BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Gardening Preparing for winter article

Hi Sue,
There are a couple of things I don't understand in your article, being an occasional gardener. How do I do a cutting? And what plants might I do this to? And what does "self sow" mean?
Thanks!

To take a cutting use a very sharp knife to cut a piece of this year's growth below a leaf on at least a 6 inch piece of the stem. Remove several leaves above the cut and insert into planting mixture in a pot. Water in. Place indoors or in a greenhouse over winter.

Self sow means the plant seeds itself for next year by dropping seeds on the ground. Some seed pods pop open when dried and scatter, some on the wind like dandelions, and more.

You can also do cuttings in late Spring, which I seem to find is much easier. Taking cuttings in late Fall through winter are known as hardwood cuttings. I've had better luck with trees than anything else when doing hardwood cuttings. Your personal results may vary. My favorite book for the basics of plant propagation is: Plant Propagation by Alan Toogood. Gives you a good foundation for starting. You can root almost anything, barring a few fruit trees, some trees like redbuds and some evergreens. Those are mostly grown by grafting or seed. Taking cuttings and rooting plants can become addictive, but the results make frugal gifts for family and friends.

Thanks for the advice ladies. I will give the cutting a try in spring.