Gift Options for the Plant Propagator!

As you know I'm a huge fan of plant propagation.  I would bet that many of you reading this are too, or if you not a huge fan you are at least interested!  It's a fascinating area and can be an amazing benefit for growing your garden.  Just think of all the free plants you can make from cuttings, or how you can expand your garden with seeds, divisions, and layered branches.  You don't have to spend a fortune to plant your garden when you know how to propagate plants.  Today I'm going to share a few gift ideas for those of us who enjoy propagating plants.

Books on Plant Propagation

Books are a fantastic gift idea for any gardener.  I reference my gardening library frequently and as you can expect the books I utilize the most are the ones on plant propagation.  My most frequently reference resource is Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques from the American Horticultural Society.  It contains information on the basics of plant propagation as well as specific information for many plants.

Another book I reference fairly frequently is the The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture, Second Edition written by Michael Dirr.  It contains information on propagating shrubs and trees with references to different techniques.  It a little more scientific and provides rooting percentage rates on many of the plants based on the various techniques that are used.  It doesn't go into perennials but is much more in depth on shrubs and trees than the American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation Book does.

Together those two books have helped me propagate just about anything I've needed to over the last few years, but there are other resources you could choose.  The Plant Propagator's Bible by Miranda Smith is reported to be very useful (if it has the word Bible in it it better be!) as is Ken Druse's Making More Plants: The Science, Art, and Joy of Propagation.  Both are very highly rated resources for propagating plants.

Plant Propagating Supplies

Plant propagating supplies make a great gift for those of us geeky enough about plants to want to propagate them! To speed up rooting heat mats are a great tool to have.  Cuttings respond well from additional heat placed at the base of the plant.  They are also very useful for seed starting.  You can add a thermostat that can help to regulate the heat.  In general they can add up to 20 degrees of ambient heat to help you root or germinate your plants.

Rooting hormone is a great aid for getting your cuttings to root faster and easier.  Some plants are very difficult to root without it.  I generally buy the powder form to use but both the powder and the gel are effective at getting plants to root.  After opening its effectiveness dwindles over time so you will need to resupply periodically.

And don't forget a good set of pruners!  Clean and sharp cuts are necessary to make successful cuttings.

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You are probably the one who wants these so you may want to share it with your family and friends to be "helpful." ;)  Sometimes folks need a hint when buying gifts for others!

What do you want to find under the tree with your name on it?