CUTTINGS 



CUTTINGS 



927 



provision for good ventilation be always provided: if 

 too much water accumulates inside the glass it can be 

 wiped off with a cloth. They are somewhat obsolete 

 devices for providing a close atmosphere and intensify- 

 ing bottom heat. The modern gardener finds that 

 sunlight and shading with papers put directly over the 

 cuttings is quite sufficient for all plants except a few 



difficult subjects. Figs. 

 1163-1165 illustrate 

 forms of hand structures. 

 Out-of-doors cold- 

 frames are employed for 

 striking cuttings in 

 summer. They are made 

 of concrete or plank, 

 and are about 5M feet 

 wide, 18 inches deep 



1163. Propagating-box. behind and 12 inches in 



front. They are of any 



convenient length, which is a multiple of three and 

 are covered with standard hotbed sash. Instead of 

 coldframes, light hotbeds are sometimes employed for 

 rooting cuttings in the open air in summer. They 

 entail more care and the results do not offset the gain. 



Cuttings of growing wood. Figs. 1166-1171. 



These cuttings are made either of the soft growing 

 tips, as in coleus (Fig. 1166; also Fig. 1027, p. 827), 

 salvia, verbena (Fig. 1167), geranium (Fig. 1168) and 

 others, or, of the same wood in more mature condition, 

 but by no means ripe, as in tender roses (Fig. 1169), 

 and Azalea indica. The cuttings of 

 plants like Euphorbia pulcherrima, 

 erica, epacris, are used in the soft 

 growing state, if a well-built propa- 

 gating-house is obtainable; but in 

 an ordinary house, a part of which 

 is used for other purposes, the older 

 and better ripened wood will be 

 more successful. 



It is generally true that cuttings 

 of hardened wood will always root, 

 although they require more time 

 and may not make the best plants, 

 but it is not true that cuttings of 



1166. Cutting of 

 soft growing wood, 

 (as of Coleus.) 



1 164. Propagating-box or hood. 



the soft wood will always root. In many cases, as in 

 the rose, they succumb before they callus, much less 

 produce roots. In plants of rapid growth and good 

 vitality, the proper condition of the soft growing wood 

 for cuttings can be determined by its readiness to snap, 

 not bend, when bent back : the hardened wood is in the 

 right state as long as it continues to grow. 



The treatment of cuttings in both classes is prac- 

 tically the same. They should be planted in sand under 

 glass. 



The wood for soft cuttings should be fresh, and pre- 

 cautions should be taken to prevent wilting during 

 making and planting: if the weather is hot, sprinkle the 

 floor and bench of the workroom : if they are delicate 

 and exposed for an hour or more, lay them between 

 folds of moistened paper. The average length of these 

 cuttings is from 1 to 3 inches, but they can be made 



longer or shorter ; much 

 depends upon the na- 

 ture of the plant. The 

 best growers prefer 

 short cuttings; the 

 advantage of a long 

 piece to begin with is 

 more than offset by 

 greater danger of wilt- 

 ing and consequent 

 retrogression. It is not 

 necessary to cut to a 



1165. Small propagating-box, bud, i. e., at the node, 

 adapted to a window. in the more easily 



handled plants except in some herbaceous tuberous- 

 rooted plants, like dahlia (see Fig. 1170), and Salvia 

 patens, in which a crown must be formed to insure 

 future growth. Make the cut where it will give the 

 proper length. A part of the leaves 

 should be removed, always enough 

 to secure a clean stem for planting, 

 and as many more as are needed to 

 prevent disastrous wilting: this factor 

 varies greatly. In a hardwood cut- 

 ting of lemon verbena all leaves are 

 taken off, in zonale geraniums from 

 the open ground few if any are left, 

 in coleus and verbena about one half 

 are removed, while in Olea fragrans, 

 Daphne odora, and heath, only enough 

 for planting. Use a sharp knife; but 

 scissors are handy for trimming and 

 sometimes for making cuttings of those small-wooded 

 plants which root easily. 



The cuttings of plants with milky juice should be 

 washed before planting. Sometimes the lower ends are 

 allowed to dry for several hours, the tops being pro- 

 tected against wilting. Large and succulent cuttings, 

 e. g., of pineapple, cotyledon and cactus, should be 

 dried before planting by letting them lie on the sur- 

 face of the propagating-bed for several days, or they 

 may be planted in dry sand at first. Under these con- 

 ditions a callus forms which tends to prevent decay; 

 but the wood must not shrivel. 



Peter Henderson has introduced a method which is 

 likely to increase the percentage of 

 rooted plants, and which is desir- 

 able in slow-growing varieties, like 

 the tricolor geraniums. He advises 

 that the cutting should be partly 

 severed and allowed to hang to the 

 parent plant for a few days; this 

 results in a partial callus or even 

 roots, before the cutting is entirely 

 removed. 



In planting cuttings, use a dibble 

 or open a V-shaped trench. Never 

 thrust the cutting directly into the 

 soil. Plant deep enough to hold 



the cutting upright and no deeper (as in Fig. 1171), 

 making due allowance for the sand settling; the dis- 

 tance apart should be just enough to prevent them 

 from pressing against each other. It must be remem- 

 bered that they stay in the bed only until rooted. As 

 soon as growth begins, they are potted off. When the 

 cuttings are inserted, the sand should be firmly pressed 

 about them, and they should be watered with a syringe 

 or with a fine rose; the forcible application of water 

 compacts the sand, thus ex- 

 cluding air, .and prevents 

 undue wilting. 



Give shade immediately, 

 using lath shutters outside, 

 cloth screens or papers placed 

 directly on the cuttings 

 within, and attend to this 

 very carefully for the first 

 few days. Lift the shades 

 early in the afternoon, and 

 put them on late in the morn- 

 ing, but keep them on during 

 the middle of the day, thus 

 gradually accustoming them to full light. 



Cuttings should never suffer from dryness. The 

 sand should always be kept moist to the verge of wet- 

 ness. Ventilation should be given on bright days, but 

 all exposure to draft avoided. A good temperature for 

 propagating is from 60 to 65 F., increasing these 

 figures for tropical plants and reducing them for more 

 hardy kinds. It is debatable whether bottom heat and 



1167. A rooted verbena 

 cutting. 



