Garden Planters: Bring the garden indoors, or explore container gardening on your patio

~ Propagating New Plants ~

When growing plants of any kind you may need to be able to propagate the plants. The best time of the year for propagating new plants is in spring or early summer. There are four basic methods by which to propagate plants:

Stem cutting, probably the most common, is basically what you do when you pick flowers from outside and put them in a vase. Not all plants like this method, but a few that do are: arrowhead vines, Chinese evergreen and holly, evergreen grape, geraniums, and many others. In order to be successful you should choose a piece that is about half grown, a few inches long, and that has a few sets of leaves. Cut the stem below a leaf where it is slightly wider and remove the leaves. This will be where the roots grow from. This must then be placed in a medium such as sand, peat moss, or water until roots develop and it can be put in soil. This should take about six weeks and the roots will get an inch or so long.

Leaf cutting is a variation of stem cutting. African violets and watermelon begonias are good choices for this method. Choose a nearly mature leaf or in some cases a piece of the leaf. Cut off the leaf and a portion of the stem which will form the root system. Place the stem into a pot of moistened sand. The time it takes to form a healthy root system for transport into soil is variable depending on season, environment, and plant.

Division is a good deal simpler than the other methods, as some plants grow smaller versions of themselves instead of flowering. Such plants include snake plants, succulents, and some ivy. These divisions need only to be pulled apart and they are ready to plant in soil. For the larger plants or the tough ones you should use a sharp knife to cut them apart, but be sure to do as little cutting as possible to keep the root system intact. Trim the plant as needed to keep the roots and leaves in roughly the same amounts. When potting the plants there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't over water them as the root system will be underdeveloped. Next keep the plants out of direct contact with the weather, bright sunshine, breezes, etc. Also, if you place clear containers over the plant it will help keep the humidity high, but make sure to let the plant breathe on occasion. Leave the cover off for increasing amounts of time each day you'll eventually get the plant used to normal air.

Layering, of which there are two varieties, ground and air. Ground layering works well with vines. Fill a pot with several inches of sand and place it next to the main plant. Bend the plant horizontally to the new pot and hold it in place with moist sand and new roots will form. When the root system is strong sever the stem connecting the two pots. Ardisia crenulata, dracaena, dieffenbachia, Fatsia japonica, fiddle-leaf plant, Monstera delidosa, rubber plant, cordyline and screw pine are good choices for air layering. When the plant sheds its lower leaves cut a small portion out of the trunk, and place a splint to keep it from growing shut. Take a ball of moss the size of your fist and place it over the opening using plastic wrap or aluminum foil as a cover.  When the root system has grown into the moss, cut it and a small portion of the stem off. Plant it into a pot with sand and soil. Keep the plant out of direct sunlight and in an area with high humidity until it is well rooted.