Conservation Propagation Written By Kristen O'Neill
There are many types of gardeners: the perfectionist, the worker bee, the tinkerer, the rose/dahlia/peony enthusiast. I am, perhaps, the worst type of gardener. The philosophical kind. After losing boxwoods from established beds, our family was left asking how can we achieve a sense of continuity in our landscape as we revitalize. Propagation from cuttings, or the growing of a new plant from a small cutting, became a piece of our solution, as each new plant is a genetic replica of the mother plant. For the purpose of this blog post, we’ll leave our stance on layering, budding, grafting, and dividing for another day.
Gardening has always connected people to the earth. Now, more than ever, gardeners are asking how the choices we make in our yards impact the resources we all share on the planet. It’s no surprise that my dalliance into propagation from cuttings began with a quote. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Here’s how this mantra applies to the garden.
Start where you are--the micro-ecosystem flourishing on your land. Resilient, happy plants know how to succeed within your garden’s parameters of wind, soil Ph, and sunlight. Your best candidates for propagation already love where they live.
Use what you have. Propagation from your garden protects against the introduction of new chemicals, soil contaminants, and hitchhiking insects. You can match and repeat colors of established perennials and give thriving wildlife additional, coveted real estate.
Do what you can. Propagation is cheap, fun (if you like science-fair style challenges), and relatively risk-free. It requires few supplies and creates little waste. When faced with largescale revitalization, borrowing from your garden’s strengths unifies your beds even as you move in a new direction.
Now that we’ve established the whys of propagation, it’s time to give it a whirl with some softwood (new growth) or hardwood (established growth) cuttings of your own. Our first cuttings were from post-bloom viburnum in late spring (success!). We moved on to camellia and azalea with mixed results (root rot--too wet, no growth--too dry, and a small set of roots that turned out just right). We phoned a friend, consulted some books, and vowed to stay the course.
While there are hundreds of tutorials online. Here is what worked for us:
Start in the morning with a healthy, turgid plant with plenty of stems. Select a sample from the outside of the plant that is mature enough to bend and snap.
Cut at a 45-degree angle, 3 to 6 inches below the stem tip, and just below a leaf node. Your cutting should include two or three sets of healthy leaves.
Remove the bottom leaf set and cover the cut end with rooting gel or powder. It’s best not to dip the cutting into the rooting medium to avoid possible cross-contamination. I like Westland Organic Rooting Gel, but there are several rooting powders and gels on the market.
Place the cutting into a pot prepared with moist, coarse vermiculite. A mix of 60% perlite/40% vermiculite also works well. If you are taking multiple softwood cuttings of the same type, try using a clear plastic bin filled with vermiculite. Pre-dab holes for the cuttings so that you can slip them into the medium without losing the root hormone. The first set of remaining leaves should sit just above the soil line.
Label your cutting with the date and type of specimen, then lightly water your new cutting. Place in bright, indirect sunlight.
Choose a moisture system to sustain humidity. If you have a glass cloche, use it. Another alternative is a plastic 2 Liter bottle cut in half and inverted, or a clear plastic bag gently draped around the specimen.
Monitor daily for consistent moisture. Use a spray bottle to spritz cuttings every 2-3 days. The environment should feel humid, not wet.
After 2 weeks, begin giving your root a light tug to see if you feel resistance. After 4 weeks, move successful roots to their own larger pots filled with potting mix and place in a protected space. Discard any cuttings that have failed to root.
Be patient transplanting rooted cuttings to your established beds. Roots take a long time to grow into mature plants.
If you’d like to get your hands dirty experimenting with propagation from cuttings, camellia and azalea are two ideal plants to propagate from semi-hardwood cuttings in the Fall. If you wait until Spring, your options for softwood cuttings increase: hydrangea, viburnum, dogwood, forsythia, weigela, and more. As with all plantings, double-check that your choices are not on the invasive species list like Japanese Barberry, Bamboo, English Ivy, and Chinese/Japanese Wisteria.
If I have learned anything from life-long gardeners, the garden is the greatest metaphor for the seasons of life. Learn to plant and you’re a gardener, learn to propagate, and skyrocket to crazy plant lady status overnight.
