Annie Get Your Gloves
Step Four:Peel the bark and underlying green tissue from the cane. (Figure 3)
If you've make all your cuts identically deep, and clean, this step will be as easy as opening a book. If you have not, and I certainly cannot count myself in that number, you may have to coax it loose in places.
Note: I've seen some instructions recommend cutting down all the way to the pithy white of the cane, but my definition of pithy may be different, as pithy on many of my own canes is the very heart of the cane. It is definitely not sturdy enough to support the rooting cane, so I do not cut that deeply. Just under the dark green bark is a layer of lighter green. I remove *all* of this, and a thin layer just beneath.
Wrapping it All Up:
I cut apart plastic sandwich bags, as they seem to magically be just the right size I need. Whatever size piece of plastic you use, just fold it over the cane, line up the cut edges, and begin folding it up toward the cane.
If you look at Figure 4, you can see the folded up portion of the plastic bag, as it's thicker.
Gather the plastic around the cane, below the wounded area, and secure it with a twist tie or electrical tape.
At this point, add your sphagnum moss, or fit your peat pellet around the wound, or fill it with seed starting soil, as I prefer to do. I use a little scoop for flour that I commandeered from the kitchen, and it works the best for me.
Give it a few sprays of water from a bottle so that your rooting medium is moist, and then seal the top of the sack the same way.(Figure Five)
Some people like to then cover the plastic with a covering of black plastic, burlap or dark cloth. I would recommend this anyway, as clear plastic can heat up too much in direct sunlight, and though you want the area kept warm, you don't want to cook it.
That's pretty much it. In a couple of weeks, you should see roots peeking out within your rooting medium. If you see the top wilt out and look as if it is going to die, leave it alone for a few days
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