MB>... discussion on cuttings
 MB> rooted some rosemary a couple of years ago that way, but then killed it 
a couple of
 MB> months later, presumable from overwatering.
Rosemary doesn't like to be over-watered!  She "shrinks" from  that!   :)
 MB> Anyway I have started several cuttings, from some herbs and also some 
coleus. I
 MB> dipped the cuttings in Rootone and followed the directions there. I've 
had them
 MB> about a month now. I pulled out one herb and found roots. Today I pulled 
up one of
 MB> the coleus's to look at it and found a few roots, but the soil was too 
wet and I broke
 MB> some of them off, so don't know what it will do now.
It may be fine... most of the time, coleus is easy to get along with.  But, 
keeping things too wet is never good, (unless, of course, we're talking "bog" 
plants   :)  It can bring "sudden death" to Rosemary (actually, *many* herbs, 
as there are few, indeed, that actually *like* to be on the wet side)!  I 
hope you just went ahead and potted it up (or as nice as your area is, you 
*could* just go ahead and plant it in the garden [or whatever you intended 
doing with it]).  They need, surprisingly, few roots, to get going... (I'm 
talking 'coleus', here, Marilyn, not rosemary!  :)
 MB> ...couple of questions.... what do I do  now to keep them alive?  I put 
each one in
 MB> there own 4 inch pot and hope to grow them in those awhile.  Should I be 
giving
 MB> them fertilizer such as Miracle Gro? I guess most of the directions just 
say how to
 MB> start them. I've gotten them this far before then kill them.
Marilyn, this is how I prefer (unless you are making a composite planting 
[dishgardens or something like that]  :)  They need to develope a good root 
system, before they go into too much soil mass,  Of course, if you are 
planting them out into a garden setting with optimum conditions (which you 
have in almost *anywhere* in Fl.!   :) this is quite secondary.  They will 
make roots quickly.  Fertilization is fine, just be careful with it, 
remembering that "manufacturers" instructions are set at the *high* side... 
they want you to use the *most* you will (so you will buy more) and not hurt 
your plant's roots... so I use it all at *half* strength.  And, on 
transplants (which is what you are working with, in this stage), I would use 
it *real* dilute.  Most herbs are considered "low feeders", so I might even 
use "manure tea" on them, for afew weeks.  After I transplant *anything*, I 
keep them in low light for afew days, to allow them to adjust to their new 
"shoes" (if you will   :)  and then begin to move them out into better light 
(this is called, "hardening  off", and is always better for *any* plant that 
is going into conditions that are appreciably different than they have been 
growing in ... no matter which direction they are moving into (lower light 
*or* higher light...   other conditions, as well [temp, situation... ]  
anything vastly out of the ordinary)
 MB> I have them outside, the day temps are in the 70's and nights in the 
50's about now.
 MB> I just moved them to a location where they get some filtered sun. I'm 
not sure how
 MB> soon before they can handle full sun.  They don't seem to need much 
water. I would
 MB> have thought will not much for roots they would need to be watered a 
lot. I guess
 MB> that is where I go wrong.
You are right!  While it seems that they would need more, they actually don't 
(at least, where  most plants are concerned... the small amount of roots are 
not able to take care of very much soil *or* water (hence the need for  a 
small pot), but high humidity (again, *most* plants,but not all!)  is a *big* 
plus... just don't give high humidity by sitting in a "puddle"   
 MB> Can most plants be started by cuttings? Or just certain types? I'd like 
to try some
 MB> impatiens and others but not sure what will root from cuttings.
Many can!  (True, some can't...)  But your impatiens are one that strike, 
easily, so do what you did when you struck your cloeus cuttings... they'll be 
the same (do remember to remove any flowers that are on the stem that you 
choose, as this is *not* conducive...)  you want *all* the energy of the 
plant to go into making roots.
 MB> I guess it's pretty obvious I don't know to much about cuttings.
It's okay... you can't know *everything*!  
 MB> Hope someone here can help.
Hope this is some help!
cheers,
WL Sakowski
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