Dwarf Mexican Petunia Cuttings

This week, I bought a Dwarf Mexican Petunia (Ruellia brittoniana )and took cuttings of the dense plant today. Regular ruellia roots like crazy - put some cuttings in a bucket and a week later you'll have thriving plants with masses of tangled roots. These plants, which typically get to about 3 to 5 feet tall, have about an inch between leaf nodes. Root buds come out from in between these nodes. As you see below, the nodes on the dwarf are much closer together. I like this plant, and I am hoping to get a lot of babies from it, but I'm not sure how it will take to rooting. Here is what I did, and what I do for almost all of my soft root cuttings:

I took several 5 inch cuttings and stripped the leaves off the bottom. I also took off flowers and flower buds to encourage the plant to focus energy in to roots.

The soil I use is a typical seed starting soil mix with perlite, peat moss and sphagnum moss. Regular potting mix, while I have certainly used it, can be too dense. Stay away from anything with fertilizers already mixed in. Some people use sand, and I might start because I happen to have a extra bag of sand, and I'd like to extend the life of my mix.

Next is a key part of most of my cuttings. While plants like coleus and sweet potato vine don't need it, more difficult to root plants must have root hormone. Basically it is a powder that encourages root growth in the cutting. You can find it wherever you find garden soil. Just dip in the some water, dip in the powder and . . .

Stick it in the soil. Pretty simple really. I know, this is all ol' hat for seasoned gardeners, but hopefully there is a newbie out there who could use a pointer or two. Besides, I always like learning what other gardeners are doing, so I hope this is useful.

Finally, I put the cuttings in a "high-humidity environment." In my case it is my propagation station, or big clear plastic tub with a lid. You can also cover it with a plastic bag or cover it with empty soda bottle, but I have found this to be the easiest. I used to skip step this in the past, but I tried it this year and I have to say that it dramatically improved my success rate. Usually I'll keep the plant in here anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks. Then they go on the table above, which is in a shady spot on the north side of the house for about a week. Finally, they typically spend a week in their future home before actually being planted there. Watch your plants and check on them every few days. Some really don't like the propagation station. In my case, the vinca didn't preform well in it. Others preform beautifully and I when I take them out they wilt after an hour. They are just not ready yet. The Ruellia are in here, as well as some pentas (another experiment), some Angle Trumpet seedlings and oleander cuttings.

Anyway, here is what do. How do you like to propagate plants?

Propagation Station

So all of this probably old hat for most experienced gardeners, but it is what I've been doing this weekend, and maybe there is a newbie or two out there who might benefit. If you are like me, maybe you just like to see what other people do. I've been cutting back all of plants, especially in the butterfly garden, to make sure everything looks nice and lush for July 4th. As a result, I've started A LOT of cuttings this weekend. In addition, I've been gathering seeds and dividing plants. But first I thought I'd show my new little trick this season, a Propagation Station!

Even though I have rooted plants in soil for years, I'm only just realizing how crucial humidity is. Without sufficient humidity, water transpires out the leaves quicker than it can take it up through its new roots and plants wilt. Some times they bounce back, sometimes they don't. To increase humidity, I've put my plants in a large, clear plastic bin, which seems to be working well. I strip off most of the leaves and as soon as new leaves start to appear, take the plants out to harden off on the table. If you want to do something similar, be sure to keep it in a shaded area where the plants won't over heat and air out daily, or drill circulation air holes.

With certain plants I just get lazy. The ruellia (left) and the sweet potato vine (right) easily root in water or soil, so I often go the easy route and throw them in some water.

When I feel more ambitious, I will collect certain plants. Here is some of the salvia I was offering. (1.) I'll wait for a dried stalk on the plant and put it in a baggie, collecting several. (2.) After pulling out the stems, (3.) I'll smoosh and smash the baggie until the seeds separate and fall to the bottom of the baggie. (4.) I put the pile on a white piece of paper to clearly see the seeds and pull the flower husks out. Wa-La! Seeds.