Tuesday, May 10, 2011

stem cuttings


grow great grub by gayla trail is pulling tightly at my gardening heart strings. i am a full believer in her ideas- food in small spaces! container gardens! reusing & recycling! i am even so inspired as to make her ideas a sort of manifesto for myself as we prepare for our move in a little over three weeks.


one little tidbit from the book that i found incredibly interesting is making more plants from what you already have. on page 31, trail gives easy instructions on how to propagate a variety of plants. by cutting the stem just below an attached leaf & sticking it in water, you will have new roots in a couple of weeks.


so, i tried this method with my mint plant gifted from a gardening friend.


& to my surprise- i had real success! from the stem are healthy roots just waiting to be covered with soil. although this seems like such an easy task, it was satisfying to know that i didn't need to purchase another plant for my garden.


i can only imagine the generations of women before me who shared plants and reaped their bountiful harvests together. i encourage you to pick up trail's book from a local book shop or library & begin propagating!

5 comments:

  1. We have been propagating like crazy over here - trying everything from fruit trees and hydrangeas to mint and lavender to ground cover plants and thyme. Most everything has been a success and it was such a revelation to realize what a wealth of plants we have, even with only a few to start from.

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  2. awesome! i do that all the time-- a lot of my houseplants multiply that way (especially when i accidentally break off a branch while watering!). i've got some lavender, a few succulents and a spider plant going right now! happy propagating!

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  3. I remember many new plants taking root in jars of water placed all over our house, as a child. My mom must have created so many new plants from her own! We lived in a very rural area so it's no wonder she did it this way, easier and cheaper!

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