How to plant for free?
Instead of starting seedlings, hit up your list of gardeners. If they start seeds themselves, they’ll most likely have extras or be more than happy to start seeds for you. Ask sooner rather than later. Even if they don’t start their own seeds, they may still have plants to share. Ask friends, neighbours, family or work colleagues (particularly those who are keen gardeners) for any plant cuttings, extra plants they don’t need or seeds. This is one of the easiest ways to grow your garden for free. Someone else’s green ‘waste’ is a treasure trove of goodies for gardeners on a budget.
How to propagate plants for free?
One of the most common ways to propagate houseplants is to take a stem cutting and root it in a glass of water. With a little patience, the cutting will develop roots, and you’ll soon after be able to repot your brand-new plant. You can also enlist the help of rooting hormones, which come in powder or liquid forms. Many houseplants, annuals, perennials, and woody plants can be propagated by stem cuttings when they are in active growth and the stems are soft. Cut off a piece of stem, 2-6 inches long. There should be at least three sets of leaves on the cutting.Important: your cutting should not have any flowers or flower buds on it. There are all sorts of plants you can take cuttings from – see my recommended list at the end of this feature.
How to get more plants?
Grow from cuttings – plants for free! Herbs including rosemary are particularly good for this. Other top plants to take cuttings from include lavender, buxus, hydrangeas, fuchsias, hebes, miniature roses and succulents. The best way to root cuttings is as follows: Use sharp secateurs to make a clean cut. Can you put cuttings straight into soil? You can put a cutting into a fresh pot of soil or try rooting them in water, but it’s often best to put the cutting straight into soil.
What is pollination?
Pollination is the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma. The goal of every living organism, including plants, is to create offspring for the next generation. One of the ways that plants can produce offspring is by making seeds. Many plants can be reproduced from cuttings, or pieces, of the parent plant. This allows the gardener to produce a flowering plant faster than from seed. It also helps maintain certain characteristics of the parent plant, like flower color or growth habit, that might change if propagated by seed.