Caring for garden cuttings

Want to get more from your garden? Save some cuttings instead of throwing them out! To get the most out of your cuttings, check out these handy tips.

To provide the humidity needed to root a flat of cuttings, lay a dry cleaning bag over the cuttings, making sure it doesn't touch the plants. (Ice cream sticks or pencils can serve as "tent poles.") Clip the bag to the rim of the flat with clothespins or small metal clamps.

An easy way to root a cutting from your favourite rosebush is to snip off a 10 to 14 centimetre (four to six inch) piece of stem and plant it in good soil, whether in the garden or a pot. Then cover it with a large fruit jar to create a mini-greenhouse.

Soaking six or eight willow twigs in water gives you a solution of indolebutyric acid (IBA), a natural plant-rooting hormone. Start by snipping the twigs from a willow (any species will do), then split them with a few hammer blows. Cut the twigs into six-centimetre (three-inch) pieces and steep them in a pail filled with 10 to 12 centimetres (four to five inches) of water for 24 hours. Use the tea either to water just-planted cuttings or as an overnight soaker for cuttings.

If you need to take cuttings to another location, use a potato as a carrier. Slice a large potato in half crosswise, poke three, two-centimetre (one inch) deep holes in each cut side with a chopstick or pencil, and insert the cuttings, which will stay moist for three to four hours.

These great tips to care for garden cuttings will help you grow your garden in an easy and inexpensive way. Happy planting!