Q. How long have you been growing ornamental grasses?
A. We brought our first grasses in the spring of 1999.

Q. What got you interested in growing them?
A. We were looking for something unique, and Teresa saw a TV program about Kurt Bluemel’s grasses nursery in Maryland. He studied under some of the iconic European grasses pioneers, and brought the concept of ornamental grasses here to the US.

In addition to their uniquely casual beauty and elegance, the grasses appealed to us because they require virtually no chemicals or fertilizers, which meant that we could grow them here without any worries about impacting the abundant wildlife: deer, turkeys, fox, coyote, weasels, Great Blue Heron, mallards, bats, various hawks, osprey, muskrat, pheasant, and more.

Q. When is the best time to to divide grasses?
A. Most grasses can be divided well into late August, but the sooner the better. A divided grass needs to regrow root mass to survive the coming winter (i.e. “reestablish” itself), and the sooner that process begins, the better. The more weeks the grass has to regenerate root mass before winter, the better. Some varieties are pretty tolerant fairly late into fall, such as Miscanthus ‘Purpurascens’ (Flame Grass) and most of the Switch Grasses, but generally speaking, sooner is better.

Q. What is the biggest mistake or misconception people have when it comes to growing ornamental grass?
A. In the early days of the ornamental grasses industry here, many grasses proved to be aggressive spreaders, and soured many people on the idea of grasses in general. That is very unfortunate, and was simply the result of ignorance in choosing varieties. The most spectacular ornamental grasses are very well-behaved clump-forming varieties, which rarely (if ever) self-sow, and are very easy to control.

Q. Can ornamental grass be grown over a septic tank or leech field?
A. Our ornamental grasses generally only put down about a 15″ root ball, so they can be used safely over a septic tank, and in most cases over a leach field.

Q. Which grass is your personal favorite?
A. My personal favorite grass is Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus.’ It is a cultivar (“cultivated variety”) developed by Ernst Pagels, one of the industry pioneers, and is superior in every respect for New England gardens. It blooms earlier than any of the other Miscanthus, is most reliably upright, has a very elegant form, and bears the most spectacular variety of fall colors. Every color of the grasses fall rainbow is visible in Malepartus – including deep blood red stems.

Q. Do you have one tip that you can share that most people may not be aware of?
A. My best tip for grasses is a technique I developed called “coring” for keeping plants vigorous or restoring them in the center as they age.

Like many perennials, grasses typically develop a “doughnut” effect as they age. The center loses vigor, and can die out to the point of rot. You end up with a ring of new green foliage around the perimeter, but nothing in the center.

Most texts advise digging out such plants, dividing them, and putting back some piece of the original to start over.

This is a lot of work, and costs you at least 3/4 of the plant you’ve been nursing along for 3-4 years.

Instead, use a Sawzall or axe to cut up the center of the plant, removing the dying portion, all the way to the bottom of the root ball.

Backfill the hole with good soil and water like a new plant. The younger growth at the outer edges will regenerate into the middle, and be very vigorous.

Better yet, don’t wait for the center to start dying. Every spring when you do your cut-back, make stimulating cuts through that center. It’s GRASS. Cutting just makes it grow faster. If you stimulate the center every spring, you’ll probably avoid the doughnut effect entirely, and never need to resort to a full coring.

Visit Bill’s website, Willowmist, for more great information on ornamental grass.

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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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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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Timers for a misting system

For instance, selecting a misting timer like the mechanical (Intermatic) ones commonly used is a basic mistake people make. Why is choosing Intermatic timers a mistake? Simple, a misting system that uses mechanical timers such as the Intermatic are immediately locked into using one setting for every cutting being rooted.  Regardless of the moisture requirements of the particular softwood cuttings, every cutting receives the same duration and frequency of mist because the timer can control only one misting solenoid at a time. Some cuttings can handle a fair amount of moisture, but softwood cuttings such as Barberry and others require much less and will usually rot and die when given too much.

Also, when and if (take it from me, it is ALWAYS when) you want to increase the size of your misting beds, you either have to use the existing Intermatic timers to supply the same amount of mist or buy new timers and solenoids to create a new zone which can then be programmed to supply a different amount of mist. Even so, every cutting within that zone gets exactly the same amount of mist.

The cost of the mechanical timers is quite high, making expansion a costly endeavor. The 24 hour timer is usually quite reasonable, but the interval timer that controls the duration of the mist typically costs well over $100 each! I wouldn’t want to buy too many of those.

See, choosing the correct parts for a misting system can be quite a feat and I just briefly mentioned the timers needed for the misting system. I didn’t even begin to talk about misting nozzles. That can be another confusing area when building a misting system.

So what is the answer when needing parts for building a misting system?

Buy one that is already built! MIST Misting System carries a few different types of systems, two with electric timers and two with battery timers. The systems have been sold throughout the US and Canada and have proven to be extremely reliable and easy to use.

Visit MIST Misting System today and stop worrying about choosing the correct parts for your misting system.

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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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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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I haven’t heard if it covers the propagation of the plants covered, but I sure hope it does!

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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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