Roll up roll up Free Plants

Everyone loves a bargain but when you can get sometime for free it is all the better. In the garden there is an abundance of ways to get free plants. Over the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on ways of getting you free plants without too much effort. There are so many ways to propagate plants in your own garden for those of you that have enough time you could almost create enough stock to fully plant a new garden or fill a stand at a local market.
It is also far more environmentally friendly to develop our own garden stock, the production of plant pots and transportation of plants all leave a carbon footprint, domestically and commercially we should be at the forefront of environmental friendliness so by using a few of the methods I’m suggesting over the next few weeks you will help the environment, decrease your spending and with a bit of luck and effort get lots of fabulous free plants!
This week I’m going to start with a method called layering. We use this method for plants that are perhaps more difficult to take and grow cuttings from and I have to say this is one of my favourite methods of propagation.
What we want to do is bend and fix a branch or shoot into the ground, by wounding the stem and covering with soil it should root and produce a new plant, as easy as 123!!
To achieve this take a lower non flowering shoot, it must be healthy, bend the stem until a part of it can reach the ground easily. Take the closest leaf joint and make a slanting cut, go around half way into the stem. You can apply some hormone rooting powder to the joint; shake a small piece of rooting powder onto a piece of paper and dip the joint in the powder. Make a hole in soil about 10cm deep, fill half the hole with 50% grit 50% potting compost, then push the joint down into the hole and fix with a piece of wire. Cover over the stem with potting compost and firm down. The level of the compost should be higher than ground level this will help retain moisture and prevent rotting. The take a cane and tie the loose end of the stem to it. Water in and keep moist during any dry spells.
Plants which propagate this way are Camellia, Amelanchier, Magnolia, Daphne and Skimmias.

Air layering
Another great way to propagate plants is to use the basic method above but instead of being buried in the ground you simply cover the cut portion with damp compost and wrap with polythene. The plant is effectively tricked into producing new roots which gives you new plants. This method works particularly well with Rhododendrons, Magnolias and lilac. Indoor plants can also be propagated this way and bonsai plants also.