Superstitions aside, looks like the 10 shoots of lantana I'm trying to root from cuttings are doing fine.
Hard to validate for sure but beyond the water droplets are 5 lantana cuttings which are doing great.
Contrary to my long-held belief that I'm a brown (possible black?) thumb who can't grow anything without roots, these cuttings are giving me hope that I've finally grown my green thumb. (Oh, please God, puhlease.)
How did I do it?
As usual, I fired up Google's engine for the step-by-step.
Turns out the best way to root lantana from a cutting is to cut a young green tender branch two nodes from the tip. As soon as you do, place the branches in water if there's a time lag between the time you took them from the mother plant to the time you stick them into a pot.
I did just that, then filled two black growing pots with potting soil. I removed the lower leaves on the branches, saving the top two ones at the tip, then stuck the cuttings into the soil.
Of course, I added my special juice as insurance for a quicker rooting.
No, I didn't use a rooting hormone--no time to go get it from Lowe's or Home Depot. What I did was dissolve 1/3 teaspoon of a biological solution that has mycorrhizal fungi in water. These happy microscopic bugs are known to help the growing and rooting process along. A beat or so later (possibly 5 minutes), I watered the pot gently with regular water.
To create a hospitable growing environment, I encased the pot in a 1-gallon Ziploc and tied a string round the midsection of the container. The tiny greenhouse appears to be doing its job of supporting growth.
When the lantana are ready, I plan to transfer them to a barren island in our front yard. That totally brown thing is the first thing I see when I look out my bedroom window and it's such a sorry sight. I'm hoping the flowers will provide a cheery backdrop when I take a break from writing copy.
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| i'm hoping my lantana cuttings will turn out as beautiful as their parents |
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