I’m not sure what to officially call them, but my brother’s girlfriend gave me a 6-pack of these little things that look like pudding cups but that hold some gooey gel that is meant for rooting cuttings of houseplants.
The first plant I tried rooting was a geranium cutting, and it’s done okay. It’s rooting and the plant itself looks perky. But since that one I’ve tried patchouli and scented geraniums (known as pelargoniums in the horticultural world, scented geraniums are a different kind of plant than the usual annual hybrid geraniums most people are familiar with).
Pelargoniums/scented geraniums potted up last summer.
Both the patchouli and the pelargonium cuttings wilted in the gel. I think rooting houseplant cuttings in water will do just fine. When I moved the wilting pelargoniums into water, they perked up. I’m hoping they’ll grow roots so I can have more of these plants on the deck and porch this summer.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow – your geranium cuttings really rooted well. I have a question. I cut some geraniums at my dad’s house after he passed away last summer, in the hope that they’d root. After a few weeks in water, the leaves yellowed, so I read where I should put them in damp sand. They’ve been in sand all winter, but now the stems are practically leafless. Think I should try the water route again, or is it too late? I’d like to plant them outside this summer.
If they still have roots I would plant them in some potting soil and make sure to water them regularly, placing them in the warmest, most sunniest window in your home.
My mom moved recently and forgot a geranium was in her car’s trunk overnight. We thought it might be dead, but basically cut it back down to nothing and gave it the treatment described above. Now it has 5 or 6 leaves on it and is bouncing back nicely!
I’m sorry about your dad…this sounds like a really nice way to keep him in your garden, at least.
Thank you so much! I’ll try that this weekend!
The irony is that I’ve never cared much for geraniums…until now.