Re: propagating abutilon

richard sargent wrote:
> 
> Does anyone have an easy method of propagating abutilon? Cuttings? From which part of the plant?  Also--most of them get horrible scale infestations. Is there a way to prevent that short of abolishing the ants which is impossible anyway?
> 
-Barbara

They grow very easily from seed. I actually find a lot of self-sown ones
around my bushes and they can be transplanted even when more than a foot
high. They quite often come true to colour, but one can occasionally get
interesting varitions. My orangy-pink for instance has thrown a pure
pale yellow and one which was nearly a mahogany colour.

If you are actually sowing the seed the book recommends Feb or March.

They also say hardwood cuttings from September to March rooted with
bottom heat, but this is an English book where the Abutilon is not
regarded as hardy and I have never been so fussy, just taking farly firm
smallish sideshoots and rooting at ordinary temperatures. if you
abutilon is anything like mine it is always in flower, so I usually take
the tip off the cutting  with most of the flower buds and then snip off
any that are left. Short sturdy cuttings do best.

I don't have much trouble with scale, though I have seen it in other
gardens, but then I have scarcely any ants!!

I think it is often worst on older shoots and probably it would be worth
pruning those out. Otherwise scale can be smothered by  applications of
light (summer type) spraying oil. I should think the oil would help to
put the ants off as well.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, 
New Zealand (astride the "Ring of Fire" in the SW Pacific).
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