3 Common Plant Propagating Techniques
All gardens need a bit of sprucing up every now and then. In some cases, that would mean replacing dead plants with new ones.
When this happens, the very first thing that people do is to head over to the local nursery and buy brand new seedlings. Unfortunately, this can become quite expensive over time.
Plant propogating is a cheaper alternative because you don't have to go out and buy new ones. Instead, you make do with what you already have in your garden. In fact, this is one of the most common ways professional gardeners grow more plants for their nurseries.
In this blog post, I'll be sharing with you three common plant propagating techniques used for most types of plants that are easy to do whether you're a hobbyist or a professional gardener
1.Layering
Source:TopSoilShop
Layering is one of the most straightforward propagating techniques because it only involves pushing down branches of your existing plant down so that it's covered by the soil. You can do this with the help of a few twigs, cloth pegs or bent wires.
This type of propagating is often used for runner plants like strawberries and peppermint.
2. Cuttings
Source:TastyLandscape
As its name suggests, cutting is a plant propagating technique involves snipping off a piece of the plant and then planting this into a pot or garden bed. This technique is commonly used for herbs, but they can also be done on root vegetables like carrots and flowering plants like roses and hydrangeas.
When doing this technique, make sure that you cut the base at a 30-degree angle. Also, make sure that you strip off any leaves and flowers on the lower half of the cutting before planting this. This will make sure that your cutting won't have to use up a lot of energy to grow.
3.Division
Source:GreenMyLife
If you take out some perennial plants, you'll find that they're actually made up of several stems that you can carefully pull away and plant separately.
Since the roots are already attached, these don't take very long to grow. They are also practically maintenance-free, so those that use this technique would often get a high success rate with this plant propagating method.
Things to Remember When Plant Propagating
1.Use healthy plants.
Success with plant propagating starts with making sure that you use healthy plants, especially if you're going to be using the cutting technique. Otherwise, they'll have a harder time to grow and stay alive.
2.Use a soil-less mixture.
The nutrients in the regular potting soil or your garden may be too rich for the tender shoots of your new plants. Use a planting mix made of one part vermiculite and one part perlite. You can find these at your local handyman or gardening store. If these are not available, you can replace the vermiculite with peat moss and perlite with builders sand.
3.Keep them hydrated.
You need to make sure that your new shoots stay moist because they dry out quickly. You can do this by spritzing them with some water during the day. Don't let them sit in too much water though, causing them to rot and die.
As you see, there are several ways on how you can restore the beauty in your garden and patch up those bare areas. All it needs is just a bit of care.
Have you tried any of these plant propagating techniques? Are there any plants that you found easier to propagate than others? If so, let us know.
