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PROPAGATION SERIES PART 1: "WHY PROPAGATE"

> 
> "This and the following articles/lectures by Amber Hearn are posted with her
> permission. She asks that you keep in mind that they are originally given
> live to an audience of amatuer gardeners in a garden forum and they are
> written with this in mind. She is working on article number 7 at this time,
> and will forward it to me to repost when it is complete. She maintains a
> private mailing list for anyone who wishes to receive them directly. She
> welcomes commments and constructive criticism. You may e-mail her directly
> at jadare@accessus.net"
> 
> PROPAGATION SERIES PART 1: "WHY PROPAGATE"
> 							(By Amber Hearn)
> 
> [PROPAGATION - The act of multiplying or reproducing plants.]

> 			WHY PROPAGATE		

> Many people find gardening a fulfilling (if not obsessive) hobby, and
> propagating your own plants is an economical and rewarding extension of
> that. If you like to garden, you have a reason to propagate.  The most
> obvious is the monetary savings of producing your own plants, instead of
> purchasing them. This also applies to replacing them year after year.  At
> the risk of sounding like President Clinton, let me give you an example.
> 
> Let's say you want to put in a vegetable garden in the spring. You go to the
> local garden center and purchase young vegetable plants. You buy tomatoes,
> peppers, cabbage, broccoli, whatever. You pay how much for a pack of
> veggies? Around here, the going rate is 75 cents a three-pack (25 cents
> each) for veggies and annuals. If you put in a very big garden, this really
> starts to add up, but if you start your own from seed, you pay about that
> same price for an entire packet of 30-50 vegetable seeds. The soil is
> pennies per pot, depending on what you use, and you can make your own pots,
> or reuse old ones. You can grow as many as you like for about 10 cents
> apiece (for veggies, it costs me only 3 cents, but I make my own soil mix
> and buy pots in bulk at
> a great savings). 
> 
> Try applying this same formula in regards to reproducing your perennials,
> shrubs and trees. The seeds aren't much more expensive, and if you could
> only purchase one expensive hybrid and make as many more as you wanted from
> a scrap of foliage or a root snipping, what would your savings be?
> 
> There are other reasons as well. First you won't have to buy new plants to
> replace old ones, you just take a few cuttings. Second, if you can grow a
> seed, or root a cutting, you are no longer limited to just what plants are
> available, but can grow a much wider variety of plants. Many wonderful
> garden plants are never available for sale, because they are not easy to
> mass produce, or they don't look good in pots.  Third, you are in total
> control of the quality of your plants. No nasty chemicals, unless you're
> foolish enough to use them, no growth hormones or growth regulators, no
> plants weakened from poor maintenance, no plants so pot bound an earthquake
> wouldn't shake the roots loose, no pests, no disease, etc. Fourth, you're
> extras make great gifts, or can bring in a little extra pocket money. 
> 
> The economical rewards are not the only ones though. Although propagating is
> not an absolutely essential skill to the gardener, it is a pleasurable
> extension of that hobby. To me, and to many gardeners, there is as much
> reward in coaxing a stubborn seed to sprout, or rooting a cutting as there
> is in any aspect of gardening. And if nothing else, it gives you something
> to do on those long dreary winter days, when you are dying to play in the
> dirt, but don't want to be wet and cold.
> 
> What makes propagating doubly rewarding is that it's not a difficult skill
> to master.   I have a small nursery here in Kell, and I propagate 95% of the
> plants we sell. My customers are often amazed at this. I hear comments about
> how I'm so talented, and "wish I could do that".  But, as much as that
> boosts my ego, the truth is that there isn't a gardener out there that can't
> do exactly what I do. When I left the military, 8 years ago, I couldn't keep
> lettuce alive (and it wasn't from lack of trying), but I learned how to grow
> and propagate and now I do it for a living. When we propagate we are only
> copying what nature does, but in a more intense and controlled way. All
> we need do is follow the same simple steps to achieve success.
> 
> You can really get to know your plants when you propagate them. You will
> find that you look at plants more closely and in greater detail than ever
> before. You will find yourself noticing things about their habits and
> characteristics and the way they develop from seedlings or cuttings.
> Propagating will widen your view into the world of your garden, and makes a
> refreshing change from the often monotonous job of garden maintenance, which
> all garden owners must perform.
> 
> For instance, did you know... that there are several species of plants that
> propagate themselves vegetatively by producing baby plants on their leaves,
> or on runners?... the seed pods of some plants explode when the seeds are
> ripe, throwing them for great distances?...some plants, such as sedums, many
> succulents, African Violets and Rex Begonias, can be propagated from a leaf,
> or even a piece of one?... that you could increase your expensive Oriental
> or Asiatic Lily bulbs simply by breaking off one of the segments (scales)
> and rooting it?...did you know that you could grow beautiful Dahlias from
> seed, and overwinter and divide them to make more?
> 
> If none of the above arguments for propagation sways you, then perhaps  you
> don't need to learn anything about propagation. But for those of you with an
> interest or a need to know, let us begin this series by discussing where
> your first attempt at propagation should take place...more
> 
> 			WHERE TO PROPAGATE
>
> I have read many a book on propagation, and nearly without exception have
> found one basic flaw in all of them. They are written by nurserymen, or
> horticultural experts, who have all of the modern conveniences the industry
> allows, and the books are written as if you do too.  The problem is that
> most amateur gardeners do not have a greenhouse, only a small percentage have
> a professional cold frame, and few if any have any of the expensive fancy
> gadgetry that the pros take for granted, such as mist propagation units, $60
> apiece horticultural light bulbs, or heating mats.  If we had the money to
> throw away on that, we probably wouldn't bother to propagate our plants,
> we'd hire a gardener to do it for us while we sat in the garden enjoying the
> view.
> 
> For almost all of the plant subjects you may want to try to propagate, you
> will not need a greenhouse at all. As a greenhouse is a luxury for most
> gardeners, the best answer is usually a cold frame.  The cold frame provides
> a moist humid warm protected environment that is ideal for propagating. The
> only real difference between a cold frame and a simple greenhouse is that you
> don't have to expose yourself to the elements while working in it. The cold
> frame in fact, has an advantage over the greenhouse as it is easy to keep
> warm or cool and can be moved easily if need be.
> 
> A cold frame is nothing more than a small structure with four walls - the
> back wall usually higher than the front and the sides sloping - and a clear
> roof - such as a couple of old windows or a wooden frame covered with
> plastic.  There are variations of course.  My first coldframe consisted of a
> square made of straw bales and plastic sheeting draped over the top and
> tucked under the straw.  An old packing blanket served as insulation during
> very cold periods.  This served me quite well for several years until my
> husband built me a couple of nice wooden ones. A great simple cold frame can
> be constructed by looping polyethylene plastic over wires bent in a U and
> stuck into the ground.
> 
> I must here warn you against the use of window glass if you have young
> children.  My youngest son climbed on my one and only glass cold frame and
> fell through it.  He was miraculously uninjured, but my heart will never be
> the same and I will never again own a glass cold frame. 
> 
> It is best to position the frame under the shade of a tree. If the frame
> must be in the sun, an old curtain, sheet or shade cloth can be used to
> shade out the harsh burning rays of the sun. Be sure to put a mulch of sand
> or small rock on the floor. This will help keep bugs out and roots in the
> pots where they belong. It also reduces the growth of harmful fungus and
> mold. Some gardeners like to heat the frame by digging out the area under
> the frame and filling it with fresh manure, covered by sand and burlap, but
> I tried that and found that my cuttings and seedlings never got attended too
> for some strange reason. I usually only heat mine if it is really cold, and
> then I use a couple of incandescent light bulbs on an extension cord to keep
> it above freezing inside, and an old blanket over them to hold in heat.
> 
> Some of the new purchased cold frames come complete with heaters, fans
> automatic vents and heating cables, but these are all luxury items  and I've
> never used any of them.  Save your money for the plants and seeds your
> success at propagating will tempt you to buy. In the cold frame, flats of
> cuttings or pots of seeds may be stood directly on the sand surface until
> such time as they are ready to be exposed to the elements.  Even if you do
> your propagating in the house, it is almost essential to have some sort of
> cold frame in which to harden off seedlings and cuttings before placing them
> in the garden, but keep in mind my first one made of straw and plastic. A
> cold frame doesn't have to be fancy. (Don't ever tell my husband, but the
> only thing that works better about the ones I have now is that they look
> nicer and they don't drop bits of straw into my flats).  If I had to choose
> between giving up my greenhouse or my cold frames, there would be no
> contest. Every gardener is different, but I find cold frames essential for
> successful
> propagating.
> 
> As I mention above, it is quite possible to propagate successfully in the
> warmth and comfort of your home.  I still start many seeds and cuttings
> indoors, even though I have a both a greenhouse and cold frames.  I find
> that in the fall and winter, when I do most of my cuttings and seeds, it is
> easier to regulate the temperature indoors. If you choose to propagate in
> the  house, I would highly recommend the use of fluorescent lights.  No need
> to get fancy.  For propagation purposes, a cheap fixture from the local
> discount store and plain old shop lights will do just fine.  There is no
> need for expensive horticultural lighting just to get plants started inside,
> as long as you are not planning on keeping them there for an extended length
> of time.
> 
> Find a place in the home though that you will not mind the mess in. I use
> the basement, but my girlfriend propagates in a corner of the kitchen and
> cleans up afterward.  I do not recommend the use of window sills.  Usually,
> the light is variable and barely adequate at best, and temperatures will
> swing extremely both ways near the glass, especially in the winter.
> 
> If you are doing cuttings, you will also probably need to find a method of
> regulating the humidity around the plant material. Most homes are too dry
> indoors for this. This can be accomplished very simply by draping plastic
> over a piece of wire hung above the pots, by individually wrapping pots with
> plastic bags or by doming the pots with a plastic lid. (The round dome of a 2
> litre coke bottle makes a wonderful indoor greenhouse for a single 4" round
> pot and if you can still find them, the bottom of the bottle makes an
> excellent seedling pot). It is best if the plastic does not touch the plant
> material directly as condensation will collect there providing a perfect
> environment for fungus and mold to grow. If you use my method of seed
> starting, which we'll get into later, humidity isn't a problem. 
> 
> Give it some thought. Next time, we will continue our adventures here by
> learning about the basic tools required. (Don't worry, you own 99% of it
> already, I guarantee it).  And in the following weeks we will cover all the
> basic techniques, and if anyone is interested, some history.
> 
> 
> I hope I haven't forgotten anything important, but I think that covers most
> of what you may need. We'll discuss potting soil mixes as we go.  The next
> lecture, I will continue the series with the topic "Seed Propagation" 
 
> %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
> Amber & Wayman Hearn                    jadare@accessus.net
> Whippoorwill Creek Nursery              USDA Z-5
> 943 Foxville Road                       mintemp = -15F/maxtemp = 102F
> Kell, IL 62853
> 618-822-6000
> Perennial Editor, http://www.suite101.com/
> %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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