RSS
Home
New plants at minimal cost
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
3 month old willow cuttings
If you like adding new plants to your garden, but are financially unable to do so, then these tips will appeal to you. Turning cuttings from your garden into new plants is fun, easy and very inexpensive.
My favorite shrubs to take cutting from are weigela, forsythia, mock orange, pussywillow and curly willow. Typically, soft wood cuttings - cuttings made in the early spring from new growth - are the easiest to root, but hard wood cuttings - from older growth - can also yield good results.
All you need to do is take 6 - 8 inch cuttings from your favorite shrubs. Try to make the cuts just below a leaf nodule. Then strip the leaves from the cutting and stick into your rooting medium. There are several rooting mediums you can use to get your cuttings started.
The easiest option is to put your cutting in a glass of water in a sunny window. This works great for easy to root plants, like willows - pussywillow, weeping willow, curly willow, etc. You can also buy transplant mediums at your gardening supply store, or at local discount stores that carry plants and gardening supplies.
However, my favorite rooting medium is a mixture of garden soil and sand. I mix the two together in equal parts to make a sandy soil. If you use any of these types of mediums - with the exception of water - it is also useful to dip the cut end of your cutting into rooting hormone before planting. This will speed up the rooting process. Rooting hormone is also available wherever you buy your gardening supplies.
For the cuttings I root in water, I wait until I see healthy growth in the water before transferring them to soil/sand mix. For cuttings I don't start in water, I just stick them 3 - 4 inches into the soil/sand pots. Water the pots thoroughly and place in a shaded, sheltered location. I prefer placing my pots under mature trees or shrubs - this gives them enough light to grow and keeps them from drying out.
Keep the pots moist and watch for new leaf growth, a sure sign your cutting has rooted. Many cuttings - willow, weigela, hydrangeas and mock orange - are ready to be transplanted into the garden in late fall. Some cuttings take a little more time - snowball bush, lilac and roses. For those later in maturing, just monitor them through the winter and maintain adequate moisture; by spring they should be ready to go into the ground.
This will give you dozens of new plants and the only cost is your time and labor. It is a wonderful way to increase your garden size, or to supply family and friends with plants from your garden.
Related Articles:
Comments
Now that the winter has turned colder, it's time to turn our attention to indoor garden. With the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, plant …
Is your house being invaded by swarms of lady bugs? Chances are it is the Asian Lady Beetle and they have been infesting homes and buildings in the …
