Propagation by Cutting

Saturday afternoon I snipped a few cuttings from a friend's weigela and brought them home to see if I could root them. I've had varying success in propagating different kinds of plants, but I don't think I've ever tried weigela, so we'll see what happens.

First, I take a small cutting from the plant and remove all but one or two leaves.








Then, I wet the stem and dip it in some powdered rooting hormone.







I plant it in a mixture of sand and peat moss, water it, and cover it with plastic to keep the moisture in.
Then I wait. Sometimes it thrives, sometimes it dies. I always try to take several cuttings, knowing that all of them aren't going to root successfully.

I don't really know why this appeals to me; other than the obvious fact that I can get free plants. That in itself, though, is hardly worth the trouble because the new plants are so small--you could buy larger plants for just a few dollars. There is a bit of mystery, I suppose, in taking a little cutting and growing an entirely new plant from it. It doesn't seem like it should work, but often enough, it does.

Rooting Camellias

Back in March, I was at my grandfather's house in South Carolina and saw that he had a camellia with red-and white blooms. I took a few cuttings to try to root (I've never had success rooting camellias) but so far these two are still alive. The one on the right even has a couple of new leaves! Of course I don't know where I'll plant them since most of my yard bakes in full sun, but I love rooting things and seeing what I can grow.

I always feel nervous when I read those warnings on plant tags forbidding "unauthorized reproduction" of the plants. Sort of the same feeling you get when you rip the tag off a mattress. I have such a low success rate rooting anything, though, that the plant cops would be wasting their time kicking down my garden gate.

So if these camellias survive and grow tall, I'll post another picture of me standing beside them...with my walking cane and "old man" hat! Just before the cops haul me downtown...