Is this too much stretching, should I pull it?

[The Pinks]

This is a seedling about 5 days old. Lowryder #2 X Auto AK47. Started it in an unwrapped peat puck, which was placed in a soil-filled pot. Well, it popped immediately, and grew almost 2 inches in one day when I was at college. Unfortunately, it was in VERY low light at the time, so it got started off stretching pretty badly.

Well as soon as I saw that it had popped, I moved it outside. Fortune wasn't on my side though, as these last few days have been overcast. Not enough sun meant more stretching. So now, the poor thing is 4 inches. As you see, I have tied it to a makeshift stake with a piece of yarn. It can stand by itself, and I know I should probably allow it to, in order to strengthen it. But I couldn't be here all day to monitor its progress due to full time college schedule, so I prepared for the worst by staking it.

Question is, considering that it has stretched so badly, do you think that it can still become a viable plant?

This is from a batch of feminized seed, and was meant to be part of an experiment to force hermaphroditism (breeding purposes). I may actually shed a tear if I furked this one up.

[Shinningwind]

Carefully transplant it to a bigger pot & bury it up to the bottum leave's.
Maybe leave a little space in the new container incase it wants to stretch a little more, giving you the opertunity to add a little more soil if need be.

[The Pinks]

Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully it will work. I really don't want to lose this little girl, but if it comes to it, I do have one or two more seed to play with.

[scott06]

Shinning is on the money with this advise....it works well!

[jangel]

I do that all the time, on purpose. Then, when you bury the stem up to the round coloidels, roots grow on that part of the stem and you have a stronger root system. Making lemonade out of lemons!

Peace

[justplainbill]

I also do the same thing but I can't say I ever saw a seedling shoot up that far. When you bury the stem up to the sugar leaves will give you a very good start on an excellent root system.

[The Pinks]

Since it's unanimous, just let me say,

WHEW!

[Mogie]

Shinningwind is 100% correct. You need to have a fan in there.

[Richard Owl Mirror]

Originally Posted by Shinningwind

Carefully transplant it to a bigger pot & bury it up to the bottom leaves.
Maybe leave a little space in the new container in case it wants to stretch a little more, giving you the opportunity to add a little more soil if need be.

Are you saying to bury this seedling 3.5 inches deep?
Won't that choke it?
If you want roots to develop, should you scrape the stem a bit like is done with the root end of clones ? Maybe spread a thin layer of root hormone along the stem to spur root development ?
I've never done this but, just wondering out loud.

[scott06]

It is very similar to the propagation technique known as air layering amoung all kinds of gardeners. You don't have to do a thing except put in more dirt allmost touching the fan leaves. The plant does the rest quickly. You end up with a much stronger bush structure this way.

Air layering is where you take some part of any branch and bury the middle so the end it sticking out. Later you clip where the branch meets the main stem, and you have to plants with their own root systems. ITS JUST THAT EASY

bramble like bushes and mint propagate like this naturally. Just look around on a mid summers walk. they send out streaming branches. some get covered at some point and bamm two plants (sharing some tissue still)

[scott06]

Plant Propagation by Layering: Instructions for the Home Gardener 1/99 HIL-8701
Erv Evans, Extension Associate
Frank A. Blazich, Professor
Department of Horticultural Science

Stems that are still attached to their parent plant may form roots where they come in contact with a rooting medium. This method of vegetative propagation is generally successful, because water stress is minimized and carbohydrate and mineral nutrient levels are high. The development of roots on a stem while the stem is still attached to the parent plant is called layering. A layer is the rooted stem following detachment (removal) from the parent plant.
Some plants propagate naturally by layering, but sometimes plant propagators assist the process. Layering is enhanced by wounding the stem where the roots are to form. The rooting medium should always provide aeration and a constant supply of moisture.
Types of Layering
Simple layering can be accomplished by bending a low growing, flexible stem to the ground. Cover part of it with soil, leaving the remaining 6 to 12 inches above the soil. Bend the tip into a vertical position and stake in place (Figure 1). The sharp bend will often induce rooting, but wounding the lower side of the bent branch may help also. Simple layering can be done on most plants with low-growing branches. Examples of plants propagated by simple layering include climbing roses, forsythia, rhododendron, honeysuckle, boxwood, azalea, and wax myrtle.
Figure 1.
Simple layering can be done in early spring using a dormant branch, or in late summer using a mature branch. Periodically check for adequate moisture and for the formation of roots. It may take one or more seasons before the layer is ready to be removed for transplanting.
Tip layering is quite similar to simple layering. Dig a hole 3 to 4 inches deep. Insert the tip of a current season’s shoot and cover it with soil. The tip grows downward first, then bends sharply and grows upward. Roots form at the bend. The re-curved tip becomes a new plant (Figure 2). Remove the tip layer and plant it in late fall or early spring. Examples of plants propagated by tip layering include purple and black raspberries, and trailing blackberries.
Figure 2.
Compound (serpentine) layering is similar to simple layering, but several layers can result from a single stem. Bend the stem to the rooting medium as for simple layering, but alternately cover and expose sections of the stem. Each section should have at least one bud exposed and one bud covered with soil. Wound the lower side of each stem section to be covered (Figure 3). This method works well for plants producing vine-like growth such as heart-leaf philodendron, pothos, wisteria, clematis, and grapes.
Figure 3.
Mound (stool) layering is useful with heavy-stemmed, closely branched shrubs and rootstocks of tree fruits. Cut the plant back to 1 inch above the soil surface in the dormant season. Dormant buds will produce new shoots in the spring. Mound soil over the new shoots as they grow (Figure 4). Roots will develop at the bases of the young shoots. Remove the layers in the dormant season. Mound layering works well on apple rootstocks, spirea, quince, daphne, magnolia, and cotoneaster.
Figure 4.
Air layering can be used to propagate large, overgrown house plants such as rubber plant, croton, or dieffenbachia that have lost most of their lower leaves. Woody ornamentals such as azalea, camellia, magnolia, oleander, and holly can also be propagated by air layering. For optimum rooting, make air layers in the spring on shoots produced during the previous season or in mid to late summer on shoots from the current season’s growth. For woody plants, stems of pencil size diameter or larger are best. Choose an area just below a node and remove leaves and twigs on the stem 3 to 4 inches above and below this point. This is normally done on a stem about 1 foot from the tip.
Air layering differs, depending on whether the plant is a monocot or a dicot. For monocots, make an upward 1- to 1 1/2-inch cut about one-third through the stem. The cut is held open with a toothpick or wooden match stick. Surround the wound with moist, unmilled sphagnum moss (about a handful) that has been soaked in water and squeezed to remove excess moisture. Wrap the moss with plastic and hold in place with twist ties or electrician’s tape. No moss should extend beyond the ends of the plastic. Fasten each end of the plastic securely, to retain moisture and to prevent water from entering. If exposed to the sun, the plastic should be covered. Aluminum foil can also be used, as it does not require twist ties or tape to hold it in place.
The process for dicots is similar, except a 1-inch ring of bark is removed from the stem. With a sharp knife, make two parallel cuts about an inch apart around the stem and through the bark and cambium layer (Figure 5). Connect the two parallel cuts with one long cut. Remove the ring of bark, leaving the inner woody tissue exposed. Scrape the newly bared ring to remove the cambial tissue to prevent a bridge of callus tissue from forming. Application of a root-promoting substance to the exposed wound is sometimes beneficial. Wrap and cover using the same procedure as that described for monocots.
Figure 5.
After the rooting medium is filled with roots, sever the stem below the medium and pot the layer. The new plant will usually require some pampering until the root system becomes more developed. Provide shade and adequate moisture until the plant is well established.
Natural Forms of Layering
Sometimes layering occurs naturally, without the assistance of a propagator. Runners and offsets are specialized plant structures that facilitate propagation by layering.
A runner produces new shoots where it touches the growing medium (Figure 6). Plants that produce stolons or runners are propagated by severing the new plants from their parent stems. Plantlets at the tips of runners may be rooted while still attached to the parent or detached and placed in a rooting medium. Examples include strawberry and spider plant.
Figure 6.
Plants with rosetted stems often reproduce by forming new shoots, called offshoots, at their base or in the leaf axles. Sever the new shoots from the parent plant after they have developed their own root systems. Unrooted offsets of some species may be removed and placed in a rooting medium. Some of these must be cut off, whereas others may simply be lifted from the parent stem. Examples include date palm, bromeliads, and many cacti.
For Further Reading

• Bryant, G. 1995. Propagation Handbook. Stackpole Books: Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
• Dirr, M. A. and C. W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture. Varsity Press: Athens, Georgia.
• Hartmann, H. T., D. E. Kester, F. T. Davies and R. L. Geneve. 1996. Plant Propagation, Principles and Practices. 6th ed. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
• McMillan Browse, P. D. A. 1978. Plant Propagation. Simon and Schuster: New York.
• Toogood, A. 1993. Plant Propagation Made Easy. Timber Press: Portland, Oregon.

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[jangel]

Hey scott, can you do a tute on this? It would be a shame to have this info burried without reference.

Peace

[4maggio]

High all.. that seedling can also be burried in hydroton for DWC or E&F.

Grew som NL99 that the 'last' seedling that went onto the windowsill and not in the dome (no room), turned out to be the sought after 'pineapple pheno'.

Of course, one must go slow when dumping hydroton down, around tender little stems.
I'm goin to experement with putting the stretchy seedlings into something (havent figured exactly what yet, like a soda straw split lengthways) made out of paper or the like, for some protection. Although it has worked without anything 4 or 5 times.

Any way, just put the wack on some Lemon Stinky last week, vapeing the fallout pieces and rambling. Sorry.

[4evergreen]

I agree with Scott06, my rockwool cubes were covered with algaes and Shinningwind adviced me to cover the rockwools with extra Hydroton (which is my medium) and I did cover with Hydroton up to the seedling cotyledones and not only I did kill the algaes but I have noticed a strong growth as a consequence of a strong root development, so I would bet all my money on Scott06´s advices

Here are two pictures of the same seedling, first one is before I have covered it with Hydroton, and second is 7 days after I have covered it up to the cotyledones

Best Luck!

[Richard Owl Mirror]

Originally Posted by scott06

Plant Propagation by Layering:

Scott06, you've inspired me in to action !
I have this FREAK that I've been nursing along and this comment above gave me an idea to try. See, this plant is a clone from a plant that got damaged when my cat jumped up on to the windowsill and knocked the plants down. It grew out as a normal clone yet, as it grew the bottom sets of leaves would die off as new growth emerged.
It has ended up looking like a Palm Tree and is only developing single leaf blades now.
This conversation about layering to spur further root growth gave me an idea to try with this plant as I continue to grow it.
Here are some pictures I snapped as I put this idea in to motion.

[Zuke]

i wouldent scrape it at all... its so young and tender that i would be woried abought doing it more stress then root growth promotion... tender flesh will grow roots pretty quickly form what i understand...