Easy tips for propagating plants

Plant Collectors

Many gardeners love to collect plants. Many of you have pinched stems off a plant when no one was looking! You know who you are! My Mother was one of those people. If she was at the old Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, now Legoland, she was sure to have her large purse. She loved propagating plants and loved growing them even more. We do recommend you ask before taking a cutting. We wouldn’t want anyone getting in trouble! Those of you who root plants at home, know the challenges and the rewards. Trial and error are how most gardeners learn. Here are some shortcut tips to assure you of success.

Cutting lay on a countertop prepared and ready to use as a plant cutting. — **The two cutting on the left can be stuck together and rooted to later form a bush. The larger cutting to the right has its tip intact and could be stuck to grow into a tree.** Photo by David Austin

Secrets of my success

Snipping cuttings during the heat of the day is not always conducive to the successful propagating of cuttings. To ensure rooting success you will want to take the cutting when the plant is turgid. Turgid means it is internally full of water. Plants take up water through the roots and then the water moves up the stems and out of the leaves. The water exits as vapors through tiny holes called stomata. Loss of water vapor through the leaves is called transpiration. If a cutting loses the water within the stem before it roots, it will not likely ever root. Since transpiration mostly shuts down at night, take cutting early morning before the sun hits the leaves and capture the maximum water in the plant stem.

More Secrets

Making sure the water remains in the stem is the key. Once you snip a cutting, you will want to get it in some moist soil quickly. If you took the cutting with a sharp clean implement, the stem will be able to take more water up to replace what it loses out of the leaves. This loss of water out of the leaves can also be slowed down. First by rooting the plant in filtered light or shade and not letting it be in the full sun. secondly, it is very important to minimize the number of leaves that you leave on the cutting. A stem cutting should not be more than 6 inches long and have more than a couple leaves left on. Exceptionally large leaves can be cut in half and you may want only one leaf.

More to learn

UF/IFAS Extension, Highlands County is offering a class on easy tips for home plant propagation. You will learn more techniques to help you root cuttings at home as well as some other methods of propagation. The class is on October 9^th in conference room two of the Bert J Harris Agricultural Center at 4509 George Blvd. Sebring. It will also be offered on Zoom. Sign-in is at 9:30 am and the class runs from 10 am until 12 pm. To register for the class, Click Here, or call the Extension office at (863) 402-6540. The class will be offered in-person and online. That’s the latest from the Hometown Gardener. To keep up with horticulture in Florida’s heartland follow me on Facebook at Hometown Gardener. Call the Extension office at 863 402-6540 to learn more about upcoming classes. Below you will find a link to sign up for our newsletter. We usually have a different class on the 2nd Saturday of every month!

A tray of recently rooted Purple shower cuttings. — **A tray of recently rooted ‘Purple Showers’ Ruella. Purple Showers, is sterile, and can only be grown from cuttings.** Photo by David Austin

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