Houseplants and more can be propagated in propagation classes.

By Amy-Lynn Albertson
N.C. Cooperative Extension

The Rowan County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers had a highly successful plant sale at the Agricultural Center this year, with more than 400 people purchasing plants. I hope everyone is as excited about their new plants as I am about the two beautiful succulent planters I bought for my mom. If you missed the plant sale, don’t worry — you can still enjoy the fun by taking one of our plant propagation classes this summer.

The Rowan County Master Gardeners will offer their annual propagation classes on June 25 and July 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $25. For registration information, go to http://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu. Make sure to bring pruners, a knife and cuttings of the shrubs you want to propagate. Propagating your own plants can be a rewarding and cost-effective hobby.

For the cuttings, use softwood that is 6 to 8 inches long. Keep the cuttings in water or a cooler until class time, and wait to cut them until the morning of the workshop. Experienced Master Gardeners will guide you through the process and help you grow your garden. Please note that the class size is limited to 15 participants, and it is important that the plants you take cuttings from are well-watered beforehand, as stressed plants won’t do well.

Avoid taking cuttings from old wood or from shrubs that are aged or declining, as these will be difficult to propagate. Shrubs should also be free from insects and disease. Participants are encouraged to bring enough plant material to share with others. Recommended plants for propagation include most ornamental shrubs, such as butterfly bushes, hydrangeas, azaleas, mock oranges, crape myrtles, spireas, weigelas, gardenias (both upright and trailing varieties), hollies, roses, chaste trees (vitex), Kerria, viburnum and beautyberry. Some conifers will propagate well, while others may not. Camellias can be propagated but take a while to mature. Don’t forget about vining plants and herbs — clematis and lavender, for example.

Once filled, the propagation trays will be nurtured in the greenhouse until fall. At that time, a potting session will be scheduled with Master Gardeners available to assist, and the new plants will be ready to take home. Summer is the perfect time to try reproducing a lilac bush or crabapple tree. The best times to take “softwood” cuttings are in June, July and sometimes early August.

The term “softwood” refers to a growth stage of a deciduous woody plant that is neither the new, green growth at the tip of a shoot nor the stiff, woody growth at the base. The best way to determine if a shoot is at the softwood stage is to bend it — if it snaps, it’s ready to be taken as a cutting. If the shoot is very flexible and doesn’t snap, it’s too green; if it’s not flexible at all, it’s too old.

Soft shoots are quite tender, so it’s crucial to take extra care to keep them from drying out. However, this effort usually pays off, as softwood cuttings tend to root quickly. To root a few cuttings, you can use a flower pot or a small flat. You can maintain high humidity by covering the cuttings with a bottomless milk jug or by placing the container in a clear plastic bag.

Some plants that are easily propagated by softwood cuttings include azaleas, blueberries, flowering cherries, crape myrtles, dogwoods, forsythia, hydrangeas and roses. For more details or to register for any of our three propagation classes, go to rowan.ces.ncsu.edu.

Amy-Lynn Albertson is director of the Rowan County Extension.