Gathering cuttings to place under your misting system can be quite a chore. But it really doesn’t need to be.

Misting systems are great for rooting cuttings. They make quick work out of the process of the cutting forming roots to become a real plant. I use a few methods to root cuttings but my misting system is by far my favorite. Of course, you need cutting to place under the mist, and that is where the work begins.

Gathering cuttings can be a tedious job, you take a pair of pruners, select a branch or shoot, cut it just above a leaf or pair of leaves, trim the cutting just below a leaf node, dip the stem in rooting hormone, then place the cutting in rooting media and under the misting system. Each step takes time so how can you save some time? Easy, during the gathering of the cuttings.

As the photo below shows, my Pink Weigela has a ton of new growth and looks a bit disheveled. This new growth is what needs to be cut and rooted but I really don’t have the time (or patience) to clip each shoot individually, so I grab my trusty hedge shears and go to town!

This next picture shows the shrub trimmed to a more pleasing shape. During the pruning I clipped of a ton of new growth, growth that will be used as cutting material.

How much rooted cutting material? Well take a look at the pile of cuttings I got from just one shrub. All I need to do is clean them up and prepare them to be stuck.

So don’t be afraid of pruning your shrubs with hedge clippers. Just think of all the cuttings you will end up with.

Oh, as an added bonus, your shrubs will look much better too.

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Have you ever tried to select parts for a misting system to root cuttings? It can be quite daunting unless you know exactly what you need can’t it?

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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Well, honestly, it is a bit tough to tell because I do not know exactly what kind of system you want to build, but basically it is a short list, especially if a DIG propagation timer is used.

Tools needed to build a misting system:

• Small screwdriver
• Water pump pliers
• Wire strippers
• PVC saw
• Drill and correct sized bit
• Tape measure

See, not too many and nothing really out of the ordinary.

What each tool is needed for:

The small screwdriver and wire strippers is to connect the irrigation wire to the timer. Simply strip about 1/4 inch of insulation off the wire and place them under the common and zone 1 screw on the timer.

The saw and tape measure are used to cut the PVC to the correct length according to your misting bed size. The tape measure will also be used to correctly space out the misting nozzle locations.

The drill is obviously used to make the holes the misting nozzles will be installed in. The hole size is critical to ensure there are no leaks and the nozzles stay inserted  into the piping.

The water pump pliers are used to tighten the hose adapters into the solenoid valve. I always suggest using tread sealant to eliminate any potential leaks.

What else is needed when building a misting system?

The hardest part to building your own misting system isn’t choosing the correct tools, but parts. Selecting a part that is not suitable for misting systems is one of the biggest mistakes I see the DIYer make. For instance, selecting the wrong solenoid valve is one of the most common mistakes I see. Most folks will pick up the valve at a local Big Box Store because it is easily found and inexpensive. This could be a costly mistake.

Some solenoid valves that are purchased at Big Box Stores close much too slowly to be accurate enough to use in a misting system. This causes the timer to be off by a few seconds or more. I have seen this inaccuracy add 10 seconds to my misting cycle, 10 seconds! My settings was 14 seconds and because the solenoid closed slowly I was getting 24, way too much mist.

Conclusion:

The correct tools are essential when building a misting system. Using the wrong tool can waste a lot of time and money. However, this short list is what I use and you may find a different tool that works just as well for you, and that is perfectly ok.

Do you use something other than the tools I have mentioned?

You can also purchase misting systems that are pre-built and can be set up within minutes at mistmistingsystem.com.

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No, well it doesn’t really take much to be prepared in the event that a piece of your misting system decides to stop working. Of course, this is more likely to happen at the worst possible time, like when you have a ton of cuttings under mist and it is during the hottest time of the summer.

Here are a few items you should always have on hand in case something goes wrong:

• misting solenoid
• wire connectors
• length of wire
• filter cartridge
• plumbing fittings
• batteries
• hose washers

Having these items on hand is cheap insurance if you need them in a hurry. Always remember to replace them if you need to “borrow” a piece for another project. You haven’t saved any time if the part you need is being used somewhere else.

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I recently took a plant propagation class at the Berkshires Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Although I am a member of a private plant propagation group, have been propagating plants for a few years now, own a company I started that designs, assembles and sells misting systems and misting components for homeowners and startup nurseries, I decided I needed to take a break from everything and attend this small class that was being taught by Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery. Adam is the principle plant propagator and development manager at Broken Arrow Nursery and was kind enough to teach this class on how to propagate woody landscape plants using cuttings.

The day started quite early. I had to leave the house by 5AM to be sure I could make the 10 o’clock class. Yes, I said 5 AM; the Berkshires Botanical Garden is a 4 hour drive from my house! I arrived about ½ hour early and strolled around the grounds until the class started.

Adam started the class by introducing himself and explained what he does at Broken Arrow Nursery. He explained that it is his responsibility to take softwood, semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings at the nursery and make plants out of them. He then explained what propagation is; it is the art and science of making new plants.

He then explained the differences between the three major types of cuttings, softwood, greenwood (or semi-hardwood), and hardwood.

Softwood

• Will snap if bent
• Is prone to disease and water stress
• Is soft succulent growth
• Is collected during active growth

Greenwood (or semi-hardwood)

• Will bend if bent
• Is firm growth
• Is collected after active growth

Hardwood

• Will break like a stick
• Is the mature stems
• Is collected late in the season or in the winter

After explaining the difference, he then mentioned that most conifers are done as hardwood cuttings.

Adam then went over some tips while collecting cuttings for propagation

• To help retain moisture, collect cuttings in the morning or evening.
• Never take cuttings from a stock plant that is water stressed.
• Label the cuttings immediately. Do not rely on your memory.
• Process the cuttings quickly. Sticking the cuttings soon after collection reduces stress and increases the odds that it will root.

He then went on to tell us a few factors that will influence the cuttings

• Temperature
• Rooting media
• Humidity
• Hormones
• Timing
• Wounding
• Juvenility
• Stock plant

Adam then went into more detail on these factors.

Temperature

The ideal temperature of the root zone for greenwood (semi-hardwood) cuttings is 65 to 85 degrees F but lower for hardwood cuttings. He also went on to explain that when rooting cuttings with softer wood, “cooler temperatures promote rot”.

Adam then explained that some nurseries use bottom heat to maintain the correct temperatures at the root zone. They do this by burying soil warming cables or using piping that circulates warm water under the soil.

Media

Rooting media can be sand, peat, perlite, vermiculite, or pine bark. He went on to explain that a combination of two or more of these materials is usually best. A mix of 50/50 peat/perlite mix is quite popular as is 50/50 perlite/vermiculite. However, he also stated that some plants prefer different proportions and experimenting is the best way to determine this.

Adam then talked about how to properly mix the media for a 50/50 mix. This is done by filling a container with one of the materials and transferring it to a larger container, then filling the first container with the other material and dumping it into the larger container. Both materials would then be thoroughly mixed together. This is called measuring by volume.

Adam also mentioned that a good rooting media will retain just enough moisture to allow the cuttings to root but also allow enough water to pass through to not keep the media too wet. He then explained that out of the 5 media mentioned, that peat, vermiculite and pine bark are for water holding and the others are used to aid in draining.

He then talked a bit about the rooting media he uses at Broken Arrow Nursery. He revealed that he primarily uses a 50/50 mix of perlite and commercial potting mix. He stressed that propagators should “stay away from retail potting mix for rooting cuttings because most will retain too much moisture”

Humidity

Adam went on to explain that keeping the cutting humid is essential to getting cuttings to root. He mentioned cold frames, hot frames, and mentioned that larger propagation nurseries use intermittent mist. He then revealed that he uses “5 seconds of mist every minute” while rooting cuttings. What he didn’t say was if these cuttings are in a greenhouse or some other type of structure.

Hormones

Adam explained that hormones contain various levels of auxin. He also stated that using rooting hormones do not guarantee success.  He then went on to talk about willows having natural auxins and that you can cut up willow stems, steep them in water, and use the water as a rooting hormone dip.

He then revealed that he “uses DipNGrow at a 1 to 10 ratio for semi-hardwood cuttings”.

Adam then explained that too much or a dilution that is too strong is not good because the stems will burn. He stated that there is a threshold for each plant that only experience will reveal.

Timing

• Proper timing is essential to successful rooting
• Extensive notes help track the best time to take cuttings of different varieties of plants
• Take note of what other plants are doing at the time you take your cuttings. This may aid you in determining the best time of year to take cuttings of certain plants

Wounding

• Wounding eliminates physical barriers that affect root development.
• Creates a greater surface area for hormone uptake
• Induces internal hormone changes

Adam explained that “roots form from the cambium layer and in some instances, wounding will increase rooting percentages”. He also revealed that he wounds only about 10% of all his cuttings.

Juvenility

• Juvenility refers to the growth stage of the plant
• Plants can have multiple stages of growth on a single plant

Adam explained that “juvenile cuttings root easier and quicker”. He also stated that “juvenile growth will be toward the base and interior of the plant”. Another way of determining the juvenility of the growth is “the leaves will hang on longer in the fall on juvenile growth”.

Stock plants

Adam stressed the importance of the health of the stock plant. He said to never take a cutting from a water stressed plant or one that has a disease. Taking a cutting will only stress the stock plant even more and in the case of disease, is very likely to spread it.

Preparation of cuttings

Adam then went on to explain how to properly prepare a cutting. He again mentioned that a cutting should be taken during the morning or evening so the cutting has the largest amount of water retained in it. He also had these tips to share:

• The proper length of the cutting is between 4 and 6 inches. Depending on the plant, this may sometimes be 8 inches.
• Always cut just below a node because roots will form from the node itself because there is a natural occurrence of auxins at the node.
• Always remove the tips of the cuttings. The tips are prone to wilting and stress.
• Reduce the foliage on the cutting to help reduce water loss.

At this point in the class Adam took us on a little jaunt and pointed out some plants that would be likely to root. He explained that it was actually the wrong time of the day to be collecting cuttings but we would have to soldier on anyway.

The class followed Adam among the various shrubs where he talked a bit about each plant and we were allowed to take a cutting if we desired. Because I already have stock plants to get cuttings from, I took only a few from two plants; a Diablo Ninebark and an unnamed Deutzia that has bluish flowers and is known only to the Berkshire Botanical Garden. He went on to say that he has been trying to talk the Botanical Garden to propagate and release this particular plant but has had no luck thus far. Of course I had to grab a few cuttings from that plant!

After the collection of the cuttings was done we all headed back to the conference room where we prepared them for sticking, but first we had to mix up a small batch of 50/50 peat/perlite. We mixed it 50/50 by volume. We did this by filling a small container with peat, dumping it on a mixing table, then filling the container with perlite. This container was also dumped onto the mixing table and then both were thoroughly mixed together. We then filled a few smaller container that we would be placing our cuttings into.

Next, we prepared our cuttings by cutting the stem just below a leaf node. Adam explained that the nodes are where the roots will be forming from and that cutting just below the node is a key step in the cuttings ability to root. Next, we cut the tip off the cutting just above a pair of leaves. We then stripped off all the leaves but the very top two. On the cuttings that have large leaves, like Hydrangea, Adam suggests cutting the remaining leaves in half to reduce the loss of water through them, a process called transpiration.

We then applied some rooting hormone to the ends and stuck the cuttings into our containers with the rooting media. Next, we moistened the media, stuck a small piece of bamboo into the pot to hold up the plastic bag, and placed the clear bag over the container, holding it with a rubber band.

Adam explained that when we noticed the droplets of water that will collect on the inside of the bag begin to disappear, that was an indication that we needed to add some water to our container to keep the humidity up.

The class ended with Adam giving the class his email address in case we had any questions.

Even though I use a misting system to root my cuttings instead of the little plastic tents, this class was a nice break from the daily grind and I did learn a thing or two. Namely, Adam’s secret for determining the best time to take cuttings of Purple Smokebush. Although I live many miles north of Connecticut and his secret may not actually work in my zone, I gained valuable knowledge about paying attention to what surrounding plants are doing when you take your cuttings.

Be sure to look for a post that will show the steps needed to root your own cuttings using the method Adam described.

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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

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I recently mentioned writing an article on exactly how spraying water on your tender plants during a frost or freeze protects them. Well, I am feeling a bit lazy and decided to give you a few links instead to articles that have already been written. Along with the articles is a link to a video that explains it quite well. Enjoy.

How to Protect Plants from Cold Weather, Frosts: Ways to Keep a …

This method is often utilized by farmers, who can protect fruits and vegetables by covering them with a layer of ice! Covering Plants During a Freeze, Mini-Greenhouses and Cold Frames. For small or young plants, gardeners can … If a plant must be kept indoors for an extended period of time, bitter apple spray can be applied to the leaves to prevent pets from eating the leaves. To learn more about what plants are toxic for dogs and cats, read Toxic Plants and Pets. …

Living Our Dream: Freezing in Florida

The landscape nurseries, like the one in the photo below, also spray plants with water during a freeze. This photo was taken a little later in the morning after things began to thaw, but ice still clings to the fence and grass in the foreground. … We have friends from up north stopping by in a few days, so we’ll probably schedule some sightseeing with them. Plus, we have another motor home improvement project in the works, so keep looking for our posts. …

Spraying water on your plants to protect them during cold snaps

Spraying the plants with water actually protects them during the freeze. Check out this short video to learn why. It was shot right here in Maine on a very cold day to protect the pepper plants. …

Lawn & Landscape Magazine : News Tips on protecting plants from …

Active plants with adequate moisture content can better resist freeze damage. Plants can also be gently sprayed with mists of water to create an ice blanket, which helps insulate and protect the plant. Applying water just prior to freezing … During a freeze, if the ground is frozen, water may be unavailable to the plants. Plants continue to transpire (lose water from their leaves) and dry out during the day. Watering the soil to thaw the ground can make the water …

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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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I recently heard from Lee Bridges, a customer who lives in Florida. I have been working with him for a while as he has been assembling a very extensive misting and watering system for his nursery. He wanted to order more misting nozzles and while I was processing his order, we engaged in small talk. He couldn’t thank me enough for the system I have helped him design, and  told me that during the recent freezing spells in Florida he used his misting system to keep his plants from freezing. Yes, you read that right, he used his misting system to keep his plants from freezing.

He told me that he was a bit worried about the predictions for freezing weather. He has hundreds of plants in pots and in grow beds and because he lives in zone 9/10, the plants are not suitable for freezing weather. He told me that he wondered if he could turn the misting system on and let the water spray on his plants to keep them from getting killed, similar to what the citrus growers near him do to protect their crops. He figured he had nothing to lose and turned on the system to let the fine spray cover his plants.

As the night wore on, his plants began to form a coat of ice on them. The coat of ice got fairly thick according to Lee. He still figured that he had nothing to lose, so he continued to spray water on the plants. As the sun came up, the misting system turned off and the ice began to melt off of the plants. Lee didn’t know if his experiment had worked or not at this point, but the plants still looked good.

At the time of Lee’s call  to me, the freezing weather had been a few weeks earlier and Lee proudly stated that his plants were doing great and many had flowers! His experiment to save his plants had worked.

Stay tuned for an article that will help explain how spraying your plants with water and freezing them solid actually helps them during a freeze. Of coarse, this only works in those climates that rarely have freezes, like Florida, so don’t attempt to use this process in North Dakota or anywhere else there is an extended hard freeze..

I love to hear these stories about how a misting system helped my customers!  Have you used your misting system for an unconventional use? Has your misting system changed your life? If so, I would love to hear about it.

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