Gardening professionals often employ many methods for cutting to propagate new plants to grow. We will discuss the most commonly used methods here. Cutting stems and leafs, will allow you to increase your plant stock and it serves two purposes. Besides the more obvious one of giving you new plant growth, cuttings can also be a useful way to trim back an overgrown plants and bring it back under control.

The equipment needed can most often be found right at home. Pots of all different sizes are a necessity, so is a sharp knife or razor blade. A tamper and dibble can be useful but are not always essential.

The rules are the same and apply to setting cuttings from starting a seedling. The best mixture to use is vermiculite, there again, potting soil can also be used once the process has begun.

The same way as with seeds, the time needed for cuttings to grow and get new roots varies with both the type of plant and cutting. The smallest amount of time for roots to sprout, even with fast rooting plants, is about three weeks. Other types of plants may take a bit longer.

West February

Start Geranium

Start cuttings of geraniums now, so that young, well rooted plants will be available for spring bedding. Cuttings can be rooted in sand, vermiculite, or any other commonly used rooting medium. Transplant the rooted cuttings to pots as soon as young roots are formed. Do not transplant the geranium plants into too rich a soil, or you may have trouble with basal rot.

A small greenhouse is a wonderful asset for growing bedding plants. However, many gardeners get by, by starting their seeds and cuttings in a bright window in the home and later transferring them to an electric cable-heated frame. The use of polyethylene film in place of glass for greenhouses and frames will undoubtedly renew interest among amateurs in growing their own bedding plants.

A greenhouse can be covered with polyethylene at a fraction of the cost of glass. Except for the need of replacing the polyethylene at least every other year, it has a number of advantages over glass. Polyethylene permits the entry of ultra-violet light much better than glass, and thus ensures stronger plant growth. It is apt to stand up better in a hail storm than glass, and is much cheaper to replace. A double thickness of polyethylene inflated is recommended.