Mirabilis jalapa Orange Crush Snapped Off Root

[Judy Glattstein]

Today is very windy. A large, 3year old Mirabilis 'Orange Crush' has completely snapped off slightly below the soil surface. It has begun to wilt. Have stuck it in a bucket with some water for now. There is only a very small piece of root attached to the mass of growth.

Do I cut back the top growth to reduce leaf mass and hope for survival? Will the carrot-like root re-sprout?

Any suggestions very much appreciated.

[Mikent]

Guess I should have checked to see if you had also posted here (replied to list)...

Forgot to add that often the tuber will resprout if it is not too damaged. I make sure it has plenty of water, although I usually water off to one side to keep the broken off end from getting wet.

Mike

[Judy Glattstein]

Thank you for this very helpful advice, Mike. It's not like I need a plethora of 'Orange Crush' but I will try your various suggestions as a learning experience.

Yesterday I was off for a Designed for Nature Garden tour in Doylestown PA (managed to visit 3 of 5 gardens before my knee gave out.) Today I'll cut some leafy top shoots, trim off leaves, dip in rooting hormone and place in peat/sand mix in a plastic shoe box with bottom heat.

The tuberous roots look more vertical than lumpy. For winter storage I usually unpot and pack in peat moss, orienting vertically. The "vintage" M. longiflora I just use a hand truck to wheel the pot into the basement. It's roots, when I infrequently top dress, are a gnarly mass but it is an old plant. Seedlings pop up in anything adjacent to where the mirabilis spent their summers but as there are 3 cultivars it is only 'Limelight' I can distinguish, from its chartreuse leaf color.

Judy in New Jersey where the day is sunny and deliciously cool, with barely a breeze to stir the trees

A question for David - since I had posted my query in both the list and the forum I will copy this answer likewise. What is the preferred behavior - is to both acceptable or only one?

[Mikent]

Judy,

Just out of curiosity, you're in zone 7, correct? I've been growing the Mirabilis jalapa for maybe 8 years (and Mirabilis longiflora for the last 2). The production of seeds is at stratospheric level, but I've never really bothered cleaning them up since I figured winter would take care of it for me. Previous to this year, the only time a seed survived the winter, and subsequently sprouted, was one that had managed to come to rest wedged into a small pocket surrounded on three sides by tree roots. The fourth (open) side got plugged up with leaves/twigs, and apparently, provided enough protection to keep the seed viable.

This year, I've got about six seedlings coming up within a few feet of where the pot spends the summer. There is a Jasminum × stephanense growing about sixteen inches from that spot, and this year it died back to the ground (usually only the distal tips die off). That's got me wondering whether it is duration of low temps, or just the lowest temp reached which (normally) kills off the seed.

Mike

[Martin Bohnet]

I'm not David, but I'm a red one , too ;-) the plan is to transition from List to Forum in the long term - we actually thought about a hard cut as in closing the list, but then decided against to give people time to fall in love with more structure and organization.

[Judy Glattstein]

Mike, I find hardiness zones of singularly modest help. How cold for how long with what kind of soil / drainage all have impact beyond minimum temperatures of brief duration that still define the zone.

When I was a child (much longer ago than I care to admit in public) we lived in Chicago not far from Lake Michigan. There were four o'clocks growing in the back yard against the house, a four story, four family apartment building. And the four o'clocks were there every year. No idea if they were original plants or annually from seed.


My Connecticut garden had that mythical gardener's dream of high organic, moist but well drained loam. Amaryllis belladona grew outdoors sheltered by roof overhang and flowered regularly. I've come around to believe that it was not my skill as a gardener, it was the growing conditions in Connecticut. Here in New Jersey, further south, I have a heavier soil, with shale. It does drain but not the same. Plants that would thrive in Connecticut die here in New Jersey.

[Judy Glattstein]

Just a quick update - the several cuttings I took off the snapped off top, removed some leaves, dipped in rooting hormone and put in closed plastic box with bottom heat - which, BTW, feels like it took longer to write this than to do it - are looking very nicely green and turgid.

Te remaining mass of stems and leaves looks droopy but I have not decided what, if anything, to do with it.

[Judy Glattstein]

Today I potted up the Mirabilis 'Orange Crush' cuttings that were prepared and stuck in a propagating box just over 2 weeks ago. Not only nicely rooted, they're making flower buds and showing color.

I guess when it's time, it's time.