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Rainy Season Is Good Time For Cuttings

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The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

Everyone's looking to save money nowadays, and it's especially easy in the garden.

Instead of spending $5 on a garden center plant, ensure you have an ample supply by starting some cuttings now. The rainy season is an especially good time for propagating because most cuttings need lots of moisture to root.

Take cuttings early in the morning or in the evening, before it's too hot.
Softwoods
When taking cuttings from softwoods, such as pentas, peperomia, impatiens, begonias, gingers and red spike, follow these steps:

1. Take a cutting of 4 to 6 inches with at least two nodes (where the leaves come out of the stem and where the roots will form).

2. Unless you can ensure 100 percent humidity, strip off most of the leaves from your cutting.

3. You may want to encourage root formation by applying a rooting hormone, although that's optional. It's available at garden shops.

4. Place the cutting at least two nodes deep into a mixture of Canadian peat and perlite or your choice of mix. Water well using a gentle spray. Misting is best.

5. Place the container in a shady area, if possible under foliage where your cutting can catch moisture from transpiration of other plants' leaves. (This creates a natural greenhouse effect).

Cuttings must be kept moist until they form roots.

You can make a rooting bed in a place that's consistently moist, such as near a spigot or by the condensation tube of an air conditioner. Once they start to grow, transplant to a container.

Watering is critical to keep the rooting mixture moist, but over watering can cause the roots to rot.

Hardwoods

For hardwood cuttings, which include azaleas, camellias, gardenias, hibiscus and some magnolias:

1. Take a 6-inch cutting. Apply a rooting hormone. Place the cutting in a mixture of Canadian peat and perlite, or simply in sand.

2. When your cuttings are ready to plant, treat them the same way you do other nursery plants.

3. Plant them at the same depth as they are in their rooting mix; mulch well and water them in. Mulch is critical to conserve water and insulate plants from cold and heat.

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