Propagation techniques?

A few months ago, we had a good thread on Winter Sowing as a popular technique for germinating many seeds. There was some talk about adding propagation/germination techniques to the Plants Database, and I think it's a wonderful idea to further improve on the information we already provide.

Time to put on your thinking caps, and let's develop a list of propagation techniques, with details. Once we get all the ideas compiled and edited, we'll get Dave to incorporate them into the database. When you read about a plant you'll see the various ways it's been propagated by other members, and read the details of each recommended technique.

One point to keep in mind: this is not limited to seed germination techniques, but should address vegetative propagation techniques as well. The how-to's of grafting, air layering, rooting hardwood and softwood cuttings, lifting/dividing, etc. need to be included as well.

Please post your techniques here so that others can see what's been contributed and avoid submitting duplicate ideas. (I'm also looking for editors, so if you're interested, let me know!)

I'm not quite sure what you want. For seed germination are you gonna want details for each type of plant .... or a general detailed description of ...lets say... seeds that need light for germination, seeds that need dark, seeds that need to be soaked and so on.

I'm big on paper towel germinating. Do you want me to write about that?

Sue, in a word: yes.

All seeds can be linked to one (or more) "standard" germination techniques: towel, gelatin, winter sowing, direct sowing or some combination of light, dark, heat and/or cold.

A couple examples:
"Sow on top of starting medium; do not cover. Keep at 70 degrees."

or

"Sow at 70 degrees for 3-4 weeks; if no germination, move to 32 degrees for two weeks, then back to 70 degrees for two weeks. Repeat cycle until germination occurs."

If we can create a set of standard methods like these (as well as for vegetative propagation, then each entry in the database could be linked to as many techniques as are applicable.

I have some real techniques (those were made up ;) that I'll list here to help get us started. There are probably others. The more difficult part will be linking all the plants to each technique, but I think in the long run it will give us the most complete database possible.

GV, I have some good books with that type info, do you want us to start adding it now?

tiG, that would be great!

Okay, here are a few real ones to get us started. Please add others that you have used before:

Method A: Sow at room temp (70 degrees F); germinates rapidly.
Method B: Sow at room temp (70 degrees F) with a covering of newspaper or cloth; germinates rapidly.
Method C: Sow at room temp (70 degrees F); germinates slowly.
Method D: Sow at room temp (70 degrees F)with a covering of newspaper or cloth; germinates slowly.
Method E: Sow at room temp (70 degrees F); if no germination in 3-4 weeks, move to freezing (32 degrees F or colder) for 2-4 weeks.
Method F: Sow at freezing (32 degrees F or colder) for 4-6 weeks, move to 70 degrees
Method G: Sow at room temp (70 degrees); may take several months to germinate
Method H: Sow at cool temperatures (40 degrees); may take several months to germinate
Method I: Sow at room temp (70 degrees) for 4-6 weeks. Move to freezing (32 degrees F or colder) for 4-6 weeks; move to cool temperatures (40-50 degrees). If no germination in 4-6 weeks, repeat the cycle from the beginning.

go-vols, are you going to put a pull down with those? do I just put method A? not certain what you're wanting, look at alyssum entry I made this morning.

tiG, I guess I didn't explain my request very well, so let me take another stab at it.

Currently, we can go to any entry in the database, and type into a text field our recomended propagation technique(s). The problem with that approach is that the same technique might be suitable for several hundred plants. And that's a lot of repetitive typing.

If we create a "master list" of propagation techniques, I think Dave will give us the ability to access it from each plant entry as some sort of list (pull-down menu or checklist.) Then we will be able to access each plant entry, and select the propagation techniques that are suitable for it.

Does that make sense? If not, let me know, and I'll take another stab at it :)

makes good sense, and I'm glad I didn't do more than I did:) I'll try to get a few others together tomorrow. Is someone going to work out a definition of winterized sowing? (don't want to go back to that problem of whether or not that term is patented:)

Hmmm. I wonder if everyone is outside, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather; or have I have really botched my explanation? If it's the latter, let me try again.

What's your favorite way to propagate plants? PoppySue likes paper towel germination. Good! Sue, can I count on you to create a description on the ins and outs of germinating seed this way?

For those of you experimenting in gelatin, can you give some detailed steps on what works (and what doesn't) for starting seeds this way? Or in wallpaper paste, or soil polymers?

I know we have to have some folks who are good at rooting cuttings, and/or propagating by layering. Let's hear from you, too. What's your process, step by step?

And winter sowing. Yes, I'd like for us to include a description of this old technique that has seen a recent resurgence in popularity. If you've successfully sown seeds in containers placed outside in the winter, how did you do it - when did you sow them, what temperatures were the seeds exposed to, and how long did it take, etc?

This is a "casting call" for all you propagators and germinators out there. C'mon, don't be shy!!! I need to hear from you - if you'd really rather not post your techniques here (I don't know why you wouldn't want to, but anyway), send them via an email to me. I'll be glad to accumulate them any way I can. Thanks in advance!

This message was edited Tuesday, Jan 29th 8:46 PM

Vols

I didn't think you wanted my kind of winter germination technique i.e., stick soil in pot, stick seed in soil, put outside, cover if you haven't wandered off doing something else and forget until Spring until I say 'Oooo I forgot I had those.' ;) (Hey, it works for me!)

I'll write something more detailed later but it's pretty much the same principles. I'm also keen on the paper towel sowing (using cotton wool pads) but Poppysue will probably give a better explaination.

Im all for this being a newby. Looking forward to all this valuable information.

Vols - I'll help you out here too. Just been kinda busy lately. One of these days I'll find some time. What you're talking about - is kinda like a do with labels I print up for seed packs. I a have few methods typed out already - just need to dig them out of my hard drive.

This is such a brilliant idea. Really looking forward to seeing the results. If i can think of anything someone else hasn't i'll be in touch, or perhaps it's best to blitz with everything - who's to edit? Dave?

Thanks, Sue. I know you're busy, and I really appreciate your contributions!

Philomel, the editors are me and ?? Whoever wishes to volunteer to help with this project :)

When it's finished, then Dave gets the "fun job" of figuring out how to best incorporate it into the Plants Database for our use.

I'd written you about helping the other day, if you need me.

tiG, I just emailed you. Absolutely, I'd love the help :) Now to get those propagation techniques rolling in....

Great idea, Go-vols! Here's my contribution for now:

Layering ~ This technique is similar to rooting cuttings, but in layering the "cutting" is left attached to the mother plant until roots have formed. This allows the "cutting" to draw nutrients from the mother plant while forming roots resulting in a much higher rate of success.
Materials needed:
knife
rooting hormone (optional)
wire stake
Remove the leaves from atleast an inch of the branch, then scrape the bark from the underside just a bit. Be careful not to scrape all the way around or you'll girdle the branch. Moisten the scraped area and add rooting hormone if desired. Dig a small indentation next to the mother plant, stake the scraped part of the branch in the bottom of the indentation, cover with dirt and water it in. Keep moist. Once roots have formed a nice root base (rooting time varies from plant to plant, sometimes taking weeks, sometimes months), cut from the mother plant and pot up.
This can also be done in pots ~ just stake the scraped branch in a pot filled with soilless mix or regular soil and wait for roots.

Air layering ~ This technique is similar to rooting cuttings, but in layering the "cutting" is left attached to the mother plant until roots have formed. This allows the "cutting" to draw nutrients from the mother plant while forming roots resulting in a much higher rate of success. This is similar to regular layering, but in this technique you bring the "soil" to the branch in a way.
Materials needed:
knife
peat moss (or other rooting medium that will hold moisture)
plastic
bread ties
rooting hormone (optional)
Remove the leaves from atleast three inches of the branch, then scrape the bark from the underside just a bit. Be careful not to scrape all the way around or you'll girdle the branch. Moisten the scraped area and add rooting hormone if desired. Wrap the scraped area with moistened peat moss, sphagnum, soil or anything as long as it will hold moisture. Wrap this with plastic wrap to retain the moisture tying the ends closed with the bread ties firmly but not so tight it affects the rest of the branch. Keep moist and wait for roots (rooting time varies from plant to plant, sometimes taking weeks, sometimes months).

leaf propagation A: Cut healthy mature leaves with about 2" of leaf stalk and insert in the rooting medium. Set the cuttings deeply so the leaf almost touches the surface of the medium. Warmth, humidity maintained with glass or plastic cover. Shade is needed. When plants are 2" tall, plant as usual.

leaf propagation B: Select large, well-matured leaves and cut off with or without a small part of stalk. Cut veins or ribs on underside of leaf and place bottom side down on moist sand in warm place with light. Keep moist. Weight down with sand or pebbles. When new plants are 2", plant as usual.

Outdoor Autumn and Winter Sowing

Planting containers
Don't choose containers that are too deep, you will only make more work for yourself later on, egg boxes, yoghurt pots and similar make excellent containers for sowing seeds.

Make sure the containers you intend to use are scrupulously clean. I can't stress enough how vital hygiene is. There are several products on the market which cater for this, personally I soak them in very hot water 4-5 times and then scrub with a bottle brush and a little washing up liquid, rinsing well. If you have new trays and pots give them a good wash first.

4 points you need to make sure of prior to sowing:
1) The drainage holes are adequate, if you live in an area where the winter is likely to be wet, poor drainage will see off even incredibly hardy plants. A good idea is to have a couple of house bricks or similar so the container doesn't have contact with the ground.

2) You have a well sheltered area from the wind. This can be a small corner by a wall or by a hedge or shrub planting. Cold frames are invaluable for this kind of propagation, if you have one. Containers blown over will destroy all your hard work in a few seconds.

3) Adequate sunlight in the sheltered area, even a shady plant's seedling require some form of sunlight. Too little will make the seedlings grow leggy. Too much sunlight will scorch young seedlings.

4) Check out which plants have seeds that can successfully sown at this time of year. Many alpines, hardy perennials and hardy annuals will cope and even thrive with this form of sowing (Poppysue posted a great list not long ago).

Fill the containers you wish to use almost to the top (leave about half inch between soil and top of container) with good, fresh (not last years) seed potting compost. Multipurpose will work but will have too much fertiliser for young plants.

Tamp down the soil lightly with a board or the bottom of a pot, the surface should be level but not compacted.

Moisten the soil with a hand sprayer or a watering can with a fine rose. You don't want wet soil, just make sure its moist.

Sow the seeds sparsely on the soil surface, you don't want to be out there in the rain, wind or snow pricking out overcrowded seedlings. Also a mass of overcrowded, weakened seedlings will allow fugal diseases to take hold quickly.

Most seeds require a little soil cover, you can sprinkle a little soil over the top of the sown seeds. Vermiculite or silver sand will do the same job but again only a very thin layer. As a general rule the seeds should be covered only their own depth with soil or other medium.

Tiny seeds generally need light to germinate but check on this before sowing, mixing the tiny seeds with a little silver sand, sow on top of the soil and leave the top layer off, is the best way to deal with them.

Label the containers and fix the label securely, it's an obvious thing to say but I know a good many gardeners who lose their labels and can't remember what's in the containers. I prone to doing it myself. Adding the date of sowing is also a good guide to knowing an approximate date of when the seedlings should appear.

If the seeds require darkness for germination such as most Viola species, cover the container with foil and check every day to see if any have sprouted. Once sprouting occurs remove the foil cover. Condensation shouldn't be a problem outdoors but if it is, change the foil to light card.

If you need to water once the seedlings are up, use a hand spray bottle or soak the sown containers from the bottom with a tray or in the sink. Don't use a watering can without a fine rose. The soil should be kept moist but not wet.

If you wish to cover the seeds with a clear lid to prevent too much rain and pests getting to the seedlings make sure there are some air holes. Ventilation is important to preventing fungal diseases from getting a hold, Botrytis will rapidly take over and kill seedlings.

A plastic pop or milk bottle with the bottom cut off are great if you can weight them down. Equally you can use a food tray with a clear lid as a container and cover combo or a clear freezer bag with a little stake inside the container and bag to stop it from falling onto the seedlings. Make sure all clear covers are secure and don't forget to add air holes!

Place outside in the sheltered area designated and keep an eye on how they are doing. Keep a close look out for possible pest attacks and deal with them quickly should they occur.

A lot of the plants recommended for autumn and winter sowing will take a couple of months to appear, this is perfectly natural. I keep most pots for over a year, its surprising what will come up two or even three years after sowing. Check for signs of growth at least once a week (you never know they may be out to prove me wrong).

Once the seedlings have two true leaves, (the first seedling leaves are cotyledons-seed leaves, the two after that are true leaves) you can thin or prick them out into another more suitable container. Do this carefully and never hold the stalk, a pen is a good cheap implement to help lift out the individual seedlings. Don't damage the seedling roots, a few extra minutes and a light hand will make sure most of your seedlings will make it to adulthood. Hold the true leaves together lightly when lifting out, ensure that the roots are free from the soil before doing this!

The same methods can be adopted for indoor or cold greenhouse sowing in these seasons (without the cover).

Pre-sprouting Seeds in Damp Paper Towel

I use this method for almost all my seeds unless they're just too darn tiny. It takes a bit longer but you have more control over moisture & temperature, the results are better, there's no waste with thinning, and you can watch what's going on with them. If the seeds aren’t viable – they’ll rot quickly and you aren't left staring at an empty flat for weeks wondering if they'll ever come up.

Cut paper towels into quarters, label with name of the seeds and the date. Then sprinkle the seeds on the paper towel, mist it with water until it's good and damp (not soggy), and fold the towel in ½ or quarters. Place the towel squares in a covered container or a zip-loc bag. I've found the aluminum cake pans with the clear plastic lids work well. I keep a pan in my refrigerator for seeds that need moist pre-chilling and a pan on the kitchen counter for those that germinate in warm temps. A few things that require darkness I'll seal in a zip lock bag and place in a dark cupboard. The seeds that require light seem to be do fine with the clear lid on the pan.

Check the seeds at least every other day to see what has sprouted. Some seeds take just a few days - others take weeks. Any of the seed that have sprouted should be potted up. Plant them in potting mix with the little root going down and lightly cover with soil. After potting place them under lights or in a sunny window. They'll usually break the soil surface the next day. It's important to pot them as soon as you see signs of germination - if you let them go too long they'll grow into the paper towels and it's hard to remove them without breaking the roots.

With this method you’re not left wondering - did I over water? Is it too cold? Are the seeds any good? Or what the heck is the matter with these seeds? You can watch them closely and provide them with what they need. If I think they need warmer temps than usual I'll put them in a bag and place them on top of the TV. If they need oscillating temps (such as cleome seeds) I'll put them in the fridge at night & bring them out during the day. For seeds you have no idea how to germinate you can try a couple of different methods in the paper towels to see what works best.

What is it that you use to help prevent damping off?

I was thinking about a forum for "TIPS" gardening an anything else we might think of.

Oooh, Dori. Just wait. I have something you're gonna like. Stay tuned - don't touch that dial! (For those of us old enough to remember that expression, AND what a dial is, LOL.)

Inarching is a form of graftage useful for creating a new plant or a continuous row of connected plants. You will need a stock, the plant part which will receive another, usually a root or stem, and a cion, which is any plant part, usually of a stem, inserted in a stock for propagation. The two should be placed in close proximity such as setting a plant in a pot next to another plant, either in the ground or in another pot. Using a sharp knife, make a clean cut or slice into the stem of both stock and cion. Bring the cut surfaces together and tie firmly, where they will remain until they have united. Outdoors, it will be necessary to wax and stake the plants to prevent drying and separating. When the two have grown together, cut away the base of the cion and the top of the stock, which results in a plant or tree with the roots of the one and the top of the other. If you wish to leave them attached, you can skip cutting either stock or cion, and they will continue to grow as if they were Siamese twins.

ok vols -i'll just sit a spell, kick my shoes off-hurry back now-ya hear! ;]

hee hee. (or hee haw, LOL.) Dori, your patience is rewarded - check out this thread: http://davesgarden.com/showthread/185603.html

This is a variation of inarching called the "bottle graft". It works great for apples, among others. It eliminates drying-out of the scion, the biggest cause of graft failure.
Place the scion in a bottle of water. This will form your new plant. Diameter around 3/8ths inch,length about a foot.
Set the bottle near the rootstock plant. Make sure the water is shaded from the sun.
Make an upward cut in the stem of the scion barely more than halfway thru and about 3 inches above the top of the bottle. This cut should be about 3/4 inch long.
Cut off the top of the rootstock plant, forming a tapered wedge cut the same length on the tip. Diameter of this part should be about the same.
Insert rootstock wedge into scion cut and wrap with tape or waxed cloth strip.
Make sure bottle stays full of water.
When new growth appears on the scion, remove the bottle and cut off the part below the graft.
The rootstock can be a seedling tree grown in a pot. If this is the case, wait till new growth hardens to transplant.

This message was edited Thursday, Feb 14th 4:14 PM

Heck all of you must be infants, my favorit it to stick tooth picks in the ground and get Pine trees.

What about cactus and succulents? I put up growing tips all through the Cactus and Succulent forum, fish them out, their yours to use. By the way I receive a grant to go to Africa this year. I want to go to So. West Africa, and see the Crassula in situ. Can't wait, until Oct l
I can send pages of growing tips, just give credit to the author. I certainly willing to share my secrets. Norma

Norma, how exciting! You are making me regret my misspent youth.

I live in a cool-soiled, short seasoned climate where the growing season begins in late May and ends in late September. I start almost everything indoors under lights in domed flats...even lettuce. Would propagation methods for folks like me be of use? It seems like most of your contributors are in climes that allow direct sowing. Most of the seed packet instructions don't jive with our climate.There must be a place in this world for a gardener like me that starts sweet peas in the house!..WZ

Weezingreens welcome to Dave's Garden! One of the things that is unique about DG is that we don't have official "gurus" who are the only source of information on a particular subject. ANY member can contribute their knowledge to the Plants Database or Gardenology etc. In fact, we rely on members doing just that :)

So in answer to your question, our list of propagation techniques will be as complete as those who contribute to it. (It IS what we make it, as the saying goes.)

More specifically - yes we will most definitely have detailed instructions for indoor sowing of various plants. And if you have any special tips or tricks (or "lessons learned the hard way"), for growing plants in an extremely long day/short season climlate, please share them!

I think it would be interesting to know if winter sowing would work in your short growing season. Have you tried it? If not, are you willing to sacrifice a few seeds to an experiment?

go-vols: Please enlighten me as to what "winter sowing really is. I guess I've assumed that it refers to sowing the seeds outdoors prior to their growing season. Does this include fall sowing, such as self seedng? I also considered it meaning that one could set sown seed containers outdoors to let mother nature do the stratification...is that the case? I start most of my wildflowers, wild columbine, wild iris, and wild cranesbill, by simply planting them in the fall in a nursery bed and transplanting them in the spring. Of course the iris seedlings look like hairs, so they could afford two or three years in the nursery bed! I'm sure there is a spot in Dave's Garden that defines this, but I'm still getting my sea legs. Once I know what winter sowing refers to, I'd be happy to try an experiment, having more seeds than good sense..but keep in mind that there is about two feet of snow on the ground around here!...WZ

Weezingreens (cute name), I've been to your part of the country, and it was even in February - a few years back. Then I flew to North Pole, where they threw a BBQ for us. To prove I wasn't a complete Southern wimp I ate my burger (which froze the second it left the grill), and sat on an ice-encrusted picnic bench, LOL. (Truth be told, I'd rather live and garden down here!)

Winter sowing is defined in this thread - if you scroll up a bit, you'll see Baa's description. In a nutshell, it's along the lines of what you guessed - sowing outdoors in containers in winter, and letting Mother Nature do her "thing".

But you won't find winter sowing or any other germination process recorded anywhere "permanent" within Dave's Garden. That's what this thread is about: trying to round up all those tips and techniques that come (and go) in threads, and give them a permanent home so that all of us can refer to them when we need to :)

go_vols: Gottcha! I'll give it a try with something that needs stratification. Our temps can rise and fall rather dramatically around here, such as the other day when it went from a night temp of 16 degrees to a day temp of 40. Never-the-less, I've been meaning to try some containers outdoors, so I guess this is a good time to start!I've reviewed Baa's entry and will keep records.

I don't blame you for preferring your clime to ours for gardening. There are many of my childhood favorites that are impossible to grow here, such as a fresh ear of Country Gentlman sweet corn! However, there are so many things that do well up here because the temp does not force things into bolting. I rob leaves from my lettuce all summer rather than harvest the heads. We are a far-cry from the North Pole here in Seward. The area is lush with summer vegetation, and the mountains are likewise green up to the rocky crags. I would love to be able to grow fresh tomatoes, cukes, bush beans, corn, but I'm afraid this fat girl would go through a ton of talc trying to get through one of your summers!...WZ

go-vols: I just added a germination description to the plant data base entry for nasturtium majus. Is this what you had in mind?...WZ

Weezingreens, yes that's definitely what we're looking for. Here's the catch: With 2500 (and counting) entries in the Plants Database, there's gotta be an easier way than creating unique entries for each plant. That's why I'm trying to collect "standard" germination techniques here.

Once we get the list completed (and we're getting close), we'll create some sort of drop-down list that you can access from each plant entry. You can choose the technique(s) you think work(s) best for that plant, plus a note if there's any special tip you want to add.

An added bonus for having standard techniques (if saving our keyboard-weary fingers isn't enough): if you want to search the database for all the plants suitable for grafting (or direct sowing, or whatever) you'll be able to pull up every plant that has that specific technique listed in its entry.

Terry in that case most of the techniques have been covered here already!! Sometimes a propagating method only appplies to one specific plant, that is the case of rose cuttings for instance. These can be done by grafting, cuttings and layering I believe but also can be done by inserting cuttings into a prepared trench in the garden. I don't know if this method is suitable for all woody plant material but don't think so!! Do you know what I mean? So if this method was included, wouldn't it then have to be under the heading of 'Roses'???

Well, if roses have their own special techniques (and I know there are some out there), then they should be listed here so we can associate them with all the roses in the database.

uhum!! Guess I didn't make myself clear!! Yes, I understand that you wanted all the techniques listed here but thought you were not going to attribute the methods to individual plants or whatever!! Grafting has already been mentioned, so has layering and so has other methods and which can be used for a lot of plants. I am simply saying that the stem cuttings of roses can be placed directly into a trench in the ground and I believe you can do this with certain trees. OK - once I have suggested the method, do I then say that it only applies to certain plant types? It's not a general form of propagation and can't be attributed to all cuttings!! Gosh even I don't know if I'm making sense or not now!!

LOL, Louisa - I think we're chasing our tails. And I'm guilty of being confusing and confused :)

Here's what I'm asking for - please list any techniques you know of. List them HERE. If you start adding them to the plants, you'll be slaving a long time over them.

Once we have them compiled, Dave will work his magic, and create a database of sorts that will link into the Plants Database.

When he's done that, you WILL be able to go into any entry (whether you created it, or someone else), and you can choose from the various techniques and select those you think are best for any given plant.

So let's say you have an old garden rose. You'll be able to choose (I'm making this up) softwood cuttings, seeds, and layering as the techniques that are most appropriate for propagating this plant.

As opposed to going to that entry now, and creating a free-form text version of all the information. Which then has to be copied and pasted, (and probably modified) for the next rose entry. And so on.

Does that make any sense? (I sure hope so, but if not, I'll give it another "college try")