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Re: I need info

Hi Lynne,

Here is briefly my experience.  I live in Northern California and the
climate is very close to yours, except that it rains a lot more where
you are.  I never bought a greenhouse and didn't even bother to make a
cold frame, because my plants can very well survive without these.  Had
I had a greenhouse, I would have propagated fancier ones, maybe even
orchids.  All the plants I want in my yard need no greenhouse/cold
frame.

Start your career in propagation with easy plants like impatiens and
mums.  In their original climate impatiens are perennials.  I always
have a few pots of impatiens which I take into the house for over
wintering.  I then take cuttings from those 5-6 plants (I keep them next
to a window where they get plenty of light) and by next summer I have
between 50 and 100 impatient plants in my flower beds.  I save all small
round food containers from the supermarket (cheese, yogurt, cream) and
also the plastic vegetable bags.  You can use 4-6 inch pots and gallon
size zip-lock bags instead of the free containers and veggie bags.  In
the containers I put Supersoil or another brand of sterilized soil.
Keep everything clean to avoid molds and other micro-organisms.  The
cuttings are about 5-6 inches long, the bottom starts at a node.  Strip
all the leaves below the surface or touching the surface of the soil and
insert the cutting about 2 inches in the soil.  Leave at least two sets
of leaves on the cutting.  I put 1, 2 or 3 cuttings in each container,
depending on the size of the plant (in my 4 inch containers I put 3
impatiens or 2 mums).

The soil has to be wet but not soggy.  Then I cover the container with a
plastic bag, inflate it with my breath, put a rubber band around it or
tuck the plastic bag under the bottom of the container, and place it in
full shade outdoors.  Four weeks later, voila, there is a rooted new
plant.  I start to pull the bag away gradually.  In 2-3 days to a week
the bag is off.  Then I start to move the mums (but not the impatiens)
toward a sunnier spot.  That takes another week.  I keep it in the sun
for another 1-2 weeks.  During all this time I keep a watchful eye to
see any sign of distress.  If this is the case, I put the bag back to
give the newly rooted plants more time to root themselves or to
acclimate themselves with the regular environment - play it by ear for
each case to learn the signs the plants give us.

So, in 5-6 weeks there are new plants that can be placed in their final
place in the garden.  Every summer I propagate like this about 500
plants but I started with one and I figured out this method mostly by
myself.  If anybody has questions please email me.

Alex Teller (alextell@pacbell.net)

lynne gibbons wrote:

> I've been lurking around here for about a week now and I've finally
> gotten
> up the courage to ask some questions.
>
> I'm new at this propagation business. I have some books but I get
> easily
> confused. So, which perennials should I start with? I have a yard full
> of
> everything. Do I need a greenhouse? What about soil? How about
> containers to
> start all my new things? What does everyone else use? I live in
> Portland,
> OR. Can I leave things outside in pots? Would a cold frame be useful?
>
> Where and when are the seeds of impatients?
>
> Any and all info is greatly appreciated!  Thanx!
> Lynne
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