Propagation

There are several methods of propagating plants. Using seeds is the most common. Planting bulbs is similar. Planting a bulb like an onion feels like there is little net gain. “Plant an onion to get an onion.” Cloning or taking cuttings is fun, because something that would normally be thrown away (pruning leftovers) is turned into a new plant. The advantage of this method is that the new plant has the exact same DNA as the old plant. If you have a plant that produces really great fruit or wonderful flowers, it will breed true.

The exception to this is grafted plants of course. Often this really fantastic plant is taken as a cutting and grafted onto a stronger rootstock. Taking a cutting may result in a weak plant. It is also important to sterilize the clippers or knife with bleach to avoid spreading disease.

Each cutting should have a node close to the place where the limb is cut. This is where the roots will come from when the cutting goes into the medium. The cuttings should ideally be about 6” long. The medium should be something that will hold moisture but still drain well and stay loose enough that the roots can grow. The cutting is stripped of branches and leaves except for a couple of leaves at the top end. These leaves are cut in half. The cutting is then dipped into rooting hormone and stuck in the dirt as deeply as possible, being careful to bury at least 1 node.

Pour some of the hormone into a cup to avoid contaminating the whole container.
Several cuttings can be placed in a single pot of medium. The whole thing is then capped off with a “private greenhouse”. Old soda or juice bottles with the bottom cut out make great “private greenhouses”. Be sure the medium is wet, but not soggy, at planting time. Check the medium every few days to make sure it doesn’t dry out.

When the cutting shows signs of new growth, it should be transplanted to an individual pot to avoid tangling of roots with other cuttings. The cover is not needed at this point. Keep the dirt moist until the plant is strong enough to transplant.


David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/