Seedings + propagation.

Raising Seedlings

There is something very sweet about raising seedlings from your own seed collection, or even watching purchased seedlings grow into fully grown plants, flowers or trees for you to harvest.

Zero waste seed trays

One large problem with purchasing seedlings from your local Bunnings or nursery is the amount of plastic seedling trays or flower pots that are used in the process. However, if you do purchase these you can wash them out and re-use them for your own seedlings or cuttings.

Egg trays and egg shells make wonderful eco friendly seedling trays. When you crack an egg open save the two halves of the shell.

Rinse them to get rid of any leftover egg so they don't attract fly's or bacteria.

With a sharp object (like a large pin or scissors) you can carefully punch a small hole or two in the bottom of each egg shell, this will allow for drainage.

Place the egg shells back into the empty cardboard egg carton and fill each shell halfway with some quality potting mix or compost.

Put a seed in each shell and gently cover with some more soil.

Water each day and sit the egg carton on a sunny windowsill until your sprouts emerge.

Depending on the type of seed, a seedling will emerge from its cocoon 5-14 days later.

Once they are a bit bigger you can either transfer to a larger flower pot, or directly into the garden. You can plant the whole eggshell into the ground and it will gradually break down and provide calcium to the soil and plant.

Toilet paper tube pots - Save up your cardboard toilet paper rolls and when you have enough you can use these to create little seedling pots.

With a pair of scissors, make 4 even cuts around the circumference of the roll. The length of the cut should be to the middle of the roll. You can then fold over each flap to create a closed base.

Add your seed raising mix, compost or potting mix to fill 3/4 of the cardboard tube.

Once your sprouts appear you can either plant the whole tube in the garden as it is biodegradable, or you can gently remove the seedling from the tube and place it in your compost.

I like to tear the bottom flaps off so the roots can make their way into the soil quickly.

Taking care.

If you plant your seedlings in pure compost it can be a bit too acidic and burn the roots.

A mix of compost and topsoil is a gentler approach.

Using a mulch like sugar cane is a good idea to help protect the seedlings from the elements and any bugs and birds. Bring the mulch in to a close circle around the seedling, but not touching or covering it.

Watering directly overhead with a watering can or hose can also be a bit too much for new seedlings too, particularly delicate varieties of salad greens.

You can let those hose drizzle directly into the soil, or take the nozzle off the watering can and just water the mulch.

In the colder months its handy to have a protective house like a small greenhouse inside on a table or bench in a sunroom while the seedings get chance to grow and become much stronger while they are protected from the elements.

Propagation

f you think about it for too long, you will probably find it rather strange that we pay for things like water, soil and plants. These natural resources that no one can really own. Learning to propagate plants is a handy way to grow your own abundance with little effort or investment.

Lots of plants and edibles can be propagated through various methods, four of which we will look at in this section. How lovely to share a stem or branch of your favourite herb or fruit with a friend or neighbour for them to grow.

Cuttings

Many plants allow you to simply snip off a section of stem or small branch which can either be put in a jar of water and left on a windowsill or area that gets lots of natural light until it begins to sprout new roots. You can than pot in some good quality soil so the roots can continue to grow and strengthen, yielding a whole new plant.

Alternatively you can skip the jar of water and put the cutting straight into some moist soil where it will grow. You just won't be able to see the root growth.

When cutting, snip off at an angle about 2-3 cms below a 'node' as this is where new leaves or roots will sprout from.

Cutting at an angle provides more surface area for moisture and nutrients to be absorbed.

There are many plants you can grow from cuttings including; Basil, rosemary, tomatoes, mint, lemon balm, thyme, lemon and citrus trees. olives, figs and grapes.

Division

Division is the method we can use for any plants that clump together or have an underground 'crown'.

Using a shovel you can dig the roots up and either break off an individual root with attached plant, or use a garden tool to separate them.

Trim the tops off and then replant each individual plant in some good quality soil or potting mix.

Plants suitable for this method include, rhubarb, spring onion, chives and ginger.

Grafting

At some stage you might have a really abundant, delicious and hardy fruit tree that you would like to grow more of or share with family and friends. I find grafting an extremely interesting subject that also leads me to questioning the integrity of how we grow and manipulate nature.

The majority of apples you purchase from the supermarket along with apple trees from nurseries have been grown on grafted trees.

The grafting process involves taking a 'cutting' or 'scion' from a fruit tree and attaching it (grafting) onto a rootstock (the roots of another plant), creating a combination plant.

There are various rootstocks that are used for their favourable properties and resistance to bugs and disease or to pass on attributes like the size of the tree.

Some rootstock is genetically modified to strengthen the good properties.

The benefits of grafting rather that growing from seed or a cutting, is a higher success rate and the tree will produce fruit much sooner.

Sometimes the rootstock ends up sending out shoots (new growth) and climbing up the tree, taking it over.

From the kitchen

Many items in your fridge can be re-planted or put in a jar or dish of water so you can continue to harvest them or grow a whole new plant.

Potatoes - cut off the 'eyes' and put them in soil to grow. As the plant grows, keep topping up the soil and it will grow tubers below the soil.

Celery - chop the top off the celery and place the base in a dish of water. It will grow new stalks and leaves to use, and roots will also grow from the base so you can re-plant into your garden.

Lettuce - if you purchase a whole lettuce with the roots still intact you can use the leaves and then plant the roots straight into the garden. If the roots are not present you can place the lettuce in a jar of water and it will continue to regrow its leaves for a while.

Pineapple - Often in the supermarket you will find pineapples without their crown leaves or 'spikes' on the top. This is because growers chop them off to replant.

If you purchase a whole pineapple you can do this too.

Simply plant the crown in good quality soil and it will grow a whole new plant with fruit.