The BEST Medium for Rooting your Cuttings | 3 Criteria for Successful Plant Propagation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- How do you find the best medium for rooting your cuttings? Here are the 3 criteria that I use for successful plant propagation. 1.) The medium must drain well. 2.) It must hold some moisture. 3.) The material should be inert. That's all there is too it. And here's a 4th tip: potting soil is usually not a good rooting medium, although some plant cuttings will root no matter what you put them in. Find a propagation medium that fits that criteria and is sourced locally if possible. If all else fails, use sand.
Rooting Cuttings in Sand: • Why Have I Been Growin...
Go to the website: propagateplant...
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Attention!! Brother i want to thank you soo soo soo much, literally you made this video to simplify things up, others are making it more complex
I try to make it easy. Glad it helped.
You are the neighbor we all wish we had. Thanks for all the help, Mike! Love it man!
Haha, dude, I wish my neighbors cared more about this stuff. I'd sit and talk with them all day about it, LOL. I'm an open book and would probably spill all my secrets in a few short hours.
@@MikeKincaid79 this is how communes get started, my neighbors hate my yard and I keep it pretty tame, they keep theirs mowed… like a desert of grass.
I wouldn't want Mike as a neighbor. No offense Mike, but my yard would look like a sad attempt sitting next to yours. Take your perfection somewhere else... lol
omg your enthusiasm in your voice gets me so excited to do my propagating lol your videos are amazing
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoy them.
Sometimes, the simplest content, has the most impact. This, is that sometime. Thanks so much, Mike, for bringing us back to the basics; so many of us just starting out with propagating, benefit tremendously from videos like this... especially from the Prop-master. (That's you.)
I'm humbled by your comment. Maybe I need to do more simpler videos like this.
I understood this so much better because you yelled. ❤
Nice
😂😂😂
He’s the cole robinson of plants 🤣
😂
I didn't get to the point of the video, left after saw this and had him yelling for no reason
One of the most informative, best videos I’ve seen on TH-cam. Thanks for explaining the “why” behind choosing a specific type of medium(i.e inert). I’ve seen sand before but no one explained the why. Thanks for teaching us the general principles that we could take and easily apply! 🙏
Glad you enjoyed it and learned from the video. Thanks for watching!
Thank you wonderful you are generous ❤😊
Bingo…you made a great point…inert! Now I know why to use sand. This is what makes a great teacher/instructor!
That's it! Glad you found that part of the equation.
Lucky you mentioned the INERT part - just about to propagate 200 English Laurel cuttings and was going to use our compost. Our little Fig cuttings just rotted and died...... and know we know why. Cheers Mike 👍🏻
Glad to get the info to you in time. Good luck with your English Laurel. Not sure if you've seen it but I've got an entire series about propagating English Laurel. Here's part 1: th-cam.com/video/2Tzgz0i9ZAM/w-d-xo.html
@@MikeKincaid79 I have already built the frame and got the glass - watched the series just a few time 🤣
Omg finally a good video that explains things. To the point. No fluff!! 🙌🏼
Glad you liked it!!
Straight to the point advice for plant growing, this guy is a great motivator full of enthusiasm for the topic which he obviously has mastered.🙄💕!!!
This has answered several of my own rooting mysteries/disasters. Thanks!
You're very welcome, Melissa!
I already knew all of this because you have said it before in many of your videos, but it is so sweet of you to do this for those that don't hear 🤗😀😊
I've just seen a lot of questions about this lately and thought I'd address it in one video.
Had to get off the tivo and on to the phone so I could get you that like and subscribe. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Awesome, thank you!
Thank you so much for these videos. 2 years into propagating and I still find myself learning new things
You are so welcome!
I like your video..I moved from Virginia Beach to Tucson September, 2019, leaving a garden much like yours - over 500 plants of 50-60 varieties...
I'm learning a whole new gardening experience and having fun doin' it...
Wow, that must have been tough to leave behind. Especially since you won't be able to grow many of the same plants. The desert can be a beautiful place though. I'm from Phoenix originally and grew up there as a kid. Good luck on your new place and making it as beautiful as the last.
Lived in Tucson for 12 years. Had a BEAUTIFUL raised bed garden with great harvests!! Fruit trees too!! Having to relearn TEXAS gardening again! Tucson was easier; less bugs, less humidity (less disease, fungus and insect damage.) Shade cloth and mulch out there is your BEST FRIEND! Important to pay attention to wind and sun direction...
This was great because I just viewed a rose propagation video and was lamenting the fact that I'm not in an area where fir bark would be easy to obtain. I do, however, live beside the Atlantic Ocean, so to hear your explanation that sand from the beach can be washed really kind of blew my mind. I've avoided it in my soil mixes here for two decades for fear that the salt would kill whatever it touched. Who knew? Your videos are really helpful. Thanks!
No problem. You can fill a bucket with beach sand, stick a hose down in it and run it until fresh water has displaced all the salt.
I've been trying to propagate for a while... thanks for explaining the inert part.
You’re very welcome, Adrian.
Totally awesome info. I had been wondering why my luck was so bad with propagation. I'm not using inert material but store bought potting soil.
Glad it was helpful!
ditto! excited to start using sand!
I have been having trouble rooting pink honeysuckle bushes which are hardy...beautiful...fast growing...and finally got great results using gravel out of my Gulley beside my stream.
💝😎You are the FIRST person who has explained this! I had been using nutritious potting soil for my starters then wondering why I had such a pot success rate. Now I know!!☺🌴☺
Glad it was helpful Laura!
BIG help man. I just made 300 green gage plum cuttings, began in honey water, ready to move to a different medium. I was about to mix soil, black cow & sand.
Glad i found your piece.
Thanks.
Glad you found me too. Good luck!
As I love gardening, this video is so helpful, because I’m trying new things(cuttings) 😊
Thank you!
You're welcome, Jennifer!
Encyclopedia of plants this man , what a champ
You know Mike as I see it you have the perfect environment and also you have access to all those different planting mediums I tried to do the same thing that you did and it doesn’t happen for me here because it gets way too hot some days well over 100° or we may have tornadoes so it’s not really a good thing for me even though I do envy you and doing so, but the only thing that actually grows for me here is frangipani It’s pretty easy take a piece off or break a piece off the main plant. Stick it to the ground two weeks later there you go that’s growing.!
Well said, I’ve rooted roses in coco peat and they actually did good, I’ve watched a lot of your past videos and ur definitely right 👌🏽 hood stuff
Thanks! Yes, that's a great material too, just picked up a bale of it.
Another banger of a video thanks Mike your rhodes look sooo happy
Mike..
You are greater greenhouse care of beautiful plants, flowers, I love your beautiful yard like farm !😁😁👋🌿🌿
Thanks for all those 4-1-1's, a big help Mike. See, I guess we forget sometimes that compost isn't everything in the cutting's world. TY!
You're very welcome, Darla!
I have used perlite for years and it always works for me.
One small caveat - when gathering sand in nature, check the drainage before assuming. I recently harvested some sand from a creek bank and was shocked to find that it didn't drain worth a hoot! Turns out, that's due to the heavy clay soil in the area; the large sand particles that were washed down to the creek are actually coated with the tinier clay particles, which makes the mixture hold water like crazy. I don't know how often that happens, but just check what you find by putting some in a small container with drainage holes and dumping water in it. You'll know real quick if you want to use it or not.
Good advice. Clay is definitely a bad idea for plant propagation.
Good idea thanks for explaining
I love the way you explain everything. It makes me want to propagate
Do it Ana! You'll be addicted for life though, so get your affairs in order, lol.
I love the way you explained, very passionate. Of course I hit the like button.
Thank you for this film, this information explains why my cuttings always fail.😊
You've only failed if you quit. Keep going and you'll find success. Good luck!
I love your videos! The way you speak is so engaging!
Thanks! Glad you enjoy them.
Hey Mike, I'm glad I saw this in time. I was going to use potting mix, I have coir on hand so this video saved me some grief.
Glad you found it. Potting mix is great for rooted plants but no good for cuttings most of the time.
You are a wonderful teacher! Thank you for your time, now I know what I did wrong. Thank you!
You are so welcome!
One of those straightforward to the point videos on potting mix for cuttings & propagation. Most talk about how u proon yr cuttings & put them in water or dip d end in rooting hormone & stick it in the... (who knows what mix?)
Glad you appreciated the video!
I grow apple seeds in charcoal dust,soil mixed,which is available near by the result is not bad at all,your video is so inspiring for us.
Happy to inspire!
I love your passion Thanks for a great video.
Great Clarification Mike
My my..this is really an eye-opening.. greeting from Malaysia, mike
In Florida we call them SAND BAGS they give out for free during hurricane season! Everyone has them around!
Love rooting and science. I am getting goose bumps, INERT, wow 😅
Lol, glad you're enjoying it. Science is fun.
Hey Mike, what did you mix in your sand?....😂😂😂 just kidding!
Good points! Thanks for having patience with us! Love those roadies, gorgeous! That little fig is so beautiful too, such a bummer with the Japanese maple seeds....ugh....so sorry!
Good to see you, hugs🤗💜🤗
Good to see you too, Camelia! Hugs to you guys and hope you're enjoying your spring.
Thanks Mike, we are trying. It's either hot or cold and it rained every 4 days for 3 days in a row...I tell you but my beef is with the mosquitoes. Man I can't go outside because they are waiting for me, morning, afternoon, night....always there... ugh so annoying!
Fantastic. Thank you for sharing your expertise in a clear, easy way!
Glad it was helpful!
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this information with us! I love your videos. I always learn so much from them.
Always giving free knowledge Salute bro 💯
That's what it's all about!
Excellent advice, Mike 👍👩🌾👍
Thanks, Peggy!
Use moss as a medium for growing clippings, wet moss in a closed transparent container works perfect, within 2 weeks you have good roots growing, ready for potting.
Leave some moss around the roots (so roots are not bare) and add soil around it for "potting".
An using sand you pitch water everyday
Wow!!!! I learned so much from you. Thank you so much for doing this video. I will look into some of your other video's regarding growing cuttings in inert mediums..
Great! I've got lots of videos about propagation and all the info involved.
Mike your awesome, thanks for sharing your videos.
No problem, good seeing you here, Ralph.
You my friend, are the best. No wonder my cuttings were failing. THANk YOU👍🏼. Also does this medium work typically on any cuttings.
Yes
I use coconut peat and it works great
I'm glad you mentioned coco coir, I have bricks of it I use for substrate for some pet critters!
Yep, a lot of people throughout the world use that stuff.
🪷Omg, you are awesome!!
🩷 I came across this video by accident & dooo glad I did. I love the way that you explain everything, very clear and easy to follow & most importantly...you get to the point!!!! 💜
Sweet!
Thank you for referring me to this video, super helpful. I will be giving this a try, I am so new to gardening and I am learning so much from you.THANK YOU.
I'm so glad you got into gardening and are learning a lot here. Have fun in the garden, Elva!
I am trying perlite for the first time. I've used it in my hydroponic gardening for a few years and it performs well with moisture retention and drainage but an inert product with no nutrient value.
Sounds great!
exactly what I needed to know! Thanks Mike. Love this channel!
Thanks for your support!
Yea he has got a jelopy backhoe i sure could use and Mike rarely uses it
You said it perfect Mike👍👍
Thanks, Justin! Hope you're enjoying the nicer weather.
Thanks for the good info!
Keep up the good work
Thanks for watching!
Well hell, I just began a Camellia with sand, perlite, vermiculite, and Sphagnum. I wasn't sure about the Sphagnum but it's supposed to be sterile. I'll do more this week but with your formula.
Your mix sounds great, just don't saturate it to the point that it's soaking wet and can attract mold and rot.
@@MikeKincaid79 My Camellias are overgrown enough that I could test dozens of mixes. I'm going to water today like you said- every other day.
I have now started using sand for cuttings. I bought a pack of horticultural sand that looks like river sand. Cuttings are doing well in it. However, on a separate project, something unexpected has happened. I had some Papaya seeds I wanted to germinate. I have never tried germination in sand before. I created a base of river sand. Then I put the seeds on top. I then used some fine silver sand to cover them over. I watered, and put the lid on the (heatless) germinator and left on kitchen window sill. The humidity gradually started to build, and much to my surprise, I have a hairy fog growing over the surface of the sand. A fog of hairy filaments - much the same as grow on tea bags. I don't know whether this is a type of mould or mycillium of some kind but it is certainly growing well all over the sand. Have you got any ideas Mike? Thank you!
Sure sounds like some kind of mold to me. If it is, you can easily kill it without hurting the cuttings. Spray the surface of the sand with hydrogen peroxide and watch the mold melt away.
Many thanks for your speedy reply! I have learned so much from you.
@@MikeKincaid79
Interesting so in the case of cuttings and seeding, less is really is more. We are always told "use something with great life into it" as opposed to STARTING in the right kind of medium!
Your every video teaches us a lot learned many things from your video thanks
You are very welcome 🙏
@@MikeKincaid79 🙏
I still like so much this flower at 0:06 stars flowers white/pink so gorgeous 🥰 Mike please put subtitles on because it helps me. I'm hard hearing even if you yelling I can't understand you. Yes I read lips but yours words flys fast like the wind lol but love your enthusiasm 😊💛
Thanks Mike :)
I'll work on it. Sorry I haven't done that yet.
Maybe everyone will understand this time! Thanks for the videos!
LOL, I go back and update videos from time to time just to keep all the new subs in the loop. Every once in awhile I see the same questions start surfacing again and figure it's time.
Fine poultry grit is my favorite medium
Sounds like a good material.
Thanks Mike from Ireland
Thanks for the info Mike. Simple and concise
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video!! I didn’t know Chael Sonnen loved gardening so much. J/K for real though just close your eyes, sounds just like him.
Haha, I've been told that a few times before. Sure wish I could fight like him, lol.
THANKS for sharing your medium use in growing cuttings.
You bet!
Wow thank u so much for this video!! I have seen some ppl doing the propagating in soil and that's what I just did smh (fist time ever trying to do this)
Like w a citrus tree so now I'm wondering if it's to late to try and re do it all over again....
If you just took the cutting then it’ll probably be ok to rinse it off and start over with a more inert material.
I have just learnt a lot from you today - many thanks!!!!
You're welcome and thanks for letting me know!
Luv this guy...amazing...very, very good sharing
Hey, thanks so much!
Thank you so much for sharing . I have a question can I use strat garden soil or mixture of sand and garden soil
It would be better to keep the garden soil out of the equation and use just sand for rooting.
I have raspberry suckers growing all over like wild now. They are in my lawn. So my plan is to dig them up, put them in pots and see what lives. I was going to mix potting soil with the soil I found them in, but I am not sure if I should try a rooting hormone. Once I get the bed expanded, I will try to transplant them back in a more compact way.
Try to dig them up with some roots. Then you don’t need rooting hormone.
Mike, guess where I found fine fir bark, it's sold at pet stores as bedding for reptiles. It's quite pricey, but I wanted to experiment on Japanese maple seeds to see if there is any difference in germination rates between rooting them in the sand (I bought play sand), cocoa coir, or the fine fir bark. Of course, I'll have to wait until fall to collect seeds. You've inspired me to experiment, and I've rooted several different shrubs from cuttings. This is so much fun! ~Margie
Glad you found a source. Sorry it's so expensive there. Good luck with your cuttings, Margie!
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks, Mike, you've definitely given me the propagation bug! (I consider that one of the good bugs, lol.) 🐝 🐝
In the video Mike explains that seeds should be started in a nutritious material (not inert) because they are quickly ready to take up nutrients. However for cutting, they take a while to even devlop roots that can take up nutrients. During that much longer wait time you want an inert environment to lessen the chance of undesirables growing and harming your cutting.
2 years later. What were your findings? Did you do better with sand or the fir bark?
@@Floridamancan Actually, it was pretty much a toss-up between those two (inert mediums) with around 50% success.
However, in late spring (this year), I directly rooted Hydrangea cuttings in raised planters using container bed mix (that had slow-release fertilizer). I simply took cuttings, stripped the lower leaves, cut the top 2 leaves in half, and stuck them directly into the well-watered soil (no rooting hormone needed) all have new growth now. The raised bed is under a tree where it gets only morning and late afternoon sun.
It was a two coffee morning ! LOL Great info and love the enthusiasm.
Awesome! I love 2 coffee mornings, LOL.
I use bark or sand for bulk cuttings but a steam pasteurized pearlite vermiculite mix for what I consider high value cuttings. (when I only have a few clippings, eg mail order)
Sounds like a good idea.
Thank you so much for the very good info.
Propagating bleeding heart, hardy geraniums, astilbes and golden barbery atm. I can honestly tell you I've used potting soil to propagate over winter in my large outside pots. It's worked good so far but I'm betting you're correct about inert materiel
Glad it's working well for you. Many plants will root in potting soil. I'm just trying to help people be as successful as possible and a good draining inert material will give them a better chance at success.
@@MikeKincaid79 Yes, I've had friends that tried it and rotted their cuttings from watering it too much. You do an amazing job helping us, Mike! Thank you
Thanks Mike
You do a great job with your videos so much that you have inspired me to start propagating our 3 special rhodos . I will be looking at more of your videos. Thanks again
Awesome! Happy to inspire. I just posted a video tour of my rhododendron landscape this morning.
Good explanation, thanks.
You're welcome, Anne.
Wow...what a great video!! I can use BEACH SAND Yippy🌊...sounds like the key is to RINSE IT WELL & keep it Natural👍👍👍
Yep, just rinse well. To rinse it, you can put it in a 5 gallon bucket and shove a hose down to the bottom. Then let the hose run until the water overflows out of the bucket. Continue stirring the sand around in the bucket as the fresh water rinses it. You may have to turn down the flow so it doesn't push the sand out of the bucket. Good luck!
Ram ram sir
Aap bhut achchi knowledge dete h plants ki
Request h aapse
Yhi vedio hindi me bnayege
To m daave se khti hu
Bhart k kisan achchi pedavaar krenge ...
That is very interesting. May I ask a silly question..
If we use sand for the cuttings we try to propagate, I can understand that untill they grow some roots the plant can not absorb any nutrients from the substrate any rely to its own energy to survive.
From the moment it produces some roots will it find any nutrients to absorb from the sand sustrate ? May be we should use a little fertiliser just to secure that if there is root development the plant has a sourse of food?
I wait until the roots start. The cutting has everything it needs to grow roots. Fertilizer early on can promote bacterial growth.
@@MikeKincaid79 I see, so occasionally you pull out the plant and watch for roots.If roots haven't developed yet, you reinsert the plant to the substrate.
Much love, brother. May God bless you, you have blessed us all.
I do have a question, sir, how do you know that the plant will not grow roots faster if placed in a fertilized/supplemented substrate that is sterile ?
Have you experimented or do you have an education in botany?
My heart tells me that there is a way to make healthier stronger roots if you add what nature adds in the wilderness to your cutting substrate at home.
I’m so fascinated with this. Can’t believe in my 37 years I never really knew about making cuttings.
I’m very thankful for generous and enthusiastic people like you who make the process much easier.
Thanks again, my friend.
Experience and self education is my teacher. Before the roots come, there is nothing to absorb the nutrients.
Thankyou so much for sharing your amazing knowledge of gardening.
My pleasure, Nana
And he teaches us again all the secrets 😇😁🙏🏼
I'll keep teaching if you keep listening!
Another great video. Thanks Mike!
Hello Mike, amazing information, i like you so much, a lot of greetings from Serbia !
Awesome, thank you!
Have you ever tried sawdust? It’s like bark mulch - except mostly finer.
I don’t use it because sawdust is more prone to growing mold.
Great information-thx! (And great video- I appreciate the presentation & I love the energy👍👍)
Glad you enjoyed it, Jan! Much more to come.
Very useful and informative. Love the enthusiasm and knowledge 👌👌 subscribed
Thanks so much and happy gardening!
Thank. You. Beautiful plants
Thank you, Chintana, and blessings to you!
Great video!! Thank you! Will sand or bark also work on tree cuttings, like ficus?
Yes, I've rooted many figs in both substrates.
Thank you so so much for clarifying the sand thing, do you think you could mix a bit of Pete Moss into the stand?
Yes, you can.
Enjoyed this 😎👍
Hi mike. I love what you have taught me. I am propagating everything. I have two boxes going. They all seem to be taking. BUT I don’t know when to move them out of the boxes. ?
I usually leave my cuttings in the frames until the late winter. Then I transplant them while they are dormant and the roots are tough.
Great video. 😊 👍
Thank you 👍