Plant Material And Planting Methods

Cuttings

A cutting is a small piece removed from a plant which with proper treatment can be induced to form roots and then grow into a specimen which is identical to the parent plant. You cannot guess the best type of cutting to take nor the best time to propagate a specimen which is identical to the parent plant. There are, however, a few general rules. Plant the cutting as soon as possible after severing it from the parent plant and make sure that the compost is in close contact with the inserted part. Do not keep pulling at the cutting to see if it has rooted - the appearance of new growth is the best guide.

Softwood cuttings:

These are green at the top and the base, and are taken from early spring to midsummer. Many hardy perennials and some small shrubs are propagated in this way. Basal cuttings are shoots formed at the base of the plant and pulled away for use as softwood cuttings in spring.

Semi-ripe cuttings:

These are green at the top and partly woody at the base, they are usually heel cuttings. Midsummer to early autumn is the usual time and most shrubs, climbers and conifers are propagated by using this method.

Hardwood cuttings:

A large variety of trees, shrubs, Roses and bush fruit can be propagated in this way. The usual time is late autumn. Choose a well ripened shoot from this years growth.

Roots with soil:

You will never finish stocking your garden as long as you remain a gardener. There will always be more spaces to fill, old plants to renew and new varieties to try. The easiest way to achieve success at planting time is to use pot-grown specimens or container-grown plants so as to avoid root disturbance. There are times, however, when we must rely on lifted plants, such as hardy perennials dug up at the nursery, bedding plants taken out of plastic trays or rooted cuttings separated from others in a propagator. In these cases some root damage is inevitable, and the rules for planting are designed to reduce this shock to a minimum. The leaves will continue to lose water after planting and so it is essential that new roots are produced as quickly as possible to replace the damaged ones. This calls for thorough soil preparation, careful lifting and then planting at the right time and in the right way.

Bare-rooted plants:

These are dug up at the nursery and transported without soil, at one time all of our Roses were bought this way. Damp material, such as peat, is packed around the roots to prevent them from drying out and at no stage should the roots be allowed to become dry. Bare-rooted plants are less expensive than their container-grown counterparts and it is not true that they are always more difficult to establish - some shrubs take root more readily when planted as bare-rooted stock.
Planting time is the dormant season between autumn and spring - choose mid October to November if you can, but delay planting until March if the soil is heavy and cold. Cut off all leaves, dead flowers, thin or damaged stems and damaged roots. If the stem is shrivelled plunge the roots in a bucket of water for 2 hours. Place packing material over the roots when you are ready to begin planting. If you can't plan straight away, leave the packing material intact and put in a cool but frost-free place. If the delay is likely to last more than a few days, unpack and heel the plants in by digging a V-shaped trench in which the roots are placed and covered.

A fantastic period of my time is spent in my garden, but as I am getting older and things are becoming harder to do. I have decided to make use of a firm called Landscaper London. Up to now they have given me all the help and advice that I have asked for. I still do a bit of pottering around my own garden.

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How To Grow Big Tomatoes

Tomatoes are one of the most common fruits (Yes officially they are fruits and not vegetables!) grown around the World. They are easy to grow, and with a few simple tips you can aim to get a big bumper crop of large tomatoes.

Now not everyone will agree with all of these tips, yet they have worked very well for me and resulted in big, strong flavoured tomatoes, as well as bumper crops all round.

Firstly the earlier you can get your tomatoes growing the better. This year I have planted mine inside towards the end of February. Many people will say do not do this until the end of March, but to an extent it does depend on where you live in the World. I live in the South of England and so I can get away with planting a full month earlier than most people.

I always feed my tomato plants with tomato food from the minute I plant them in their seed compost. Indeed I even water the dry compost with tomato feed before I plant the seeds. Whilst many people will tell you that this initially makes them leggy, I have found that as the plants mature the stems grow far thicker and stronger, and hence they are much more resistant to wind.

To set your tomato plants going I recommend planting two seeds per tray section, and simply either pull out the weaker of the two seedlings once they have germinated or re-pot the weaker one. Planting two per tray section is particularly a good idea if like me you are going to grow some plants to sell on to other people.
To plant your seeds imply use the blunt end of a pencil and press it down around 5 mm into the compost, then drop two seeds inside of the hole and simply use you fingers to pinch compost lightly over the top of the seed.

I then either place mine in my electric propagator (Highly recommended as they only cost around £15), or place them on a warm windowsill.

In either case I cover them with a layer of bubble wrap and then a layer of newspaper. The bubble wrap keeps them nice and warm, and the newspaper helps block out the light, which forces the seeds to seek out the light and germinate early. This can push your tomato seeds to germinate in less than 7 days, and not the 14-21 it says on the packet.

If you follow these tips then you will end up with great tomatoes far faster than your neighbours!

Visit us to find out more about how to grow tomatoes, and learn more about how to grow vegetables from asparagus to how to grow turnips

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Greenhouses and other glass protection.

Greenhouses and other glass protection

1. Install an electricity supply in your greenhouse to give you light and power for watering systems and propagating units.


2. Remove automatic window openers in the winter, as heavy frosts can damage the liquid reservoirs which operate them.


3. Locate greenhouses where they will get plenty of sun in winter and spring, and where you can get to them without getting muddy feet.


4. Grow a pot of basil in your greenhouse to repel whitefly. They don't like the smell.


5. Keep your greenhouse warm in the winter and save on heating bills by lining it with bubble plastic. The bubbles should be against the glass, to form a solid layer of air.


6. Make quick cloches with two sheets of glass and four clothes pegs. Put two pegs on each piece of glass, lean the sheets of glass together, and put a rubber band on each pair of pegs to hold them together.


7. Fix up a clear polythene curtain to separate plants which need different growing conditions such as dry and light for tomatoes or shady and moist for cucumbers.


8. Water your greenhouse in the morning. Evening watering leaves moist conditions overnight which encourage red spider mite.


9. Grow vegetable crops in growbags or tubs rather than in the border soil, to avoid a build-up of diseases and pests.


10. Make your own staging with trestle legs and planks or expanded metal.


11. If you have children in your garden, choose a cheap plastic greenhouse until they are grown-up, or choose rigid plastic glazing rather than glass.


12. For cheap adjustable greenhouse shades, use roll-up bamboo blinds.


13. If using biological pest control methods in your greenhouse. Check with the suppliers whether you can use pesticides without killing the predators you've purchased.


14. Treat wooden structural portions of your greenhouse with linseed oil every live years.


15. Install a water supply in your greenhouse. Even if it is no more elaborate than a tap.


16. Keep a tank in your greenhouse to bring water up to air temperature before using it on your plants. Mains water can be cold enough to shock tender plants in hot weather.


17. If you heat your greenhouse by electricity, keep a small paraffin heater as a backup in case of power cuts.


18. Ask yourself if you really need to heat the whole greenhouse, or whether a propagator would be sufficient to keep your favourite plants going through the winter.


19. Make a cheap cold frame the Chinese way, by digging a pit, lining the sides with sheets of polystyrene, then laying a few bamboo canes across the top to support plastic sheeting for a lid. A layer of gravel in the bottom of the pit will absorb heat during the day and give it off slowly at night.


20. Put cloches out on the growing area at least two weeks before adding plants or seed, to let the soil warm up. Cover the ends to keep out draughts.


21. Cold-frames and cloches attract ants, who like to make nests in warm places, so sprinkle ant killer round the edges to keep them out before they damage your plants.


22. Use plastic water-bottles as individual mini-greenhouses for tender plants. Cut off the bottom and push the bottle firmly into the soil over the plant. Pop a few slug pellets inside and put the lid on until the weather warms up.

Did you know that even a small greenhouse can boost your gardening productivity 10 fold? If you want to know how much you can do with only a Small Greenhouse then check out http://www.gardeningdatafiles.com/gardening-in-a-small-greenhouse

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Misting For Plant Propagation

The discovery of misting was a huge turning point in plant propagation. Prior to misting, plant propagators had very few reliable ways of asexual propagation. One common method was to take a cutting of a plant, stick it in moist sand, and place a glass jar over it. The jar would let in light and retain moisture around the cutting. This method does work, but the success rate was not high. Plants would burn if too much sun penetrated the glass. The glass would concentrate and intensify the light ( think magnifying glass) which would burn tender cuttings. Another drawback was fungus. Fungus thrives in moist environments. Having the cuttings under glass with no air movement to help dry it off, usually meant the cutting would die from too much moisture. Frequent removal of the glass helped to replace the stale moist air with fresh air, but was very labour intensive with large numbers of cuttings.

Later, it was discovered that if the cuttings were misted frequently by hand throughout the day, greater success was achieved. Again, very labour intensive.

Misting systems allowed propagators to keep the cuttings moist, but not overly wet, and saved considerable time. Cuttings are usually placed out in the open or an open enclosure, not under a sealed enclosure, which allows the circulation of fresh air which the plants require for it's respiration, cooling, drying, and watering requirements. Because of the automation, many more cuttings could be done at one time.

All mist kits have the same basic components.

A timer to turn the system on and off daily.

A timer to control the misting duration and frequency.

A transformer to reduce the voltage to the voltage the solenoid requires. Please note that transformers and solenoids are AC voltage and others are DC voltage! Voltage for the solenoid and transformer

MUST be the same!

A solenoid valve that controls the flow of the water to the mist heads.

A reliable water supply.

A reliable electrical supply.

A manifold to carry the water to the misting heads

mist heads to spray a fine mist over the cuttings

A simple misting setup would be assembled as follows: A 24 hour timer set up to turn the system on in the morning, and off in the evening. This timer can be hard wired to an electrical circuit, or a simple plug can be installed to facilitate the systems remove for the winter. The 24 hour timer is wired to another timer that controls the duration and frequency if misting. This frequency varies from geographical location and season, but a 10 minute frequency with a 6 second duration is a good place to start. This in turn is wired to a step down transformer that reduces the voltage to what the solenoid requires. If in question, a competent electrician should be sought. The transformer is then wired to the solenoid. The solenoid will need fittings installed so a common garden hose can be attached. Proper installation of these fittings is essential for the solenoid to work properly. The solenoid is DIRECTIONAL, meaning there is an IN and an OUT. Next, the outlet of the solenoid is attached to a PVC manifold that will carry the water to the mist heads. The connection of these heads can be done a few ways depending on the application. Some are suspended from overhead, others are simply attached to a manifold on the ground and raised to allow the spray to cover the cuttings. One option I recommend for the system is a filter. Small particulates will clog the solenoid or render your mist heads inoperable. The cost of a filter is far less than the frustration from losing cuttings due to a plugged head.

Modern technology has given us even better equipment than the two separate timers mentioned. The transformer can also be eliminated due to the fact that it is built into the timing unit. One timer in particular will operate six completely separate stations. This means you could have six separate mist beds, six different irrigation zones, or a combination of the two; one mist zone and up to five irrigation zones. This comes in quite handy, if you have a mist bed and potted plants, grow beds, perennial gardens, or anything else you need watered.

For areas that do not have electricity readily available, there are also units that are strictly battery operated.

Dwayne Haskell owns and operates Hidden Hills Nursery [http://www.hiddenhillsnursery.com]. He also enjoys teaching others how to grow their own landscape plants from rooted cuttings. After building his own misting system for his nursery, he realised he could design and build a system for home gardeners who are interested in starting their own plants from cuttings. He offers complete misting kits, individual components, and advice at Mistkits.com.

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Stewart 52cm Thermostatic Control Electric Propagator

Company Description

Established in 1945, Stewart has an enviable reputation as a UK manufacturer and leading Brand in the Garden products market. Within this market the Stewart brand is widely recognised as representing quality, innovation and excellent customer support.”

  Stewart 52cm Thermostatic Control Electric Propagator - Black

Product Description

Premium electric propagator supplied with a crystal clear lid and sealed heating unit. Established in 1945, Stewart has an enviable reputation as a UK manufacturer and leading Brand in the Garden products market. Within this market the Stewart brand is widely recognised as representing quality, innovation and excellent customer support.”