Help! Cuttings going limp?

[ॐ]

Hi everyone.
I have taken 2 cuttings from my salvia plant this morning.
The instructions I followed stated that ideally a cutting is 20-30cm long, the longer the cutting the more biomass and the better it can sustain itself until it forms roots.
I live in a rather low humidity area and my plant has adjusted to this (in fact, the person I bought the plants from specified that they do not need humidification tents etc.)

I cut the stem right below a node as I read this is where the cutting is most likely to form roots.
I removed the lower leaves and cut back the top leaves a bit (though there's still quite a bit of leaf left). Then I put them in a glass of water without a humidification tent, following these instructions:

salvia-divinorum-scotland.co.uk

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www.salvia-divinorum-scotland.co.uk

After checking back a few hours after taking the cuttings, the stems have gone quite limp at the top, and the leaves are drooping. There still seems to be some life in it, as it's not entirely limp yet.
Still, I'm not liking the look of this and it seems like I should take measures to save them?

Should I take measures and get the humidity up asap by putting them in a bucket of damp perlite with a bag over it or something, or is this normal and will they pick up later regardless?

 

[Continuum]

First off, don't do anything drastic for a day or two. Iirc, new salvia cuttings often go limp like that in the first 24 hours but bounce back once they get used to the lower water intake.

I'd stick with water only for rooting. Make sure they're kept in shade or indirect light until they start to root, as the sun with dehydrate them too much. Mine do fine rooting without a humidity tent, so they should be ok without.

You may want to remove a couple more leaves from each, particularly any leaves with browning or damage as they likely aren't contributing much to photosynthesis. Plant aspirate out of the leaves, so they can lose too much water when they don't have developed roots to absorb more and are losing it from a lot of leaves.

If they don't pick back up naturally with those things, then possible cut again just below the next node up. Presumably you put them straight in water after cutting them, but if not, a fresh cut may help.

Good luck with them!

 

[ॐ]

First off, don't do anything drastic for a day or two. Iirc, new salvia cuttings often go limp like that in the first 24 hours but bounce back once they get used to the lower water intake.

I'd stick with water only for rooting. Make sure they're kept in shade or indirect light until they start to root, as the sun with dehydrate them too much. Mine do fine rooting without a humidity tent, so they should be ok without.

You may want to remove a couple more leaves from each, particularly any leaves with browning or damage as they likely aren't contributing much to photosynthesis. Plant aspirate out of the leaves, so they can lose too much water when they don't have developed roots to absorb more and are losing it from a lot of leaves.

If they don't pick back up naturally with those things, then possible cut again just below the next node up. Presumably you put them straight in water after cutting them, but if not, a fresh cut may help.

Good luck with them!

Thanks for the insight, this is very much helpful and puts my mind at ease somewhat.
I've noticed that one of the two cuttings already looks much better than it did a few hours ago, it is not as limp or droopy anymore.
The cutting with the largest leaves is still looking pretty much the same, but I'll give it a day or two until I do anything with it. I'll post back with the results :thumb_up:

 

[skoobysnax]

First off, don't do anything drastic for a day or two. Iirc, new salvia cuttings often go limp like that in the first 24 hours but bounce back once they get used to the lower water intake.

I'd stick with water only for rooting. Make sure they're kept in shade or indirect light until they start to root, as the sun with dehydrate them too much. Mine do fine rooting without a humidity tent, so they should be ok without.

You may want to remove a couple more leaves from each, particularly any leaves with browning or damage as they likely aren't contributing much to photosynthesis. Plant aspirate out of the leaves, so they can lose too much water when they don't have developed roots to absorb more and are losing it from a lot of leaves.

If they don't pick back up naturally with those things, then possible cut again just below the next node up. Presumably you put them straight in water after cutting them, but if not, a fresh cut may help.

Good luck with them!

Thanks for the insight, this is very much helpful and puts my mind at ease somewhat.
I've noticed that one of the two cuttings already looks much better than it did a few hours ago, it is not as limp or droopy anymore.
The cutting with the largest leaves is still looking pretty much the same, but I'll give it a day or two until I do anything with it. I'll post back with the results :thumb_up:

also find a deeper vessel that will cover more of the stem. i have a long cutting rooting now whose roots are coming higher up on the stem closer to the leaves. it is OK to submerge right up to a mm or so below the growing leaf nodes. I would let that mother gain some size before cutting any more. I have a massive mother that I wanted to cut early on but waited and I have been rewarded for my patience. She looked a lot like yours when I got her.

 

[skoobysnax]

She is also a thirsty one. That big pot is full of roots. When they are root bound they will slow way down.

 

[ॐ]

also find a deeper vessel that will cover more of the stem. i have a long cutting rooting now whose roots are coming higher up on the stem closer to the leaves. it is OK to submerge right up to a mm or so below the growing leaf nodes. I would let that mother gain some size before cutting any more. I have a massive mother that I wanted to cut early on but waited and I have been rewarded for my patience. She looked a lot like yours when I got her.

Thanks for the tips Skoobysnax!
I've put the cuttings in a larger container (a plastic bottle cut to size) filled until right below the leaves.

I was a bit hesitant to make any cuttings at all, but one of my 2 plants didn't make it through the winter so I wanted to make sure I got some fresh plants going while I still can.
My mother plant is growing tall and slanky, only the tops of the stems are growing large leaves, the other leaves only get to a few cms before turning brown and dying. Could this be because it is rootbound? I guess I should repot it soon to give it some more space.

I don't water my plant often as I've heard it is easy to get root rot that way (in fact, I believe that's how my other plant died).
I wait until the leaves start to droop slightly, and then give them around a liter of water (with a bit of fertilizer in the spring/summer) and let the pot drain. I do mist the leaves a few times a day so they can absorb a bit of water that way.

Also, is the leaf browning due to overexposure to direct sunlight?
In spring and early summer my plant always looks super healthy with gorgeous large silky deep green leaves, but as summer progresses I get more and more browning. I live in a rather cold climate, and on a windowsill with moderate sunlight and temperature it does far worse than in full light in my veranda (where the humidity and temperature is also quite a bit higher).

 

[skoobysnax]

also find a deeper vessel that will cover more of the stem. i have a long cutting rooting now whose roots are coming higher up on the stem closer to the leaves. it is OK to submerge right up to a mm or so below the growing leaf nodes. I would let that mother gain some size before cutting any more. I have a massive mother that I wanted to cut early on but waited and I have been rewarded for my patience. She looked a lot like yours when I got her.

Thanks for the tips Skoobysnax!
I've put the cuttings in a larger container (a plastic bottle cut to size) filled until right below the leaves.

I was a bit hesitant to make any cuttings at all, but one of my 2 plants didn't make it through the winter so I wanted to make sure I got some fresh plants going while I still can.
My mother plant is growing tall and slanky, only the tops of the stems are growing large leaves, the other leaves only get to a few cms before turning brown and dying. Could this be because it is rootbound? I guess I should repot it soon to give it some more space.

I don't water my plant often as I've heard it is easy to get root rot that way (in fact, I believe that's how my other plant died).
I wait until the leaves start to droop slightly, and then give them around a liter of water (with a bit of fertilizer in the spring/summer) and let the pot drain. I do mist the leaves a few times a day so they can absorb a bit of water that way.

Also, is the leaf browning due to overexposure to direct sunlight?
In spring and early summer my plant always looks super healthy with gorgeous large silky deep green leaves, but as summer progresses I get more and more browning. I live in a rather cold climate, and on a windowsill with moderate sunlight and temperature it does far worse than in full light in my veranda (where the humidity and temperature is also quite a bit higher).

If you repot put some gravel or pebbles in the bottom of the pot to help drainage, some perlite helps, I added a small bit of peat moss to help the soil hold a bit of water but not much. Typically I wait until they droop a little and fill a bus tub with water and bottom water most any potted plant i have and then let it drain when I see the leaves perk up. I have been having some browning tips lately but I had gotten lazy about misting. I keep this one indoors in a bathtub with a 4ft 6500K 4tube T5 fluorescent. Not right up on it but 4 ft away and the room gets filtered light in the afternoon. I took her out to water her. My outdoor plants are getting eaten by a sundry of bugs and caterpillars but yet they live. Hoping to get some roots established deep enough to return in spring. Fingers crossed.

 

[Continuum]

I'd second what he said about higher water level in the rooting vessel. Salvia tend to push roots out everywhere along the stem that they are under water, not just at nodes.

 

[ॐ]

I'd second what he said about higher water level in the rooting vessel. Salvia tend to push roots out everywhere along the stem that they are under water, not just at nodes.

I've done exactly that shortly after it was mentioned here.
Thought I'd give a quick update: no sign of rooting yet but the cuttings are both doing well and the leaves are looking pretty healthy and the stems and leaves are no longer limp.

Will post back once roots have formed and they have been put in soil.

 

[ॐ]

Alright, back with another quick update (and also a few small questions).

Both cuttings have developed roots by now:

I read that cuttings are good to plant as soon as they have developed several roots 2-4cm in length.
It seems that the first one is good to go, then? I'm going to leave the second one alone for a little while longer so its roots can grow a bit longer.

As has been said, on both cuttings the roots developed on the node right below the leaves.
Should I cut the stem right below the node above which the roots have formed? I also assume I should plant the roots as deep in the pot as possible, covering with soil until only a few cm below the leaves?

For clarification, here's my idea:

Cut at around the red line (node below lowest root formation)
Bury in soil until the blue line (a little below the leaves)

I guess I should leave the rest of the stem in the water and see if it maybe grows more roots?
I've heard this is possible even for cuttings without any leaves at all, so it seems worth a shot..

I am going to use the same soil I used for my mother plant, it is potting soil for acid-loving plants, mixed 50/50 with perlite too keep it loose, fluffy and properly draining.

 

[Continuum]

Looking good! Your plan sounds good, but maybe make your stem cut (the red line) one or two more nodes down. It will probably keep developing roots once planted and you might as well leave a little extra space for new ones.

Keep up the good work!

 

[ॐ]

Looking good! Your plan sounds good, but maybe make your stem cut (the red line) one or two more nodes down. It will probably keep developing roots once planted and you might as well leave a little extra space for new ones.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the quick answer, Continuum!
I hadn't considered that, though it sounds totally obvious now I will definitely give it a bit more room at the bottom for future root development.
I'm going to put it in soil tomorrow, fingers crossed :thumb_up:
Very excited to finally be able to start a few new plants!

 

[skoobysnax]

I agree. Continuum, do you think if I buried the rootball of the mother deep enough to be under the frost-line that it would come back in the spring? I am not sure I have the space for her with everything I am bringing inside before it frosts.

 

[ॐ]

Hmm, I've recently tried to make some cuttings out of leftover stems.
They didn't have any leaves whatsoever, so I wasn't sure if it would work at all, but surely enough two weeks later some leaves developed on the stems suspended in water, and roots soon followed:

I'm not entirely sure what the best way would be to pot these. Should I remove all of the leaves below where the roots formed and pot it in a large pot as is? If I want to bury the roots a few cm deep in the soil there will be little to no space left at the top :?
This may be a very silly question, but you can't just flip the stem over, or can you?