Propagating Plants From Cuttings
Turn winter cuttings into spring plants
Many types of plants are grown from cuttings instead of seeds. Plants like grapes, blueberries, elderberries and more are grown by taking a piece of a parent plant during the winter months, and following a process that encourages it to root.
Growing from cuttings works well in plants that are tricky to grow from seed (like blueberries) and ensure that the next generation is just as tasty as the parent generation. While the seeds may produce anything, just like the children of 2 human parents can produce unique children, cuttings will create a copy of a known parent plant.
Grapes can easily be grown from seed, but the seedlings often produce unpalatable fruit (unless you get really lucky).
Growing plants from cuttings allows you to keep the same variety but just make more of it. You can take a piece of a neighbor's plant and grow it at your house. Or take a single grape vine, and turn it into a dozen.
It costs almost nothing, and is surprisingly easy. There’s no better way to save money on nursery stock than growing your own.
Here are some guides to get you started:
Growing from cuttings works well for most shubby or vining fruiting plants, including Grapes, elderberires, gooseberries, blueberries, etc.
Raspberries, blackberries, and cane fruits are grown from root cuttings, as are plants like rhubarb. It’s pretty much the same process, just chop off a hunk or root while it’s dormant and plant.
Some things require a bit more love, like actual trees. Fruit tree cuttings will not grow their own roots, and those need grafting. That’s a bit more involved, but you can get the hang of it with practice. That’s also done in winter, so now’s the time.
Things You Might Need This Week
Growing Lemon Trees from Seed ~ While many plants don’t come true to seed, lemon trees (and other citrus) are very much like their parent plants when grown from seed. They’re easy to start indoors too!
100+ Medicinal Plants (& How to Use Them) ~ Winter is the perfect time to learn about new herbs and medicinal plants.
Pine Needle Tea ~ Need a hit of something fresh when it’s snowy outside? Pine needle tea tastes like citrus, and it’s easy to prepare year-round.
Seasonal Preserving
Recipes to keep your larder full all year round…in season now:
This newsletter may contain affiliate links.
Things I’m Loving
Nature Hills Nursery ~ They carry many of the hard-to-find plants that you just can’t get anywhere, like barberry and hardy kiwi.
Garden Tower Project ~ We use their really innovative grow tower to garden year-round in a very small footprint. It works indoors or outside, and can be used with lights or without.
What are you harvesting, preserving, building, or exploring on your homestead this week? I’d love to hear about it!
Leave me a note in the comments…
Until Next Time,
Ashley at Practical Self Reliance
thank you for writing about your experiences! i thoroughly enjoy reading your newsletters.
Hi Ashley, do you think Hawthorn is a good candidate for a winter cutting? I'm pretty sure it's a Scarlet Hawthorn. Thank you for your delightful newsletter!