Plant Propagation for the Home Gardener
By Debbie Falton
Polk County Master Gardener
This was bad winter for gardeners here in Polk County and
in other parts of Florida. Many home gardeners and
professionals lost annuals and tropical plants that were
unable to survive the cold temperatures for prolonged
periods of time.
Now that the weather has warmed up, we can start rebuilding our gardens. To keep expenses down there are
ways to propagate or grow your own plants. I will explain
some easy ways to grow plants to fill in your garden.
Seedlings in trays
The least expensive way to grow your own plants is from
seeds. Seeds are readily available at garden centers, and there are a large number of varieties to choose
from. The drawback is that seeds do take time to grow, and it could be a month or more before you
could have a plant ready to put out in your garden. Check the seed packets before buying. This will tell
detailed information on time and conditions the seeds need to grow. Seeds can be started in flats, peat
pots, and even empty egg cartons. Just make sure your containers have drainage at the bottom. It is
best to use sterile potting soil to prevent diseases. Wet the soil before planting the seeds. Fine seeds
usually can just be scattered on top of the soil. Large seeds need to be covered. Keep the seeds warm
and moist until they germinate. Once the seedlings have developed two leaves, thin them out and repot
into larger containers. Fertilize regularly until the plant develops a good root system. Before planting
outside the plants will need to be hardened off. To harden off the plants, put them in a shady spot
outside and gradually move them into the sun. This should be done over a period of several weeks. Plant
them in a site enriched with compost or other organic material. Keep the plants watered well until they
become established.
Another way to create new plants is from cuttings. You may need to buy a few starter plants.
Geraniums, impatiens, and Begonias are a few of many plants that root easily from cuttings. Strip off the
lower leaves from the cuttings and place in water. Within a few weeks, roots will develop and the plants
can be potted into containers. When the plants have established themselves in the pots, they can be
moved outside and hardened off like the seedlings. You can also root cuttings directly in containers of
sand or potting soil. Rooting hormone, a product sold in
garden centers helps the roots to develop more quickly
when placed in soil. Dip the end of the cutting into the
hormone and carefully place into the pot. Use the same
procedure as with the water rooted cutting for hardening
off and planting outside.
Creating more plants by division is another inexpensive
way to fill in the empty spots in your garden. Plants that
grow in clumps can be carefully pulled apart and planted
separately. Within a few months, they will grow as large
as their parent plant. Daylily, African Iris, grasses and
many other clumping plants work very well with this
Impatiens, seedlings from seed
method. Check your garden center for larger plants that can be separated into individual plants.
There are other more involved propagation methods I have not mentioned that can be found on our
web site: but the above are probably the easiest techniques to try. Growing your own plants from seeds,
cuttings and division scan be fun and save you money.