Get a jump on next season by overwintering frost-tender plants

By: Wendy Mundy

Have you fallen in love with one of the new coleus cultivars? Or are you simply feed-up of paying big bucks for your favorite Fancy Pansies? Have you think about overwintering your favorites inside by making cuttings this Fall to propagate tender perennials--and help your thumb stay green while the snow flies.

Plants that make the cut:
Try these to save time and money next year: fibrous-rooted begonias; coleus; fuchsias; impatiens; zonal, ivy and scented geraniums (Pelargonium); and Plectranthus spp. and cultivars, including Swedish ivy.

Flowers that you cannot save

Real annuals flower that set seed in a single season, like as cosmos and sunflowers--are not suitable for propagation by cuttings. Nor are tender perennials such as petunias and marigolds). At the end of the season, just throw these onto the compost heap.

Here are 10 great ways to get the most out of your garden.

1. Take cuttings from healthy plants, They will only be as good as the parent plants, Remember they should be strong and completely free from any signs of disease or insect infestation.

2 Summer or early autumn is the ideal time to take tip cuttings. Select a supple, young stem and remove any flower buds. Use a sharp, clean knife, clip the branch eight to 12 centimetres below the growing tip, just beneath a leaf node. Each parent plant will yield six to eight tip cuttings.

3. Now you've made all the cuttings, remove the leaves from the bottom half of each cutting. Cut three or four vertical slits, about 1.5 centimetres long and one to two millimetres deep, at the base of each cutting. Helps rooting.

4. Carefully dip the bases into a rooting hormone containing IBA (indolebutyric acid). A light dusting is sufficient--too much will cause the cuttings to rot.

5. Fill the terra-cotta pots with a sterile, soilless mixture formulated for cuttings and starting seeds.

6. Put in the cuttings into the mix five centimeters deep and spaced eight centimetres apart. Place pots in an area with sunny spot,but out of direct sunlight, and keep the soil nicely moist.

7. In about five weeks, each cutting will have developed lots vigorous roots; move cuttings into their own small pots.

8. After few weeks, signs of new growth will be noticeable; relocate plants to a bright, sunny window. Once a month, fertilize cuttings with a dilute solution high in phosphorus; Best to use African violet food (0-12-0). Keep room temperatures cool over winter--between 10 and 15?C is ideal--and allow plants to dry out between waterings.

9. If cuttings become leggy, nip them back to encourage bushy growth, and increase light levels using grow lights or fluorescent tubes.

10. In late spring, you should have a crop of healthy, young plants identical to those available at your local nursery. After all danger of frost has passed, harden off plants by moving them to a protected, partly sunny area of the garden. Keep plants well watered for two to three weeks and feed at half-strength with a fertilizer formulated for flowering plants (such as 15-30-15). Transplant the rooted cuttings into your garden as you would any other annual.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

More info at Bluemundy.com

Related Items on eBay:

ZALALOVA 2-in-1 Grafting & Pruning Tool Kit for Fruit Trees & Vines
$13.91

Telescopic Garden Pruner & Fruit Picker, Cuts Up to 1" Branches, 6.23-10.5 FT
$224.99

B'ROOT BAR - Root Cutting Tool, 60-Inch
$129.95

Pruner for Garden, Cut Upto 1 Inch & Hold Telescopic Pole Pruner, Fruit Picke...
$179.99

B'ROOT BAR - Root Cutting Tool, Vertical Axe, 48-Inch
$184.95

6-Pack Curved Blade Gardening Trimming Scissors Pruner Shear Plant Trimmers
$14.00

Print This Article

Comments Closed

Add To Favorites

Email to Friends

Publisher Ready