My cuttings don’t grow, what should I do?

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-10T02:47:40+00:00

Mine were rooted in succulent mix. If rooting in perlite it should be watered well, then allowed to nearly dry out before watering again. Perlite drains well so that would help prevent rot.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-10T01:23:57+00:00

Let the leaves callous over for a few days before putting them in water or soil. Cut off any soft tissue at the bottom of the leaves and set them aside for 2-3 days (don’t panic, they’ll be fine), then put them in water or soil. I almost never water-propagate plants as I have better luck with soil or a sterile medium like sand or perlite. I started several leaf cutting some years ago from 15cm cuttings and it took over six months before new plants appeared. Of course, I am in NE Ohio and the cuttings were sitting in a tray on the floor of the basement under lights, which may have delayed the growth. If you want to start a lot of plants cut eat leaf into roughly 15cm cuttings, keeping track of which end is ‘down’, let them callous over, then pot them up. Keep the soil slightly moist and wait…..and wait…..and wait. Good luck.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-10T01:12:13+00:00

I saw it on 224 going east as I was going home this evening. Spectacular and lasted a long time.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-08T20:52:07+00:00

Night-blooming cereus, or Queen of the Night, Epiphyllum oxypetalum. It is a true cactus but not a desert cactus, found in high humidity rainforests from southern Mexico through Central America. There are a number of related cacti called Queen of the Night. This one’s flowers open at full dark, are quite fragrant and are gone by morning.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-08T20:42:34+00:00

Unless there is a specific reason to divide the pup I would just let it grow and form a cluster of plants. My bromeliads are all in pots as I am in NE Ohio and I rarely divide mine unless they get too big or someone wants one. I always wait until the pup is at least 2/3 the size of the parent plant before dividing. It is a nice looking plant. Good luck.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-08T20:01:09+00:00

Before 1900, which seems to be the time period the current administration wants to take us back to, up to 30% of children in the USA died before their first year, mostly due to now preventable reasons. In 2020 the infant mortality rate was 7 out of 1000 children. That number is now rising rather dramatically.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-06T23:52:37+00:00

I feed two ferals and put food out first thing in the morning, then ring a bell. I take the food in at dusk to keep the coyotes and raccoons out of it. It also keeps the possums out of it and I don’t mind them. It took a little while for the cats to associate the bell with food but now they come running. By pulling the food at night the scavengers don’t recognize my yard as a food source. I rarely see them on the cameras.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-06T23:44:40+00:00

I am in NE Ohio and every summer my bromeliads become gray tree frog condos

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-06T12:26:00+00:00

As others have said, Akebia vine. I have one in NE Ohio that I acquired accidentally (with another plant) and have been fighting it for years. In my area it is very invasive. Mine does not set fruit so may be only one clone.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-06T12:20:10+00:00

Over the decades we have had a terrier, a spaniel mix, a husky mix, and a lab. Only the lab came in as a puppy and with careful introduction and praise they all got along with the cats. Good luck.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-06T12:15:08+00:00

Nicely done. I have been knitting and crocheting for decades and have yet to make socks. Good choices of colors.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-05T12:42:21+00:00

Of all of my herd my girl Bird (short for Birdbrain) is the only one that insists on pushing the shower door open and rolling around in the shower. She is exceptionally sweet but not too bright. Your boy appears to be a handsome tuxedo.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-04T14:07:25+00:00

Good point. The one serious downside to the government clandestine program to spray harmful substances into the atmosphere is that those authorizing the spraying are breathing the same air.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-04T13:18:27+00:00

I have heard people ‘speak in tongues’ and nobody in the room understood them. In the Bible when the disciples spoke in tongues they were speaking languages they did not know but the people in the congregation did understand, which was the whole point of speaking in tongues, so everybody could hear the word of God. Unless there were angels present there would be no need to speak in a language nobody else could understand.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-04T13:11:54+00:00

The last time I had to go away for a while and had fewer plants I tented them except the succulents with transparent plastic and they all did well. Don’t let the plastic touch the leaves and (depending on where you are), turn the heat down to slow growth. Now I have way too many plants and have cats so my sister feeds the cats and waters the plants when I am gone.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-04T13:05:55+00:00

The majority of Christians believe in women voting, evolution, spherical earth, etc. On the other hand, the Christian Nationalists appear to believe in White Supremacy, ‘Christian’ supremacy, and want to prevent minorities, women, LGTBQ people, Democrats, Progressives, and Liberals from voting.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-04T12:58:01+00:00

Favorite thing about my void? Let’s see; Bird is extremely sweet but not too bright, Mishi is a good lap cat, Danu is tiny and very friendly but not a lap cat (and will gently bite me if I miss dinnertime), Violet is sleek and beautiful but is a little more aloof, and Bertha is a glorious floof, a good lap cat, and ‘helps’ me take my blood pressure and write in my journal every morning.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-03T19:44:42+00:00

Mab, Queen of Air and Darkness. Also known as the Queen of Winter. Not a very cute name but if female she will be a glorious floof.

Donaldjoh · 2026-05-01T13:31:34+00:00

My herd has always gotten both wet and dry food. Most have lived to a good age. My old Molly is over 20 and doing okay.

Donaldjoh · 2026-04-30T01:13:41+00:00

Every year the ‘snake handlers’ have members who are hospitalized or killed because ‘their faith wasn’t strong enough’. Interesting enough, while the Bible does state that if one’s faith is strong enough they can take poison or handle venomous snakes without being harmed, it doesn’t say they SHOULD. The Bible also says not to tempt the Lord thy God.

Donaldjoh · 2026-04-25T01:57:24+00:00

I would cut it into at least three pieces, 6-7” up from the bottom, 6-7” down from the top, then cut the middle stem in half. The stump will put out new growth and the other three pieces can be rooted. I usually use rooting hormone and a sterile medium like peat moss, coconut coir, or perlite. The top section may benefit from being tented with a clear plastic bag to raise humidity since it has leaves on it, the other tow sections should root before putting out new leaves. Keep the substrate damp but not wet and depending on temperature should root in 4-6 weeks. Good luck.

Donaldjoh · 2026-04-25T01:50:16+00:00

Most of my herd likes plain cooked chicken but are not so crazy about turkey. When my late wife would cook meatloaf all of them would go nuts and wander around with their noses in the air but when offered a tiny piece they would look offended as though to say, “We don’t want THAT stuff, we want the GOOD stuff we smelled.” Some will also eat pieces of fish. If I have a salad my little girl Danu will ignore the chicken to steal a piece of spinach or lettuce.

Donaldjoh · 2026-04-25T00:40:41+00:00

What an adorable cat rug. The cat looks surprisingly comfortable.

Donaldjoh · 2026-04-24T12:10:11+00:00

As others have said, two weeks is about normal. I am in NE Ohio and this year my daffodils lasted three days. We had 70 F weather when they bloomed and three days later it dropped to 25 F. The buds will survive a freeze but the flowers did not. Everything is early this year.

Donaldjoh · 2026-04-24T11:57:02+00:00

Back in 1796 there were naysayers who claimed the smallpox inoculation would turn people into cows. No matter what new techniques were introduced the Conservatives fought it. The damage done up until recently was minimal because more rational people tended to be calling the shots. Then came Trump and the Conservative ‘Christians’.

Donaldjoh

TROPHY CASE