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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 4, 2017 22:33:39 GMT -5
I just put 8 basil cuttings in my cloner, to root some for the off season - much faster than seed starting, though one I have to start from seeds - lemon basil. This is a basil I love, but it bolts quickly, and, unlike the others, if I cut it WAY back, I don't get clean cuttings - just more bolting. So this year I am going to try something different - succession cuttings! I'll take a cutting from the plant just before it starts bolting, and let it grow, while harvesting the original plant, and when that one is done with, pull it out, take another cutting, and start the cycle again. I'll let you know how it goes. I won't set my cloner up for just one cutting at a time, so I'll just put them in the regular hydro pots - maybe two at a time, and toss the smaller one each time. Here are the cuttings - 3 Thai, 4 serrata, and 1 Dolce Vita - a new variety to me this year from Seeds 'N Such, that is very much like Genovese, in appearance and flavor, but smaller, and slower bolting. Not sure if it will replace Serrata as my favorite, as it did bolt sooner in the junior Earthbox, but not that much sooner, and it did come back after that severe trimming, to get cuttings. I'll see what it does in the hydroponics in the winter. Serrata has gone the entire winter before w/o bolting! DSCF0388 (2) by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by september on Oct 5, 2017 9:23:08 GMT -5
Wow, nice high tech set up! I'm not very familiar with hydro aside from the concept itself. If you were to lift that whole lid up, what would we see? Is it only water, or some kind of substrate pebbles?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 5, 2017 15:07:33 GMT -5
It's just empty baskets, with the stems sticking into them, with a sprayer, keeping them wet with the solution.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 6, 2017 21:20:15 GMT -5
That cloner is a Daisy Cloner; the first small cloner on the market years ago, which has been discontinued, as there have been improvements. In fact, I have two of them, as I called about a problem, but when I got a new one (and they said just keep the first one!), it did the same thing (leaked around the seal), so I sort of fixed it myself. And the old mister blocked easily, so I got another, a mini-sprinkler from an irrigation company, for a dollar something, and it never clogs. Here are some photos of rooted cuttings, showing how fast they root. Serrata basil after 8 days: 012 by pepperhead212, on Flickr Peppermint after 6 days, showing two runners, along with all the roots: 011 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by september on Oct 7, 2017 0:06:41 GMT -5
Wow, those really are fast growing roots! They must really like it in there!
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 8, 2017 22:57:54 GMT -5
I just took some cuttings from some dill, and put them in one of those baskets - the worst looking basil, I threw out! I never rooted dill before, but it supposedly works.
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Post by september on Oct 9, 2017 0:22:33 GMT -5
Interesting! Whenever I've tried to transplant volunteer dill to a better spot in the garden, it never seems to do well afterwards. I just assumed it was fussy about root disturbance, so kind of assumed it was a plant that didn't root well. I'll be interested on how your cuttings do.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 10, 2017 21:47:52 GMT -5
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 12, 2017 22:25:21 GMT -5
Here's the dill, next to the new cutting I just put in to replace the basil, Green Perilla. I grew one of these (plus some rao ram) from a piece of herb from a package from an Asian market. DSCF0398 by pepperhead212, on Flickr The perilla plant grew over 3' tall, with no bolting - maybe a biennial? Rao ram also did not bolt. DSCF0395 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by september on Oct 13, 2017 10:17:51 GMT -5
Those cuttings look so fresh and healthy green! I'll bet that dill roots well for you.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 14, 2017 22:30:43 GMT -5
Here is the basil just 10 days after taking the cuttings, with the roots growing out of the 2 1/2" baskets in the hydroponics. Definitely growing fast! I'll let them grow, then see which one seems best, and keep that one of each, as I only need one of each, they grow so well in this. Serrata: DSCF0402 by pepperhead212, on Flickr Thai Siam Queen: DSCF0403 by pepperhead212, on Flickr Here's the lemon basil, started from seed a day before the cuttings. This is why I go with cuttings! DSCF0399 by pepperhead212, on Flickr The dill doesn't look like it is going to root, however. Oh well...
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Oct 17, 2017 10:12:06 GMT -5
Oh, well. It was worth a try rooting the dill. Your basil cuttings look great, though!
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Post by september on Oct 17, 2017 10:16:09 GMT -5
Always good to experiment, you don't know til you try!
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