Quite nice actually.

I finally made it to one of his yearly Backyard Growers Shindigs he puts on at his home in Ohio. It took a ton of work but was well worth it! I met fellow Backyard Growers, watched Mike demonstrate grafting Japanese Maples, did some demonstrations on my products, and got to meet Mike and fellow growers in person. It was a great time all the way around!

For the last 4 years I have tried to make it to Mike’s Shindig. Each time, something came up, mostly my work schedule. My summer schedule for my full time job is busy to say the least. Each day can be anywhere from 8 hours to 21. Yes, 21, and that isn’t including the 1 hour commute each way!

I had decided that nothing short of a catastrophe would keep me from attending this year, but I had a ton of work to do first.

First, I had to schedule a few days of vacation during the absolute busiest time of the year for my job. Done!

Next, I booked the hotel room and made sure I prepaid. My reasoning was that I was not going to forfeit the money I spent and that would be a great incentive to make sure I made the trip.

Lastly, I bought a rebuilt engine and installed in into my truck because the old one was making some awful noises. Sounds fairly simple but it was such a bear that it took me 2 months! What a pain in the ass! I ended up replacing just about every part under the hood, radiator, alternator, hoses, sensors, and more. Then I was forced to redo all the brakes and brake lines. Like I said, a ton of work.

Long story short, I had a grand total of 10 miles on the truck when I started my 12 hour trip to Ohio. Oh, I did have every tool I could carry just in case!

The day of the Shindig my son and I arrived to find Mike talking with a few folks as he was showing them around his property. When everyone arrived back at his garage, which had been set up with hot dogs, snacks, and soft drinks, I introduced myself to the group as others introduced themselves. I asked Mike what he had planned and if it would be ok to do a demonstration on the different ways misting nozzles could be installed. He was quite pleased. I think he was happy that someone other than him would be the center of attention!

My son and I set up a series of piping I had put previously designed and built that would allow me to demonstrate the different ways to install the nozzles into misting system piping. I then showed how 5 or 6 different nozzles performed as well as how to correctly install them onto the piping.

Next, I found 4 folks who wanted to learn how to program a DIG 5006-IP propagation timer. I passed 4 out and did a step by step demonstration as they followed along, asking questions when they needed help. After the demonstration, Mike came up to me and asked if I would go over it with him. I was honored! We programmed our timers together and he asked a few questions about the timer. He said he was used to mechanical timers but he could see the benefits of this timer, specifically the ability to program it with 6 different programs, unlike the mechanical which can do only one, and the battery backup that retains the program if the power goes out.

Next the majority of the group followed Mike to his field of Japanese Maples where he discussed grafting. I took some video as he was demonstrating grafting Japanese Maples so be sure to watch it!

We then went back to the garage where we all ate and had a Yankee type swap. If you have never heard of a Yankee swap, it is a great way to exchange gifts! Everyone had fun!

It was getting late and everyone began to slowly leave. My son and I were the last to leave, asking Mike if he needed help picking up and if we could give him some money to help pay for some of the great food and drinks he had provided. He declined both. We talked for a little while and my son took a few pictures of me and Mike. I then mentioned that I needed to find an auto parts store so I could do a little work on the truck before leaving the next morning for the 12 hour return trip home.

Mike and his son Dustin both did some calling and web searches for an auto parts store that would have what I needed. Mike was able to find something I could use at a nearby Napa after calling and confirming they had one on hand. Mike and Dustin both went out of their way to help me find what I needed and it was greatly appreciated.

After finally making it to one of Mike’s Shindigs, I will surely make an effort to attend another. Every person I met felt like a family member because I knew them from the Grower’s Board, that special board Mike has where detailed information, tips, and advice from Mike himself can be found. All that and the buy/sell board where plants can be bought for next to nothing. I just saw a post on the board from Mike that he just purchased almost $3000.00 worth of Japanese Maple trees from a board member. I can’t wait to see his field  full of them the next time I attend his shindig!

Want to learn more about Backyard Growers or just want to get some great gardening information? Visit Mike’s website today and sign up for the free newsletter!

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Just a heads up:

I am working on a special report that will explain how to get your misting system to operate during power outages. The report is specifically written for a DIG 5006-IP propagation timer, so if that is the timer you use (and if not, why?) stay tuned.

The report will cover how to get your timer to operate as well as a way to deliver water if you have a well.

If you know anyone who uses the DIG 5006-IP propagation timer, let them know that the report will be released soon!

The report will also have a section relevant to the DIG 710P timer if that is the one you use, just saying…

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Everyone of course!

I have a brand new book on the shelf that I will send to a lucky winner. It is by James Wells and is titled: Plant Propagation Practices.

Here is what I will do for you:

I will send the book to a resident of the US or Canada at absolutely no charge.

What you need to do for me:

Leave a comment outlining your plant propagation endeavors. Your successes, your failures, your methods, etc.

The rules:

The contest will end Aug 22nd at 6pm Eastern time. I will total the number of comments and ask my son to choose a number from 1 to whatever the total is. The number he chooses will be the winner of the book.

Once the winner is identified I will contact them via email (so leave a GOOD address when commenting!) and after receiving a reply, will send the book to the shipping address they specify.

My decision is final unless the original winner cannot be contacted and at that time a new winner will be chosen in exactly the same way and so on until the book has been sent. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 to participate.

Good luck!

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I recently took some cuttings I had rooted under my misting system out of the mist and potted them up. One plant in particular caught my attention because I could have sworn that I just put it under the mist a few days before. Of course, I realized that time flies and I must have been mistaken.

Typically, the cuttings I do will root in 3-5 weeks depending on the species. This particular plant seemed to root extremely fast, even faster than Pee Gee Hydrangea which has up to this point been the quickest cuttings to root. I don’t have a specific number of days on the PG, but it was only 3 weeks or so.

This plant, which is a fairly common perennial, was an experiment to see if cuttings of perennials could be rooted using a misting system. The answer is a resounding yes!

So what is this plant and how fast did it root? Good question.

The perennial I am talking about is commonly called Pink Turtle Heads (botanical name: Chelone lyonii).
I took the cuttings of this plant the same day I wrote this article about how I collect my cuttings for rooting under my misting system.

Here is a series of photos showing the tag I made when I stuck the cuttings as well as one of the cutting I removed from the rooting media that clearly show the formation of roots. Pay close attention to the date on the tag: June 29th. Today is July 13th, just 14 days from when the cutting was stuck! The cutting is not ready to be potted in my opinion, but because I just installed a drip system to keep my potted plants watered, I would give it a try. The cutting will definitely not survive in full sun with the number and size of the leaves as well as the small root system, but I would feel comfortable placing it in a shady area for awhile.

What is the quickest you have gotten a cutting to root? Did you beat me?

The tag I wrote when I stuck the cuttings (6/29/11)

Cuttings being rooted under the misting system. The large cutting in front is a Pink Turtle Head.

Cutting showing the formation of roots

Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what kind of success you have had!

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Gathering cuttings to place under your misting system can be quite a chore. But it really doesn’t need to be.

Misting systems are great for rooting cuttings. They make quick work out of the process of the cutting forming roots to become a real plant. I use a few methods to root cuttings but my misting system is by far my favorite. Of course, you need cutting to place under the mist, and that is where the work begins.

Gathering cuttings can be a tedious job, you take a pair of pruners, select a branch or shoot, cut it just above a leaf or pair of leaves, trim the cutting just below a leaf node, dip the stem in rooting hormone, then place the cutting in rooting media and under the misting system. Each step takes time so how can you save some time? Easy, during the gathering of the cuttings.

As the photo below shows, my Pink Weigela has a ton of new growth and looks a bit disheveled. This new growth is what needs to be cut and rooted but I really don’t have the time (or patience) to clip each shoot individually, so I grab my trusty hedge shears and go to town!

This next picture shows the shrub trimmed to a more pleasing shape. During the pruning I clipped of a ton of new growth, growth that will be used as cutting material.

How much rooted cutting material? Well take a look at the pile of cuttings I got from just one shrub. All I need to do is clean them up and prepare them to be stuck.

So don’t be afraid of pruning your shrubs with hedge clippers. Just think of all the cuttings you will end up with.

Oh, as an added bonus, your shrubs will look much better too.

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Are you interested in plant propagation? One of the best ways (and easiest!) to propagate plants is by taking cuttings and subject them to the right conditions so they forms roots. Although semi-hard and hardwood cuttings will root, softwood cuttings are usually easier to root and become a sizable plant in less time.

So what is the secret to plant propagation and rooting softwood cuttings?

No secret really, just the right conditions for the type of plant you are trying to reproduce. Although what I am about to describe works for most plants, there are some that almost refuse to root as softwood cuttings. Purple-leaf Sandcherry immediately comes to mind. Sandcherry cuttings will almost always rot and die if you try to root them as softwood cuttings, so propagating them as hardwood cuttings with bottom heat may result in better rooting percentages. Discovering the proper conditions is one of the biggest challenges in plant propagation.

What is the right condition for rooting softwood cuttings?

Adequate sunlight, temperature, and humidity are three of the biggest factors that affect the rooting of a softwood cutting. Let’s touch on each just a bit.

Sunlight requirements while propagating plants

Plants require sunlight to produce energy. Along with the energy production, the sunlight does another vital role: to help the roots supply moisture to the plant and to draw moisture up into the stem. It does this by evaporating the moisture from the surface of the leaf, which causes a low pressure on the surface. This low pressure helps draw moisture up into the plants stem and up to the leaves.

Because a softwood cutting does not have roots, this process can be vital to the cuttings survival. This can be accomplished in many ways, but the two most common are using a misting system or a humidity chamber. An intermittent misting system provides moisture at a predetermined interval which keeps the leaves moist. A humidity chamber does the same thing, but the method of retaining the moisture differs. A humidity chamber retains moisture because it keeps it from evaporating because the cuttings are enclosed in a clear or opaque chamber.

Temperature requirements while propagating plants

Temperature is one of those factors while propagating plants that is often overlooked. The top of the cutting, including the leaves, should be kept cool, while the bottom of the stem should be kept warm. One way to keep the tops cool is to spray them with mist from a misting system. Another is to use shade cloth to reduce the sun’s intensity, however, you need to be careful not to reduce the amount of sunlight too much. Remember, the cuttings still need sunlight to help with the process of drawing moisture up into the cutting. The sunlight is also needed to help warm the rooting media to keep the bottom of the cutting warm.

Humidity requirements while propagating plants

Keeping the cuttings hydrated is essential to successfully root softwood cuttings. The moisture that is deposited on the cuttings leaves and rooting medium allows the cutting to live without roots. The moisture is drawn up into the cutting through the stem where it supplies the plant with moisture. Too much water in the rooting medium can cause the stems to rot and a misting system is a great way to control the amount of moisture in the rooting medium.

Another thing the moisture that is deposited on a cutting does is to keep the cutting cool. Plants go through a process called transpiration. This transpiration process is quite similar to our perspiring because it allows the plant to release water through its leaves which cools the plant off. This transpiration process is what actually draws the water up the cuttings stem and incorrect amount of water on and around the cutting can greatly affect the process.

Discovering the right conditions to get softwood cuttings to root is half the fun. Go ahead, give it a try today!

For even more great tips on rooting cuttings, visit Freeplants. Be sure to sign up for their awesome newsletter!

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Just as getting your misting system ready for winter is extremely important, so is getting it ready for spring. With just a few simple steps, you can make sure you are off to a good start.

First, take a quick look at all the misting components. You are looking for any cracks, breaks, worn areas, etc that may become problems later on. Also think back to the previous year and if you had any problems with the system. If any problems with any components are detected, now is the time to fix them.

If you have a DIG digital misting timer that controls your misting system (and you should!), replace the 9 volt battery. Simply remove the battery cover by giving it a twist, and the battery will drop out. Remove the old and replace with the new. Don’t worry about losing your program, the timer takes about 30 seconds to completely lose power and erase the program.

Remove any misting nozzles that may be installed in your main water line. Note how you remove them so you can reassemble everything back the way it was originally. Rinse out the main water line to flush out any debris that may be in them, rinse the nozzles in warm water, and if you have hard water or other minerals that cause scale, a short soak in vinegar will help dissolve any deposits. Reassemble the nozzles in the main line.

If using Dramm stix, the same vinegar soaking process works for the nozzles on them. One more item to look for on Dramm mist stix is checking the small black tubes for wear. If the end looks worn and has a smaller diameter than the rest of the tubing, cut it off with a razor knife. Using the tubes that have the ends worn will cause them to pop out of the holes in the water line. This can cause you to lose your entire bed of cuttings. Also look for cracks in the tubing along the seam. Replacement tubing for Dramm mist stix can be purchased in the event of a defective tube.

Next, rinse out the solenoid valve. Shake out any excessive water and debris with it. Opening the bypass and blowing out the water is also an option. be sure to close the bypass afterward.

Check the irrigation wire for breaks in the insulation or corrosion of the wire itself. Replace if necessary.

Clean out and rinse any filters you may be using. It is highly recommended to use a filter to eliminate any debris from entering your misting system components. Debris can cause solenoids to stick open and clog misting nozzles. I can hear some of you now “I have [insert water source here] and have never had any problems with debris in my lines”. That may be true. And it may not be.

Wells can have flakes of rust fall off the casing and the pump can pick this up and send it down the line and into your water piping. Occasionally, sand can also be stirred up and sent through your system too. The aerators on your faucets keep these small particles from getting into your drinking water and that may be why you have never seen sand in your glass of water. Water supplied through a local water district is less likely to contain debris, but it does happen. When any repairs are done on any lines by the District, sediment can and will enter the lines. This sediment can and will find its way to your water supply and your misting system. A simple water filter can save you a ton of time and money by keeping this debris out of your misting system. How do I know this?

Soon after the local water district worked on the lines near my friends house, her kitchen faucet stopped working. To make a long story short, the plumber the District sent ended up replacing the faucet because it was jammed with small pebbles that were carried in from the street.

Lastly, take stock of how the system performed the previous year and if you have any plans to expand your misting system the current year. If you had problems, now is the time to correct them. Any plans for expansion can be incorporated before your misting system is put into service for the year without any interruptions to your rooting operations.  For instance, if you are adding a zone, installing a splitter or manifold with multiple outlets to deliver the water to it will be easier when there is no water in the lines. Also, the system will not have to be shut down to accommodate the additions.

Doing these simple steps before placing the misting system in service can help eliminate any problems that may arise later.

What do you do to get your system ready for another season of rooting cuttings?

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Have you ever tried to select parts for a misting system to root cuttings? It can be quite daunting unless you know exactly what you need can’t it?

Timers for a misting system

For instance, selecting a misting timer like the mechanical (Intermatic) ones commonly used is a basic mistake people make. Why is choosing Intermatic timers a mistake? Simple, a misting system that uses mechanical timers such as the Intermatic are immediately locked into using one setting for every cutting being rooted.  Regardless of the moisture requirements of the particular softwood cuttings, every cutting receives the same duration and frequency of mist because the timer can control only one misting solenoid at a time. Some cuttings can handle a fair amount of moisture, but softwood cuttings such as Barberry and others require much less and will usually rot and die when given too much.

Also, when and if (take it from me, it is ALWAYS when) you want to increase the size of your misting beds, you either have to use the existing Intermatic timers to supply the same amount of mist or buy new timers and solenoids to create a new zone which can then be programmed to supply a different amount of mist. Even so, every cutting within that zone gets exactly the same amount of mist.

The cost of the mechanical timers is quite high, making expansion a costly endeavor. The 24 hour timer is usually quite reasonable, but the interval timer that controls the duration of the mist typically costs well over $100 each! I wouldn’t want to buy too many of those.

See, choosing the correct parts for a misting system can be quite a feat and I just briefly mentioned the timers needed for the misting system. I didn’t even begin to talk about misting nozzles. That can be another confusing area when building a misting system.

So what is the answer when needing parts for building a misting system?

Buy one that is already built! MIST Misting System carries a few different types of systems, two with electric timers and two with battery timers. The systems have been sold throughout the US and Canada and have proven to be extremely reliable and easy to use.

Visit MIST Misting System today and stop worrying about choosing the correct parts for your misting system.

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I often get asked if a simple water storage tank like a rain barrel, can be used to provide water for a misting system. In this day and age, many folks are thinking greener and using barrels or drums to collect water from their downspouts when it rains. Can this water be used for a misting system? The answer is simple; yes and no.

Why you cannot use a water storage tank for misting-gallons required:

The problem with using a storage tank for misting is not that it will not provide enough water nor enough water pressure to satisfy your misting system. First, I will demonstrate the volume of water needed, then the water pressure a misting system requires. We will use a Dramm pin perfect nozzle with a green pin as an example.

A Dramm pin perfect nozzle that uses the green pin uses .69 gallons per minute at 15psi, .82 at 22psi, .95 at 29psi, and 1.08 at 36psi. To make that a bit clearer, if the water pressure is just 15psi, the misting nozzle will use .69 gallons of water if run continuously for 1 minute. Assuming you have a 55 gallon water storage tank, you could get about 80 minutes of continuous flow if using 1 pin perfect misting nozzle. (55 gallons divided by .69 gallons per minute =79.7 minutes). Assuming you are misting for 10 seconds every minute you would be misting only 72 minutes out of a 12 hour day and using 49.68 gallons of water. (12 hours times 60 (minutes) = 720 minutes. 720 divided by 10 (seconds of mist every minute) = 72 minutes of mist in a 12 hour day. 72 times .69 (gallons per minute) = 49.68 gallons of water is needed). Remember, this is using just ONE misting nozzle! If you are using more than one, the number of gallons used in a 12 hour period will be even more. The number of minutes you could mist per day will be reduced also.

This example is assuming your water pressure is only 15psi. Most misting systems used for propagating plants will average 40psi or more. Remember, at 36psi, one Dramm pin perfect misting nozzle using the green pin uses 1.08 gallons per minute. This means that in the same 12 hour period, the single misting nozzle would use 77 gallons of water! (12 hours times 60 (minutes) = 720 minutes . 720 divided by 10 seconds of mist per minute = 72 minutes of mist per 12 hour period. 72 times 1.08 (gallons per minute) = 77 gallons of water needed.) Using the same 55 gallon barrel (and assuming you can get the 36psi pressure) the 55 gallon barrel would not supply enough water for just two misting nozzles for a single day! Using a much larger tank would provide the required amount of water (assuming you can fill it every day), but how will you provide enough water pressure?

Why you cannot use a water storage tank for misting-pressure required:

The example above mentions the average pressure a misting system for propagating plants requires. This pressure was 40 pounds per square inch, or 40psi. 1 psi is equal to a column of water 2.31 feet high (at sea level). This means that for your 55 gallon barrel (or any other tank for that matter) to provide just 1 psi, it would need to be raised 2.31 feet above sea level to provide that 1psi. To get 15psi, we would have to raise the container 34.65 feet (15 times 2.31 = 34.65). Remember, 1psi=2.31 feet which means that if we want 15 psi, we need to raise the container 15 times the 2.31 foot measurement. WOW, can you imagine raising  a barrel or other container almost 35 feet into the air just to get 15 pounds of pressure to your misting system? Me neither! Without raising the water storage tank to unspeakable (and unsafe!) heights, the only alternative is using a pump to deliver the proper pressure. But remember, this is assuming your tank is large enough to provide the amount of water required for the number of misting nozzles you have.

My experience is that using a water storage tank to provide water to a misting system is wasted time and money unless you do the math to determine if your tank is high enough and large enough to provide the volume and pressures required. Even if you have a storage tank large enough to provide the required amount of water every day, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself, like:

• Do you have the time and resources to fill it every day?
• Do you have electricity nearby to power the pump that is required to provide enough pressure to supply your misting system?
• Can you use the time and money required to get the water storage tank to work for something better, like installing a water line from a well or city water?

Before committing to using a rainbarrel or other water storage container to provide water to your misting system, a bit of research beforehand will save you a ton of frustration later.

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Good question.

Here is a short list of the parts needed to build a mist system for propagating plants. Depending on the complexity of your system, you may need parts not listed.

• A timer that can mist for seconds at a time. Most timers purchased at big box stores or local plumbing outlets are not adequate for misting because they cannot be programmed to mist in seconds.
• A fast closing solenoid. Slow closing solenoids cannot be used in a mist system because it affects the accuracy of the timer.
• Main water piping. This can be PVC or black irrigation pipe. Main water piping should be at least 1/2 inch in diameter but 3/4 inch is better.
• Various fittings. The required fitting to adapts from your water supply to your misting system will be needed as well as any tees, 90′s or others to adapt your misting nozzles.
• Misting nozzles. the misting nozzles you choose will determine if you need any special adapters for your water piping. Some use a flexible tube that simply get inserted into a hole drilled into the pipe. Be sure to decide which nozzle you will use before starting assembly of the water piping.
• Wire. Irrigation wire  is used to carry the low voltage electrical signal from the timer to the solenoid. If using two mechanical timers, larger gauge wire will be needed to connect them everything together.
• A water filter. If you have a whole house filter you may not need a second filter, however, if your water is not filtered at all, a filter for just the misting system is a good idea. Small particles can become lodged in the solenoid valve or misting nozzles, rendering them useless.
• A back flow device. Some state or local governments require a backflow preventer to eliminate the likelihood of contaminated water being drawn back into the water supply. A whole house backflow preventer is quite costly but there are devices available that are installed between an outside spigot and the hose.

Now that you know what parts are needed, why don’t you visit the MIST Misting System website and check out the pre-assembled misting systems right now! All the parts used are propagator proven so you can stop worrying whether you are purchasing the right ones or not.

If you need just a misting timer, solenoid, or misting nozzles for a misting system, contact me .

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