I know some of you have seen this on another board but it may be of interest to some that have not. Wonder what Stoney thinks about using this method to root not only SD but Mitragyna Speciosa?
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I am just itching for the spring to arrive when I will try the sphagnum moss rooting method. It appears that the moss has a lot of antibacterial material in it but this does not hinder rooting. Actually people are reporting great success rooting Salvia and even Mitragyna Speciosa (Kratom). The later being much harder to root than SD. The main reason I will try it is because I want to make Kratom cuttings but I will also try the method with my SD plants even though I have only ever rooted them in water with 100% success rate out of the nearly 100 cuttings made over the last couple of years.
This is how I will do it.
Requirements:
1: Sphagnum moss: either milled or I will chop it up using gloves as infections are known if the moss comes in contact with cuts on the skin.
2: Clear Plastic Tupperware container with tight lid.
3: bottle mister.
4: Daylight fluorescent light 100W output.
I will soak the S-moss in well water for an hour during which time I will sterilize the Tupperware container along with the cutting implement. Then I will squeeze out the S-moss well, you don’t want it dripping wet. Next, I will fluff it up and lay a 10cm thick bed of it in the container & cover it with the lid to prevent any airborne infections getting in. Single node Salvia cuttings will be taken and quickly rinsed in tap water.
I will then insert these cutting at a 45 degree angle into the S-moss. I hear SD roots better if it is not straight up as in the water in a bottle cutting. Next, I will lightly cover the cuttings with dry S-moss (Not the pre soaked stuff) so that only around or 1 or 2cm of the stems are visible and lightly mist the moss, apply the lid and put them in a windowsill and use the florescent lamp on them for 5 or 6 hours at night while lightly misting 1 or 2 times per day.
This method was suggested by Druiddream on the entheology forum board. Thanks DD. As mentioned previously, I have really no need to try this for rooting SD but it will be beneficial for my Kratom cuttings.
If mine survives, that is.

Is this bought in home centers like HD? We have moss on the trees which is called spanish moss but I'm not sure if it's the same thing. Sounds interesting, let us know how it works.

Stoney

yeah, pretty much. You can usually find it in the same area as the soils.

I wouldn't substitute any other kind of moss for Sphagnum Moss as it may well not have the same antibacterial qualities. They apparently sell long stranded S-moss & a milled version. You should use the milled version as it seems it is near impossible to get the roots untangled from the long strained stuff. People have reported that even Kratom will root in this stuff in 4 or 5 days. You should be able to buy in at any garden center.
Just make sure it is real sphagnum moss and not some kind of peat moss substitute though.
This is the sort of stuff you want.
Milled S-moss

The long grained stuff is fine for laying on top though.

I am still wondering what people think about the 45 degree angle of inserting the SD cuttings instead of standing them up straight?
Stonehenge, have you had any success with rooting Mitragyna Speciosa?
What method did you use and about how long did it take to root them?

I've managed to root one kratom. That's why I have two of them now. I had one that lived for 5 months and then died. It was in soil under a dome. I'll try the moss trick soon as it warms up. No point in taking cuttings when they aren't growing. I have some air layering going on but haven't checked it lately. I may try aeroponic rooting but last time I tried it it didn't work.

Stoney