Plant Propagation

Seeds

The most typical method of plant proliferation is collecting seeds from plants you currently have in the garden. Some plants like lettuce and celery will only germinate if exposed to sunlight; others, like phlox and allium, only if they are completely covered.

A lot of plants will benefit from being started indoors six to 8 weeks before the last frost. There are a few plants that either do not like being transplanted or are sturdy adequate to take a light frost. Those plants are much better off being planted directly outdoors. A couple of examples: peas, carrots, corn, beans, nasturtiums, early morning magnificence, cucumbers.

The majority of perennials will greatly benefit from being planted directly outdoors at the end of summertime. That will provide the plants the chance to experience their natural cold cycle and make them emerge more powerful and in their own time in spring.

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

When: Plant annuals in spring, perennials and biennials at the end of summer season, when the heat waned a bit.

Department

A respected way to increase your garden stock is the division of fully grown plants The majority of herbaceous perennials really need dividing in order to remain healthy and flowering. Among those, a few examples: heuchera, daylilies, pampas yards.

Other plants, like daisies and bee balms will quickly spread out if left to their own accord. Dividing them is a great way to manage their growth and fill bare areas in your garden.

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

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

Rhizomatous plants.

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

For little rhizomes, just take out of the dirt and replant somewhere else. For bigger rhizomes, dig the plant out at the end of summer after it finished blooming and cut up the root in 2-4 inch sections with leaf development at one end.

When: End of summertime 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 establishes roots you can cut it loose from the mother plant and move it someplace else.

When: whenever they choose to grow runners.

Cuttings

Most woody plants can be propagated like that, specifically roses, for whom this is the standard approach of propagation. Other plants to be propagated by cuttings: butterfly bush, weigela, pelargonium, fuchsia, delphinium, forsythia, chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, African violets.

There are 4 standard kinds of cuttings: pointer cuttings (soft, green), stem cuttings (woody), leaf cuttings (leaf and petiole) and root cuttings.

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

Many plants, like mint, will grow roots if put 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 large leaves, like hydrangea, it helps to cut up about half of the leaf to reduce the stress on the establishing root system to feed it.

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

When: For fall blooming perennials and annuals, start cuttings when the threat of frost has actually passed in spring. For spring flowering perennials, start the cuttings in the fall and protect them under cloches (a glass container would work simply fine) over winter season. It is really useful to the plant to go through a cold season in its natural environments, it produces a much healthier root system. This is especially true for roses.

Bulbs, corms and tubers

Some bulbs, like lilies, will start expanding in a flaky 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 main part right underneath them to expose the bulb layers. Place the bulb upside down half buried in a tray full of damp sand. Place the tray in a dark warm location. In 12-14 weeks bulblets will start forming on the top of the large bulb. Plant the bulb upside down with the bulblets right listed below the surface area. Let the plant go through its vegetative cycle. The bulbs can be lifted and separated in the fall.

When dividing roots, ensure to have at least one feasible "eye" on each area.

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

Dropping and stooling

Dropping includes pushing down and covering the majority of the plant stems with garden compost or good quality dirt, and await the plant stems to develop specific roots. The plants can be separated and replanted. This works for heathers and rhododendrons.

For the stooling technique mound up dirt high around the bottom of the plant, to offer the stems an opportunity to grow roots. A couple of examples of plants for which this method works: lilacs, willows and dogwoods.

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

Please keep in mind that some plants will successfully propagate through several of these approaches.

Here are some excellent resources for learning more about plant proliferation:

American Horticultural Society Plant Proliferation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Handbook of Practical Techniques - Alan Toogood

Proliferation Fundamentals: Tools Methods Timing - Steven Bradley

Learn how to plant flowers in the ground