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Torenia from Cuttings

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Posted by roselane 5b/6a Kansas (My Page) on
Mon, Apr 27, 09 at 13:51

Hello! I'm usually a lurker here, but my frustration with propagating trailing torenia has compelled me to post a question. I have read some threads, and some say that torenia is easy from cuttings, but I think I need more specifics from someone who has been successful b/c it isn't easy for me!

I take 4-6 inch cuttings (trying to cut along a node) and remove all but the top two leaves. I've tried rooting in a mix that was mostly peat and then one that was mostly vermiculite (in a homeade propagation chamber). I've tried with hormone and without. Right now, I'm trying water and I've already had a few wilt.

Here are my questions:
Do I mist and for how long?
Do I cover and for how long?
What medium has been successful for others?
Is bottom heat mandatory?
What kind of light while rooting? What about after roots form?

I'm fairly new to cuttings, but I've been successful with geraniums, impatients, euphorbia, and angelonia, if that tells you anything about what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice!

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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Maybe I was just lucky, but last fall I took some cuttings from a neighbor's Torenia, but I don't think it was the trailing type. I took four, 4-6 inch cuttings, stripped lower leaves and stuck them in ceramic pots with potting soil(two to a pot), set them next to a table lamp, and kept the soil moist, but not wet. I treated them like houseplants, basically. I lost two, and two rooted. Since then I've taken a couple of cuttings off of the two that rooted and grew. Once they had new growth, I fed them lightly like I do my African Violets. They started blooming quite small, so I've been pinching off the buds until they can go outside. They're not huge, but they're something to start the season with. I've just started setting them out in the shade on nice days(few and far between right now). I've never grown them before, but I couldn't stand the thought that my neighbor throws out her plants every year, so I thought I'd save some. I even overwintered a fibrous begonia in a hanging pot that she was going to toss. It's been pretty sad looking, but is starting to perk up. I've taken some cuttings off of it, too.

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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I root these babies by the dozen with incredibly good success. I use a good quality potting soil in a four inch pot. I take stem cuttings that have two or three sets of leaves. Yes, this is short, but I get more cuttings that way. (fat stems root best) I carefully nip off the lower leaves, leaving just the top pair intact. I stick the stem into the soil right up to the base of the leaves (2 per pot, just in case). Then I water the pot very very thoroughly and allow it to drain for an hour or so (important). Then I put the pot(s) inside a clear rubbermaid storage box (upside down) and snap down the box which is now the lid. I put it in indirect light or bright shade, and do nothing else at all. Typically, within two weeks, the plants are rooted and growing. They are tremendously easy.

I will often put the plants right into the ground from there, but if you feel better about it, you can take them out of the box, and water/fertilize them for awhile before setting out. The cuttings grow so fast, that I took MORE cuttings from the ones I took last fall, and all of those were rooted and blooming by spring (My "fall" was in mid November, and my "spring" was early March). I have been giving them to anyone who smiles.

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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Thank you both so much for responding! I'm going to have another go at it and this time I'll use good potting soil almost up to the leaves, place the cuttings in bright, indirect light, and cover them in the rubbermaid container. Thanks again!

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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roselane, one more suggestion. Do not use the potting soils that have moisture control or moisture crystals in them. they will stay TOO wet.

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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AND when you drain your freshly watered pot, set it on an old towel 9 (that is relatively clean and dry) and let the excess water wick from the pot (takes 10 minutes). This way now your soil is moist but not soaking. I do this with most of my plants during the winter and spring and fall, I guess with summer heat it would use up the moisture quite quick. But if contained in the rubbermaid, I think my method would leave the soil damp enough.

I just bought a little fuschia cutting from the store, and they had watered them, the pot wasn't dripping, but I'd read fuschia's do not like wet, they prefer moist. So I wicked it on 2 paper towels (previously used from the kids at supper, they barely dirty them, so I use on the plants for wicking), I could not believe how much moisture I got from that little 2 1/2 inch pot.

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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Thanks so much! I now feel that one of my primary mistake on one of my tries was potting it in almost pure peat moss and then being sure to keep it really wet. I even had the pots on wicking fabric to make sure they stayed moist. What was I thinking??? :)

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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Trust me. We all learn from experience! For every success, I've probably had two (or ten) failures!

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RE: Torenia from Cuttings

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I am in the Dominican Republic and it is May 34c and humid. For the first time I found just one Torenia plant. Not knowing anything about it I put it into some gravel, sandy earth in the border, where it gets full afternoon sun for about 2 hours(this is hot tropical sun). It gets watered about every 3 days so it dries in between. Ive taken cuttings and stuck them in a pot around the edges and all have roots within a week. With so many cuttings ive tried them in shade and blistering sun. They grow just fine. Not tried growing the seed as yet but have taken pods off and thrown them on an unused pot of compost.
So.. its the heat they like no matter sun, shade or potting mix.
Possibly the humidity helps.

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