Propagating with potatoes

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I heard a story about a lady who broke off a small tree branch. She stuck it in a potato and planted it. It was successful. Can I get any details on the method?

-- Catharine Wilson (cwilson8@prodigy.net), April 26, 2000

Answers

That's an old one. Dates back before sterilized and specialized potting mixes. The idea is that the spud provides moisture for the cutting, is probably disease free (at least anything that could harm the cutting), and provides stability for the cutting. It works. Just use a clean implement to make the cut in the spud and shove in a cutting. Some will root more easily than others, but that's true with trying to root anything. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 26, 2000.

i'm doing it right now with willows, seems to work. the only thing is the smell,some one told me they use apples. i'll try that next.

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), April 27, 2000.

Another old one. Apples will work, in the same manner that potatoes do. Willows are easy to strike. So easy in fact, that some people will include willow cuttings in the water in which they're trying to start cuttings of other plants. Or they'll use the willow water as the medium in which to start other cuttings. Willow fence posts are well known for turning into willow trees.

When you do root anything in water, be sure to plant it as soon as possible. To survive in water, plants put out a specialized root. Then those water roots are useless to it when you finally get around to putting the cuttings in soil. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), April 27, 2000.


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