Plant Propagation

Seeds

The most typical technique of plant proliferation is gathering seeds from plants you already have in the garden. Some plants like lettuce and celery will only sprout if exposed to sunlight; others, like phlox and allium, only if they are totally covered.

Many plants will gain from being started inside six to 8 weeks before the last frost. There are a couple of plants that either do not like being transplanted or are hardy sufficient to take a light frost. Those plants are better off being planted straight outdoors. A couple of examples: peas, carrots, corn, beans, nasturtiums, morning splendor, cucumbers.

The majority of perennials will significantly take advantage of being planted straight outdoors at the end of summer. That will give the plants the possibility to experience their natural cold cycle and make them emerge stronger and in their own time in spring.

Difficult seeds like nasturtiums, morning-glory and four o'clocks will sprout simpler if taken in warm water for 12 hours prior to planting.

When: Plant annuals in spring, perennials and biennials at the end of summertime, when the heat died down a bit.

Division

A prolific way to increase your garden stock is the division of mature plants A lot of herbaceous perennials really need dividing in order to remain healthy and flowering. Among those, a couple of examples: heuchera, daylilies, pampas yards.

Other plants, like daisies and bee balms will rapidly spread if left to their own accord. Dividing them is an excellent way to control their growth and fill up bare areas in your garden.

To divide the plant you can either dig it out entirely and break the root ball into smaller sized parts or remove a part of the clump with a shovel. If you can do that, the advantage is that the remaining plant roots will remain undisturbed.

When: Divide spring blooming plants in the fall and fall blooming plants in spring.

Rhizomatous plants.

Amongst these: bearded irises, peonies, lily-of-the-valley, mint.

For small rhizomes, simply take out of the dirt and replant elsewhere. For bigger roots, dig the plant out at the end of summertime after it completed blooming and cut up the root in 2-4 inch areas with leaf development at one end.

When: End of summer season or fall, after they have completed their vegetative cycle.

Layering

This works great with ground covers, strawberries, raspberries, and spider plant. Take a runner and tie it down to the ground with a pin. After the plant develops roots you can cut it loose from the mom plant and move it someplace else.

When: whenever they choose to grow runners.

Cuttings

A lot of woody plants can be propagated like that, especially roses, for whom this is the fundamental method of proliferation. Other plants to be propagated by cuttings: butterfly bush, weigela, pelargonium, fuchsia, delphinium, forsythia, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, African violets.

There are four standard kinds of cuttings: suggestion cuttings (soft, green), stem cuttings (woody), leaf cuttings (leaf and petiole) and root cuttings.

For stem and pointer cuttings, a minimum 3 inch length will guarantee the practicality of the plant. Wounding the cutting (making a longitudinal cut or squashing the bottom) will promote the plant to grow new roots.

Many plants, like mint, will grow roots if placed in water. Other plants, like African violets and hydrangeas, will be happy to root if you stick a leaf with a long petiole in the dirt. For plants with big leaves, like hydrangea, it helps to cut up about half of the leaf to reduce the strain on the establishing root system to feed it.

If you have rooting hormonal agent, I strongly suggest it.

When: For fall flowering perennials and annuals, start cuttings when the risk of frost has passed in spring. For spring blooming perennials, start the cuttings in the fall and secure them under cloches (a glass jar would work simply fine) over winter season. It is really advantageous to the plant to go through a cold season in its natural environments, it makes for a much healthier root system. This is particularly real for roses.

Bulbs, corms and tubers

Some bulbs, like lilies, will start spreading out in a scaly pattern. Each scale with roots can be separated and start a new plant.

Onions can be vertically chopped and divided. For hyacinths there is a technique called scooping: cut up the roots off a bulb and dig the central part ideal underneath them to expose the bulb layers. Place the bulb upside down half buried in a tray loaded with wet sand. Place the tray in a dark warm area. In 12-14 weeks bulblets will start forming on the top of the big bulb. Plant the bulb upside down with the bulblets right below the surface area. Let the plant go through its vegetative cycle. The bulbs can be raised and separated in the fall.

When dividing tubers, make sure to have at least one viable "eye" on each area.

When: In the fall, after the plants went inactive.

Dropping and stooling

Dropping consists of lowering and covering most of the plant stems with garden compost or good quality dirt, and wait on the plant stems to develop individual roots. The plants can be separated and replanted. This works for heathers and rhododendrons.

For the stooling approach mound up dirt high around the bottom of the plant, to provide the stems a chance to grow roots. A couple of examples of plants for which this approach works: lilacs, willows and dogwoods.

When: Drop and stool in spring, divide and cut in the fall.

Please remember that some plants will successfully propagate through numerous of these approaches.

Here are some excellent resources for finding out more about plant proliferation:

American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques - Alan Toogood

Propagation Basics: Tools Strategies Timing - Steven Bradley

Learn how to plant flowers in the ground