A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Experiment: Growning Cuttings In Fertilized Water.

I'm kinda doing an experiment. Always in the past, i placed cuttings in water. Now i just placed the same cuttings in fertilized water. My cuttings are from the Ficus tree plant and Spider plant. I just wonder if they would root better in fertilized water than just plain water. I also placed the cuttings in a west window. When i water my plants, i always water with fertilized water using half the recommended ammount. It calls for 1/4 teaspoon/gallon of water. And i always keep the top off the pitcher for a couple days to let the chlorine evaporate. But i only use 1/8 teaspoon/gallon of water. I tell ya, i sure love my plants and i'd love to have my apartment full of plants. (Make my apartment a "Tropical Paradice"). I love spider plants the best. I also have Ficus, Golden Pothos, Crown of Thorns, and a Christmas cactus. I would like to find different plants to place in my apartment but mainly have many more Spider plants in my apartment. Robert Ps, it's ok to laugh, but when i water, i place the plants in a large pot and pour in the fertilized water and let the plants soak in it for about 5 minutes. Then i take the plants out and let the plants drain good before placing back to their orriginal location. It takes alittle more time but i like to make sure the soil is soaked between waterings.

Robert,
I accidentally discovered the fastest way for me to root cuttings was to put them in my fish pond. Even shade plants such as impatiens root (and bloom!)in full sun if they are in the pond. The pond has a pump going so the water is oxygenated, and the fish and other plants make the water super fertilized. The spider plants (airplane plants) love it there. I have also used a bird bath situated in shade to root coleus cuttings. Pond water, rain water, willow water all do better than tap water with fertilizer in my experience.

My opinion? Rooting hormone is best - it's only about 3.99 for a small container and it lasts for a while.

Sometimes I just stick my cuttings right in the soil.

Indoors right now, of course (Toronto, Canada).

Hi Robert,

Moisture is the key to getting cuttings to root. The fertilizer and the rooting hormone are largely irrelevant, although they will do no harm. Oxygenated water will help with the rooting.

Unless your water has an unusually high chlorine content (like swimmimg pool water), then it is not necsessary to let the water stand overnight.

i have better luck rooting my cuttings in moist sand with a small amount of potting soil.this works great on shrubs. and just abought anything else ive tryed.shrubs might take abought 6 to 8 weeks to start rooting.i let them get a well estableshed root system then repot them. then place pot and all in the ground with the top of the pots just above the ground.i leave them there for 1 growing season. then when your ready to plant or sell them just pop up the pot and rinse them off and there ready to sell.or are ready to plant.your friend in gardening.mike57