HOW TO MAKE SLIPS AND CUTTINGS 



Typical cuttings 



cutting is by no means so important as the number of "eyes," 

 as gardeners call them, or leaf-buds. Although cuttings are 

 sometimes made with a "single eye" it is better to have two 

 or even three. In an old plant it is from these points that the 

 leaves start. In a cutting the leaves start from the upper 

 eyes, and roots from the lower ones. Therefore, when making 

 ready the slip or cutting for planting, the lower leaves are cut 

 off that the roots may come out more conveniently. If neces- 

 sary, the cutting itself is shortened so that the cut at the bot- 

 tom is just below an eye 

 and at the top is just above 

 an eye; this is so that the 

 leaves will start as nearly 

 as possible to the top of the 

 plant, the roots at the bot- 

 tom (3). If there happens 

 to be a blossom it should be cut off — no cutting should be 

 asked to undertake the support of a flower; it has not the root- 

 strength. It is for this reason that the leaves are sometimes 

 cut, as in the hydrangea cutting (2). The more leaf sur- 

 face the more trouble for the roots, and the early life of a cut- 

 ting should be made as easy as possible. Until it roots, a very 

 short cutting may be pieced with a toothpick, which will hold 

 it upright (1). 



Dormant Cuttings are made in the winter or early spring 

 before growth begins. In these the eyes show but slightly, 

 and in making them one must be careful to lay the cuttings 

 side by side, heads together, that they may not become mixed 

 and have the misfortune to be planted upside down. 



Always use a sharp knife and always make a clean cut; 

 never pull or haggle the plant. The cut surface must heal 

 over before growth can begin, and in neither a plant nor a 



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