Divide and Multiply

Dividing is a quick way to multiply your collection of perennials, succulents, and some suckering shrubs. Dividing yields two or more plants from one, and it is healthier for the original plant than being left to overcrowd itself.

The best time to divide most plants is from late fall to early spring. Avoid especially cold or wet periods as these make it tough for the divided plants to reestablish. Plants with fleshy roots, such as irises, peonies, and poppies, have a better chance of rooting if divided in late summer.

Begin by gently digging around the base of the plant to expose the perimeters of it. Then carefully lift the plant with a garden fork. Shake or brush off as much soil as possible so you can see what you are doing. Often with older plants, there will be a dead spot of brown stems in the center of the plant. Cut this out and divide the remaining growth. The simplest way to divide most plants is to grasp large sections by hand and gently, but firmly, pull them apart. Plants that can't be pulled apart can be cut through with a sharp spade. Make sure you leave a few buds on each division.

You can dust any cuts with a fungicide to curb infection. Cut back the tops and place the new plants in the ground at the same height they were growing before, and water.

How to Take Root Cuttings

Step 1: Gently dig through the soil to expose young, growing roots, approximately pencil-size. Herbaceous perennials may be thinner.

Step 2: With a sharp knife cut the root straight across, and place an angled cut further down the root. This way you can tell which end is up.

Step 3: If you must transport the cutting, wrap it in a moist paper towel.

Step 4: Remove any fibrous roots. You can divide long cuttings and shorten thinner ones to between 3 and 5 inches. Make a fresh, slanted cut in each piece to designate top and bottom.

Step 5: Dip cutting into rooting hormone.

Step 6: Insert cutting into moist rooting medium with the slanted end down and the straight-cut-end level with the surface. For thin roots, lay them sideways, and cover lightly with soil. You can root some species, such as lilac and sumac, directly into the garden site.

Step 7: Pot or transplant roots after a few leaves develop.

Leave it alone, except to water, until the end of the next growing season. If the roots are strong, then cut the new plant from the parent and transplant.

A variation, called serpentine layering, involves anchoring a long stem to the soil in several spots. It's a great way to make several copies of plants, such as clematis or climbing roses, that send out long, flexible stems.

Some plants, raspberry and blackberry varieties in particular, reproduce readily by tip-layering. It works like simple layering, except you bury the tip of the vine.

Another technique is air layering, whereby you trick the stem into believing it has been anchored in the soil. Remove any leaves that are in the way. Make a sleeve from plastic wrap and fit it over or around the stem; wrap the bottom with tape. Make a slanted cut upwards into the stem with a sharp knife, and quickly pack around the stem with moist sphagnum moss using the back of the knife. Pull the sleeve up, pack fully with more damp moss, and seal the top of the plastic sleeve firmly with tape. Eventually roots will show through the plastic. At this point, cut the stem off just below the new root ball and pot up the new plant.

How to Take Leaf Cuttings

Step 1: Cut a healthy leaf from the parent plant.

Step 2: If you must transport it, wrap leaf in moist towel.

Step 3: Place it in moist rooting medium. There are different ways to do this. The leaf may be set upright so the blade is in contact with the rooting medium. You also can cut several nicks along the length of the veins, and press the leaf flat, vein-side down in the rooting medium. Or cut the leaf lengthwise and insert into rooting medium with the cut-side down to expose the veins.

Step 4: Cover with clear plastic.

Step 5: Water it and keep away from direct sunlight.

Step 6: Pot new plants after a few leaves appear.

If you master the art of taking stem cuttings, you may find yourself suddenly surrounded by new plants. Some plants root more easily than others. If a cutting doesn't root well in the spring, try again later in the season. Since plants mature at different rates, in different climes, and even in different years, there always will be some variability. Keep records to refine the practice for your area.

This method of creating free plants is well-suited to houseplants. Roots form along the veins and usually several new plantlets emerge from each leaf cutting.

How to Take Stem Cuttings

Step 1: With a sharp knife, slice the stem of the parent plant approximately 1 inch beneath a node.

Step 2: If you must transport the cutting, gently wrap it in a moistened, absorbent paper towel.

Step 3: Trim end of stem to just below a node. Often you can take several cuttings from each collected stem. Snip off any flowers and all but two or three leaves.

Step 4: Dip in rooting hormone, if desired. These products prompt root cells to divide. Place cuttings in moist rooting medium. Some plants, such as pelargonium and coleus, will root in a glass of water.

Step 5: Cover cuttings with plastic.

Step 6: Pot or transplant cuttings when new growth shows.
you get plants and make friends. If you appear presentable, courteous, and knowledgeable, you will assuage any fears that you might damage their precious plants. Offer to propagate a cutting for the gardener, as well as yourself. This one almost always works!

Take cuttings from the stem, leaves, or roots of various plant species. Stem cuttings are referred to as softwood, greenwood, or hardwood. Softwood cuttings are those taken in the spring before new growth begins to harden. They are the easiest to root.

Greenwood cuttings are taken in the summer before the stems have fully matured. They root a little slower, but on average are more likely to survive. Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature stems at the end of the growing season. They are usually the slowest to root. Leaf cuttings, reserved for fleshy-leaved plants, can be taken anytime during the growing season. Root cuttings are taken from dormant shrubs or trees. Often one method works better than the others for a specific plant; even varieties within a species respond differently.

Cutting a piece from a plant and having a whole new plant form may seem like magic to non-gardeners, comparable to cutting off your finger and growing a twin.
you get plants and make friends. If you appear presentable, courteous, and knowledgeable, you will assuage any fears that you might damage their precious plants. Offer to propagate a cutting for the gardener, as well as yourself. This one almost always works!
Take cuttings from the stem, leaves, or roots of various plant species. Stem cuttings are referred to as softwood, greenwood, or hardwood. Softwood cuttings are those taken in the spring before new growth begins to harden. They are the easiest to root. Greenwood cuttings are taken in the summer before the stems have fully matured. They root a little slower, but on average are more likely to survive. Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature stems at the end of the growing season. They are usually the slowest to root. Leaf cuttings, reserved for fleshy-leaved plants, can be taken anytime during the growing season. Root cuttings are taken from dormant shrubs or trees. Often one method works better than the others for a specific plant; even varieties within a species respond differently.
Cutting a piece from a plant and having a whole new plant form may seem like magic to non-gardeners, comparable to cutting off your finger and growing a twin.

Why Sowing Seeds is Satisfying?

Some plants just won't give you the satisfaction of saving and using your own seed. They are do-it-yourselfers or self-sowers. If you don't pluck every last spent blossom from plants such as calendula, French marigolds, forget-me-nots, or sweet alyssum, they will seed themselves back. Personally, I like this approach. You not only save money, but also time and effort.

Often second-generation seeds won't grow up to look just like their parents, which is fine as long as they produce interesting or attractive plants. When weeding in the spring look for familiar seedlings, lest you accidently cull volunteer flowers (self-sown plants that pop up unexpectedly).
Self-Sowing Plants:

Allowing plants to self-sow can save you money, time, and effort. But you have to be prepared for some surprises. Here's a brief guide to well-known self-sowers.

Will Grow True to Type:
Blue Cornflower, Calendula, Dill, French Marigold, Godetia, Love-in-a-Mist, Nasturtiums, Sweet Alyssum, Yellow Corydalis, Violets, Pansies.

Type Will Change With New Generation:
Forget-me-not, Foxglove, Snapdragon.

Sowing Saved Seeds

The final step toward renewing your plant population is to sow the seeds. Chapter 6 describes how to start seeds and when to transplant. There is one other consideration, however, with home-cured seeds. Some types need a little help to sprout.

Most vegetable seeds don't need special attention to germinate. Soaking large vegetable seeds for one to two hours helps accelerate the process, but it is not absolutely necessary. Most flowers also don't require special treatment. A few perennial and shrub seeds, however, have unusual requirements.

Certain seeds, such as yarrow, or some varieties of aster or dianthus, remain dormant for a long time and will germinate best after their second year in storage. Others, such as some forms of primula or rhododendron, only germinate well when sowed fresh. Soaking seeds of camellia, cystitus, and other shrubs greatly enhances their germination rates.

Some seeds, such as those of lupine or peonies, are so tough they should be scarified. This means gently nicking or sanding the seed coat to give the embryo an escape route.

Testing Stored Seeds

Faster germination results in more vigorous plants. For this to occur a high percentage of the seeds should sprout within the normal time for its type. To determine how well your seeds have survived storage, perform a germination test.

Moisten a paper towel or coffee filter, place ten or twenty seeds on it, and seal in a zip-seal plastic bag. Open daily to check for germination. After the appropriate amount of time has passed for that type of seed, count the number of sprouts to figure the percentage.

Five out of ten seeds and ten out of twenty seeds gives a 50 percent rate. More seeds in the test will yield more accurate results. Seeds that show a better than 70 percent germination rate are average, over 80 percent are good, and better than 90 percent are great to plant.
Don't bother planting poorly germinating seeds. They won't produce superior plants, a necessity for getting the most from your gardening dollar. Always start with the best seed possible, even if you have to go out and buy it.