Plant Propagation Guide

Here is a little guide on various plants that you can propagate in your home garden. I've included the types of propagation where I've been successful (seeds, Layering, Division, Cuttings, etc.).  If I can do it so can you!

Propagating Perennials

Common Name	Botanical Name	Methods of Propagation
Artemisia 'Powis Castle'		Cuttings, Layering
Milkweed	Asclepias incarnata	Cuttings, Seeds
Catmint	Nepeta	Cuttings, Division, Seeds
Coneflower	Echinacea purpurea, E. paradoxa, E. augustifolia	Cuttings, Division, Seeds
Hosta		Division, Seeds (may not come true from seed)
Russian Sage	Perovskia atriplicifolia	Hardwood and Softwood Cuttings
Salvia	Salvia nemorosa	Cuttings, Seeds

 

Propagating Shrubs and Trees

Trees and shrubs can be propagated from a variety of methods.  Always get good, clean, disease free material when taking cuttings.

Common Name	Botanical Name	Methods of Propagation
Birch (River)	Betula nigra	Cuttings
Hydrangea	H. macrophylla, H. serrata	Cuttings
Hydrangea (Oak Leaf)	Hydrangea quercifolia	Cuttings, Seeds
Japanese Maple	Acer palmatum	Cuttings, Grafting, Seeds
Red Twig Dogwood	Cornus sericea, C. alba	Cuttings
Viburnum 'Shasta'	Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosa	Cuttings, Layering

 

Propagating Annuals

Common Name	Botanical Name	Methods of Propagation
Coleus		Cuttings, Seeds
Impatiens		Cuttings, Seed
Petunia		Seed

Propagating Herbs

Common Name	Botanical Name	Methods of Propagation
Basil		Cuttings, Seeds
Oregano		Division, Seeds
Stevia		Cuttings, Seeds

This page is in progress! For specific information on how to propagate plants and links to posts on some of the plants I have propagated go to this post on plant propagation for home gardeners.

Layering Might Be the Easiest Way to Propagate Plants

Layering an arrowwood viburnum

I really enjoy making new plants - you guessed that by now didn't you? Most of the time I prefer to make stem cuttings of various types of plants whether shrub, tree, perennial, or annual but that isn't always the easiest way. In many ways layering a plant is the simplest way to ensure a successful rooted plant with very little risk. Today while I was outside I noticed two plants that had successfully rooted through layering which started me thinking about this method of propagation.

First of all what is layering? Layering is where you cover a section of a stem or branch underneath the soil and wait for the plant to make its own roots. Sometimes nicking the plant beneath a node and adding rooting hormone to the wound will speed up the process but I've never needed to do that on any layering projects.


What kind of plants will layer? A whole bunch! Including forsythias, blackberries, viburnums, beautyberry, hydrangea, and many others. If I were to write a list of all the potential plants that could be propagated by layering I would be typing for a very long time. If a plant has a suitable branch close to the ground that can be pinned underneath a little bit of soil or compost there is a good chance it will root.

Why is layering the easiest way to propagate many plants? The branch or stem is still attached to the main plant which means the branch is still receiving moisture and nourishment from an established root system. Once you induce rooting by covering the node with soil or compost the branch doesn't have the additional stress of supplying water to the plant while working on building roots. In short: there is little risk of a plant or a branch dying.

Layering a Hydrangea

Is layering the best way to propagate plants? Notice the difference here: best vs. easiest. It all depends on what you are looking for in you plant material. If you want a bunch of plants fast then cuttings are a better way to go. You can take many more cuttings from the branches than you can make plants with layering even with serpentine layering of a suitable branch. If you are more concern with getting a difficult to root plant rooted then definitely go with layering.

I like to do a combination of both layering and cuttings. Sometimes plants will have low hanging branches that just scream for layering while they still have lots of suitable material for taking stem cuttings. My viburnum in the top picture is a great example - it roots easily but also loves to layer.

Which method do you prefer: layering or cuttings?

5 Methods to Propagate Plants!

Here's a topic I'm a huge fan of: PLANT PROPAGATION!  I've talked about it repeatedly and those of you who have followed Growing The Home Garden over the years have seen some of my plant propagation experiments.  I thought for today's Friday Five post I would highlight the various common forms of plant propagation.  I highly encourage those of you who have never tried it before to give it a go.  Some plants are very easy to propagate and nothing can beat getting free plants for your garden!

Here are Five Methods to Propagate Plants!

1. Seeds!  Seeds are one of the most popular methods of plant propagation around.  Seeds are nature's way of making more plants and sustaining the species through the diversification of genes. Every time a seed is planted there is a chance that there will be some variations in the plant's traits which could make it more adaptable to the environment or change its appearance in some small way.  Seeds are pretty easy way to grow plants.  Often all a seed needs is good soil and adequate water.  Sometimes though the seed needs a treatment that breaks down the seed coat either called scarification or stratification.  Scarification occurs when the seed coat is scratched or nicked to allow water to flow to the embryo.  Stratification breaks down the seed coat through the use of cold temperatures and simulates winter months.  Both of these techniques simulate the natural conditions with which the seed needs to germinate.  Red bud seeds are a good example of seeds that need this treatment.  A couple months ago I planted a flat of redbud seeds I've had stratifying for a couple years. None germinated until I nicked the seed coat then within a week I had germination.  Sometimes a seed needs both treatments!
2. Division!  While it's true that a "house divided against itself cannot stand" a plant divided will create a stand.  Division is one of the easiest ways to make more plants.  In most cases simply digging up a clump of a plant and gently pulling apart the plant sections will give you a host of plants.  Daylilies and hostas and two very easy to separate plants for dividing.  Ornamental grass divide well too but due to their thicker clumps a blade of a shovel or sharp knife may be necessary.  Use water to clean off the clump so you can see the divisions more clearly.  It may also remove some of the clay that may be binding the roots together and make them easier to divide.  
3. Layering.  Layering involves pinning down the branch of a plant to encourage a node to begin forming roots.  I use layering every year since it is a nearly fool proof method to propagate plants.  Most of the time I pin a branch down with rocks that happen to be near by.  It helps to dig a mini trench where the node will be then cover the branch with soil before placing the rock on top.  After a couple months check the root formation.  If you have roots cut it away from the main plant and pot up or replant. If there aren't any roots try again! This is a great way to produce shrubs with a larger size than you could with cuttings. I really love rooting oak leaf hydrangeas with layering.  They can be tricky through cuttings but have a very easy time when layered.  I also layer a lot of viburnums.
4. Cuttings!  I love making cuttings.  The big advantage that cuttings have over layering is that you can make a whole lot more plants. The disadvantage is that they are smaller and harder to root.  The ideal size and type of cutting to take varies greatly among plants.  Some plants will root with an internodal cutting.  Others require a nodal cutting.  Some need to be greenwood while others root best as hardwood.  In general the first year's growth provides the best material for cuttings.   Cuttings can be taken from stem tips, stem sections, basal sections (close to the crown), and from the roots.  Some plants will even respond favorably to leaf cuttings!  Perennials root fairly easily and can be producing roots and new growth within a couple weeks.  Shrubs and trees take longer to root so expect about 6-8 weeks before rooting starts.  This is very general information about a wide topic so make sure you look up how to propagate a plant before you get going!  Of course you could do what I do - try and see what happens!
5. By far the trickiest way to propagate plants is through tissue culture.  I've been reading about the tissue culture method but have never attempted it.   There are some kits you can assemble to do this in your home instead of a laboratory but a sterile environment is crucial.  Tissue culture involves taking a sections of a plant and applying certain chemicals to them to create plantlets.  Once the plantlets are formed they can be put in soil to grow onto their own roots.  The advantage to making more plants this way is easy to see - massive quantities of plants can be produced.  This is how many of the nursery plants we see in the stores go from the breeder to the consumer so quickly.  Plants can only divide at their normal rate of growth and tissue culture allows the breeder to  propagate thousands of plants from just a few.  I would love to see how this is done someday in person - maybe I'll attempt it, but not anytime soon!

These are the main methods of plant propagation you will find used today.  Which propagation method is your favorite way to make more plants?

Find more Friday Five Posts here!

Layering a Viburnum, The Results!

It's not a secret that I'm a fan of plant propagation. Who wouldn't be? You get free plants! One of the easiest ways to propagate a plant is through a technique called layering. With layering you essentially pin down a branch of a shrub or tree to the soil and encourage it to form roots. The roots usually appear at a node (the spot on the branch where leaves form). Recently I transplanted a rooted viburnum that I was able to turn into 5 additional plants just by pinning down a couple low hanging branches with rocks.

Often you will see people recommend making a small wound on the branch below the node where you then apply rooting hormone. I haven't found that to be necessary but it might speed up the rooting process. Here in this video you can see the results of my layered viburnums that I did a couple years ago. I completely forgot about the layering and never came back to transplant them until now! They blended in completely with the mother plant.

Look here for more plant propagation information!

Propagating a Deciduous Magnolia Through Layering

Layering is a fantastic way to make more free plants with very little risk. Propagating a plant through layering usually involves pinning down a branch to make contact with the soil so that the branch can begin forming roots.  I've used layering to propagate more difficult to root plants like oak leaf hydrangeas.  Below you will find a short video I put together on layering a deciduous magnolia ('Jane').  It took a few months for the magnolia roots to form but as you can see in the video the layering technique was very successful.

The only disadvantage to rooting a plant through layering is that you are limited in the amount of material you can produce.  That's not really a problem if you are just make a plant or two for yourself or a friend.

Here you can find more information on plant propagation.