Greenhouse Gardening

Starting from Cuttings

Propagating plants from parts of other plants is a relatively easy way to increase your collection quickly and to engage students in investigating vegetative propagation. Many common houseplants will root nicely in a greenhouse environment. Rooting stem cuttings from tomatoes can also be fun to try. Depending on the plant, you can take stem, leaf, or plantlet cuttings. Consider taking stem cuttings of some of the following:

• begonia
• coleus
• geranium

  "Another student, streetwise and courting trouble with the law, sold cyclamen and poinsettias at a community holiday open house. In talking with the community, 'keeping the buck change' on $4 plants paid for with a $5 bill, and being the 'plant expert,' he began to recognize the community and a place for him within it," marvels Sandy May-Fitzgerald, a special education biology teacher in Danbury, CT.

• impatiens
• ivy
• philodendron
• tomato
• wandering Jew

Tips for Stem Cuttings

• Select a healthy, well-watered parent plant and take a 3- to 5-inch cutting from a new tip.
• Remove all but the top few pairs of leaves.
• Fill a container with moist soilless mix, and poke holes at least 1 inch apart to accommodate cuttings.
• Carefully place each cutting in a hole and close up the hole. (Some people dip cuttings in a commercial rooting hormone, available in many garden centers, to speed rooting and prevent the stem from rotting.)
• Place individual containers in plastic bags propped up with stakes or under plastic domes and seal them to retain moisture.
• Keep the containers in a warm area in the greenhouse, and check them occasionally to ensure there is adequate moisture.
• After a few weeks, tug gently on the cuttings to see if they've rooted. When you feel resistance, they're ready for transplanting.
• Gently separate the cuttings and move them to individual pots.