Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-06

neQ lNe growing OF eVeTBreeIlS
from cuttings. Any gardener
can now grow them without the
endless chore of watering and
caring that formerly was neces-
sary. The conifers take from
three to four months for root
ing. Until it was found that by
covering the cutting box with a
plastic film. watering was a big
chore for most amateurs. The
plastic film prevents loss Of
moisture and so it is now pos
sible to take the cuttings in jan
uary, placing them in a suitable
roofing media, watering them.
and then enclosing them in a
freezer bag" The job is done.
This seems almost impossible
but that is the way it Is being
done by gardeners today.
The conifers root most readily
from cuttings taken in Decem-
Der and January. The best cut
Iings are the new side shoots Of
branches. Tear them from the
main stem. Some gardeners pre-
fer to leave the heel that
comes from pulling. Others
think this increases the like
lihood of having an air pocket
and prefer to trim off the
heel" The lower needles are
then stripped so that the cut
ting may be set from one to two
inches deep.
Most gardeners root evergreen
cuttings in a half-and-half mix
ture of peatmosS and sharp
sand. This works very we'll for
most kinds, but jumpers seem to
resent the acid medium and
root more readily in sharp sand.
The University of Maryland
specialists are using perlite in
place Of sand,
Need Depth For Growth
The roofing medium is placed
In a pot or shallow box to a
depth Of 3 or 4 inches. This gives
plenty Of space below the cut
ting for root development. If a
pot is used it will need to be
filled to within an inch of the
top.
The roofing medium should be
well watered and then allowed
to drain. However, the cuttings
may be placed in the medium
during the period of draining.
Too much moisture will en-
courage rot and interfere with
roofing. 1t is better to err on
the dry side than to have too
wet a medium.
The use of roofing hormones
was a much debated practice
Today We know that some kinds
of cuttings need hormone,
while other kinds are unaffected.
The writer believes that it is
cheap insurance to use them. A
small package will treat a large
number of cuttings. The hor-
none material should be fresh
10 De effective, but avoid excess
slve use of it. One way is to dip
the fresh cuttings into the
powder and then knock of the
excess by tapping the cutting
against some convenient object.
Firm the medium about the
stems to eliminate air pockets,
If sand alone is used, and it
should be for the jumpers. it
should be tamped firmly about
the stems.
Plastic Must Be Sealed
With the cuttings treated and
placed in the. roofing material,
the next step is to incloSe the
container in a plastic bag. or
housing. Pots may be placed in
freezer bags and the top securely
tied Flats or shallow boxes may
need to have a frame built to
which the plastic may be fas-
tened in such a way that there
will be no loss of moisture.
The plastic may be cut to fit
and the edges sealed with a
warm. not hot. iron, or it may
De fastened together with
masking" tape. Roll plastic is
available. but smaller pieces may
not be easily located. The
polyethylene plastic is preferred
since it transmits light more
readily than some other ma
terials. Two mill. thickness is
adequate for the protection Of
the cuttings but the 4 mill is
easier to handle.
OF the conifers. the species
tina are most easily rooted in
clude the juniper. chamaecy-
paris also listed as (Retino-
sporasl, arborvitae, and yew
The redcedar (juniperus vir-
giniana), hemlock, spruce and
flr are more difficult to root
Pines are most difficult. Box
wood roots readily at this
season.
Tho AJ1al 80. -. - -.