After you have successfully rooted your cuttings you need to be sure to get them through their first winter. But exactly how do you do that?

Well, you could do what professional nurseries do and cover them with plastic. What kind of plastic? White.

Here is a picture I took of a local nursery that put their potted plants to bed for the winter:

They simply covered them with the white plastic and placed a few heavy items on the edges of the plastic to help hold it down. Once the snow arrives, the edges will get held down even better, making it hard for the wind to get under and potentially tearing off the plastic.

It also looks to me like they placed the pots on their sides before putting the plastic on top which is a common practice. Why do I think this? Simple, there are no large bumps in the plastic. If you look close you will see a few small bumps but nothing that is much larger than the rest.

What’s your secret to getting you plants through the winter?

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Everyone of course!

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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I recently took some cuttings I had rooted under my misting system out of the mist and potted them up. One plant in particular caught my attention because I could have sworn that I just put it under the mist a few days before. Of course, I realized that time flies and I must have been mistaken.

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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Are you interested in plant propagation? One of the best ways (and easiest!) to propagate plants is by taking cuttings and subject them to the right conditions so they forms roots. Although semi-hard and hardwood cuttings will root, softwood cuttings are usually easier to root and become a sizable plant in less time.

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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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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The clock is ticking but you still have time!

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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Ok, I have had about enough of this cold weather and snow, how about you? I am tired and my back is telling me to take a break. I can’t wait for spring and summer to arrive so I can get outside and start rooting softwood cuttings again. To get our plant propagation juices flowing I have decided to give away a book of your choice about plant propagation.

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 often get asked if a simple water storage tank like a rain barrel, can be used to provide water for a misting system. In this day and age, many folks are thinking greener and using barrels or drums to collect water from their downspouts when it rains. Can this water be used for a misting system? The answer is simple; yes and no.

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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What is an electronic leaf?

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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The secret to situating a Nearing frame is getting it oriented correctly. Simply taking a compass and aligning the opening toward North with a compass is not enough.

Here’s why direct sunlight should not enter the Nearing frame:

The key to a Nearing frame is ensuring no direct sunlight enters and lands on the cuttings. Direct sunlight passing through the plexiglass or glass cover is like sunlight entering a greenhouse; the sunlight quickly raises the temperature and if it lands on the leaves of a cutting, could burn them. This raising of temperature will quickly cause the cuttings in a Nearing frame to overheat.

High temperatures within the frame will also cause the moisture in the rooting media to evaporate quicker than normal. This moisture typically collects on the plexiglass or glass cover and keep the humidity within the Nearing frame high. Dry rooting media does not provide the required moisture to the stems which will also cause them to fail.

High humidity is one of the key elements to a Nearing frame but if the temperature and humidity get too high, this will have adverse affects on the cuttings. Raising the temperature in the Nearing frame causes the cuttings to overheat. This overheating puts stress on the cuttings which will ultimately cause them to fail.

How to correctly align a Nearing frame:

Aligning a Nearing frame is not difficult but does require a step beyond just using a compass to find North. Why? because a compass will only give you magnetic North, not true North. Magnetic North is affected by geographical location. Determining true North (also called magnetic declination) is a fairly simple job once you know how to do it.

First, visit magnetic-declination.com and enter your city and state. The supplied map will have a marker on it showing your location. Click on this marker to open a balloon with the information you need. This is what I found when I entered mine:

We are interested in the Magnetic declination and whether it is east or West. In my case it is 15 degrees West.

Take the compass and align the North arrow (usually colored red)  to North, then slowly turn so it is pointed to your magnetic declination. Remember whether you are East or West, this means your needle will be to the right or left of the N (North).  Here is a picture showing true North and one showing how I had to adjust my Nearing frame on the West (left) side of magnetic north. My compass actually has marks that show East and West declination on it so that made it a bit easier to determine which direction to rotate it.

Ok, ok, I know what you are thinking…my true North is supposed to be 15 degrees and not the 20 shown in the pictures. There are two reasons my nearing frame is set to 20 degrees in the pictures.

• I didn’t have the compass snug against the frame when I took the picture. This affected the reading by a degree or two.
• I had to fine tune the Nearing frame after the initial alignment to my magnetic declination. This changed my actual true North (magnetic declination) by a degree or two also. Once the frame was set up I paid attention for a few days to see if the sun entered the opening . I noticed that a sliver of direct sun about 3 inches wide entered the opening and I adjusted the frame so this did not happen.

Getting your nearing frame aligned properly is key to your success rooting cuttings in it. With just a quick visit to the link I provided and a compass, you too can get yours aligned properly.

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