Propagating Plants

The process of propagating nursery plants is pretty simple to master. You take a cutting from the desired plant, apply the appropriate ratio of rooting hormones and stick the plant cutting into a planting medium, such as a peat and perlite mixture. The cuttings are then watered in thoroughly and kept at high humidity until the roots form on the cutting. The trick of the whole process is knowing the best time of the growing stage to take the cuttings. Many people have success with hardwood cuttings, while others have luck with softwood and greenwood cuttings. There are a few plants that are stubborn and refuse to root unless propagated under perfect conditions. Most of these plants are better propagated by grafting them onto a suitable rootstock, but grafting is a propagation method that few take the time to master because of the complexity of understanding what is involved. If you are interested in propagating plants, I urge you to buy a good book on the subject such as, Plant Propagation by Alan Toogood. For some, it is much easier to absorb what they are reading when the desciptive text is followed along with clear photos. With a little education and luck, you will be growing your own nursery stock before you know it. Warning: Propagating your own plants can become addictive!