Free Plants
Cuttings
Softwood cuttings are the lifeblood of obtaining new plants such as geraniums or perennials for our gardens. There are two major concerns for success and here they are.
Growing roses from cuttings is something I get asked all the time. Here's the deal.
Hardwood cuttings are one way to propagate trees, shrubs and evergreens that doesn't require a lot of specialized equipment.
Seeding Annuals
Sowing Annual Seeds is fun, easy and a great way to get scads of low-cost plants for your garden. Here's how to do it indoors.
Damping off of seedlings I include this here because this is the most common problem of young seedlings.
Seeding Perennials
There are generally two distinct systems for home gardeners to sow perennial seeds.
Outdoor method of sowing perennial seeds and then there are the indoor systems.
Indoor system of sowing perennial seed is relatively simple if you have a few basic tools. Here's how to do it. Mind you, before you can sow 'em you have to harvest 'em.
Harvesting perennial seed.
Root cuttings
Taking root cuttings is a fairly simple method of propagating some perennials. Here are the basics of this method.
Layering
Layering is an old and time-honored system of easily producing a wide range of plants. It is no longer used commercially because it is slow but it is easy. Here's how.
Division
Dividing Perennial Plants is an easy way to get free plants and is an essential gardening skill and here are the basics.
Grafting
Quite frankly, in over 30 years of home-scale gardening, I've never needed to graft anything. If you find yourself interested in this skill, let me suggest you check your local library for some good books. Or, better yet - take a gardening course in plant propagation at a local "hands-on" school. Grafting is not something you can easily learn from books.
Propagating Evergreens
Here are the two methods commonly used in propagating evergreens.
Shrubs
Shrub propagation. need not be a problem so if you have a favorite shrub in the backyard, here's how to get more of them using the flower gardening systems
Trees
Here are two good methods of propagating trees in the home garden.
Propagating Roses
Growing roses from cuttings So while this page of free plants isn’t a giveaway, it does tell you how to get more plants at no cost in your own gardens.
Got a Question about Plant Propagation?
If you have a question about plant propagation, this is a good place to ask it.
Please understand that I get hundreds of questions every week from readers and I simply can't answer them all. I do my best and print quite a few in my free newsletter
Do give me as many details as possible.
What Other Visitors Have Asked About Plant Propagation
Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...
Banana Tree I have new shoots coming from my banana tree. It is planted in a large pot. The new shoots are not attached at the stalk. (it doesn't look like it anyway)...
Bleeding Heart Propagation
Hello,
Is it possible to take a cutting from a Bleeding Heart bush, and how would I do it to get to grow successfully?
Do you recommend doing this?...
propagate trumpet vine
can I propagate it from cuttings by rooting them in water first or putting (0.1 % IBA)rooting powder on them and sticking cuttings back in soil?
Doug ...
Propergating Lavender cuttings
What time of the year is the best time to take cuttings and start lavender plants?
Doug says: They can be done when new growth is 2-3 inches long for ...
