Today we are going to increase some woody plants by making exact genetic copies or clones of some desireable source plants. The procedure is relatively simple and the following materials are required: A quantity of medium ground peat moss, some coarse, clean, sharp, builder's sand or concrete sand, a ten gallon fish aquarium, some .23 mil polyethylene plastic or some semi-transparent plastic office garbage bag liners, some Captan ®™ fungicide, some Hormo-Root 1 ®™ growth hormone, some Bonomyl ®™ a systemic fungicide, a boxcutter ;-) or utility knife, a plant mister, a hand pruner or heavy utility scissors, and finally some one inch ordinary masking tape.

The first thing to do is to wash and sterilize the aquarium, now referred to as the "Wardian Case" and tools with soapy water and then with a ten percent solution of water and household bleach. You don't want to introduce any further pathogens to the propagating environmnet so a clean and sterile propagating environment is essential for success.

Once your equipment is ready it's time to mix up a batch of growing media. For this project we will be using equal parts by volume of shredded sphagnum peat moss and coarse, sharp, clean builder's or concrete sand. Sometimes the peat moss has lumps in it when you remove it from the bag and it is best to break these up in your fingers. You can mix the media in a wheelbarrow outside with a garden hoe until both the sand and peat moss are thoroughly and uniformly mixed. Add a little fresh clean water during the mixing process until the media becomes moist but not wet. If you were to grab some media in your hand and squeeze it tight no water should drip out of it but it should be able to maintain a shape like making a snowball. Fill the aquarium about half full with the sand-peat moss media, level, and pack firmly. There are different kinds of propagating media but this one works well for me for the type plants we are going to clone.

After your "Wardian Case" has been prepped it's time to gather the cutting material. Select a healthy plant from which to obtain the cuttings. Cuttings should be taken in the early morning when the plant cells are at maximum turgor pressure and full of water. Cuttings should be taken near the base of the plant. Today we'll be taking cuttings from Microbiota deccussata - Russian Carpet Cypress and Pieris japonica - Mt. Fire Pieris. Do not let the cuttings dry out at any time and keep them moist until you can get them to the propagating bench for further processing. The "Wardian Case" can accomodate quite a few cuttings so it is good to have some garden space available outside to use as a nursery after the plants have rooted. In a couple of years time, and if you grow them well, then you can give them away to your friends, neighbors, and good relatives as a gift that keeps on living.

The cutting on the left edge of the carpenter's rule is Russian Carpet Cypress and on the right is Mt. Fire Pieris. The Russian Carpet Cypress is a very hardy plant because it was discovered in Siberia, Russia. It makes a lovely ground cover, can be used in flower arrangements as a textural element, and it is highly resistant to browsing by white tail deer. When the cuttings are prepared as illustrated they must be wounded slightly to stimulate hormone production which leads to the initiation of roots. For the Russian Cypress, stripping the lower leaves is sufficient and for the Pieris a quick, light scrape of the utility knife down one side of the stem is sufficient. Make a slight but deliberate wound by gently scraping some of the bark. Before wounding the cutting the end of the cutting stem is cut at a forty five degree angle and soaked in a solution of Bonomyl and water to help prevent any pathogen development like Phytophthera taking place during the rooting period. The Bonomyl is a systemic fungicide thus the entire cutting will be protected during the beginning of the rooting process.

Wounding the cutting occurs just before coating the stem with a mix of Hormo-Root 1 and Captan powder and just before inserting the cutting. You will need the Hormo-Root 1 powder and the Captan powder mixed equally by volume and only a small amount of a tablespoon or two will be required. A little goes a long way. Remove a cutting from the Bonomyl solution and roll the stem of the cutting up to but not including the leafy part of the stem in the Hormo-Root 1 and Captan powder mixture. Coat the stem evenly, then tap off the extra powder before inserting. A small, soft artist's brush can be used alternatively to coat the stem. Use a wooden pencil, dowel, or narrow dibble stick to make a hole in the rooting media and place the cutting into and just below the leafy part of the cutting. A little bit of the hormone treated stem should be exposed above the soil line on the cutting. This will help prevent damping off. Firm the media around the cutting eliminating any air pockets. The cutting should look and feel firmly planted. Repeat this procedure until all your cuttings have been inserted into the media. Mist the cuttings with water if you have a lot of cuttings to stick to keep them from drying out.

Finally, mix up a batch of Captan, Bonamyl, and water in the proper ratio as per directions for the particular volume of your plant sprayer/mister. You'll have to do the math for the volume of your misting apparatus. Additionally, you will need to open the case up about once a week in order to inspect your cuttings for any signs of mold or disease. Mold is the usual problem and a proper solution of Captan/Bonamyl in your mist sprayer will destroy the mold on your cuttings and help to keep them disease free. I spray the foliage of the cuttings once before I button them up with the polyethylene and masking tape. When sealing your case with the plastic I like to get it drum tight so that there are no wrinkles in the plastic and I stretch it tight so that it will sound like a drum if you lightly tap it. The temperature range inside the case should be between 60° F. and 80° F. or 15.5° C. and 26.5° C. High humidity must additionally be maintained inside the case as we are simulating greenhouse conditions. This will be observed by condensation forming on the inside of the polyethylene and when enough condensate forms a light drumming of the fingers upon the polyethylene will create an artificial rain storm which the cuttings seem to appreciate. Allow four to six weeks for signs of root development. A cutting has to be carefully lifted every now and then in order to observe root formation because once the roots start to form you want to gradually reduce the humidity and get the cuttings growing on their own. When the cuttings have initiated a well developed root system they will have to be hardened off. I do this by poking several holes through the polyethylene for a period of about ten days until the ambient temperature and humidity of the case and my indoor room equalize. The rooted cuttings are then subsequently removed from the case and transplanted into your prepared nursery row for further growth and development. Of course outside ambient conditions have to closely match those of hardened off rooted cuttings.

Cuttings prepared from the soft, succulent, new spring growth of deciduous or evergreen species may be properly classed as softwood.¹ A brief list of plants that can be propagated by softwood cuttings:

Keywords: Hormo-Root 1, Bonamyl, Captan, softwood cuttings

Further Research: *1. Hartmann and Kester, Plant Propagation Principles and Practices, © 1983, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 4th Edition.