One thing to keep in mind when dividing ornamental grass is to do it during it’s active growing cycle. For warm weather grass like Gracillimus, that is during spring to mid-summer. For cool season grass, spring and early fall is the best time. Just remember to keep the divisions well watered for the first year regardless of when you do the dividing. That being said, I have successfully divided and planted some warm weather grass in early September by keeping it well watered until the ground froze, but don’t recommend doing so.

This first picture shows the clump before it was divided. Notice how large and round it is. This clump was planted just a few years ago and was about a foot or so in diameter.

This picture shows the tools I used. A sturdy shovel and a sawzall with a coarse toothed blade. Notice that the shovel is a flat bladed spade, not the curved spade that most homeowners have. The flat blade makes it much easier to cut through the clump. Truth be told, I don’t own a curved spade anymore. Once I began using the flat bladed one I realized I never wanted to use the curved one again.

Here I am undercutting the clump. I am digging down and severing any roots that are in the way. I will also be using this cut to pry up the clump I am trying to cut off.

Here I am using the sawzall to cut through the top of the clump. In the past I just kept jumping up and down on the spade but decided to try the sawzall this time because I nearly killed myself cutting through the clump with just the shovel.

And now for a friendly warning about dividing ornamental grass: be very careful! The next picture will show you just how sharp the edges of the leaves can be. The wound was surprisingly deep for being done by a blade of grass!

This picture shows the root system that was cut using the sawzall. You can see just how dense the roots are and can imagine how tough it is to divide a clump like this with just a shovel. As I mentioned before, I did exactly that the last time and about died from the exertion! I recommend the sawzall over just using the spade to cut through these hard, dense roots.

This picture shows how much of the original clump I removed. It turned out to be about 1/3 of the original clump. I just filled in the hole with soil so the clump would begin to grow into it.

Next, I divided the large divisions I just removed into smaller pieces using the sawzall.

The next picture shows just how big these divisions are. Each one is almost as large as the original clump of grass I planted a few years ago!

This last picture shows the 4 large clumps I ended up with that I planted in various locations on my property. In just a few years, each one will be just as big as the original plant I removed them from. I can’t wait!

Do you have any tips on dividing ornamental grasses?

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Congrats Trisha, I will contact you for a mailing address and get the book out ASAP.

As I stated in the original post about the contest, I sent a text to my son while he was at work and asked him to pick a number between one and three. He asked why. When I told him he was choosing a winner for a contest, he chose #1, which was Trisha’s comment.

Thanks everyone for leaving a comment!

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I have a brand new book on the shelf that I will send to a lucky winner. It is by James Wells and is titled: Plant Propagation Practices.

Here is what I will do for you:

I will send the book to a resident of the US or Canada at absolutely no charge.

What you need to do for me:

Leave a comment outlining your plant propagation endeavors. Your successes, your failures, your methods, etc.

The rules:

The contest will end Aug 22nd at 6pm Eastern time. I will total the number of comments and ask my son to choose a number from 1 to whatever the total is. The number he chooses will be the winner of the book.

Once the winner is identified I will contact them via email (so leave a GOOD address when commenting!) and after receiving a reply, will send the book to the shipping address they specify.

My decision is final unless the original winner cannot be contacted and at that time a new winner will be chosen in exactly the same way and so on until the book has been sent. Void where prohibited. Must be 18 to participate.

Good luck!

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Typically, the cuttings I do will root in 3-5 weeks depending on the species. This particular plant seemed to root extremely fast, even faster than Pee Gee Hydrangea which has up to this point been the quickest cuttings to root. I don’t have a specific number of days on the PG, but it was only 3 weeks or so.

This plant, which is a fairly common perennial, was an experiment to see if cuttings of perennials could be rooted using a misting system. The answer is a resounding yes!

So what is this plant and how fast did it root? Good question.

The perennial I am talking about is commonly called Pink Turtle Heads (botanical name: Chelone lyonii).
I took the cuttings of this plant the same day I wrote this article about how I collect my cuttings for rooting under my misting system.

Here is a series of photos showing the tag I made when I stuck the cuttings as well as one of the cutting I removed from the rooting media that clearly show the formation of roots. Pay close attention to the date on the tag: June 29th. Today is July 13th, just 14 days from when the cutting was stuck! The cutting is not ready to be potted in my opinion, but because I just installed a drip system to keep my potted plants watered, I would give it a try. The cutting will definitely not survive in full sun with the number and size of the leaves as well as the small root system, but I would feel comfortable placing it in a shady area for awhile.

What is the quickest you have gotten a cutting to root? Did you beat me?

The tag I wrote when I stuck the cuttings (6/29/11)

Cuttings being rooted under the misting system. The large cutting in front is a Pink Turtle Head.

Cutting showing the formation of roots

Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what kind of success you have had!

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So what is the secret to plant propagation and rooting softwood cuttings?

No secret really, just the right conditions for the type of plant you are trying to reproduce. Although what I am about to describe works for most plants, there are some that almost refuse to root as softwood cuttings. Purple-leaf Sandcherry immediately comes to mind. Sandcherry cuttings will almost always rot and die if you try to root them as softwood cuttings, so propagating them as hardwood cuttings with bottom heat may result in better rooting percentages. Discovering the proper conditions is one of the biggest challenges in plant propagation.

What is the right condition for rooting softwood cuttings?

Adequate sunlight, temperature, and humidity are three of the biggest factors that affect the rooting of a softwood cutting. Let’s touch on each just a bit.

Sunlight requirements while propagating plants

Plants require sunlight to produce energy. Along with the energy production, the sunlight does another vital role: to help the roots supply moisture to the plant and to draw moisture up into the stem. It does this by evaporating the moisture from the surface of the leaf, which causes a low pressure on the surface. This low pressure helps draw moisture up into the plants stem and up to the leaves.

Because a softwood cutting does not have roots, this process can be vital to the cuttings survival. This can be accomplished in many ways, but the two most common are using a misting system or a humidity chamber. An intermittent misting system provides moisture at a predetermined interval which keeps the leaves moist. A humidity chamber does the same thing, but the method of retaining the moisture differs. A humidity chamber retains moisture because it keeps it from evaporating because the cuttings are enclosed in a clear or opaque chamber.

Temperature requirements while propagating plants

Temperature is one of those factors while propagating plants that is often overlooked. The top of the cutting, including the leaves, should be kept cool, while the bottom of the stem should be kept warm. One way to keep the tops cool is to spray them with mist from a misting system. Another is to use shade cloth to reduce the sun’s intensity, however, you need to be careful not to reduce the amount of sunlight too much. Remember, the cuttings still need sunlight to help with the process of drawing moisture up into the cutting. The sunlight is also needed to help warm the rooting media to keep the bottom of the cutting warm.

Humidity requirements while propagating plants

Keeping the cuttings hydrated is essential to successfully root softwood cuttings. The moisture that is deposited on the cuttings leaves and rooting medium allows the cutting to live without roots. The moisture is drawn up into the cutting through the stem where it supplies the plant with moisture. Too much water in the rooting medium can cause the stems to rot and a misting system is a great way to control the amount of moisture in the rooting medium.

Another thing the moisture that is deposited on a cutting does is to keep the cutting cool. Plants go through a process called transpiration. This transpiration process is quite similar to our perspiring because it allows the plant to release water through its leaves which cools the plant off. This transpiration process is what actually draws the water up the cuttings stem and incorrect amount of water on and around the cutting can greatly affect the process.

Discovering the right conditions to get softwood cuttings to root is half the fun. Go ahead, give it a try today!

For even more great tips on rooting cuttings, visit Freeplants. Be sure to sign up for their awesome newsletter!

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Simply visit my recent article on winning a plant propagation book and leave a comment. That’s it!

The contest ends March 4th, so hurry!

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Simply use the supplied Amazon search on the right or the links on the right or just below to browse for the book you would like and post a comment below telling me the name, price, and author so I know exactly which one you want. You can also let me know why you chose that particular book if you would like too. That’s pretty much it! At the end of the contest, I will choose one winner from everyone who has left a comment. I will then contact them via email, get the correct shipping address, and send the book absolutely free of charge!

Now for a few contest rules:

• Contests is open to US and Canadian residents only and void where prohibited
• The book must be about plant propagation ONLY. No other subjects qualify.
• Only one book will be awarded even if its price is well below the $25.00 limit
• My decision is final but I reserve the right to choose an alternate winner in the event that the original cannot be reached
• The value of the book cannot exceed $25.00 excluding shipping
• You can comment as many times as you would like, but spamming me with comments to win may result in deletion of all comments and remove you from the contest
• Liking on Facebook or Tweeting about the contest will add a little weight to your comment (see below) so be sure to let me know when you leave a comment that you have done so (following me (mistsystem@twitter.com) or friending me is even better!)
• Comments are worth 1 point, tweets and likes are worth 1 point each. The winner will be obviously be the one with the most points : )
• Leaving a comment and link on another gardening or plant propagation blog about the contest will also get you an added (secret) prize if you win, so be sure to let me know where you did it, just remember to not spam another blog just to win…you will be disqualified for that too…
• Must be 18 or over to enter

That’s not too much to ask now is it?

I just did a quick search on Amazon myself and here are just a few books I found that qualify, and it took less than 30 seconds to find them:

• American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
• Plant Propagation A to Z: Growing Plants for Free
• Plant Propagator’s Bible
• Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Shrubs, Trees, and Houseplants
• Creative Propagation

The contest will end March 4, 2011 at 5pm Eastern time. Any comments after 5pm will not be counted! I will notify the winner as soon as they are chosen so be sure to leave a good email address when commenting. After successfully contacting the winner, I will post a comment letting everyone know who it is.

Good luck!

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Why you cannot use a water storage tank for misting-gallons required:

The problem with using a storage tank for misting is not that it will not provide enough water nor enough water pressure to satisfy your misting system. First, I will demonstrate the volume of water needed, then the water pressure a misting system requires. We will use a Dramm pin perfect nozzle with a green pin as an example.

A Dramm pin perfect nozzle that uses the green pin uses .69 gallons per minute at 15psi, .82 at 22psi, .95 at 29psi, and 1.08 at 36psi. To make that a bit clearer, if the water pressure is just 15psi, the misting nozzle will use .69 gallons of water if run continuously for 1 minute. Assuming you have a 55 gallon water storage tank, you could get about 80 minutes of continuous flow if using 1 pin perfect misting nozzle. (55 gallons divided by .69 gallons per minute =79.7 minutes). Assuming you are misting for 10 seconds every minute you would be misting only 72 minutes out of a 12 hour day and using 49.68 gallons of water. (12 hours times 60 (minutes) = 720 minutes. 720 divided by 10 (seconds of mist every minute) = 72 minutes of mist in a 12 hour day. 72 times .69 (gallons per minute) = 49.68 gallons of water is needed). Remember, this is using just ONE misting nozzle! If you are using more than one, the number of gallons used in a 12 hour period will be even more. The number of minutes you could mist per day will be reduced also.

This example is assuming your water pressure is only 15psi. Most misting systems used for propagating plants will average 40psi or more. Remember, at 36psi, one Dramm pin perfect misting nozzle using the green pin uses 1.08 gallons per minute. This means that in the same 12 hour period, the single misting nozzle would use 77 gallons of water! (12 hours times 60 (minutes) = 720 minutes . 720 divided by 10 seconds of mist per minute = 72 minutes of mist per 12 hour period. 72 times 1.08 (gallons per minute) = 77 gallons of water needed.) Using the same 55 gallon barrel (and assuming you can get the 36psi pressure) the 55 gallon barrel would not supply enough water for just two misting nozzles for a single day! Using a much larger tank would provide the required amount of water (assuming you can fill it every day), but how will you provide enough water pressure?

Why you cannot use a water storage tank for misting-pressure required:

The example above mentions the average pressure a misting system for propagating plants requires. This pressure was 40 pounds per square inch, or 40psi. 1 psi is equal to a column of water 2.31 feet high (at sea level). This means that for your 55 gallon barrel (or any other tank for that matter) to provide just 1 psi, it would need to be raised 2.31 feet above sea level to provide that 1psi. To get 15psi, we would have to raise the container 34.65 feet (15 times 2.31 = 34.65). Remember, 1psi=2.31 feet which means that if we want 15 psi, we need to raise the container 15 times the 2.31 foot measurement. WOW, can you imagine raising  a barrel or other container almost 35 feet into the air just to get 15 pounds of pressure to your misting system? Me neither! Without raising the water storage tank to unspeakable (and unsafe!) heights, the only alternative is using a pump to deliver the proper pressure. But remember, this is assuming your tank is large enough to provide the amount of water required for the number of misting nozzles you have.

My experience is that using a water storage tank to provide water to a misting system is wasted time and money unless you do the math to determine if your tank is high enough and large enough to provide the volume and pressures required. Even if you have a storage tank large enough to provide the required amount of water every day, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself, like:

• Do you have the time and resources to fill it every day?
• Do you have electricity nearby to power the pump that is required to provide enough pressure to supply your misting system?
• Can you use the time and money required to get the water storage tank to work for something better, like installing a water line from a well or city water?

Before committing to using a rainbarrel or other water storage container to provide water to your misting system, a bit of research beforehand will save you a ton of frustration later.

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1. Check your misting system daily for correct operation
A quick daily check will alert you to any problems that can be corrected immediately, potentially saving your cuttings from a sure death. A quick glance at your cuttings will tell you if they are being under or over misted.

2. Clean your water filter monthly
Cleaning the filter ensures it is flowing freely. It also will alert you of any debris that may be getting into your system so you can correct it. Don’t have a filter? Install one, it may save your cuttings!
3. Check your misting nozzles for proper operation
The Dramm pin perfect nozzles as well as others occasionally get plugged up with minerals or algae which causes them to spray incorrectly. Knowing how to correct this may save your cuttings from drying out. With the Dramm pin perfect nozzles, a simple twist of the pin usually corrects the problem.
4. Check your entire misting system often for leaks
A small leak will not really affect the operation of your misting system but can alert you to a pending disaster. If a fitting, joint, or other part of your misting system suddenly begins to leak, immediately check to be sure there are no breaks or cracks. A part with a small break or crack can suddenly fail, immediately turning your misting system useless.  As well as alerting you to a potential problem, a small leak just wastes water, something we all need to conserve more of.
5. Check to be sure the solenoid valve is operating correctly
Malfunctioning solenoids can cause too little mist being delivered, too much mist being delivered, or a continuous flow of water dripping from the nozzles. Debris, algae, and worn internal parts can cause the solenoid to run continuously, wasting water and potentially delivering too much moisture to the cuttings. On the other hand, a solenoid that has lost its connection to the timer due to a break in the wire or loose wire nut will not deliver any mist to the cuttings at all, resulting in their death.
Paying close attention to the operation of you misting system can reduce the likelihood of catastrophic failures. Following these simple steps may save you time and money and also save your cuttings from certain death.

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An electronic leaf (often called a Mist-a-matic) is a mechanical device that controls the frequency and amount of mist that cuttings receive. It does this by using a lever with a screen or other flat surface on one end and a switch that is connected to a solenoid on the other.

How does an electronic leaf work?

As the mist is spraying, it falls on the screen on the end of the lever. The weight of the water droplets will cause the lever to tip down, breaking the electrical contact and stopping the flow of water. As the water evaporates from the screen, the lever will slowly raise and make the electrical contact which will send a signal to the solenoid to open and allow water to pass. This cycle repeats itself, constantly supplying the cuttings with moisture.

What are the pros to using an electronic leaf?

Electronic leaves can be a great asset to a plant propagator because they are designed to mimic a leaf on the cutting. As the water evaporates from the leaves on the cuttings, it also evaporates from the screen on the lever. This evaporation from the electronic leaf delivers the required amount of mist only when the cuttings need it.

What are the cons?

Electronic leaves are mechanical devices and mechanical devices can and will fail at any time. Also, as water evaporates from the screen, calcium and other minerals tend to collect on it. This cause the electronic leaf to become out of balance and deliver the incorrect amount of water. Two other cons are bird droppings and insects. If either one lands on the screen, they will render it useless. Of course, once the insect moves away the electronic leaf will operate correctly, but the bird dropping is there to stay until it is discovered and removed, sometimes much too late to save the cuttings.

Do I need an electronic leaf to propagate plants?

Not really. They do a good job of mimicking the natural evaporation of moisture from the leaves of the cuttings, but they are not essential. I have been rooting cuttings for years with a misting system that uses a timer. This setup is located outdoors under a small hoophouse that provides shade but plenty of air movement. Using an electronic leaf is a personal preference. Some folks absolutely love them and some have had their fill.

A recent customers comments on using an electronic leaf:

I recently sold a misting timer to a gentelman who told me he spent years constantly adjusting his electronic leaf and finally had enough. He relayed that he had to fiddle with it daily and had to check it multiple times a day to be sure it was working correctly. He stated that when the leaf was operating correctly he loved it, but it was so tempermental that he did not trust it. He finally made up his mind to replace it with a DIG 5006-IP misting controller. The customer was thrilled that the controller could operate multiple zones, all having different settings. He was also extremely happy that the timer cost less than half of what a new electronic leaf would have.

Conclusions on electronic leaves:

There are basically two schools of thought here.

• Propagators who swear by them
• Propagators who swear at them

As stated earlier, when they work they work great, but when they don’t, an entire crop of cuttings can be lost in a short amount of time. Before running out and buying an electronic leaf, do a bit of research and ask questions of fellow growers who use them. Do a cost comparison and also take into account any future growth of your operation.

To learn how to grow landscape plants to sell, visit Mike McGroarty’s website. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter, it contains some great tips!

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