Summer is over, and our gardens are slowly slipping into their winter sleep. For perennials, it is a much needed rest to recharge for next year. This is why if you’re a northerner visiting friends down south, you may see what you consider houseplants growing outside, in-ground.
Photography by Joy Yagid for Gardenista.
Some of the plants I’m propagating this fall so I can re-plant them next summer: common geranium (Pelargonium ssp. These plants mentioned above represent two of the three types of plants that are amenable to cuttings.
Which plants can be propagated?
Some of the tools you’ll need: small pots, sterile potting mix, glass jar, rooting hormone, scissors, a sharp knife, and pruners. The containers should be washed to remove any dirt or debris and sterilized in the 10 percent bleach solution.
What tools do you need?
How do you choose the right plant?
Coleus don’t like temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. As for insects: Carefully inspect the plant.
How do you make cuttings?
Source your cuttings from the base of the plant. The closer you can cut to the base of the plant, the better.
Remove blooms or leaf buds. Once you have your cuttings, remove any blooms or leaf buds that look like they could be flowers.
Trim the steam at an angle. Using scissors, trim back the leaves about a third to relieve stress on the cutting.
How do you root the cuttings?
A rosemary cutting, dipped in rooting hormone and planted in sterile potting soil. The easiest is to plop them in a glass jar with water and place it in a bright window, out of direct sunlight. After you have your cuttings, fill small growing pots with soil.
Tap the soil down around the cutting.
How to tell when you’ve succeeded?
For the ones propagated in water—it’s easy! Finally remember the amount of light inside is remarkably less than what your plants were used to inside.