Multiply Your Favorite Plants for Free with Cuttings
To save your tender perennials, plants that will not survive your winter, you can take cuttings of them and grow them on inside.
This is one form of plant propagation. When the weather warms in spring you can plant them out in the garden.
The great thing about growing plants from cuttings is that, since the plants are very small, they take up much less space than bringing the entire adult plant inside. The more you get into gardening, the more important it is to save space.
Salvia
Good candidates for this method are coleus, geraniums, salvia, and pretty much any other tender perennial.
A tender perennial is one that would come back year after year if it was in a warmer zone, as opposed to an annual which is meant to only live one season, produce some seed, and die off.
Plant cuttings don't need any sort of nutrients. The most important thing is that the medium is well draining because they are prone to rot. You can use a basic potting mix with the addition of material to help it drain well. You can use perlite, vermiculite, or sand. I have perlite on hand so that is what I'm using. Potting mix usually comes with perlite mixed in, but for this it is best to add extra.
Mix up the ingredients well and then add water.
2.When you squeeze the material in your fist it should just let out a little bit of water without being overly soggy.tl
3.Gently pack the soil into a small pot.
4.Cut off a stem from the plant. Cut off any flower buds. You can get multiple cuttings from one stem depending on how many leaf nodes there are. Cut just below a set of leaf nodes and remove the leaves- this part is going in the soil. This is where new roots will grow. One set of leaves above the soil line is all you need.
5.Fill the pot with cuttings. They do well lining the edge of a pot because there is the best drainage there. Take more cuttings than the number of plants you want to increase your chances of success.
6.Water them in well. Keep them moist but not soggy. Do not let the soil dry out, but do not give it too much water or the cuttings will rot. Be sure the pot is never left sitting in water. Good drainage is key.
If you have a greenhouse or cold frame they can root well there if the temperature is staying around 70 degrees most of the time. I find that in October they do well in my polytunnel here in our zone 7 climate.
Cuttings prefer to stay at room temperature, so bringing them inside does increase your chances of success. A windowsill will work well, as will a shelf with artificial light.
If you want to go a step further, you can put a plastic bag over them which will act as a humidity dome. In this case they may not even need to be watered.
I have success growing plants under LED shop lights during the winter. If you are fortunate enough to have a room in your house with plenty of sunlight that would work too.
Now you know how easy it is to save a plant over winter without taking up much space at all. And you also know how to fill up your garden with your favorite plants for free. Happy propagating!
Now you know how easy it is to save a plant over winter without taking up much space at all. And you also know how to fill up your garden with your favorite plants for free!
