Propagating Miniature Arborvitae

In anticipation of my upcoming line of Holiday Troughs I recently purchased some miniature conifers that take on the look of Christmas trees. (More on my Holiday Troughs soon.) I have become especially enamored with the Wansdyke Silver Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Wansdyke Silver').  The Evergreen Plant Nursery describes it this way:

An absolutely gorgeous arborvitae that has nice dark green foliage that is speckled with bright, white to very light cream colored variegation. Very pyramidal in growth, and holds its green color well in the winter. We suggest planting in full sun for best color, but will accept partial shade as well. This particular arborvitae is one of our latest additions to our arborvitae selections - and it is extremely hard to find. 

Having shared my enthusiasm about this great find with my (now) trough advisor Chris (read about him here), he immediately said, "You oughta propagate it. See that double-leader? Cut it off and see if you can get a two-fer." That's Chris -- always knowing the exact thing to do with a conifer and the exact way to do it.

The steps for propagating the Wansdyke Silver Arborvitae are as follows (per Chris):

Behold! Miniature Wansdyke Silver Arborvitae
with obvious "double-leader" making it a good
candidate for propagation.

Close-up: the double-leader

Before making the cut, be sure to have on hand your mix
of special propagation soil: some sand, Pro-Mix, compost,
perlite

Make a clean cut near the base of the second leader.
Can you tell where my cut is? It is the second white-looking
thing to the left of the main stem.

The look of the tree with only the single leader.
As Chris says, "It looks more like a tree."

At the base of the cut stem, shave the bottom
half-inch or so, exposing the inner live flesh

Dip the tip of the stem in water

Then dip the tip of the stem in rooting hormone. Some people
do not like to use rooting hormone. I sometimes do and sometimes
don't. In this case, Chris told me to use it, so I did.

After dipping the stem in rooting hormone, plant it in a
container filled with the special mix of propagation soil.
(While I was at it, I planted several double leaders off of various plants.)

During the incubation period I have tucked the
specimens into a dry-cleaner bag to create an
environment that encourages root growth. I will check
them again in several weeks, watching to make sure
the soil stays moist but not drenched.

Thank you, Chris!

Special Note: My Holiday Troughs will be on sale soon, including three that contain miniature Wansdyke Silver Arborvitaes. Reserve yours today by emailing me here.

Growing Tiny Gardens: Third Steps

Plant Lab: Experimenting with Propagation

Step One ~ We built up inventory. Step Two ~ We did a lot of background work: We went to the 2012 New England Grows! convention. We put together a Story Board. We took an evening class on Entrepreneur-ing. We met almost weekly for lunch and hammered out costs and expectations, and so on.

In the end, however, it still came down to putting the plants in the dirt.

Step Three: The late-winter and early-spring months for me were spent in experimentation. I would see a bush in a yard on my street, think to myself, That would look good in a trough. Then I would clip it and thus begin what was to become a mild obsession of mine: propagation.

My aspirations during this season: Start to learn how plants work by means of stem cuttings, splitting plants and by planting small "volunteers" that already have roots (seedlings pulled from the ground). I would take snips from shrubs (woody) or suckers growing out of trees (green growth). I would make sure there was a clean cut at its end, shave away about 1/2" of bark off the woody stems, and place them securely in sifted healthy soil with good drainage. I would place these small containers on a shelf in a south-facing window and watch them, making sure to keep the soil moist.

This trough contains two plants I propagated: Upper right, Euonymous fortunei;
Center: 'Ascot Rainbow' Cushion Spurge Euphorbia.

During this stretch of a few months I successfully propagated (to name a few): Abutilon (Flowering Maple),  Podocarpus macrophyllus ("Japanese Yew"), 'Ascot Rainbow' Cushion Spurge Euphorbia, Euonymous fortunei, and numerous sedums (much more on Sedums is to be forthcoming). Many of my  experiments failed. It's okay. There was enough success to render bliss.

Garden Lesson: There is an advantage (on one level) to not knowing the scientific way to go about such things as propagation. I have benefitted from not knowing what I was doing because I was unafraid to try anything, even if is was deemed unconventional. Plants love to grow!

Life Lesson: Starting a new life from a severed and prematurely uprooted one requires patience, diligence, watch care, warmth, refreshment and a willingness to believe that growth is happening, even if you don't see it.

Go here to read "First Steps," then follow on through to "Second Steps"