kolling@magic.DEC.COM (Karen Kolling) (09/15/86)
Someone was asking about rooting geranium cuttings. Here's a tidbit from a garden column in today's NY Times: question: Grandmother always rooted coleus and geraniums in water, but insisted in using a vase made of green glass; my cuttings do not root in clear glass. Was she right or was she lucky? answer: Probably grandmother was right as colored glass -- green or brown -- seems to shade stems from strong light exposure and roots develop quickly. Clear glass rooting is successful if geranium cuttings, particularly, are allowed to dry off overnight so cut ends form a callus. Keep any cuttings in a bright -- not sunny -- location and be sure to change the water every few days until roots form. Begonia and impatiens cuttings can also be rooted in water.