Can you use softened water to root cuttings?

Of course you can use water that has passed through a water softener to mist your cuttings with. It will provide the exact same amount of moisture that non-softened water will. However, that is pretty much all the benefit it will provide.

What is softened water?

Softened water is water that has gone through a process to remove calcium and magnesium. Water that has high levels of calcium and magnesium is called “hard” water. This hard water can cause scale and cause soap to not lather as well as it should. To remove the calcium and magnesium ions from the water, it must first pass over a bed of small plastic beads. These beads have a negative charge that holds positive sodium ions and as the water passes over them, the sodium ions swap places with the calcium and magnesium ions which have a stronger positive charge. Now that the calcium and magnesium ions have been removed, the water is then considered softened.

Once all the sodium ions have been replaced with calcium and magnesium ions, the systems needs to be regenerated. The regeneration process involves soaking the plastic beads in sodium. Sodium is salt. Yes, pretty much the same salt we eat and melt ice with in the winter. This salt is drawn into the chamber that holds the beads as a strong brine solution. This brine replaces the calcium and magnesium ions on the beads with sodium ions because of the sheer number of sodium ions. The brine, calcium, and magnesium is then flushed out of the chamber, the beads get rinsed with fresh water, and the entire process repeats itself over and over.

So have you figured out why you shouldn’t use softened water to mist your cuttings?

Even though the beads get flushed with water to remove the brine solution, there is still sodium present. As the water flows through the softener, the sodium ions are released into it. This salt can be lethal to your cuttings.
A small amount of sodium, as well as the calcium and magnesium that has been removed, is required for any plant to grow. Too much sodium, as well as the removal of the calcium and magnesium will have detrimental effects on the cuttings and may stunt their growth or kill them altogether.

I have personally witnessed the effects of softened water on rooted cuttings. During the softwood rooting season of 2008, I used water that was not softened and had tremendous results. Very high rooting rates were observed with nearly all species being rooted. During the winter of 2008, I had trouble with my hot water heater which led to a water test. This test revealed very large amounts of iron and manganese in my well water. As well as these high amounts, the water was extremely hard, this would explain why my water pipes had clogged up to the point of almost being completely closed. The solution for all these problems was a whole house filter and water softener. Of course, I never gave much of a thought to the cuttings I would be rooting the following summer!

Summer of 2009 rolls around to see me making thousands of cuttings and rooting them under my misting system. Almost at once I noticed the plants not responding well. Because of the extremely wet summer, I thought the cuttings may have been getting too wet. I made adjustments and forged on. Fast forward to late summer: the rooting percentage of that years cuttings as well as the general look and health was abysmal. Many had not developed nearly enough of a root system to survive. Many looked stunted and sickly. Some even had the edges on all their leaves brown and dead. Doing a bit of research, I discovered why; salt, and possibly nutrient deficiency due to the nutrients being removed from the water during the softening process. Yeah, yeah, I should have caught it earlier, but life sometimes just goes much too fast and I lost track of time and before I knew it, the summer was over!

So here is what I am going to do:

Come spring, I am going to add a valve just before my water softener. This valve will have a hose spigot attached so I can supply one of my misting systems with water that has not gone through the water softener. I will have one misting bed supplied with softened water and one supplied with water that has not been softened. During the course of the summer, I will pay close attention to the differences in the two misting beds. I am sure I will quickly see that the cuttings that are being misted with the un-softened water will be far healthier. when that is confirmed, I will then simply supply both beds with the un-softened water and note how  cuttings that were affected by the sodium turn out. Of course, things such as pH can also affect the cuttings, but because I don’t own a pH meter, I will not be testing that at this time.

Do you have any experience rooting cuttings with water that has gone through the water softening process?

What were your results?

For a great explanation on the effects of sodium on plants, visit salinitymanagement.org.

For info on plant propagation:

American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques

The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture, Second Edition

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses

Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices (7th Edition)

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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.

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In a word, no. Here is why I say that:

Years ago I was on the hunt for information about plant propagation. I visited many websites looking for information. One in particular caught my attention; Freeplants.com. Why? because of the information I got for free of course! I visited often for that free information, but always refused to purchase his growers system. “I don’t know this particular person so how do I know if this is a scam”, I said to myself.

Eventually I did sign up for the free newsletter and was quite surprised at the good information I received. Of course, with the good information came the plugs for the growers system Mike sells. Again, I never took him up on it.

One of the newsletters spoke of a new forum he was developing where you could get free information on plant propagation. I visited the forum and spent many hours reading and learning about propagation.

About a year later I decided to buy into the growers system Mike sells after getting my income tax refund. I had some reservations, but decided to go ahead and do it anyway. I almost immediately received the ebooks he had promised and I dove right in. There was some very good information in them, as well as a suggestion that to get the full benefit from the ebooks and DVDs that were being sent, I should join the Backyard Growers Board, another forum where plant propagators interact and share information. This forum was different than the first. This forum was a private one where nursery owners share ideas, suggestions, and suppliers. I figured I did not need it at the time and chose not to spend any more money to join.

Shortly after, I received my DVDs in the mail, and with them, I received an invitation to the private growers board. I was allowed a 45 day free trial to see if it was something I wanted. Of course I jumped at the chance to interact with other plant propagators. I figured I could use the 45 days to gather all the free information I could as well as assemble a list of the suppliers they were using. I fully planned on just gathering as much information as I could and move on.

My first night on the board I was so overwhelmed with information that I was up until 3am. It was a bit tough to get up at 5 and go to work, but my juices were flowing. There was so much information! I couldn’t keep with the number of messages I wanted to save. I copied and pasted so much information into a Word file that it became too big to even find the information I wanted. This was all the very first night!

As well as the information, there is a for sale section of the board where growers buy and sell plants and other nursery related items. I immediately began to buy plants so I could begin to propagate and sell them for profit. In about a months time I had purchased more than 200 plants!

Eventually, my 45 days were almost up and I had to decide whether to buy into a permanent membership. Remember, I had every intention of gathering as much information for free and moving on. However, once I saw the information that was available and the plants I could purchase for mere pennies, I decided I would join. The problem I had was where the money was coming from. Like most everyone, I had a cash flow problem; I never had enough to do what I wanted!

While on the board, I noticed that almost everyone was having a tough time finding parts for their misting systems and putting it all together. Being very mechanical, I designed and built a misting system and tested it out. It worked like a charm and I started to sell them on the board. The response was amazing! I quickly sold out and purchased parts to make more. By the time my 45 days were up I had made enough money to purchase my permanent membership. That was over 3 years ago as of this writing and I have never regretted it.

So now we are back to that question; is Mike McGroarty and his Freeplants website a scam? I can wholeheartedly say no. I am completely satisfied with Mikes growers system and what it has to offer, he has inspired me to start a very successful company that sells misting systems and components. I have personally seen folks join and be running a successful nursery in a years time. Of course, if you are looking for a get rich quick scheme that you don’t have to do any real work, the system is not for you. But, if you love to work with plants and are not afraid of actually working for your money, it may be for you. Still not sure? Check out his book: Easy Plant Propagation for more good propagation advice.

Check out the Freeplants website and sign up for the newsletter to see what kind of information you get for free. There is also a link there to the public forum where you can get some information about plant propagation too. I hope you decide to get the growers system and join the board. I would love to see you there!

Here is a short list of books I use:

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

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I recently wrote an article for another website that explains why you should not use water that has gone through a water softener to mist or irrigate your plants. The article ended with a brief explanation that a benefit of bypassing the water softener to water the cuttings and plants is that the softener will not have to work as hard and as often. Think about it: ALL the water that passes through the softener gets treated. If this water is being used for misting or irrigation, this is a huge waste of energy, salt to regenerate the beads in the softener, and the large amount of water used during the regeneration process.

So by simply adding a spigot before the water softener, you accomplish the following:

• Reduce the stress on the cuttings because of sodium toxicity
• Reduce the amount of sodium that ultimately ends up in the rooting media, affecting every batch of cuttings that I stick in it
• Reduce the stunting of the cuttings because they can use their energy in growing and not overcoming stress, as well as future batches of cuttings that will use the same media
• Reduce the amount of electricity used treating the water that will be used for misting and irrigation
• Reduce the wear and tear on the water softener itself because it will operate less frequently
• Reduce the amount of salt purchased for the water softener
• Reduce the frequency that the chamber that holds the salt will have to be filled
• Reduce the amount of salt that is being flushed into the environment during the regeneration process because the softener will be regenerating less often
• Reduce the frequency that the whole house filter needs to be changed because the spigot will be installed before it
• Reduce the cost of purchasing the filters for the whole house filter
• Reduce the wear and tear on the filter system because of less frequent changes

I am sure there are more, so be sure to let me know by leaving a comment.

Stay tuned, I will be rewriting my previous article and posting it here for you to learn why you should not use water that has gone through a water softener to mist or irrigate your plants.

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How to provide shade for your misting bed

Once your misting or propagation beds are made you may decide you want a way to provide shade for your cuttings while they are being rooted. An easy way to do this is by using pipe clips and a few lengths of electrical plastic conduit. This is the grey PVC pipe that electricians use when running electrical wires outside or underground. It is much more flexible than the white PVC pipe that is used for plumbing and will hold up much longer when exposed to the sun’s UV rays.

List of materials (quantities not given. please read on to determine the quantity you will need)

• 1″ galvanized pipe clips
• 3/4″ grey electrical conduit (PVC)
• 1 1/2″ galvanized screws
• large binder clips

This method uses the half-round galvanized pipe clamps that can be found in the electrical section of a building supply store. You will want to purchase 1’ clamps. To figure out how many clamps to purchase, simply take the number of PVC pipes you will need and double it. If you will have 5 lengths of pipe, you will need  10 clips. Read on to figure how many lengths of electrical conduit you will need:

Next, you need to figure how many ¾” grey electrical conduit pipes to purchase. You will be using 10’ long pieces, so I is advise purchasing them this way to eliminate cutting the pipes to length. You will be making a hoop every 2’, so to figure how many lengths of pipe you will need, simply take the length of your bed in feet and divide it in half, then add 1. An 8 foot long bed will need 5 lengths of pipe (8/2=4+1=5), and a 10’ long bed will require 6 (10/2=5+1=6).

The first thing you need to do is remove the larger “bell” end from the PVC pipe. Use a hand saw to cut just the bell off. Next, on the inside of the misting bed, screw a pipe clip in each corner. Remember, you will be attaching the clips on the inside of the LONG sides. Attach them about 1” below the top of the board and with the opening facing up. You will be sliding the PVC pipe down into them, so be sure they are facing the right direction.

Make a mark every 2’ on the side of your bed and attach the remaining clips 1″ below the top edge. See picture:

Measure 3” from each end of the PVC pipe and mark a line around the pipe. Now make another line at 2”. Be sure to do both ends of the pipe. Drill a 1/8” hole on the 2” mark on one end of the pipe. Do not drill the other end yet. Slide the end of the pipe with the drilled hole down into the clip and line up your 3” mark with the top of the clip. Now drive a screw through the 1/8” hole and into the side of the bed. Repeat this for the remaining pipes. See picture for layout of the pipe:

Now that you have a bunch of PVC pipes sticking up in the air, it is now time to bend them over and place them into the remaining clips. Start on one end and bend the pipe over, insert it into the clip, and line up the 3″ mark with the top of the clip. Drill the 1/8 hole through the pipe to be able to hold it with a screw. Once the hole is drilled, be sure the 3″ mark is lined up with the top of the clip and screw the pipe to the side of the bed. Repeat with the remaining pieces of pipe.

At this point you should now have something that resembles a small hoop house. The hoops will be a bit wobbly at this point and if you desire, you can drill more holes and add more screws or add bracing in a few locations to help make them more rigid, but it really is not necessary because the shade cloth is very light. Lay the cloth over the hoops and align it so it will provide the maximum amount of shade at the hottest part of the day. Take the large binder clips and fasten the cloth to the hoops.

Easy huh?

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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!

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The next item on the list you will need when starting your plant propagation nursery is an inspection by your local Agricultural Inspector.

Calm down and take a breath! It is not as bad as you may think! Your Inspector is actually one of the best resources you could have when it comes to plants. They are extremely knowledgeable about many things that may affect your nursery, like:

• Plant diseases
• Disease control methods
• Plant pests
• Pest control methods
• Nursery and propagation resources
• Local, State, and Federal laws pertaining to plants
• Shipping regulations
• And much more!

Your Inspector can find almost any information you may need when it comes to your nursery.

Some States automatically schedule an inspection when you get your nursery license, but many require you to call the Department of Agriculture to schedule a visit.

When the Inspector arrives they will look over your operation to be sure it is being run in a professional manner. They will take a look at your plants and note whether there are any diseases or insects present. If any are found, your Inspector may have you quarantine the affected plants and treat them for the disease or pest.

Another item the Inspectors usually look for is correctly identified plants. Most want to see that the plants are properly labeled, showing the common name and botanical name.

If all goes well with your inspection, your Inspector will issue an inspection certificate to you. This certificate allows you to sell your plants. The certificate also proves that your nursery has been inspected and was found to be free of diseases and pests.

Remember, your Inspector is one of the best friends you could want when you run a nursery. Their knowledge and experience can save you tons of time and money. Be honest with them and don’t try to slip anything past them. If you get caught, they will remember you and may not be as friendly as they could be.

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The next item on the list you will need when starting your plant propagation nursery are licenses.

Before starting out, it is a good idea to find out which licenses you will need.  Every state differs on which licenses you need so the following is a basic explanation of two you may be required to get.

Business License

This is the license you most likely will get from your local city or town government. Some states may require you to get a State Business License. This is the license that allows you to run a business from your home or other location. When applying for the license, you may be asked your business name and what type of business you will be operating. Be sure to do a little homework before selecting a business name, you do not want to choose a name that is already in use because it may cause confusion or may be trademarked. For a new business, there are a few choices when it comes to business licensing unless you want to incorporate. The choices are Sole Proprietorship, a Limited Liability Company, or LLC, or a Partnership. Be sure to choose the one that best fits your company.

Visit the Small Business Administration website for more information on business licenses including state by state requirements.

Nursery License

Another license you most likely will need is a nursery license. This license allows you to operate your plant propagation nursery and ensures you are following the guidelines for pest control, nursery standards, and other requirements. The National Plant Board website goes into more detail about licensing so be sure to visit to learn more.

Another reason for a Nursery License is to provide your State with information about your nursery which is used to schedule an inspection by your State Agricultural Inspector. We will go into more detail about that in the next article.

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The fourth item needed to start a plant propagation business is rooting media for your cuttings.

As I mentioned in part 3, sand can be used to root softwood cuttings. Common everyday sand. The best thing about using sand is the fact that it is usually readily available and inexpensive.

What kind of sand can be used to root cuttings?

Before deciding to use sand to root your cuttings you should check to be sure you can get the correct type and enough of a quantity to fill your misting bed. River sand, beach sand, and other fine sand that packs tight is not the correct type. These types of sand will not allow fast enough drainage of water and will cause the stems of the cuttings to rot. You need to locate builders sand, concrete sand, coarse sand, sharp sand, or whatever else it may be called in your geographical location. This type of sand will usually have small stones and pebbles which aids in the sands ability to drain quickly.

So what happens if you cannot locate the correct type of sand? Two things. You can try to mix your own by adding pebbles and small stones to your sand, or you can use an alternative.

Using a mixture of peat and perlite as a rooting media for softwood cuttings.

In the event that you cannot locate the correct type or quantity of sand, a mixture of peat and perlite can be used. A good starting mixture is 50% peat/50% perlite. The mixture is by volume, not weight. To get the correct ratio, fill a 5 gallon bucket of peat, dump it into a larger container, fill the 5 gallon bucket with perlite and dump it into the larger container. This gives you a correct 50/50 ratio per volume.

Rooting directly in the misting bed:

Yes, you can root your cuttings directly in the sand that is in the misting bed. I started out that way myself. However, I quickly found that it is best to use rooting flats. The flats can be moved out of the mist when the cuttings develop roots. If you root directly in the sand, you must dig up the cuttings to move them. When first starting out, rooting flats are not a necessity,  but are a big time saver.

Is a misting bed and misting system really needed?

Not when first starting out, but to be able to root hundreds or thousands of cuttings at a time, then yes. To learn how to root cuttings without a misting bed or misting system, visit this site.

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The second item needed to start a plant propagation business is plants.

Not just any plants, but the exact plants you will be taking your cuttings from. At this point you need to decide which business you are actually in. Are you making cuttings and growing plants to sell to your friends, neighbors and relatives? If so, you will be in the retail nursery business.

Are you going to sell the rooted cuttings or liners to other nurseries? Then you will be in the wholesale nursery business.

Regardless of which business model you choose, you need to start off on the right foot. Simple retail selling of plants is the simplest of the two business models, but the wholesale model is where you can make the most money. Let’s go over both types of businesses so you can decide which is best for you.

ATTENTION: If you think you may at some point sell any plants , cuttings, or plant material to another nursery, you must begin with the wholesale nursery model!

Selling to the public-Retail

If you decide you are going to sell to the public only and never sell to another nursery, you have chosen the easiest of the two business models. When selling to the public only, you do not need to be as concerned with the exact plant material you are taking cuttings from. As long as the plant you are taking the cuttings from are not patented you can take cuttings. If the plant has a trademarked name, you CANNOT sell the plant using that name, but must sell it as a species only. For instance, if you propagate Burning Bush CHICAGO FIRE^™, you cannot sell it as CHICAGO FIRE^™, but you can only sell it as Burning Bush sp. (species). Trademarks are names that the discoverer of the new plant has designated for that plant and has registered for that particular plant. Usually it is a name that describes the plant so it is distinguished from other plant of the same species.

Patented plants are a whole different ballgame. Never propagate a patented plant unless you have a written agreement with the patent holder. If you do propagate a patented plant, you will be liable for royalties that propagators pay for the privilege to propagate and sell the plant. If you are found to be propagating patented plants without the proper paperwork, you will still have to pay the royalties and possibly fined for propagating the plants without them. My advice: stay away from the patented plants.

So now that you know that just about any non-patented plant is fair game, you can start to purchase plants to propagate.

Selling to the Nursery industry-Wholesale

If you have decided to sell to the nursery trade, you need to be more selective with which plants to purchase and propagate. Unless you have a written contract to propagate patented plants or to sell trademarked plants by name, you must choose plants that are free to propagate. These are the plants that have been around for a long time and have no restrictions associated with them. Examples are Burning Bush, Goldmound Spirea, Gold Drop Potentilla, and others. You must be absolutely sure to choose the correct plants right from the start. If you sell to another nursery or plant propagation facility, YOU are responsible for assuring them that the plant you sold is one that can be freely propagated. If you sell them a plant that is patented and they get caught, guess who they will be filing a lawsuit against? YOU! Start of on the right foot and choose only plants that can be freely propagated.

Now that that is out of the way, we can talk about stock plants.

Basically, a stock plant is a plant that you take cuttings from. It will be planted in your landscape just for that purpose. Once you purchase a stock plant, you can take cuttings from it and never purchase another one again! You can have one, two, three, or a hundred stock plants to get cuttings from. Only you can decide how many you will need to have to supply you with enough cuttings to root.

Now that you have a basic understanding of which business model you may want to choose and what a stock plant is, I recommend visiting Freeplants.com for even more information on propagating plants to sell and find out which plants you can freely propagate.

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