Cuttings
- Make sure your plant is large enough to take a significant cutting (i.e. at the maximum, 50% of the plant's height; an 8" cutting from a 24" plant should be ok). If you're making a cutting to give to someone else, prepare your shipping and packaging materials so that it can be sent off immediately.
- Make the cut... see responses.
- Transplant the cutting into a new pot and let it root. Doing so after shipping can be more difficult.
Shipping preparation
Tube method
This is inspired by Shamanic-Extracts.com's "salvia cutting in a tube."
- Take two 20oz plastic bottles and cut off the tops. Figure out how they will be placed together (you will probably need to duct tape them).
- Place "the roots of the cutting..." in "agar media within the tube. This agar media contains all the needed nutrients."
- Seal the tubes together, put it in a small box (so people can't see that it's a plant) and fill the box with foam peanuts.
Upon receiving this plant, do the following (shamanic-extracts instructions):
- Take the cutting from the tube and remove the agar (gel) completely from the roots with somewhat warm water. Also remove the lower leaves.
- Put the cutting with the roots into the soil, and water lightly.
- Put a plastic bag over the container to increase humidity. Tighten the bag with a rubber band and place the plant in a warm (20 ° C) and light place, but not in the sun! To remove the bag once every 3-4 days and spray the plant is the best way to keep it moist. After about one week you will notice new growth.
- After three weeks the plant is growing well. Now you can choose to keep the plant in a moist environment ("humidity tent") or to slowly harden the plant into 'living room' conditions. This can be done by punching 1 or 2 holes in the bag each day. This way you gradually bring down the humidity. When black edges appear on the leaves this is often due to a (too) low humidity. In the beginning the new growth is often thin. By topping the plant a stronger and bushier plant can be obtained.
boolie's method
See images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... 404180039/