On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 22:20:47 GMT, "Zing" wrote:

Hello all. I'm in Zone 6b (Maryland) and in my second year of a naturalistic
gardening project. I'm lucky to have several microclimates: full sun,
partial sun, filtered shade, deep shade and a natural spring fed bog.

I'm going to try and propagate several perennials by the cutting method, but
was wondering if it's worth the effort and what techniques to use.
Everything I have coming up now was planted from 1 gallon nursery container
stock. I'm putting more nursery stock in, but want to stretch my dollars.

PLANTS:
Bee Balm, Leopard Bane, Purple coneflower*, black eyed Susan*, Indian
blanket flower*, tickseed*, old fashioned bleeding heart.

If the plants have grown well since they were planted, dividing them
is the easiest way to propagate plants that would continue growing and
likely bloom this year.. except the bleeding heart is likely already
up, blooming, and perhaps has fading flowers already. It may set some
seed, which seems to grow readily. If they are happy, I've read that
it can become a pest because they grow and spread, as well as self
seed.

Chances are the bleeding heart is up too far, but maybe not. I looked
in _Propagation Handbook Basic Techniques for Gardeners_ by Geoff
Bryant, and in the section on softwood cuttings it said:

"Many perennials, such as begonia, dicentra and delphinium, produce
vigorous, fleshy shoots in the spring . These can be used as softwood
cuttings. By allowing the stem to reach a manageable size, then
cutting it at the base, it is possible to obtain a large number of
cuttings without having t break up the parent plant. These are known
as basal cuttings. Do not allow the cuttings to get too large before
using them -- they strike much faster if the leaves are not fully
expanded. Many of these plants grow very quickly, so there is a
limited time in which to work."

Of course, use rooting hormones. and a soilless rooting medium .. a
peat based potting mix is a good start as long as it's not coarse with
chunks of bark in it, you can add pearlite, to add drainage ,
sterilized sand would be ok, but when you start adding sand from the
pile outside, you could add fungus that could ruin all your hard
work with a fungus.

Anyway, I may try tip cuttings from my bleeding hearts (dicentra)
because I love them and I only have one young white one, it'd be nice
to make a few more. I'll look for a tip that doesn't have a bunch of
flowers hanging on it and give it a try!

Janice

QUESTIONS:
I'm familiar w/ the basics, but was wondering what mediums are best -
standard soil, sterilized starter mix, perilite or just plain water. I want
to avoid damping off (fungus). Rooting hormone? Should I do it before the
buds flower, or during flowering? Will there be enough time to get them
established before the first frosts (late Oct.).

I have collected seed from those marked "*." Can I direct sow now in some
bare spots once the last frost date has passed, or should I wait until Fall?
I did the refrigerator thing and they've been at room temp. for about
3 -4weeks now. I know they probably won't bloom this year, but I'm patient.
I am wondering if the seeds are viable since all the plants came from the
same source and am assuming there's not much genetic diversity there, but
maybe they're self pollinating.

Also, can I divide the above plants w/ a knife right out of the nursery
containers w/ a reasonable chance of success?

TIA for any advice. Sorry about the lengthly post. - Zing