According to an article I just read in Lawn and Landscape magazine, Dr. Dan Potter considers these insects to be the top 10 pests for ornamentals in 2011. What do you think?

Web-making caterpillars
Bagworms
Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
Sawflies
Lacebugs
Spider Mites
Japanese Beetles
Scale insects
Borers in trees and shrubs
Emerald ash Borer

This past summer, I only had trouble with Web-making caterpillars and Japanese Beetles, but I have found a secret weapon for the beetles. Stay tuned to find out how I am decimating the Japanese Beetle population on my property.

Do you have trouble with any of these insects?

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Here is a list of 10 common garden plants that are extremely easy to propagate. All of these plants can be propagated by division. Simply take a shovel and cut off a chunk, plant it where you want, and watch it grow!

1. Hemerocallis (daylilly)
2. Aster
3. Bearded Iris
4. Shasta daisies
5. Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
6. Stonecrop (Sedum)
7. Monarda (Bee Balm)
8. Ornamental Grass
9. Heuchera (Coral Bells)
10. Coreopsis (Tickseed)

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A local paper just published a story about a garden club president’s memory garden. She started gardening 33 years ago with her husband and they both enjoyed working on creating flower gardens. She would make the mess, and he would follow behind cleaning it up. Sounds like a perfect match!

The president’s husband passed away suddenly in 2006 and instead of bouquets, she received living plants. These plants were the beginning of a new garden in honor of her husband of 36 years.

Over the years she has added to the memory garden, choosing plants with names that reminded her of her late husband. Daylillies such as Peanut Butter Frenzy, Gracious Living, Ruffled Valentine, Golden Angel, Trustworthy, Broken Heart, and Fairest Love were chosen. Also included in the garden is an ornamental grass her husband had planted, a memorial stone with his name, and his boots that are being used as flower pots.

This is a great story that combines love, memories and gardening to make a special place that is sure to bring great memories every time she walks through the memory garden.

Do you have a plant or a memory garden dedicated to a person you love? What does your include?

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I recently wrote an E-book on the effects salt has on ornamental plants and groundcovers. It explains how soil becomes saline (salty), the effects salt has on plants, as well as how to reduce the salinity of your soil.

Download it by using this link: Salt injury to ornamental shrubs and groundcovers

For more info on plants and plant propagation, I suggest:

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses
Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (7th Edition)
American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques

Have you discovered the members area yet? Visit THIS LINK to learn why you should.

For those of you that are not aware that you can customize the news you receive from Google News, I have a great tip for you. First, you must have a Google account to be able to use this feature. It’s free and takes just a few minutes to complete.

First, log in to your Google account and go to Google News. While on the Google News homepage, look near the top of the page on the right side. Do you see where it says add a section? Go ahead and click that link. You will be brought to a page where you can choose different topics to display on your Google News page. Go ahead and take a look at the different topics you can choose from. Adding a section is a simple click of a button. To take advantage of this feature, you must be logged in to your Google account, so if you add a section and it does not display when you revisit Google news, check to be sure you are logged in.

I recently added a section to Google News called plant propagation that will display news articles on subjects like plant propagation, misting and misting systems, master gardeners, asexual propagation, softwood cuttings, you get the idea. I added the section to my Google News homepage and every time I visit the page I have a section where articles about plant propagation are displayed. Neat huh?

Here is the list of keywords that Google searches for so they can display relevant news stories:

plant propagation, intermittent misting system, plant misting system, plant mist system, rooting cuttings, rooted cuttings, asexual propagation, free plants, hydrangea, garden, master gardener, horticulture, compost, landscape, japanese maple, coldframe, hoophouse, misting timer, misting controller, misting nozzles, rooting hormones, softwood cuttings, hardwood cuttings, plant diseases, planting trees, planting shrubs, grafting, invasive insect, ornamental grass, misting system

Do you have any suggestion for more keywords I should add?

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The offer for the free E-book has expired. But no worries! You can still get the book by signing up for the newsletter. Just use the link under Free Reports and E-books to get it.

This E-book covers everything from where to get the knowledge you need, tips about which plants to propagate, how much space you will need, the types of rooting media used, an easy method to provide shade for your misting bed, and more!

Grab your copy right now before time runs out!

Download your How to start a plant propagation nursery by using the link to the right.

Have you discovered the members area yet? Visit THIS LINK to learn why you should.

Conclusion

To recap on what you need to start your own plant propagation business:

Knowledge:

Start building your library right now! Learn as much as you can about the plants you want to propagate. Grab a copy of one or more of these books to start:

• Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses
• American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
• Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (7th Edition)
• Practical Woody Plant Propagation for Nursery Growers

Also, sign up for the newsletter at Freeplants.com. You will gain a ton of knowledge. Be sure to look around while you are there for the articles he has written for even more knowledge. He even has a forum where you can learn about plant propagation and ask him questions.

Don’t forget the free information! Become a member of the Plant Propagation Misting System website and get access to hundreds of PDFs on plant propagation, misting systems, plant diseases, insects and other pests, and more! it’s free!

Plants:

Gathering the right plants to propagate is essential to your success. remember to propagate only NON-PATENTED plants! Purchase your plants from a reputable source.

Space

Remember, you don’t need a whole lot of space to get started. A small lawn can successfully be used for propagating plants.

Rooting media

Before building your beds, decide on which rooting media you will use and be sure you can locate it. sand is relatively easy to find and inexpensive, but peat and perlite can be used if the sand is unavailable.

Misting beds

Start with a small bed if necessary. A good size is 4′ wide by 8′ or 10′ long. Use whatever lumber you can find to start. You don’t get points for fanciness, just usefulness. Remember to be sure they drain properly.

Licenses

Business and Nursery. Others may be needed so be sure to ask your local municipality or state government official. Remember, the SBA is a great resource!

Inspection

The Inspector is your friend. Use them to gain knowledge by asking questions. Be honest and don’t try to hide anything. They are there to help you, not give you grief. If you do have a problem that you discover yourself, CALL THEM! They will respect you that much more and be more apt to help you in the future.

Of course there are a few more things like labeling, shipping requirements, where to get the properly labeled plants to start propagating them, and others, and all those questions can be answered here.

That pretty much covers it! Not too many things now was it?

Interested in getting the entire series of articles on starting your own plant propagation business? I have taken all 8 articles, added even more information, and wrapped it all up in a nice PDF for you to download. Get the PDF right now!

Have you discovered the members area yet? Visit THIS LINK to learn why you should.

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• 30: Intermittent Misting Systems-How To Build Your Own (0)
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• 24: How To Calculate How Many Misting Nozzles Can Be Used Per Misting Zone (2)
• 22: How (And Why) To Move Water Away From Your Misting Beds (1)
• 20: What You Need To Start A Plant Propagation Business Part 1 (2)
• 18: Tips for Preparing a Planting Bed (2)
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• 25: Mike McGroarty Is a Fraud (1)
• 20: Intermatic Timers-Why you should not use them for misting systems (3)
• 20: The Secret of Rooting Cuttings (0)
• 18: How to build an intermittent mist system (0)
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Have you discovered the members area yet? Visit THIS LINK to learn why you should.

This article is a first in a series that will explain what you will need to start your own plant propagation business.

The first item you will need when starting your propagation business is knowledge.

You need to have a basic understanding of which plants will grow in your zone, how to care for them, and the best method for propagating it. Without this basic knowledge, you will have a tough time keeping your plants alive.

So where does someone get this knowledge? Surfing the net, books, newsletters, PDFs, you name it, the knowledge is everywhere. And that is the problem! Gathering this information can be very time consuming. On top of that, if the information has been written by someone who does not have real world experience growing and propagating the plant, you may be learning the wrong methods. You really don’t want to be starting off gathering the wrong information.

One of the best resources for plant propagation info is obviously Amazon. For instance, Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses
is one of the absolute best books you can buy and I recently saw  34 used copies for  $33.00 each. That is a great savings over the price of a new copy!

Another great book is Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (7th Edition). Used copies were $25 less than the new ones when I last looked!

Look for more books or other propagation items at Amazon by using the search box below or by using the suggestions provided on the right sidebar. Start building your library and knowledge today!

How about free information about plant propagation?

My motto is “If it is free, it is for me!” and I live by it every day. There are some wonderful websites and newsletters devoted to plant propagation. One of the best newsletters I have found is at Freeplants.com. As well as the free newsletter, there are some great articles right at the website that you can learn a lot from.

Another great way of gaining knowledge for free is through PDFs and other reports that have been written by plant propagators. For instance, DipNGrow has a nice free PDF available. DipNGrow is a rooting hormone that is widely used by professional plant propagators with great results. DipNGrow is a concentrated liquid that you dilute depending on the type of cutting you are rooting. Simply dilute it to the concentration you need. Saves a ton of waste!

I have personally collected hundreds of PDFs on plant propagation, misting systems, nursery management, pests and diseases of plants, growing fruits and berries, as well as how to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. If you want to access them, become a member! It is free and you get access to all the PDFs I have gathered to increase my knowledge about running a plant propagation business. As well as the PDFs, I have a list of websites I go to when I need to gather information on various plant related subjects.

In part 2 I will talk about what stock plants are.

Have you discovered the members area yet? Visit THIS LINK to learn why you should.

Yes, you read that right; Mike McGroarty and his backyard grower system is a fraud.

Not my words, but the words of others. Cruising message boards that deal with gardening and plant propagation, I often see folks who say something along those lines. Mike Mcgroarty is a fraud, Mike Mcgroarty is a scam artist, Mike Mcgroarty’s is a ripoff, and a few other things.

Well, I am here to personally let you know that I am extremely happy with Mike McGroarty and his products. I mean, really, who gives away as much information on plant propagation, working with landscape plants, and other topics? Go ahead and check out his website and see what he offers. Sign up for the free newsletter and get ready to learn a ton about gardening and plants in general. Then, scroll way down to the bottom of the page and click on the sitemap link and check out all the free information he gives away. Along with all those articles, he has many more on different websites, on article submission websites, and I have even seen them in a trade magazine I get. Does that look like something a fraud would do? No, I didn’t think so.

Go ahead and check out his website right now!

Have you discovered the members area yet? Visit THIS LINK to learn why you should.