Home › Their Propagation › Their Propagation

Their Propagation

HERBACEOUS perennials are usually propagated either by seed, by cuttings, or by division. Some may be easily propagated by all three methods, some by only one method.

Seed Sowing In raising perennials from seed, a few simple points should be observed. Fresh seed should always be procured, as most seeds lose their vitality if kept over a long period of time. The percentage of germination of old seed will be considerably less than that of fresh seed. Delphinium seed is particularly subject to deterioration and it is almost useless to sow it after it is much more than a year old.

Many perennial seedlings are rather frail and delicate in the first few weeks of their existence--much more so on the whole than the majority of their lusty annual cousins--and it is necessary to give them very favorable conditions for germination and for their initial start in life. Some of the more vigorous kinds may be sown directly out of doors in a seed bed, but for the most part greater success will be assured if the seed is sown in cold frames or in flats indoors, where moisture and temperature conditions can be kept under absolute control.

Warmth, moisture, and a loose, friable soil are the essential requirements for good germination. The texture of the soil is of much greater importance than many amateur gardeners realize. It is useless to plant delicate seeds in heavy, sticky soil. In a soil of this type a crust will almost invariably form on the surface, through which the fragile young seedlings will be unable to push their way. An excellent soil mixture for the seed bed consists of one part good garden loam, one part sand, and one part leaf mould. Granulated peat moss may be used instead of the leaf mould and gives excellent results. The soil should be moist at the time of planting and should never subsequently be allowed to dry out. Watering should be done with a fine spray, as a coarse spray is apt to wash small seeds to the surface of the soil. The shading of the seed bed or boxes is an excellent practice, as it keeps the soil from drying out too rapidly and makes watering a much less arduous task. Where the seed has been sown in flats or boxes, a sheet of news paper will serve the purpose. For cold frames a burlap frame or slats may be used. Seed may be sown broadcast or in little drills, either method being considered good. Where extremely fine seed is being sown, it is wise to mix with it a small quantity of sand in order that more even distribution may be secured. The seedling plants should be "pricked out" or transplanted when they have reached sufficient size, which is usually soon after their first true leaves appear. (The leaves which first unfold from the seed covering when germination takes place resemble neither in shape nor in form the true foliage of the plant.) The soil mixture used for this first transplanting of the young seedlings should consist of two parts good loam, one part sand, and one part very well rotted manure or rich compost.

The young plants should be kept in thrifty, growing condition and should not be allowed to suffer any check due to overcrowding or to lack of water. Cuttings Many perennial plants may be successfully propagated by cuttings. This method is most frequently used in the case of plants such as chrysanthemums, which do not come true from seed.

There are two distinct types of cuttings: those made from stem and leaf growth and those made from root growth.