Greenhouse Project: Propagating Cuttings

Visual: Opening slides

Text on screen: greenhouse project

Visual: Close-up of plant in pot

Text on screen: Propagating from a cutting

Visual: Plants in pots on wooden workbench

Text on screen: Propagating from a cutting is a great way to adding more plants to your home

Text on screen: It involves taking a part of an established plant to grow an entirely new plant!

Visual: Plants in glass pots

Text on screen: Taking cuttings from your own or a friend’s plant is cost free!

Text on screen: Swapping cuttings with each other can be a great social activity!

Text on screen: They also make lovely gifts once potted!

Visual: Close-up of plant in glass pot

Text on screen: There are many different methods of propagation

Visual: Camera panning across many plants in glass pots

Text on screen: Based on the individual plant needs, personal preference and availability of materials

Text on screen: Although the most valuable way of learning what works for you is experimentation

Visual: Plant in pot

Text on screen: There are some basic rules and steps that will get you started and help ensure success!

Visual: Plants in glass jars and pots

Text on screen: During the Greenhouse project we propagated a large variety of plants in water

Visual: Mint plant in pot on wooden workbench

Text on screen: To propagate Mint and other herbs

Visual: Hand with scissors cuts a section of mint

Text on screen: Choose the healthiest part of your plant and cut approximately 10cm just below a node. A node is the part on the stem that the leaves grow from, it is where the most growth hormones are located

Visual: Hand removes leaves from the cutting

Text on screen: Remove the lower leaves, there only needs to be 5-6 on your cutting

Visual: Cutting placed in glass jar with water

Text on screen: Place the cutting so that the stem is submerged in water

Text on screen: Keep out of direct sunlight

Visual: Close-up of cutting in jar of water

Text on screen: This basic method of taking a cutting and rooting in water can be applied to many plants

Visual: Pants in glass jars

Text on screen: Devil’s Ivy

Visual: Cuttings of Devil’s Ivy lying on wooden workbench

Text on screen: Take a tendril and cut above and below the node

Visual: Plant in glass jar

Text on screen: Succulents

Text on screen: Again, cut the stem below a node and remove the bottom leaves, or take a leaf, make sure the cut is as close to the stem as possible

Text on screen: You could even take a part of the stem too

Text on screen: It is important to let a succulent cutting sit in the air for 1-3 days. If you don’t let it scab over, it will absorb too much water and drown

Visual: Close-up of plant

Text on screen: Some plants can be propagated from ‘pups’. These are small offshoots of the mother plant

Visual: Hand pointing at offshoots of plant

Text on screen: Pilea are propagated from ‘pups’

Visual: Person cutting offshoot from larger plant

Text on screen: Wait until the offshoot is 8-10 centimetres long

Visual: Offshoots on wooden workbench

Text on screen: Take cuttings with a clean pair of shears. Place in water and keep out of direct sunlight

Visual: Hand placing cutting in jar of water

Text on screen: We place cuttings in water in order for them to root

Visual: Cuttings in pots on wooden workbench

Text on screen: Placing cuttings directly into soil may work for some species

Text on screen: But is often unsuccessful as the soil shocks the plant and prevents new roots from growing

Text on screen: Cuttings also need a constantly moist environment and this can be hard to achieve in soil

Visual: Cuttings sitting in glass jars

Text on screen: However, if you choose to propagate in water you get to watch as your cutting grows its roots which is fascinating

Visual: Cutting with roots growing from bottom

Text on screen: Water should be changed every 2-4 days to prevent it from becoming stagnant as roots need oxygen!

Visual: Plants in pots

Text on screen: Happy experimenting! Stay tuned to fin out what to do once your cutting has grown roots!