By now you must have read my post about taking the plant propagation class with Adam Wheeler. Well, here is the process in pictures!

Softwood cutting at the correct stage of growth

Freshly taken softwood cutting

Preparing the softwood cutting for sticking

Softwood cutting almost ready for sticking

Softwood cutting with the leaves cut

Softwood cutting ready to stick

Cutting with a label

Peat

Perlite

50/50 peat perlite mix by volume

Peat and perlite in the container being used for rooting

Dip N Grow

Dip N Grow concentrate at the proper level

Dipping the cutting into the rooting hormone

Softwood cuttings stuck in rooting media (left pot is a mix of peat/sand)

Softwood cutting under plastic

Softwood cuttings under a misting system

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Well, it really isn’t a secret that landscape shrubs need to be pruned from time to time. Some of them get downright ugly if left alone too long, and that is why I prune them. But, that is not the only reason I prune my shrubs!

The greatest advantage I have when pruning my shrubs is the amount of softwood cuttings I get. These cuttings are used to propagate many more plants that I sell. I simply prune one type shrub at a time and collect the cuttings. I then stick these cuttings under my misting system to enable them to form roots. Once the roots are formed I remove them from the mist and pot them up.

Once potted up I sell them to friends, neighbors and even the occasional stranger who usually becomes a fast friend.

To learn more about growing plants to sell, visit Freeplants.

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Here is a list of 20 common garden plants that are extremely easy to propagate. All of these plants can be propagated by division. Simply take a shovel and cut off a chunk, plant it where you want, and watch it grow!

1. Hemerocallis (daylilly)
2. Aster
3. Bearded Iris
4. Shasta daisies
5. Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
6. Stonecrop (Sedum)
7. Monarda (Bee Balm)
8. Ornamental Grass
9. Heuchera (Coral Bells)
10. Coreopsis (Tickseed)

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No, well it doesn’t really take much to be prepared in the event that a piece of your misting system decides to stop working. Of course, this is more likely to happen at the worst possible time, like when you have a ton of cuttings under mist and it is during the hottest time of the summer.

Here are a few items you should always have on hand in case something goes wrong:

• misting solenoid
• wire connectors
• length of wire
• filter cartridge
• plumbing fittings
• batteries
• hose washers

Having these items on hand is cheap insurance if you need them in a hurry. Always remember to replace them if you need to “borrow” a piece for another project. You haven’t saved any time if the part you need is being used somewhere else.

Do you have an e-book to sell? Do you need a cover? Get E book cover software. No Photoshop needed! Download Gimp (a free photo editing program), watch a video, and use pre-made templates to produce stunning e-book covers. Go from this:

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I didn’t actually mean to prune it to the ground, but that is what happened when I lost control of the lawn mower. Of course, I assumed I had killed it but left the stump anyway.

A week or so later I noticed that the stump had sprouted some leaves. I was thrilled to think that the lilac may survive. The Sensation® Lilac in my opinion is one of the most beautiful lilacs around. I mean seriously, look at the picture, isn’t that gorgeous?

Anyway, as the plant grew, I noticed that it was growing much faster than the other one I have nearby. It put on at least 3 feet of new growth before the year was out. The other put on about 8″ of new growth.

Of course, the lilac that was cut to the ground didn’t bloom much the year after I pruned it to the ground, because lilacs form their flowers for the following year on the current years growth. Because I pruned the bush in the summer, the plant did not have adequate time to form enough buds.

I must say that because of the pruning I did to that plant, it has put on much more growth than it’s twin. Right now, it is a full 4′ taller and they were exactly the same size when I planted them just 4′ apart!

Now don’t go crazy and cut your lilacs to the ground every year, but if you find that one of them is not putting on any growth, go ahead and give it a shot. You may be surprised.

So, I think I may have to fire up the lawnmower and prune that other lilac. Or maybe I should just cut it with the pruners, huh?

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I recently took a plant propagation class at the Berkshires Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Although I am a member of a private plant propagation group, have been propagating plants for a few years now, own a company I started that designs, assembles and sells misting systems and misting components for homeowners and startup nurseries, I decided I needed to take a break from everything and attend this small class that was being taught by Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery. Adam is the principle plant propagator and development manager at Broken Arrow Nursery and was kind enough to teach this class on how to propagate woody landscape plants using cuttings.

The day started quite early. I had to leave the house by 5AM to be sure I could make the 10 o’clock class. Yes, I said 5 AM; the Berkshires Botanical Garden is a 4 hour drive from my house! I arrived about ½ hour early and strolled around the grounds until the class started.

Adam started the class by introducing himself and explained what he does at Broken Arrow Nursery. He explained that it is his responsibility to take softwood, semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings at the nursery and make plants out of them. He then explained what propagation is; it is the art and science of making new plants.

He then explained the differences between the three major types of cuttings, softwood, greenwood (or semi-hardwood), and hardwood.

Softwood

• Will snap if bent
• Is prone to disease and water stress
• Is soft succulent growth
• Is collected during active growth

Greenwood (or semi-hardwood)

• Will bend if bent
• Is firm growth
• Is collected after active growth

Hardwood

• Will break like a stick
• Is the mature stems
• Is collected late in the season or in the winter

After explaining the difference, he then mentioned that most conifers are done as hardwood cuttings.

Adam then went over some tips while collecting cuttings for propagation

• To help retain moisture, collect cuttings in the morning or evening.
• Never take cuttings from a stock plant that is water stressed.
• Label the cuttings immediately. Do not rely on your memory.
• Process the cuttings quickly. Sticking the cuttings soon after collection reduces stress and increases the odds that it will root.

He then went on to tell us a few factors that will influence the cuttings

• Temperature
• Rooting media
• Humidity
• Hormones
• Timing
• Wounding
• Juvenility
• Stock plant

Adam then went into more detail on these factors.

Temperature

The ideal temperature of the root zone for greenwood (semi-hardwood) cuttings is 65 to 85 degrees F but lower for hardwood cuttings. He also went on to explain that when rooting cuttings with softer wood, “cooler temperatures promote rot”.

Adam then explained that some nurseries use bottom heat to maintain the correct temperatures at the root zone. They do this by burying soil warming cables or using piping that circulates warm water under the soil.

Media

Rooting media can be sand, peat, perlite, vermiculite, or pine bark. He went on to explain that a combination of two or more of these materials is usually best. A mix of 50/50 peat/perlite mix is quite popular as is 50/50 perlite/vermiculite. However, he also stated that some plants prefer different proportions and experimenting is the best way to determine this.

Adam then talked about how to properly mix the media for a 50/50 mix. This is done by filling a container with one of the materials and transferring it to a larger container, then filling the first container with the other material and dumping it into the larger container. Both materials would then be thoroughly mixed together. This is called measuring by volume.

Adam also mentioned that a good rooting media will retain just enough moisture to allow the cuttings to root but also allow enough water to pass through to not keep the media too wet. He then explained that out of the 5 media mentioned, that peat, vermiculite and pine bark are for water holding and the others are used to aid in draining.

He then talked a bit about the rooting media he uses at Broken Arrow Nursery. He revealed that he primarily uses a 50/50 mix of perlite and commercial potting mix. He stressed that propagators should “stay away from retail potting mix for rooting cuttings because most will retain too much moisture”

Humidity

Adam went on to explain that keeping the cutting humid is essential to getting cuttings to root. He mentioned cold frames, hot frames, and mentioned that larger propagation nurseries use intermittent mist. He then revealed that he uses “5 seconds of mist every minute” while rooting cuttings. What he didn’t say was if these cuttings are in a greenhouse or some other type of structure.

Hormones

Adam explained that hormones contain various levels of auxin. He also stated that using rooting hormones do not guarantee success.  He then went on to talk about willows having natural auxins and that you can cut up willow stems, steep them in water, and use the water as a rooting hormone dip.

He then revealed that he “uses DipNGrow at a 1 to 10 ratio for semi-hardwood cuttings”.

Adam then explained that too much or a dilution that is too strong is not good because the stems will burn. He stated that there is a threshold for each plant that only experience will reveal.

Timing

• Proper timing is essential to successful rooting
• Extensive notes help track the best time to take cuttings of different varieties of plants
• Take note of what other plants are doing at the time you take your cuttings. This may aid you in determining the best time of year to take cuttings of certain plants

Wounding

• Wounding eliminates physical barriers that affect root development.
• Creates a greater surface area for hormone uptake
• Induces internal hormone changes

Adam explained that “roots form from the cambium layer and in some instances, wounding will increase rooting percentages”. He also revealed that he wounds only about 10% of all his cuttings.

Juvenility

• Juvenility refers to the growth stage of the plant
• Plants can have multiple stages of growth on a single plant

Adam explained that “juvenile cuttings root easier and quicker”. He also stated that “juvenile growth will be toward the base and interior of the plant”. Another way of determining the juvenility of the growth is “the leaves will hang on longer in the fall on juvenile growth”.

Stock plants

Adam stressed the importance of the health of the stock plant. He said to never take a cutting from a water stressed plant or one that has a disease. Taking a cutting will only stress the stock plant even more and in the case of disease, is very likely to spread it.

Preparation of cuttings

Adam then went on to explain how to properly prepare a cutting. He again mentioned that a cutting should be taken during the morning or evening so the cutting has the largest amount of water retained in it. He also had these tips to share:

• The proper length of the cutting is between 4 and 6 inches. Depending on the plant, this may sometimes be 8 inches.
• Always cut just below a node because roots will form from the node itself because there is a natural occurrence of auxins at the node.
• Always remove the tips of the cuttings. The tips are prone to wilting and stress.
• Reduce the foliage on the cutting to help reduce water loss.

At this point in the class Adam took us on a little jaunt and pointed out some plants that would be likely to root. He explained that it was actually the wrong time of the day to be collecting cuttings but we would have to soldier on anyway.

The class followed Adam among the various shrubs where he talked a bit about each plant and we were allowed to take a cutting if we desired. Because I already have stock plants to get cuttings from, I took only a few from two plants; a Diablo Ninebark and an unnamed Deutzia that has bluish flowers and is known only to the Berkshire Botanical Garden. He went on to say that he has been trying to talk the Botanical Garden to propagate and release this particular plant but has had no luck thus far. Of course I had to grab a few cuttings from that plant!

After the collection of the cuttings was done we all headed back to the conference room where we prepared them for sticking, but first we had to mix up a small batch of 50/50 peat/perlite. We mixed it 50/50 by volume. We did this by filling a small container with peat, dumping it on a mixing table, then filling the container with perlite. This container was also dumped onto the mixing table and then both were thoroughly mixed together. We then filled a few smaller container that we would be placing our cuttings into.

Next, we prepared our cuttings by cutting the stem just below a leaf node. Adam explained that the nodes are where the roots will be forming from and that cutting just below the node is a key step in the cuttings ability to root. Next, we cut the tip off the cutting just above a pair of leaves. We then stripped off all the leaves but the very top two. On the cuttings that have large leaves, like Hydrangea, Adam suggests cutting the remaining leaves in half to reduce the loss of water through them, a process called transpiration.

We then applied some rooting hormone to the ends and stuck the cuttings into our containers with the rooting media. Next, we moistened the media, stuck a small piece of bamboo into the pot to hold up the plastic bag, and placed the clear bag over the container, holding it with a rubber band.

Adam explained that when we noticed the droplets of water that will collect on the inside of the bag begin to disappear, that was an indication that we needed to add some water to our container to keep the humidity up.

The class ended with Adam giving the class his email address in case we had any questions.

Even though I use a misting system to root my cuttings instead of the little plastic tents, this class was a nice break from the daily grind and I did learn a thing or two. Namely, Adam’s secret for determining the best time to take cuttings of Purple Smokebush. Although I live many miles north of Connecticut and his secret may not actually work in my zone, I gained valuable knowledge about paying attention to what surrounding plants are doing when you take your cuttings.

Be sure to look for a post that will show the steps needed to root your own cuttings using the method Adam described.

Free gardening and propagation articles available HERE

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I get quite a bit of traffic from people searching for answers about what can be planted over septic tanks and septic systems. Questions such as:

• Can I plant ornamental grass over my septic tank?
• Is it safe to plant trees or shrubs near my septic system?
• Can potatoes harm my septic system?
• Is it safe to grow plants over a septic tank?
• What are some safe plants for a septic tank?

Here is my answer to these questions and others that relate to planting over septic tanks and septic systems: It depends.

Planting over a septic tank

A typical septic tank is usually between 1-3 feet underground. This means that the top of the tank is really not that far below the surface of the ground. Small plants that have small root systems are usually safe to plants over the septic tank because the roots will not travel down deep enough to cause problems. However, a plant like a Forsythia can have an extensive root system that can travel down to the tank and even penetrate into it. On top of the roots getting into the tank, they will spread out over the top of the tank, making it difficult to dig through when the tank needs to get pumped.

And how often does that tank need to be pumped? Every two to three years. Ok, ok, I can hear someone saying ” I have lived in my house for over ten years and never had my tank pumped and I don’t have trouble with my system”. Really, are you sure? I highly recommend reading The Septic System Owner’s Manual to understand how the system actually works. I think you may change your mind and get that tank pumped after reading it.

Now, back to the subject at hand:

Small, shallow rooted plants are usually ok to plants over the tank, but remember to leave a space over the cover to allow pumping of the tank.

Large, deep rooted plants like trees and shrubs are typically not ok to plant over the septic tank. These types of plants grow quite large and the roots can cause a lot of trouble with the tank, possibly entering the tank and causing a sewer backup.

Septic systems (aka: leach fields)

Well, the title is a bit misleading, but most folks who ask about planting over the septic system are actually asking if it is ok to plant over what is called the leach or drain field. This field is where the liquid from your septic tank (effluent) goes through a series of pipes to slowly drain into the ground. Although this liquid will probably make your plants grow like weeds, it is usually not a good idea to plant anything over the drain field.

Here’s why:

• The field is made up of a series of pipes that have holes in them to allow the water to drain out. The pipe is set in a bed of stone to aid in the draining. On top of the pipe is a layer of fill and/or soil, and this layer is usually about a foot deep. Plants with deep roots will penetrate into the stone layer and possibly into the pipe itself. These roots greatly reduce the ability of the effluent to drain or may clog up the pipe entirely. For this reason alone, trees and shrubs should never be planted near a septic system.
• The drain field needs oxygen to be able to break down all the bacteria, viruses, and other “stuff” that is in the water. This oxygen is absorbed through the layer of soil that is above the pipes. Planting anything other than a lawn over this field can cause the soil to become less porous and reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches the effluent. This is also the reason you should never place raised beds over the drain field.

So what IS safe to plant over septic tanks and septic systems? Well, I guess I will have to cover that in another article, but I will tell you that it is my opinion that any plant that you will be eating should not be planted over the tank or drain field. I will explain why later. Stay tuned…

For more info on septic systems, try:
Wells and Septic Systems
Water Wells and Septic Systems Handbook
Country Plumbing: Living With a Septic System

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A local paper just published a story about a garden club president’s memory garden. She started gardening 33 years ago with her husband and they both enjoyed working on creating flower gardens. She would make the mess, and he would follow behind cleaning it up. Sound like a perfect match!

The president’s husband passed away suddenly in 2006 and instead of bouquets, she received living plants. These plants were the beginning of a new garden in honor of her husband of 36 years.

Over the years she has added to the memory garden, choosing plants with names that reminded her of her late husband. Daylillies such as Peanut Butter Frenzy, Gracious Living, Ruffled Valentine, Golden Angel, Trustworthy, Broken Heart, and Fairest Love were chosen. Also included in the garden is an ornamental grass her husband had planted, a memorial stone with his name, and his boots that are being used as flower pots.

This is a great story that combines love, memories and gardening to make a special place that is sure to bring great memories every time she walks through the memory garden.

Do you have a plant or a memory garden dedicated to a person you love? What does your include?

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I recently wrote an E-book on the effects salt has on ornamental plants and groundcovers. It explains how soil becomes saline (salty), the effects salt has on plants, as well as how to reduce the salinity of your soil.

Download it by using this link: Salt injury to ornamental shrubs and groundcovers

For more info on plants and plant propagation, I suggest:

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses
Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (7th Edition)
American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques

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