Please note, the above image is for illustration purposes only – just to show the difference between bare root plants and cuttings and a basic idea of the size you will receive.
Bare Root Plants and Cuttings info:
We sell bare root plants and cuttings only. The reason for this is it makes shipping much easier and cheaper, It also saves space and saves time which means we can sell the plants to you, the customer at a much more affordable price than if you were to purchase from a local nursery in a pot or bag with soil. All excess foliage gets trimmed off before shipping so that the plant can focus it’s energy on establishing a strong root system. This also stimulates new growth and increases success rate. The size of the plant you receive will depend on the type of plant. Usually somewhere between 5 and 30cm. Some species of plants we only sell bare root because rooting from cuttings takes too long and/or does not have good success rate and some plants we sell only cuttings because rooting is very quick from cuttings and has a high success rate. This all differs from species to species.
The main differences between bare root plants and cuttings:
Cuttings are a branch/stem/portion from a plant that has been cut off and can be rooted in water or soil. Bare root plants are either cuttings we have taken that we have already rooted or in some cases plants that we have grown that we divide up with a root system attached. Bare root plants are in most cases quicker to grow as the root system is already partially established.
Each species of plant is different and each method has it’s pro’s and con’s, advantages and disadvantages – normally time and price.
There is something rewarding about growing a plant from a small cutting vs buying an already established plant from the nursery, not to mention the cost savings.
Tips and Tricks for best success:
If you are going to root a cutting in water or soil there are a few tips and tricks to increase the success rate and growth time. It all starts with when and where a cutting is taken from a plant, how the cutting is taken (as in where on the stem do you cut for higher rooting success), the angle of the cut, size of cutting, etc. We have most of this covered for you already due to our research and trial and error of starting an entire garden from cuttings and seed over the years. Some cuttings need a “curing” time before being placed in the water and others need to be placed in water or kept moist right away. So you either receive your cutting with the bottom portion wrapped in damp paper towel during shipping or bare depending on the plant.
If you are rooting your cutting in water we recommend you purchase our Rooting Bio Starter Culture, it is a living starter culture than contains mixture of different beneficial bacteria, algae, hormones and micro organisms that you can add to your water to root your plants in to improve success rate and/or rooting time. It also prevents your water from going bad causing the plant to rot. It is recommended you mix it with rain water or distilled water and not tap water. Once your plant has established roots, you can plant it directly in your soil. After planting make sure you water it well for the first week and thereafter water as normal.
If you are going to root your cutting in soil then it is recommended you use well draining soil and keep soil moist but not wet. Soil that is soaking wet will go bad very quickly and cause the cutting to rot and die. You want the correct balance of oxygen as well as water. Do NOT use compost or fertilized soil when rooting cuttings. Something inert like Potting Mix, Coconut Coir, Palm Peat, Vermiculite, Perlite, Sphagnum Moss or Sterilized Silica Sand works best. Once the cutting has roots then compost or fertilized soil is fine.
Always place your cuttings in a place that is sheltered from wind, rain and direct sunlight. Indoors works great on a window sill that does not get too much direct sun or alternatively outdoors in bright but indirect sunlight. You can also speed up the process by using a humidity dome made out of something like an used soda bottle. This prevents moisture from escaping and the added humidity speeds up the process but please be careful not to put humidity dome cuttings in the sun, even on a sunny window sill because they will cook in a matter of minutes.
More specific info on the requirements of the cutting / bare root plant will be in each listing.