Green-wood cuttings are more commonly employed than those from the mature wood, as they “strike” more quickly, they can be handled under glass in the winter, and more species can be propagated by them than by hard-wood cuttings. “Slips” are green-wooded cuttings, but the term is often restricted to designate those which are made by pulling or “slipping” off a small side shoot. All soft-wooded plants and many ornamental shrubs are increased by green cuttings. There are two general classes of green-wood cuttings: those made from the soft and still growing wood, and those made from the nearly ripened green-wood, as in Azalea Indica, oleander, ficus, etc. House plants, as geraniums, coleuses, carnations, fuchsias, and the like, are grown from the soft young wood, and many harder-wooded plants are grown in the same way. Sometimes truly hard wood is used, as in camellia.
Fig. 51. Tough and brittle wood.
In making cuttings from soft and growing shoots, the first thing to learn is the proper texture or age of shoot. A very soft and flabby cutting does not grow readily, or if it does it is particularly liable to damp-off, and it usually makes a weak plant. Too old wood is slow to root, makes a poor plant and is handled with difficulty in many species. The ordinary test for beginners is the manner in which the shoot breaks. If, upon being bent, the shoot snaps off squarely so as to hang together with only a bit of bark, as in the upper break in [Fig. 51], it is in the proper condition for cuttings; but if it bends or simply crushes, as in the lower portion of the figure, it is either too old or too young for good results. The tips of the shoots of soft-wooded plants are usually employed, and all or a portion of the leaves are allowed to remain. They are inserted in sharp sand to a sufficient depth to hold them in place, and the atmosphere and soil must be kept moist to prevent wilting or "flagging". The cuttings should also be shaded for the first week or two. A propagating-frame is often employed. Soft cuttings are commonly cut below a bud or cut to a heel, but this is unnecessary in easily rooted plants like geranium, coleus, heliotrope, etc. [Fig. 52] shows an oleander cutting at a, a carnation at b, and a geranium at c. A coleus cutting is illustrated in [Fig. 53]. Sometimes the growth is so short or the stock so scarce that the cutting cannot be made long enough to hold itself in the soil. In such case a toothpick or splinter is tied to the cutting to hold it erect, as in the cactus cutting, [Fig. 54], or the geranium cutting, [Fig. 55]. In the window garden, soft cuttings may be started in a deep plate which is filled half or two-thirds full of sand and is then filled to the brim with water, and not shaded; this method, practiced on a larger scale, is sometimes useful during the hot summer months. If bottom heat is desired, the plate may be set upon the back part of the kitchen stove. Oleanders usually root best when mature shoots are placed in bottles of water.
Fig. 52. Soft cuttings.
