Save money and multiply your favorite heirloom plants for your yard and to give to friends — hardwood cutting techniques are simple and inexpensive to do at home, once you’re familiar with the procedures. Ty Ryen, PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry Service Forester and Certified Arborist, compiled a list of recommended resources:
Books on Plant Propagation:
- Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Shrubs, Trees, and Houseplants, by Lewis Hill
- Plant Propagation A to Z: Growing Plants for Free, by Geoff Bryant
- Plant Propagator’s Bible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Propagating Every Plant in Your Garden, by Miranda Smith
- RHS Propagating Plants, by Alan R. Toogood
- The Complete Book of Plant Propagation, by Graham Clarke & Alan R. Toogood
- The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture, 2d Edition, by Charles W. Heuser and Michael Dirr
- Making More Plants: The Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation, by Kenneth Druse
Plant Propagation - Online Resources:
- Penn State Extension –https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/chester/how-to-gardening-brochures/propagating-by-cutting-or-layering
- University of Maine – https://extension.umaine.edu/gardening/manual/propagation/plant-propagation/
- 2017 slideshow – Hartman Presentation on Plant Propagation
- USDA Woody Plant Seed Manual – information on starting from seed
Plant Propagation Supplies:
You can usually use things you have on hand – just disinfect all potting vessels (pots, nursery flats, etc.) with hot water and dish soap, or a 10% bleach solution, to protect cuttings & seedlings from disease. Make sure your pruners are very sharp, and disinfect these as well between cuttings, too. A pair of high-quality pruners to consider:
- the ARS, HP-130DX 7-Inch Ideal Light Pruner – excellent, and should be about $30
- the 7″ ARS HP-VS7XZ Heavy-Duty Hand Pruner – great, but likely overkill for propagation cutting
Buy or mix a high-quality planting medium, ideally also sterile. Ty suggests 60% perlite and 40% soil-less growing medium, i.e. coconut coir, peat moss, or very fine compost. Don’t use a mix with fertilizer, as this can burn cuttings.