jay65
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Post by jay65 on Feb 23, 2016 18:30:08 GMT
Hi Raymond and Jay, While planning my new set up I did consider purchasing a vitopod but could not justify the cost. Instead I built a hot bed using a warming cable controlled by a thermostat. Over the hot bed I constructed a framework using plastic pipe and covered the whole thing with fleece. This has proved to be successful. The operating temperature of the hot bed is a constant 19C and the space within the fleece is 14/15C. All this for less than the cost of a vitopod. In my Dahlia world I am now a very happy bunny. That was pretty much what I did last year with really good results too. This year I purchased the Vitopods and to be honest the success rate has dropped hugely. As I said to Raymond, I have taken the lids completely off now, so we'll see how that goes, but it almost defeats the object of having the damn things really. haha. All my cuttings that I took 3 days ago are flagging really badly, and looks like I may lose all of that batch! Boohoo!
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 23, 2016 17:25:31 GMT
A tray of quite nice 'Mother' plants of mainly Cafe Au Lait Everything is coming along quite well, but space is necessitating another Garden building purchase!
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 23, 2016 11:38:41 GMT
jay65 I think really we have to expect some damping off in enclosed propagators. Dave Gillam used vitapods and he had damping off. 80% this time of year success rate I think is very good. My success this time last year was ZERO ! Hehe . Lost the lot in those jiffy pellets drowned them . I will be adjusting my list for sure. I want to increase my numbers even more on some things. So I will have to acquire stock There's some varieties that I'm clearly doing well with, and will have plenty of 'Mother' plants like Trooper Dan and Cafe Au Lait, so much so with those varieties, that I'm almost considering freeing up some space on the benches and compost binning the Trooper Dan and Cafe Au Lait tubers as I have more than enough 'Mother' plants of those to be going on with. Then there are others that I've all but given up on like Oakwood Goldcrest, John Hill, and Kiwi Gloria. But I have a few Trelyn Kiwi Mother Plants as a back up as a Kiwi variety. I always do pretty well with Trelyn Kiwi for some reason.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 23, 2016 8:12:52 GMT
Nice one Raymond! I really enjoyed reading that post.
I think you're right about the Vitopods. Personally, I have the vents open, and even leave a gap in the lids about an inch to help air flow. Unfortunately whatever I do, it makes the dry spots drier, and damp spots wetter. So, like you. With an air temp in my polytunnel at a pretty steady 18*C, I think I will just take the lids completely off, and see if that improves things a touch. But if I'm having to go out to the Polytunnel at every point the weather changes by the most minutest detail in a day, to adjust the Vitopodss, it rather defeats the object of having them!! Lol.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 22, 2016 20:38:20 GMT
Just got back from a weeks' break. Had a friend come on to water/spray the plants in the Polytunnel. Tubers were thick with growth, almost too much because I had about 80-100 cuttings to take to tidy them up, and about 40% of those were hollow stemmed sadly, due to them galloping away too much over the week we were away. Also lost a few cuttings due to damping off in one of the vitopods. Not a disaster, lost around 15 or so I should think. I think my own personal success rate at getting cuttings to strike this year is currently at around 80%, which is a bit down on last year as it happens. I think the Vitopods have something to do with this. Last year I didn't have them and ran at 98% success rate. I'm finding the Vitopods very sensitive and need almost constant tinkering with dependent on the ambient temperatures and sunlight on the Polytunnel. Also they are prone to giving off both dry spots and damp spots within the propagator. This makes watering/spraying of the cuttings and general care, to be very hit and miss.
For me, the simple method of heat benches worked much better last year and gave a consistency of strike rate.
On the plus side I have plenty of Mother plants potted on (around 130), so we're going to put up a new Potting Shed in the garden for around 200 to go in, releasing space elsewhere in the Polytunnel for the main batch to come 1st/2nd week of April.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 10, 2016 10:46:11 GMT
I think I'll be okay for Hillcrest Candy on reflection. I'm only looking for about 10 plants as a back up to Vals Candy anyway, and I think I have 2-3 rooted cutting already which, at worst, will give me the 10 plants I want by Mother planting them, even if I don't get anything else off the tubers rooting. So worst case scenario is still okay (I think). Vals Candy is fine, I should get 20 plants easy enough.
Daves Choice is a real problem. I've contacted Jack Gott, just to see if he has any Daves Choice Tubers left. Sure they'll be a little late. But better late than never I say!
Also, I've ordered a few plants from Dave at Halls, 4 x Sheval Megan, 4 x Ryecroft Rebel, and 4 x Bryn Terfel. They will just go into my garden, and hopefully they will tuber up nicely this season, so that I have cultivation tubers for next season.
One thing I am noticing is that the Mother plants that I have taken out of the Vitopod and simply put onto the benches at the ambient temperature of the Polytunnel (16*C) are doing far better than the ones left in the Vitopod, which is set at 19*C. Not sure why, but if that's the case, then I'm going to take all the Mother plants that I have left in the Vitopods out of them to join their bretheren on the benches.
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jay65
Junior Member
Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 23:10:11 GMT
Will do jay65 I hope to grow 4 cream Diane to compliment my 10 winholm Diane I would like to grow. Vals white will grow 2 or 3 max as I want to grow some hillcrest candy only 2 or 3 and compare the form and size. There is some talk with some that hillcrest candy is running out of steam loosing size, a bit of form and colour going streaky and not as intense . I had some nice blooms I thought on most of my plants ( from good stock from a top grower ) but not when I needed them . Size ok later on. I have kept one tuber of candy and some pot tubers . I will grow from the tubers not a cutting on these and have a look. I have way to many varieties many I will edit out but will attempt to propagate anyway for friends and plant sales etc... Sounds good! My Hillcrests weren't that good last year to be honest. They were kind of okay but nothing outstanding, and size was a bit of an issue, but as a 'non shower', I wasn't too bothered. And this year although I'm getting a few cuttings, they're one of the few varieties that isn't rooting well. I am running Vals Candy along side it as a comparison this year, as Vals is a variety that I really like, and although it's rooting kind of okay, it's also a bit hit and miss. But I think I will be okay for number on Vals, but Hillcrest will be a battle. But I'm not too stressed about it. That's why I'm interested to see how your White Candy runs. My Harriet G and Karen G tubers are shooting really nicely, so I have high hope for them. Dikara Superb is going nuts on all of the tubers. It's not even a variety that I like that much, but ain't that just typical? Haha.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 20:01:06 GMT
Fingers are crossed jay65 but I won't stress like last year lets see what happens hopefully what I learned has helped. Trying not to use the grow light as I found it makes them grow rapidly. Slow and steady in no rush. I have ordered cream Diane and vals white from Frank Taylor. As per usual I am a sucker for new ! but making some more space and can still do the numbers in what I want to grow for show. Dont think i will grow a kiwi this year. I, for one. will be really interested to see and hear how. both, Vals White and Cream Diane turn out for you. Please keep us up to date with those Raymond?
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 17:36:11 GMT
To be honest, the amount that I sell (unless the Nursery man mentioned wants 500!!) is barely enough to pay for compost throughout the year, but we take a few to BootSales in the Summer too when we feel the house needs a clear out too, but as I said a couple of hundred pounds just about pays for pots and compost throughout the year. But the Church is always grateful for any blooms I give them in the Summer, and if that buys myself into a better place when I kick the bucket then....... ha.ha......I don't think it quite works that way pet It doesn't?? Whhaaaattt!!!!!!! Lol.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 15:50:03 GMT
Looking good dahliadave jay65 Not taken any cuttings yet coming through nicely but a little on the pale side for my liking. I am going to let these grow on and take out the tip. Will try and root that and then hopefully the side shoots that follow. I won't start so early again. Mid Feb is early enough. Staleen condessa throwing some fantastic growth 10 shoots coming on one tuber. Had heard a poor cuttings provider and that a why I started it early . All Michelle alive and with growth , all jersie with growth . Nothing on cherwell goldcrest or wittemans superba. Spoke to my friend and wyns favourite has woken up as well as narrows Sonia and kiwi Gloria I sent him. He has massive greenhouses so is kindly propagating some for me. Still do not know what I will grow hahaha Have not put heat on the others yet they are waking up on there own had a check on them and zoe throwing roots all over the place as well as many others they are not boxed up still in trays of dry peat. Must get them sorted. Sounds like everything is waking up nicely Raymond? That's great, hopefully when they are ready for cuttings to be taken, everything will go relatively smoothly. Finger crossed for you.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 15:45:34 GMT
Hi Jay, Well that's fantastic and if you can make the odd few pounds then why not and more power to your elbow, well done that man. To be honest, the amount that I sell (unless the Nursery man mentioned wants 500!!) is barely enough to pay for compost throughout the year, but we take a few to BootSales in the Summer too when we feel the house needs a clear out too, but as I said a couple of hundred pounds just about pays for pots and compost throughout the year. But the Church is always grateful for any blooms I give them in the Summer, and if that buys myself into a better place when I kick the bucket then.......
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jay65
Junior Member
Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 15:04:38 GMT
Hi Jay, Just a question (please do not take it the wrong way) why do you feel you need so many cuttings at this time. Most varieties are ok taken in mid April or at the beginning of May and they will still be fine for the early shows if needed. For eg Trelyn Kiwi are ok taken at the back end of April and the young plants will get away very quickly when planted in the open ground at the end of May first week in June, as will most others with the exception of some varieties & Giants. I love to propagate cuttings and do indeed take early cuttings if I know I will be short so as these can be butchered to increase stock. Good luck Ian I think I have already mentioned earlier in this thread, I donate plants and blooms to my local Church and Church Fete in the Summer, and I'll also give away and sell a few too. I also have a decent size allotment that I like to fill both for the blooms for my local Church and for my own pleasure. If I want or think I need 1000 plants then that's what I will do. And if I think I want or need that number, then I have to mother plant and hence take cuttings early. In addition to all that, I have had some interest in my plants from a local gentleman who has his own nursery literally just down the road from me. If I have any left over, then it will simply mean that I will pot tuber them and generally keep them for back up stock for next season. With my fingers in so many pies, you would be very surprised just how quickly I can get through 1000 plants.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 9, 2016 14:40:13 GMT
Just a few pics of cuttings already rooted, that will be used as some 'Mother Plants'. I have around 5 trays of these at the moment. Avoca Amanda
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 7, 2016 17:57:15 GMT
Sir Alf Ramsey has finally decided to wake up. Hallelujah!! And some nice shoots forming on Harriet G and Karen G too.
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jay65
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Posts: 69
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Post by jay65 on Feb 6, 2016 19:38:08 GMT
I agree Cat, Daves' set up looks great. And is always informative. I'll be ordering some more plants from him on Tuesday as it happens (Sheval Megan, Sir Alf Ramsey, Hillcrest delight and Bryn Terfel), but thy will be just for my own garden, then I'll use the tubers from them next year for cuttings. But I already have 76 Mother plants that have rooted and been potted on now, and about another 100 cuttings in the vitopod, and plenty of shoots showing on most of the tubers that I set up a bit later. So all is looking pretty good my end. I'm a bit worried about Daves' Choice this year, but apart from that, I have very little worries or stresses at the moment (touch wood).
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