Thinking of buying some unrooted cuttings from Brisbane Brugmansia Angel's Trumpets, but aren't too sure how to develop roots on cuttings? Keep reading... this post is for you.
Rooting brugmansia angel's trumpet cuttings in order to propagate your own plants, is a very simple process. Rooting brugmansia cuttings is something I am able to do all year round here in Brisbane, Australia.
There are two methods I generally follow when rooting cuttings:
Rooting cuttings in water
Rooting cuttings in quality potting mix
If I'm rooting cuttings of a cultivar I've never grown before, generally I will always attempt to root them in water first. However if it's a cutting of a familiar cultivar (a good example is Sugared Almond), that in my experience is one that rarely ever develops roots in water, then it's strait to potting mix for these cuttings. You'll find that the process that works best for you, is really a matter of your own experimentation.
I take semi-hardwood cuttings approx 20-25cm in length, but you can use both hardwood and softwood cuttings if desired. Start by removing all the leaves along the cutting. I occasionally leave some leaves on.
Rooting Angel's Trumpet Cuttings in Water
You only need enough water to cover the base of the cutting, approx 2 cm deep. Give your cuttings fresh water daily. I keep my cuttings in glasses by the kitchen sink, so I can't forget to change their water. In this way I can also monitor root development and be on guard for any problems (see below).
After about a week cuttings will develop little white nodules (some cultivars achieve this stage faster than others), known as lenticils and not long after this, roots will develop. Your cuttings are then ready to plant out into pots, or your garden.
As you change the water daily, take a moment to check your cuttings. Look for early signs of problems, such as the stem of the cutting starting to take on a shrivelled/withered appearance, or the base going slimy. If this happens, remove the cutting from water and trim away the rotten parts. At this stage, I'd be trying the rooting in soil method and seeing how that goes.
Rooting Angel's Trumpet Cuttings in Potting Mix
When rooting brugmansia angel's trumpet cuttings in soil, be sure to use a quality potting mix. I make my own blend, consisting of potting mix (I use the cheap $3 Woolworths bags of potting mix), manure, mushroom compost and blood and bone. I develop all my cuttings in self watering trough style planter boxes, as this a reliable way to keep the soil moist, but not overly so. Once angel's trumpets are established and growing in your garden and/ pots, it's almost impossible to over water them, but NOT so developing cuttings... over water and you run the risk of them going slimy, rotten and mouldy. As to how long it will take for roots to develop, this can take several weeks and again, some cultivars take longer than others.
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