Petals & Pedals: Free (or at least cheap!) Plants by the Score

So you missed the window of seed opportunity, but don't have the budget to spring for new plants?  You can always trade (and don't forget the Punk Rock Garden Swap). 

See, there are many ways to fill out your garden without dishing out a ton of dough.  Seeds we've covered here and here a bit more; but maybe next time you cut up a kiwi you'll want to save a few seeds for an experiment all in the good name of gardening. 

Oh, you.  You're such a cut up.
Propagating by cuttings:  In water:  Cut 3-4 inches down of a stem you want to try.  Mint is super easy.  pinch off the lower leaves, stick in a glass of water; if the cutting is short enough, I'll use a shot glass. (Hey, I'm way done with those days of needing them.)  Change the water often.  If you don't you'll end up with a soggy, smelly rotting stem in water. It's not pleasant, trust me.  Roses, basil, tomatoes, mints, catnip--I've had success with rooting all of these in water.

In soil: Using a leaf to turn a new leaf: My Jade Tree and Christmas Cactus have parented many a friend's houseplant just by giving them a fleshy leaf to stick slightly down in some clean ol' dirt.  Some kalanchoes are called mother of thousands for a very good reason.  They line the margins of their leaves with little plantlets, ready to drop them at any given time. Soon the next plant over is threatened by an army of baby kalanchoes.

Mad props, plants in the house: Rooting Hormone: this is a powder you can find at most garden stores; you dip the stem/cut end in the powder and then in the dirt the cutting goes. I've tried it and didn't have any more luck with it than with the natural alternatives.  The bottle says not to use it on edibles which made me leery [read: scared] enough to give it away to someone else who wanted to give it a try. I've also heard of dipping the cutting in honey before adding it to the soil.  Adding crushed aspirin or crushed willow branches to your rooting water are easy alternatives, though the only one I've tried is the willow branches.  I didn't actually cut them, I just put a stick in the water, and it seemed to work well enough.  Personally, I've had lots of success with no additions to water or soil.

A somewhere - in - between - cutting - and- dividing method that works well for woody perennials such as lavender and rosemary is layering. With layering you pin a stem in place on the ground (either with a rock or by burying it in the soil.) Some of these plants prefer to have a notch cut into them before the actual layering.  This method takes a little time.  Last year I just pinned a stem of rosemary to the ground with a bobby pin (stuck it straight down in the dirt) and left it alone.  It grew roots just fine!

You be digging this, we be digging that: The general rule is to wait for a plant to finish blooming before taking cuttings or dividing. 

Dividing roots: Peonies, azaleas, lambs ear, a bazillion types of plants will be just fine if you take a sharp shovel and chomp right between stems and down through the root mass.  Think of it like cell division, only on a really big scale.  Or, maybe not. But get part of the plant, and part of the root structure, then plant them in their new home and water.

Bulb division: Think garlic--one head of garlic has tons and tons of little cloves (bulbs!), each providing you with the opportunity for a new head! Though garlic is best planted in Spring, a lot of other bulbs abide by the division rules.  I have huge, thick patches of daffodils in my yard, and once the leaves die back a bit, I go in dig em up then divide them up. The newly divided bulbs might suffer a bit the next year, but the year after that they're back in full bloom.

Beg Borrow and Steal your way to Eden:  Many areas have Native Plant Rescue groups.  When I first heard of native plant rescue, I envisioned wearing all black with a ski mask, going out and finding small tribes of plants,  digging them up and speeding home to add them to my own yard.  Not nearly so racy a concept, these are clubs that go out to  pre-construction sites, with the owner's permission of course, to rescue the plants before demolition or development begins. I've stumbled on some great deals for plants through Freecycle (obviously free) and Craigslist (at minimal cost).   Or. . . just pinch off a pretty stem when you see one, but I'd suggest you ask first!

Things to remember: take cuttings with clean, sharp shears or pruners and cut the stem at a 45 degree angle.  Stem cuttings should be no longer than 6 inches.   Remove lower leaves that will be below water or soil level.  The roots will grow from the leaf scar you create. 

Some plants are trademarked and/or patented items, not to be duplicated.  May sound odd, but it's true! Make sure you know the origins of the plant you're duplicating!

The Virginia Cooperative Extension sure has a lot to say on the subject, if you want to learn more!

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise.  When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Comments

[audrey]

what is that fantastic leaf patterned dish!

[Amy]

Brilliant article! I've bookmarked it for later, when I'm settled into a new apartment and can have some pots in the window. I always thought it was more fun to start from seed, but I can see that cuttings etc can be just as challenging, so I'll have to give it a go!