Newbie here so please forgive my ignorance. I have a question regarding ethics and cutting? This year I want to try doing some cuttings. In the past I have just thrown away all the plants that were not hardy. Joined DG and am inspired to try. Here are my questions?
1) Is it okay to ask the SIL to raid her yard for cuttings? She'll just let them die.
2) Is it okay to take cutting from our local public areas or parks. I'm not greedy I just want a few. and I would never destroy anything.
3) Is it okay to ask a business for some cutting? There is an office building downtown with some large pots out front. Again, I'm not greedy, and would never destroy anything.
Cutting Ethics?
I think any of the 3 would be fine if you get permission first from the owner or whoever's responsible for the property/plants, but I wouldn't take cuttings from any of those locations without permission.
As far as ethics, it also depends on if the plant is patented. A lot of them state that propagation is prohibited. Being that I'm one of those pure and wholesome people, I just toss that particular label and swear I never saw it. Into the rooting hormone it goes and well, you know the rest.
Chunx, I think that really means that you can't make a bunch to sell. But I understand the concept and have done it many times myself. I do volunteer work at a botanical gardens and got thru the pictched stuff in the compost pile that has been pitched the past few days as well as getting the 'trash' for the day I am there from the greenhouses. There are nearly always cutting, some already rooted, in there somewhere and even some nice size plants. Much of our yard has been aquired that way and I have shared with others many times.
I would certainly make sure you get permission before taking anything from a public place. They will likely refer you to a landscaping business who does the work for them. And make sure what you are taking is easily propogated thru cuttings. Some plants don't propogate that way.
Technically plant patents forbid any asexual propagation of the plant, but in reality the only way you're likely to attract the attention of the patent holder is if you're selling the plant (they don't have the time to come around inspecting people's gardens!) But if it's a publicly owned place and they know the plants are patented, they may tell you that you can't have cuttings because of that.
Ask the people on the coleus chatters forum about "saving" the plants.....
If you ask too many questions, you may get an answer you'd rather not know!!!
lol James....thats true with a LOT of things!!!
Okay, I asked the SIL if I could have a cutting. I got no answer; she laughed, and acted like I was crazy. Here is one of her pots; she has no plans of being it in or taking cutting herself. Just going to throw it out, and she thinks I'm crazy? I'm going to ask one more time.
I'd go one better than that, if you KNOW for certain she is going to ditch them........offer her a "reasonable" sum of money for the whole shebang, tell her you will take the plants out of her pots and put them in something of your own. Figure out what she paid for the plants, then offer a little more than that, enough to make her think she is making some money. I would just gag if I saw those beautiful plants being thrown out or let get frosted. I know a guy that works at a garden center, his yard is like an arboretum........well, a couple of years ago he said he was going to let everything freeze, as he didn't have room to keep anything. I asked if I could buy any of what he was going to let go, and he said come and take anything you want, he didn't want any money for them. I got a couple brug cuttings and I took his hanging pot of bouganvilla. I don't remember if the brugs made it, but the bougies sure did. :>)
If she laughed at you like you were crazy, I would take that as a yes! Seriously though, if she really is just going to throw them out, see if she'll just give them to you at the end of the season (no point in offering to pay for them in my mind if they're going in the trash anyway--plus if she bought them already arranged in those containers, it was probably expensive enough that it would be cheaper to go buy the plants yourself individually).
No, don't offer money. Keep an eye on the weather and ask your SIL(LY GIRL) closer to frost when you can pick it up. Ask her if she wants her container back....a lot of times people just don't want the bother and buy new, but other people think you've stolen from them if you keep it.
I never asked my next door neighbor, but every single spring she'd buy big trees with braided trunks for her patio. In fall she'd put them out for the trash and I'd go and get them as soon as it turned dark! If she put them out before the last black frost, they'd be ok, but if she waited until after, then they were dead, even if they looked alive. I'm not sure why I asked her, probably becuase I knew about how much she spent and I felt guilty for asking.
Suzy
Ghia....I'd keep a close eye on you SIL's trash containers... have you considered prowling them during the night? Be sure to wear dark clothes!!! LOL
Seriously I agree with ecrane, she probably laughed because she was wondering why would anybody want to take her trash home...
Anyway, I can't believe it could bother anyone if you want to use something they would simply throw away..
I myself take cuttings from public gardens - I usuallly try to find out when the gardeners are working there and I ask them for help, you know, if they're planning to prune anything, or if they can save me cuttings of this or that, and I never got a no for an answer.
Of course, I also would never destroy or damage anything. Gardening is a labour of love and plants are worth all our respect - those are usually my boundaries above any other restriction!
Good luck with your SIL..... LOL
Love
Hiraeht