Plant Propagation
By Bob Chapman
One of the neatest things to me is the way parts of plants can grow if cut off and stuck in the ground. I remember my grandmother going to city parks, gardens and neighbors, taking slips of plants and saying out loud "They won't miss this little bit," and putting the cutting into her purse. When she got home she would stick the cutting into the ground, talk to it, water it faithfully and lo! there would soon be a new addition to Grandmas garden. Some considered her garden a hodge-podge, but boy, did she have the variety!
FORMING A CALLUS:
In the decades since Grandma took her slips, there has been much knowledge gained about the rooting of cuttings. When the tip of a plant, or a branch, is cut off; it hollers "Help!" and the plant responds by sending chemicals that cause the cut portion to heal. Once the cut end has dried, the healing process starts. The cut forms a callus. If conditions are just right the callus will soon send out small roots. Now all this is done without any visible means of support. All the stuff needed to heal, form a callus and create roots is right there in the cutting! Now chemicals are available to speed the process along. Our stores carry "Rootone," a rooting compound and it is carried in the inside garden department.
TYPES OF CUTTINGS:
Gardeners generally use three kinds of cuttings: softwood, semi-hardwood, and hardwood cuttings.
Softwood cuttings. Softwood or herbaceous cuttings are taken during the growing season. The tips of the cuttings are flexible, but mature enough to snap or break when bent. Avoid weak or spindly growth. Roots of these cuttings usually form in 1-5 weeks. Among the easiest plants to root from cuttings are begonias, cactus, carnations, pinks, mums, crape myrtle, fuchsia, lantana, sedum, vinca, junipers, willow trees, arborvitae and most perennials.
Semi-hardwood cuttings. Semi-hardwood cuttings are taken from the partially mature wood of broad-leaved evergreens when the wood snaps cleanly when bent over. In our section of the country this usually means mid-July to September. You can take cuttings of azaleas, camellias, olives, photinia, pittosporum, rhodies or a host of other plants and shrubs, there are few limits.
Hardwood cuttings. Hardwood cuttings are taken from completely dormant stock of deciduous plants. Early winter to very early spring is the best time. Among the many plants you can root are Forsythia, quince, Abelia, mock orange, Weigela and roses. (Imagine 40-50 different roses in your garden, all from cuttings and at little or no cost to you!)
CONTAINERS FOR ROOTING:
Most cuttings are rooted in temporary containers.
-Among these are terrariums, fruit jars, old pots, boxes, etc. All you need is something big enough and deep enough to hold the rooting medium.
-For leaf cuttings, just a drinking glass with water will do.
-Some successful propagators will stick a cutting into the garden soil and cover it with a fruit jar. The jar keeps the cutting protected from the elements and, providing the soil is kept moist, provides enough moisture for the cutting to initiate a callus. Placing a shingle or piece of wood over the top of the jar keeps the direct sunrays from cooking the cutting. You'll get anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of your cuttings to root.
-An easy and simple rooting container is a 6-8 inch pot. Fill it with the rooting medium, insert your cuttings, water thoroughly and slip the pot into a small, clear plastic bag and tie it at the top, leaving some space for growth. Place your pot in a brightly-lighted area, but not in full sun. Your cuttings should root in 3-6 weeks depending on the species.
HORMONES:
Use a rooting hormone (Rootone) to speed up the callus and root formation. Dip the cut end (the bottom) of the cutting into the powder, tap the cutting against the side of your container to shake off the excess and insert it into the rooting medium. Water it in immediately to prevent drying out.
ROOTING MEDIA:
Over the years I have used several combinations of rooting media. All worked well but the best combination I have found is 2 parts perlite and one part peat moss. This seemed to hold more moisture longer, provided air to the interior and it is easier to remove the cuttings when rooted. Some books suggest gently lifting the cutting to see if it has a rooted. I've done this and promptly pulled the roots off. Now I use an old stainless steel spoon or knife to lift the rooting medium and the cutting to check on the length of the roots or the callusing.
TOOLS:
A good sharp knife, freshly sharpened pruning shears or a straight-back razor blade is used to make cuttings. Use sharp tools to keep from bruising your cuttings.
ET CETERA:
- Keep your cuttings away from hot sun, keep them moist and transplant them to pots when the roots are well-formed, usually about one inch long.
- Make your cuttings three to six inches long. The longer cuttings are easier to root but some plants do not allow the taking of long cuttings.
- Use a pencil, or something similar, to poke a hole in the media before inserting your cutting.
- Water it in after insertion to put the media next to the stem.
- The serious propagator should purchase "Secrets of Plant Propagation" by Lewis Hill, Garden Way Publishing, Pownal, VT.