Propagate Like a Pro!:

Particular varieties of perennials can be used to cultivate new plants. General methods for propagating new plants are to utilize cuttings, dividing old clumps, and budding. Some plants are easier to propagate because a number of methods can be used, but there are some plants that can only be propagated ONE way.

Cutting is the method of removing a petite segment of a growing plant and treating it so that roots will develop. Cuttings can be transplanted and will produce its own blossoms over time. Cuttings can be made from stem, leaf, root, or tuber portions and are generally rooted in a mixture of sand and peat moss.

Rooting a leaf can propagate lots of perennials. Begonias and gloxinia, and other plants with thick fleshy leaves, are predominantly suited to this technique. The leaf stem is placed in the rooting medium and cared just as a cutting is cared for.

Many people use plant hormones when propagating new plants. The use of plant hormone will significantly improve the chances of propagating from leaves, even when a particular plant is considered tricky to propagate by this technique. Hormones are particularly victorious with holly, magnolia, rhododendron, azalea, taxus, and many others.


Dividing clumps is one of the easiest techniques of propagation. Not only is it simple, It is good for the aged divided plants. Many perennials weaken if left in clumps for too long. Dividing them will insure continuous well being and development.

The plants should be carefully removed from the soil, in clumps, and divided plainly by pulling them apart. Care should be taken not to injure the roots of the plant during this process. Divided plants are then to be potted. If the division is completed early on in spring, as with the hardier perennials, the new clump should be planted in a different division of the garden. The new planting should be well fertilized and adequately watered.

Remember, with any propagation project, plants are living, breathing things. No matter how devilish their names are like the Devil's Ivy, they should be treated with the utmost care and concern if they are to thrive and grow. You should always strive to provide adequate lighting and water, as well as fertilization and irrigation for all the plants in your garden, greenhouse, or flowerbed.

If you are an avid gardener, learning the techniques of propagation should be a priority for you. All you will need to be successful is a little patience and a little practice. You can learn more about these techniques with a little online research or a quick trip to the local library or bookstore for some resource material on plants and gardening.

Once you've mastered these methods of propagation, you will, without doubt, have the most successful, healthy, and esthetically pleasing garden possible.