Tahitian bridal veil, Bacopa and growing plants from cuttings. (Australia)?

Question

Hi everyone,

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read my questions and offer advice. My novice green thumbs really appreciate it!

I live in Australia.

Last April I bought a beautiful hanging basket from a local nursery, a Bacopa (Acbunda white). Recently, I went away for 2 weeks and the girl looking after my place didn't water it. I found it looking very dry. I soaked it, basket and all and it survived but the top of the plant is very dry and brown. Only the long trailing stems are green now. It's flowering again.

How can I bring this lady back to her former glory?

Also a friend gave me some Tahitian Bridal veil. She literally tore some stems from her mother plant and when I got them home paying no attention to orientation, I just folded it in half and in to soil it went. To my surprise it’s been in the soil for 1 ½ weeks and it seems to be growing and flowers are definitely blooming.

How did this work? And can I propagate my Bacopa in the same way?

Thanks again,
Red

Answer 1

I have Tahitian bridal veil, it is super easy to propagate the way that you did. It's a tough little plant that can end up getting very leggy and messy looking as it grows. As long as nodes (where the leaves join the stem) are in the soil then it will root, pretty much regardless of where on the stem you stick it.



Many plants will root this way, so it's possible that your bacopa will do the same. Try taking some cuttings from the trailing parts of the plant and start them in soil, with either the stems sunk to below the level of the first set of leaves or pinned to the soil with a couple of the nodes to the soil. They should root in a couple of weeks, though some species take longer than others. You can try rooting in water but if you do so be sure to plant the cuttings before the roots are very big or the water roots will die in the soil and the cutting will have to regrow soil roots, wasting energy as it does so.



If this works out for you then you can try to regrow your bocopa with cuttings, so that it will be more lush. It can be fun to bring plants back in this way :)

Answer 2

Bridal Veil Plant

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

Tahitian bridal veil, Bacopa and growing plants from cuttings. (Australia)?

Hi everyone,



Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read my questions and offer advice. My novice green thumbs really appreciate it!



I live in Australia.



Last April I bought a beautiful hanging basket from a local nursery, a Bacopa (Acbunda white). Recently, I went away for 2 weeks and...

Answer 4

The Tahitian bridal veil is a member of the wandering jew family, and has rooting nodes at each leaf joint. It is one of the very easiest plants to start.



You can start bacopa from cuttings, but you have to stick the ends of the cuttiings in a good rooting medium, instead of potting soil, (a mix of vermiculite/perlite/peat moss, usually available at a gerden center) and it is a good idea to use rooting hormone. Keep it moist. I find that one of those plastic containers that salad greens or grapes come in makes a good mini greenhouse.It will root but not as easily as the bridal veil.



I would take the dead leaves off the bacopa as much as possible, and cut it back lightly. It should fill out again and be fine.

Answer 5

Some plants root easily from cuttings, others are very difficult. One method that works even for difficult plants like azaleas, and also works for "easy" plants is called "simple layering". You bend a plant stem over and cover the center part of the stem with soil. This can be in the garden or flower bed, or you can bury it in a flower pot placed next to the plant. Leave the tip of the plant exposed, and do not cut the stem from the mother plant. Eventually the stem will sprout roots where it is covered with soil. Then you can cut the stem loose from the mother plant and transplant the new plant. This works for most shrubs, and all perennial or annual plants I have tried. Azaleas may take 3 months to take root. Other plants root much faster. Sometimes you can find stems already rooted by a shrub, where mulch has covered a stem.

Answer 6

Check this site



http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=155



Sometime you can kill a plant with kindness, you seem to have developed a green thumb regardless