Free Plants
I had the honor of speaking at the town’s garden club late last month. One of the topics I spoke on was that of propagating new bushes from existing older ones. In other words, FREE PLANTS! (Now, that’s something to dance about in my home. I often do my “Plant Jig, much to the chagrin of my family.)
Many woody plants, or various shrubs, are quite easy to propagate by layering. It is simply a five step process that takes very little time or effort. To begin with, find a branch that is rather long and close to the ground.
Next, with a small knife or sharp blade, make small cut on the side of the stem that is facing the ground. This cut need not be too deep or wide, simply a small scratch incision will suffice.
After this, the next step is to make sure the ground around the branch is suitable. Many times, all one has to do is to rough up the surface of the dirt with a hand held cultivator or trowel, ensuring that the soil is loose, not packed. It may be necessary to amend the soil with some compost, cow manure, etc.
From there, lay the branch directly onto the loose soil, making sure that the cut you made comes into direct contact with the soil. Then, place a heavy rock (I sometimes use a brick) on top of the branch, so that it stays in place.
Continue to make sure the entire bush gets enough water during the next few months. Finally, after six months, or so, the branch should have developed a small root system of its own.
To find out, simply take the rock off of the branch and give it a very gentle tug. If it does not come up, then it has probably rooted itself into the ground. With a pair of pruners, cut off the branch from the “mother plant” and dig up the new bush, transplanting it to another area of your garden.
As this is a rather tender new little fella, you want to make sure that you don’t transplant it during the hot cat days (I don’t have any dogs, so there are no dog days around my house) of summer. In fact, this is a wonderful time to transplant. If you don’t have any layered bushes, but plan on doing it soon, wait until the fall to transplant. Otherwise, your plant will surely suffer from the heat, as it tries to establish roots into its new home.
Hydrangeas are wonderful plants to layer. Also, forsythia is an easy one to practice upon, as well. I have also had success with some forms of spireas, as well as snowball bushes. So, if you are looking at expanding your garden without thinning out your wallet, try this simple method.