|
 |
The
Essential
Propagation Tool Kit |
|
| HomePage |
|
At the Gardener's Guide
we advocate the Geoff Hamilton approach to Gardening for pleasure, where
unless it is absolutely necessary, we do not advocate spending more than
you have to.
When it comes to
propagating your own plants from seeds, cuttings or by other means, it is
actually more practical to recycle items that would be thrown out with the
rubbish. The aluminium containers from your take-away Chinese or Indian
meals make excellent seed trays, and the clear plastic bottles that contain fizzy
drinks make ideal miniature windowsill propagators.
Many of the products we buy arrive in containers that can be adapted to
the needs of the gardener, it simply requires a little thought about
recycling. The plastic bottles that contain washing-up liquid make
excellent plant pots, and the rectangular plastic cartons that contain our milk can be
cut down to make excellent half trays. However, you must always remember to make drainage
holes in the bottom.
In fact the essential
propagation tool kit is well within the budget of every aspiring gardener.
Below we try to ensure
that your first foray into the world of plant propagation is unhampered by
unnecessary cost restrictions.
Of course as you become experienced and more confident, you will add to your tool kit as you become more committed.
|
| Propagation | |
| Techniques |
|
| Cuttings - Softwood | |
| Cuttings - Hardwood | |
| Cuttings - Root | |
| |
| Propagation
of Bulbs | |
| Propagation
of Lilies | |
| Division
of Herbaceous Perennials |
|
| Division
of Bulbous Plants | |
| Growing
Plants From
Seed | |
| Layering |
|
| Micro-Propagation | |
| |
| |
| |
| Equipment | |
| The
Essential Tool Kit You Will Need |
|
|
Essential Purchases To Take Cuttings
It may appear to be
stating the obvious, but the most essential pieces of equipment you will
need to start taking cuttings are: -
- A good pair of secateurs,
- A plastic bag
to pop your cuttings in to prevent them from drying out, and
- An extremely
sharp knife, preferably a good modelling knife with thin replaceable
blades.
Perhaps the most
important item here is the knife, for if it is not sharp, it will crush
plant cells as the Cutting is being prepared, leading to dead tissue that
can rot and prevent the Cutting from producing roots.
|
|
The only other essential purchases
are: -
- A good fungicide
- Rooting hormone (preferably a
liquid type) ~ never insert a cutting into the hormone in the
container; if the cutting is diseased the hormone itself will
become tainted and spread disease to all other cuttings. always
pour a little hormone into a temporary container and throw away
any unused rooting compound.
- Horticultural vermiculite
- A good potting compost
- Some grit/sand
- Some general purpose fertiliser
|
|
Plastic Bottle or PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
Propagators
For many years clear
plastic fizzy drink bottles have been made very slightly narrower where the
label is placed so that the label will not be damaged in transport,
coincidentally the slightly narrower girth where the label is placed is
approximately the same external diameter as the internal diameter of the
rest of the bottle, so with careful cutting of the bottle to remove the
top, one is left with a plant pot and a lid that makes an individual
self-contained greenhouse that will sit happily on the windowsill or
anywhere else that receives enough light to promote growth.
In essence the
plastic fizzy drink bottle can be turned into a miniature self contained
ecosystem, suitable for rooting your cuttings.
Our thanks to Geoff
Hamilton for a simple but brilliant idea.
|
|
A Light Box
Seeds sown and
germinating early in the year can grow excessively to try and find the
light that they need to thrive, leading to seedlings that are often
described as "leggy". This can easily be avoided by taking a
cardboard box and cutting it so that the front will be at a low level and
the back much higher, with a sloping cut from the front to the back, then
lining it with a little kitchen foil to reflect the available light.
Place this box on your
windowsill with trays of seeds in it and you will be assured of sturdy
little plants when it comes to planting them in your garden.
Another of the many
useful Geoff Hamilton Gardening Tips
|
|
Home Made Bio-degradable Plant Pots
There is no need to spend a small fortune on compressed peat or
other forms of bio-degradable plant pots. Simply take three sheets
of an old newspaper, cut the sheets into strips as wide as the depth
of pot you wish to produce, and wrap them around a suitable bottle
or similar container, a little dab of glue at the seam and 'hey
presto' bio-degradable plant pots. The fact that they have no bottom
is not a problem, for when sat in a tray and roots begin to grow,
the roots will hold the compost together.
|
|
Basic propagation is
relatively easy if you provide what a plant needs, and it does not
require an extensive toolkit, you just need a little common-sense. I
have grown Fuchsia cuttings in plastic bottles for years, and seldom had
a failure, when if I did it was because of an error on my part such
as adding too much water.
NB. Fuchsia do not like
fungicides.
Simply remember that
plants want to reproduce and grow. All you have to do is provide what
they need to do so.
|
This page was last updated on
February 07, 2004
| |