Of course, you can buy planting material for flowers. But prices in garden centers now bite, especially for planting material, because they are imported to us from Europe. But we will not sigh sadly, but rather find out how to get flowers for free.
And this is actually simple: many of them reproduce by cuttings. They can be asked from neighbors, relatives, acquaintances. Well, then it's a matter of technology.
Roses
It is better to take half-lignified cuttings for rooting, that is, they are no longer soft, but not yet “hardened” completely. And it is better to choose thinner shoots - thick "trunks" give roots worse.
Each cutting should have 3-4 buds, so if you broke off too long, cut off all excess. The upper cut should be straight and 1 cm higher than the kidney. The lower one should be oblique, right under the kidney. And for leaves, which usually consist of 5 segments, you need to remove the top three.
Well, then everything is simple: the lower end must be powdered with a root formation stimulator (heteroauxin or root) and stuck in the garden, in the shade, into moist soil at an inclination of 45 ° so that the two lower buds are underground. Then cut off the neck of the plastic bottle to the very shoulders ("polorashki" will do, but it is better to take a 5-liter container) and cover the handle.
This is the easiest option, but it will be important to keep the soil constantly moist. But what about those who are at the dacha only on weekends? In this case, before planting, the stalk must be stuck … into the potato. Literally by 1 cm. And only then, together with the tuber, plant it in the soil. In this case, even if the earth dries up, the rose shoot will not dry out - it will extract moisture from the potato.
Lilies
They come in different types and each has its own characteristics of reproduction, but let's take the two simplest methods.
1. Bulb
This option is suitable for tiger lilies - small black peas form in the axils of their leaves - these are air bulbs. They usually ripen in August September, after the mother plant has faded. So do not rush to collect them, notice where you saw a beautiful lily, so that you can return later. And to understand that they are "ready" is very simple - ripe bulbs are easily separated from the stem.
It is better to plant the collected onions immediately in the open ground. But in a flower garden, and in separate beds to a depth of 2-3 cm at a distance of 5-6 cm from each other. After that, it is good to water and sprinkle with peat or humus. They germinate in the spring. And as soon as sprouts appear, they need to be carefully planted in their places in the flower garden. In the same summer, they usually bloom, but it is better not to allow this, cut off the buds so that the plants grow stronger. But from the second year you can safely admire them!
If for some reason you are unable to plant the bulbs directly into the garden, they can be kept in the refrigerator until spring, mixed with sawdust or sand.
2. Leaves
This method is suitable for many types of lilies: tiger, snow-white, Thunberg, regala, Maksimovich, sulfur and long-flowered.
Here, too, everything is quite simple: you need to tear off the leaves from the top of the stem and plant them in a pot or box. Previously, drainage must be poured into it, then nutrient soil with a layer of 5-6 cm, and 3-4 cm of sand on top. The leaves are deepened into the sand up to half their length in an inclined position. Then the soil is watered and the container is covered with glass or cellophane. Once a day, the leaves need to be ventilated so that they do not rot. After a while, bulbs form at the base of the leaves.
For the winter, it is best to dig a pot or box in the garden and sprinkle it with humus with a layer of 10-15 cm. And in the spring, young plants can be planted in a flower garden.
Dahlias
These flowers, of course, are not found in every city in a flower bed, but you can look for something interesting from your neighbors. And beg… stepson. Yes, yes, they, like tomatoes, have stepsons who must be removed from time to time.And now they can be rooted.
Such stepchildren are planted in damp ground in the garden (in the shade) or in a pot, deepening by 2 buds. And then covered with a plastic bottle. After 10-12 days, the cuttings take root and start growing. And some even bloom by autumn! At the same time, a small nodule grows under the ground. In the fall, it must be dug up and stored until spring in a cellar or refrigerator.
By the way, in this way you can rejuvenate the dahlias that are already growing in your flower garden.
Coleus and begonias
They are often planted in Moscow flower beds, and of various varieties. And to multiply them - you can not imagine easier.
All that is needed is to break off a piece of the shoot: the top or lateral process is not important. And put it in a glass of water. Just a few days - and you have a ready-made seedling. And then do whatever you want with it - plant it in a flower garden or pot.
If planted on the site, in late August - early September, do the same operation: cut the stalk, root and plant in pots. Keep plants on a light-colored windowsill in winter. And closer to spring, you will again cut them and plant them in the garden.
