ASEXUAL PROPAGATION OF PLANTS ON OWN ROOTS 63 



A few leaves are left, but most of them should be removed to 

 lessen transpiration. Softwood cuttings should usually be 

 quite short. 



Softwood cuttings, as a rule, should be kept moist from the 

 time they are made until they are rooted. It is true, however, 

 that with some succulent plants, such as the cactus and 

 geranium, better results are secured by allowing the cuttings 

 to wilt before they are planted. 



93. Planting softwood cuttings. The greenhouse is the 

 best place in which to plant cuttings of this nature. They 

 should be placed in sand which should be packed closely 

 about them. Bottom heat is desirable. After callus forma- 

 tions and roots begin to appear, the cuttings may be trans- 

 planted into pots or into flats of soil. The cuttings should be 

 protected from bright sunlight during the hot parts of the 

 day. 



94. Semi-hardwood cuttings are made from those parts 

 in which wood fibers have started to form. They are used 

 for propagating hardwood plants. Many roses, oleanders, 

 hydrangeas, and the like can be propagated successfully by 

 semi-hardwood cuttings. In many of the hardwood plants, 

 it is advisable to secure at the base of the cutting a heel of 

 the older and harder wood. Sometimes a mallet-cutting is 

 made for the same reason. These cuttings are somewhat 

 similar to a mallet in shape, the short cross-piece being of the 

 older wood. The grape is often propagated by mallet- 

 cuttings. 



95. Offsets. Some plants produce rosettes of leaves 

 known as offsets, which are in fact a kind of bud. These 

 can be removed and set in soil, where they root readily. 

 The Cotyledon (Echeveria) is an example of a plant readily 

 propagated in this way. Many palms are propagated by 

 offsets. 



96. Tuberous roots. Many plants, such as the dahlia, 

 which produce thickened roots, may be propagated by the 



