I have tried for year to root Camellias with no luck until I tried Compound/Serpentine Layering. That worked but it took a couple of years.

http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pl...
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
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Mar 1, 2015 10:38 AM CST
Name: Anne
Summerville, SC (Zone 8a)
Only dead fish go with the flow!
Plant and/or Seed Trader Birds Cat Lover Greenhouse Tropicals Bulbs
Seed Starter Garden Ideas: Master Level Hibiscus Hybridizer Garden Sages Butterflies
Also want to add that the Plant Propagators Bible is a must if you do a lot of propagating. I discovered it in my public library and immediately bought it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594864489/
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams
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Mar 1, 2015 11:05 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I tip my hat to you.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Avatar for Deebie
Mar 1, 2015 6:41 PM CST
Name: Deborah
midstate South Carolina (Zone 8a)
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!
Charter ATP Member Amaryllis Tropicals Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Plumerias
Plant Identifier Peonies Lilies Irises Hummingbirder Echinacea
I have been successful at getting camellias to root in perlite, but it does take a while.
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Mar 3, 2015 5:55 PM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
I toured the Massee Lane Gardens at the American Camellia Society headquarters a few years ago. They were air layering many of their camellias. They also had greenhouses full of cuttings and the difference was that they take tiny little, 3" at most, cuttings which include a node and any remaining leaves are cut in half so they will require less moisture and nutrients. Most of us take larger, longer cuttings and that just does not usually work.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
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Mar 3, 2015 9:12 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Thanks. I will pass this information along.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Mar 14, 2015 7:10 PM CST
Name: Gita Veskimets
Baltimore or Nottingham MD-212 (Zone 7a)
Life is "mind over matter". If I d
aedesia--

Do you know WHEN they took the cuttings? What month--etc...
How were the tiny cuttings rooted?
--In soil in a covered container--a la Venus Flytraps?
---In an open container?
I was told that Camellia cuttings need to be taken in August (here--Z-7a)
when the new growth has reached the soft-wood stage. Do you agree?

I have a gorgeous, "Bob Hope" Camellia which is getting on in years .
Would love to propagate it for posterity--but do not know the best way to do it..
I tried air-layering a few years ago--and there were no roots in the moss wrapped cuts.
I tried root layering and after 2 years--nothing had happened. So--I took the brick off.

Anyone out there that has a sure-proof method???

Thanks, Gita
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Mar 15, 2015 6:25 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
Gita,
In my warm climate we often have semi hardwood growth year round so cuttings can be taken most anytime here. I imagine in your area late summer might be best.

The containers I saw were open and misted for humidity. At home a closed container might provide the best solution to maintaining humidity. I fall down badly in that area myself, I always forget to keep the humidity up in containers so I have never had success doing that.

Air layering works better for me and gives me a good sized plant to begin with. I strip a layer of bark off and I always take a section that has a node. There are plant hormones called auxins clustered around the nodes that stimulate roots or shoots. That area gets dusted with rooting powder and the damp long fibered sphagnum moss is wrapped around. A bit of string or wire helps to keep the moss ball together and it helps to have a friend assisting here, it is hard to hold and tie something around the moss at the same time. The moss is then wrapped in transparent plastic and tied top and bottom; regular twist ties works fine. The whole thing is then wrapped in aluminum foil to keep the sun out. This gives the roots a dark place to develop and it keeps algae from growing on the damp moss. You can remove the foil periodically for a look see. This way you can check for roots (which will be visible through the transparent plastic) and to make sure the moss is still damp without disturbing the moss which may hold tiny new roots. Once roots are clearly visible through the clear plastic the branch is cut off below the moss ball, the plastic is removed and the new plant is potted. It gets a bit of TLC until it is well established in the container at which point it could be planted in the landscape. I can't say this is sure proof but it has worked well for me.

Gosh, I really need to get outside and do some air layering on my camellias.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
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Mar 15, 2015 6:37 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I air-layer pretty much the same as you, Alice, though I have no camellias. I air-layer mostly my fiddle leaf ficus. I don't bother to tie up the sphagnum before wrapping it in cellophane. Why do this? I have never wrapped foil around that cellophane-covered wad of sphagnum either. I have never seen algae grow on this moss. I have been air-layering for three decades and have six branches of my fiddle leaf air-layered now. http://garden.org/ideas/view/d...
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Mar 15, 2015 9:54 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
I think it hold the moss together and makes it easier to wrap it well in plastic. Algae does grow on anything damp in our climate. I was taught years ago that roots prefer to grow in the dark - like that provided by a flower pot or propagation flat hence keeping the plastic covered. All the air layers I saw at the American Camellias Society gardens were covered with aluminum foil. There were shiny little "packages" on many old plants. I have used black plastic, covering the clear, for the same purpose. I like to keep the clear plastic intact so I can see through it and there is no chance I disturb any roots. Like you, I have been around awhile. My parents taught me to air layer by putting a brick on a lower branch and leaving it touching the ground until roots formed. That was more than 60 years ago. Every climate is different and what works for me might not be what works for others in different locales.

Good growing on your fiddle leaf!
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
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Mar 15, 2015 10:59 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
That's actually called "ground-rooting" and has been used forever. For those plants than can be anchored in such a way, it is still a great way to root. Perhaps because my fiddle leaf is never in the sun, other than early morning or very late afternoon, I don't have the algae problem. I live in the deep south (Mississippi), and we certainly have heat in the spring/summer/fall and humidity all year long. I take a foot from my "mother" fiddle leaf ficus (25 + years old) both spring and late summer just to keep her at no more than 7' tall. I air-layer to do my "trimming" and have produced many dozen plants over the years.

I just love SC and travel there when we play USC in football. I have also white-water rafted in the far northwestern corner (GA on one side of the river and SC on the other) several times.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Mar 15, 2015 12:55 PM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
We lived in Columbia for most of our adult life. Now we are down in the southeastern corner on a marshy island.

I just looked in several propagation books:
The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Michael Dirr, Ph.D and Charles Heuser, Jr. Ph.D.
Growing & Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants by Richard E. Bir
Creative Propagation Second Edition by Peter Thompson, Ph.D.
None of these even address air layering. Guess it is too labor intensive for commercial purposes.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
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Mar 15, 2015 1:30 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
I have had dozens of people ask me why I have fiddle leaf ficus plants (2-3' ones) when they could not find them anywhere else. For a long time I thought they were just pulling my leg. Heck, I thought fiddle leaf ficus would be available all over the US. It has been rated as the #1 interior decorating plant for several decades, not years, decades. Open up any high-end, glossy, interior decorating magazine and you will almost always see the fiddle leaf. The fiddle leaf has a very interesting history and if you like you can read the article I wrote on ATP back in July, 2014. Oh, back to your air-layering questions. Yes, you are exactly right. No commercial grower will take the time and make the effort to air-layer plants. They can grow thousands from seed with no more effort than it takes to air-layer one branch.

I guess you saw that I started this thread because a friend asked me how to root camellia cuttings, and I had no clue. Thus, I asked. I did mention air-layering to him, but that was only because I air-layered that ficus. I had no clue whether that could be done with camellias.

P. S. I have a non-ending request for those air-layered fiddle leafs, and I will sell every single plant that I start that way.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
Avatar for ThunderBear
Mar 19, 2015 7:16 AM CST
Name: Terry Layman
Natalia, TX. 78059
ab
Gardens in Buckets
CAMELLIA http://www.rhizopon.com/index....


About Rhizopon

Rhizopon is manufacturer of growth regulators for the rooting of cuttings. This is the only activity of the company. Rhizopon holds a unique position worldwide as the manufacturer only producing root promoting products.
http://www.rhizopon.com/en/ove...
Terry Layman
c/o Herbs Mint 4-U
Natalia, TX. 78059
Last edited by ThunderBear Mar 19, 2015 7:18 AM Icon for preview
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Mar 19, 2015 7:55 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
The first link is an interesting one, IF I could read Dutch. Whistling

I use Dip'N Grow, which is Indolebutyric acid. It appears to give me at least twice the rooting that Rootone gave me. By the way, Rootone is Naphthaleneacetic acid.

Rhizopon appears to have three different formulae, Indolebuteric acid, Naphtylacetic acid, and Indoleacetic acid. Note there is a spelling difference but I assume that two of Rhizopon's formulae are the same as/similar to the Dip'N Grow and Rootone. formulae.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Mar 19, 2015 11:30 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
It does not look like there are too many places to buy this product in the US at this point.

Dip & Grow is the product of choice for most of the commercial growers around here. It is pricey so I only use it for hard to root material like camellias. Easy stuff like begonias get plain old inexpensive Rootone. Smiling
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
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Mar 19, 2015 12:17 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
You sure are right about the price, Alice. Since it has a three year (minimum) storage life, I bought a 16 oz. jar this time around, rather than the 3 oz. size bought originally. Oh, as well as the 1-Napthaleneactic acid it also has Indole-3-butyric acid as its active ingredients. I also (previously) bought a jar of gel powder so that I can mix the gel powder with the diluted rooting hormone. Thus I will use a gelatinous mix when I paint on the de-barked areas. This thick, gelatinous material stays put. Thumbs up
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.
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Mar 19, 2015 6:43 PM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
Isn't the gel anti fungal also? I think I remember hearing that at some seminar.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
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Mar 19, 2015 8:08 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ken Ramsey
Vero Beach, FL (Zone 10a)
Bromeliad Vegetable Grower Region: United States of America Tropicals Plumerias Orchids
Region: Mississippi Master Gardener: Mississippi Hummingbirder Cat Lover Composter Seller of Garden Stuff
Alice, I really don't know. I just wanted the "attachment" property of the gel.
drdawg (Dr. Kenneth Ramsey)

The reason it's so hard to lose weight when you get up in age is because your body and your fat have become good friends.

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