I could use some comments and help with the propagation of the Penstemon strictus hybrid I described earlier this week. I have read the vegetative propagation sections in books by Bob Nold; Dale Lingren and Ellen Wilds; as well as David Way and Peter James. I tried the cuttings route last June with 10 cuttings from 5 branches. These had powdery mildew (slight), so I washed them with mild soap. The dried cuttings were placed overnight in a refrigerator at 400F. Next day, the lower leaves were removed and the nodes were dipped in naphthalene acetamide. The cuttings were placed in small pot with sterile soil (each had 2 leaves remaining and were 6 in long). The dampened soil pots were placed in a large glass closed container during the day and the top of container was removed at night. After 3 weeks, there were no survivors, leaves were blackened and dry.
I tried again in early September with 4 cuttings using the same procedure, but lost them in 2 weeks. I'm guessing that I need to go with plastic bag covers which allow a bit more air circulation. Also, perhaps I should have used indole-3-butyric acid (or nothing at all) as a hormone stimulant. Regardless, I shall make certain that I don't do overhead watering to keep the fungi to a minimum. Help! Dave Nelson Richland, Washington 500F today with similar good weather for a week
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