Sally Scalera

Brevard County Horticulture Extension Agent
3695 Lake Drive -- Cocoa FL 32926 -- 321-633-1702

Gardeners enjoy propagation

May 8, 2004

Many gardeners not only love to grow plants but they also like to start new ones from cuttings or seeds. It may be because; they see a plant they have never seen before and they want that exact plant (so seeds are out), they want more plants as inexpensively as possible, they can't stand throwing away the trimmings from their plants, or they just have fun starting new plants. Whatever the reason, propagating plants can be a lot of fun.

Collecting seeds a very inexpensive way to start new plants. Here are a few things though, that you should realize about starting plants from seeds.

1) Seeds can be quite exciting because they will be genetically different from the parent plant.

2) Generally, if the seed is hard you can speed up germination by nicking the seed coat with a file and then soaking the seed in water over night.

3)The seeds must be mature to germinate and usually that means the seed pod will be brown and dry or the flowers will be totally dried up and the seeds black.

4) Annual plants grow more quickly and don't require the patience and care that perennial plants will need. Naturally, depending upon the specific plant, there could be other steps involved but often times a book from the library or local book store can fill in many of the specifics. My favorite way of starting seeds is in paper towels because I can easily tell if the seeds have germinated, are being killed by a fungus or if they just haven't germinated yet.

Another great way to propagate plants is by taking cuttings. The two main types of cuttings are called softwood and semi-hardwood (or semi-ripe) which are both taken from the current season's growth. Hardwood cuttings, which are from the previous season's growth, aren't used as much here in Florida. Softwood cuttings are generally taken from plants in spring or early summer during a growth flush when the tissue is relatively soft and succulent. I prefer to take cuttings at this stage and then root them in water. To prepare a cutting for rooting you simply prune the stem just below a node (where the leaves come out) and then strip off the leaves on the bottom two to three nodes so that when the cutting is placed in water or soil it is bare. For green, succulent stems I simply place them in a little container of plain water and place them on the bathroom windowsill.

It can take a few weeks for the new roots to form. The roots that form are called "water roots" and they are somewhat more fragile then normal roots so, just be careful when potting these cuttings up. I keep the newly rooted potted plants on my shady front porch. I have wonderful success rooting a number of plants this way like baby sun rose (Aptenia cordifolia), ice plant (Carpobrotus rossii), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), basils (Ocimum basilicum), mints (Mentha spp.), variegated Mexican oregano (Coleus amboinicus), and begonias (just to name a few.)

flowerSemi-hardwood cuttings are taken after a growth flush has matured. Stems of semi-hardwood cuttings will usually "snap" like green beans when broken. Many Florida plants root best as semi-hardwood cuttings. When you go out to prune a plant, you should cut at an angle just above a node (that is where a leaf comes out.) If you want to take those same trimmings and root them then, you will have to do a little more pruning. Usually a cutting is about four to six inches long.

When rooting a cutting you will want to cut just below a node and then pull off the lower leaves so that the bottom two to three nodes are bare of leaves. It is this section of the cutting that is placed in the rooting media. Cuttings can be placed a well-draining potting mix. After preparing the cutting, the bottom is dipped into the rooting powder or liquid and then placed in the moist potting mix. The soil is then pressed lightly down around the new cutting. After making cuttings be sure to keep them moist and out of the sun!

This is a very simplified discussion on the basics of propagation but it's enough to get you started. I try to take cuttings of a number of different plants all throughout the year and a lot of times they take and sometimes they don't. To imitate a popular commercial, just do it! Who knows, you may just end up with a new plant or two.