Starting a home garden can be quite rewarding. It’s a fun and fulfilling hobby that nurtures new life and brings beauty to any indoor or outdoor space. September is a great time for plant propagation as it’s still warm, sunny, and the cuttings will have plenty of time to grow into strong plants by the time spring comes around. These five tips should help ensure successful propagation!

Get Cuttings From the Strongest Plants

Using cuttings from your strongest and healthiest plants for propagation is the best way to raise new ones of the same quality. Whether you’re especially proud of a rose bush in your yard or one of your fruit-bearing trees, do a bit of research on how to take quality cuttings from them. A plant grown from cuttings will always be the same as the mother plant while ones grown from seeds could differ in quality!

Choose the Cuttings Carefully

If you’re looking for cuttings that will take root faster, it’s best to choose green stems. Look for ones that have a bump or a node because this is where the new roots will grow from. Alternatively, if you don’t mind nurturing the plants through a slower rooting process but are concerned about them reacting badly to changes in greenhouse temperature, then choose cuttings that are semi-ripened and turning woody at the base.

Pot The Cuttings as Soon as Possible

Although the technique of allowing cuttings to root in water first before planting them in the soil is well-known and popular, it isn’t the safest bet and many cuttings don’t make it. There are many variants of potting soil and healthy additions that can be mixed in to help nourish the cuttings as they take root and become strong plants in their own right.

Maintain Soil Moisture During Root Development

While the cuttings are still without roots, they will require a lot of moisture to survive. Make sure that the soil for your rooting plants is always moist so that the roots can form as quickly and easily as possible. Other tricks to improve moisture retention are to cut the cuttings diagonally for optimal absorption and to use a plastic cover during the early stages.

Have Patience

Even with the best tools, techniques, and intentions, propagating a plant won’t always be completely successful. Some cuttings might not make it and that’s just part of the experience. The important thing is not to get disheartened, continue trying, and always continue expanding your knowledge from personal experience and reliable sources.

Several teenagers have done a great deed by building a shelter for a five-year-old boy who usually waits for the bus in his wheelchair. The teens got to work after finding out how the boy got wet when waiting for the school bus and his father needed help to create a shelter.

The Teens Built the Bus Stop Shelter for Ryder Killam To Protect Him From Rain, Wind, and Snow While Waiting for the Bus

The teens learned how young Ryder Killam had to wait about 15 minutes every day for the bus, using only a patio umbrella to protect himself from the rain, snow, and wind. This felt wrong to the local students in Bradford, RI who quickly got to work and built him a bus shelter to give the boy better protection from the fury of the elements. The group realized their idea during their construction lessons.

Ryder’s Father Tim Expressed His Gratitude to the Thoughtful Teens

In an interview, Ryder’s father Tim stated that his five-year-old boy now uses the shelter every day before school and his nurses also wait inside it while awaiting his return home. According to him, the boy even likes to hang out in the shelter, enjoying it like his own fort. The grateful father pointed out how the teens who built the shelter brought the community closer together, showing that there is much good in the world and their own town.

Ryder was born with a disability and has never been able to walk, so he started using a wheelchair at the age of two. The need for his shelter arose after the boy started attending the local inclusionary preschool in 2019 and had to wait for his school bus. Because Ryder could not rush to catch the bus if he was late, he had to wait for it in advance, sometimes up to 15 minutes, and in bad weather. Now, with his new personal bus stop shelter, the boy no longer has to worry about the elements.