Propagating Perennials


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Propagating perennials is accomplished in three basic ways - from seed, from division and from cuttings..

We strongly encourage our customers to practice their hand at propagating their own perennials. Propagation techniques are really quiet easy to learn and the joy in knowing you personally raised a plant from a tiny seed or cutting is extremely rewarding. While some varieties propagate more easily than others most perennials can be propagated using one of the three ways described below.

Propagation from seed:
Most people are fully aware of this method as it is no secrete that flowers grow from seeds. What most people don't realize is the many different factors that determine germination success and failure. Things to keep in mind when growing perennials from seed include:

Different varieties require different soil temperatures
Some varieties need light to germinate
Some will require a pre-chilling or some type of stratification
Soil must not be allowed to dry our not become to wet

As a general rule most perennial seed will germinate with a soil temperature between 60 - 70F. We do not recommend that you use any type of bottom heat as many times this just cooks the seed. Most perennials will develop into stronger seedlings if they are allowed to grow slowly at temperatures of about 50 - 60F. Many perennials can be direct sown right into the garden in early spring and late summer (end of Aug here in Zone 6) but you will have much better germination success if you start them indoors and control some of the environmental factors. Some perennials require a cold treatment to break dormancy (you need to trick the seed into thinking it went through a winter). This is accomplished by either placing the seed in the refrigerator or freezer depending the degree of coldness the seed needs to be exposed to. When growing seed indoors it always important that you use a high quality soilless mix. Do not use garden soil as it is full of bacteria and fungi that will usually destroy your seedlings. Provide bright ample light to keep the seedlings from stretching. Once the first set of true leaves appear we recommend that you use fish emulsion mixed with water at 1/4 the rate the label suggest. Before you transplant your seedlings to the garden you need to harden them off - do this by gradually getting them used to being outside. Move them outside for about an hour or two the first couple of days and then gradually leave them out a little longer. In about a week they should be hardened off and can be safely transplanted to the garden.

Propagation by Division:
Division is such an important aspect of perennial gardening we have devoted a separate page for it. To learn more on division visit our Pruning and Dividing Perennials page.

Propagate perennials from cuttings:
propagate-perennials.gif (21426 bytes) Another very effective way to propagate perennials is by rooting a stem cutting. We propagate over half of the plants we sell from cuttings. The steps involve are simple to master.

Cut a 3 - 6 inch tip from an actively growing healthy parent plant. The tip should be new growth. Bring the cuttings indoors and recut, the part you are after is the tip end where the cell division is most active. Use a sharp knife or razor blade to make your cuts to avoid damaging the stem. You will want to clean the knife or razor in a watered down bleach solution frequently to avoid passing bacteria to the cuttings.

Have your trays already filled with a moist high quality soilless mixture - do not use garden soil. Insert the cutting into the soil mix. As you continue to insert cuttings leave space between each plant so that air can circulate.

The key to success with cuttings is maintaining soil moisture and keeping the humidity high. The cuttings don't have roots so it is important that you keep humidity levels high. The best way to achieve this is by making a mini-greenhouse out of wire and a clear mini-greenhouse.gif (22693 bytes) sheet of plastic. The plastic will help hold in the moisture providing the perfect conditions for rooting the cuttings. Use a misting bottle to gently mist the plants each day. Keep the mini-greenhouse tent indoors in a warm sunny location. If you use this set up outside it will get to hot under the plastic for the new cuttings to survive.