Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Propagation Methods, 1 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
Hi La,

Gessie has given some very good pointers. The biggest thing I can think of that is absolutely critical is humidity. Canes are very easy - usually in water or soil as long as they have 3 nodes (I think I read that somewhere) but you might be able to get by with less. Rhizomatous (including rex) can be started by leaf or stem (try stems to begin with since they seem so much easier than leaf cuttings). Always use a healthy, younger leaf for propagation (although older leaves will do). Some seasons are better than others for prop'ing. I read somewhere that it is better to prop when the plant is actively growing and after blooming (something to do with hormones?)

Some rhizomatous begonias are so easy that you can actually start them in pure gravel. Don't you wish they were all this easy? The two easiest ones I can think of are 'Joe Hayden' and 'River Nile'. Perlite and sand make good mediums to start leaves in but the key is to never have soaking wet nor let dry out (another reason for a humidity dome or cover). When you move to peat based medium, things start getting iffy since they tend to stay wet (but you can still start in this medium if you are very careful in watering). I have been using Nature's Helper recently with some luck (lots of shredded bark meant to help amend poor soil such as clay). Last year I rooted hundreds of cuttings using plain water but the key here was to keep each cup covered (this helped in keeping the water from souring) but after they rooted I still had to pot them up.

My advice is to keep cuttings covered (whether it is a fish tank or a plastic bag), be careful in watering (too much is just as bad as too little), and experiment, experiment, experiment. Lights and heat are beneficial (summer and fall might be the best times to prop since warmth and light are plentiful and free).

Here is a Joe Hayden leaf in pea gravel showing how easy it is to start.