How To Get Plants For Free
Plant Propagation:
There are lots of different ways to propagate new plants. Mostly the technique you use to propagate depends on the type of plant you want to have more of. The three easiest and most popular ways of plant propagation are by cuttings, division and growing from seed. Other plant propagation techniques include layering, grafting and tissue culture, but I want to focus on the easiest and quickest ways home gardeners can build up their gardens.
How To Get Plants For Free Method 1: Cuttings
Creating new plants from cuttings is a pretty easy way to create new plants for free. There are a few things to learn before you start, but it’s pretty simple. It does come down to a bit of trial and error, but once you have the basics, you’ll get on just fine.
Cuttings to root in water
Softwood is usually new growth on a plant. It is most suitable for water cuttings. Basically you want to take cuttings that have at least five nodes (a node is the junction on a stem where new shoots would emerge).
Always use sharp secateurs. Make a clean, sharp cut just below a node. I always take off the tip of the cutting as I want to encourage growth at the base of the plant – the new roots – rather than the top. Remove any leaves that would be under the water line. Ideally, two or three nodes will be under water. The node is where the new roots will form. Place the jar or glass in good light, but not direct sun. Change the water every few days to prevent bacteria building up. Once you have a few healthy looking roots at least an inch long, you can pot up into small pots. Keep them in the shade at first, slowly exposing them to more light over a week or so.
The easiest cuttings to start are those that will root just in water. Usually the type of plants that will root in water have thick, succulent leaves and stems. Edible plants like mint, laksa plant, lemon balm, basil and tomatoes should root easily. Other plants you might want to try include ivy, begonias, spider plants, coleus and succulents. There are many others, so experiment all you like! J
Semi-hardwood cuttings
Semi-hardwood cuttings are suitable for planting into a growing medium. I use two thirds potting mix, to one third perlite – as long as it’s free draining it will be fine. By mid-summer most new grow will become semi-hardwood. You can hold the stem with both hands and be able to bend in the middle without it easily snapping.
They are usually not that hard to get to strike, but a couple of things will give them the best chance possible. Prepare your cuttings similar to the water cuttings, again cutting off the new growth, pulling off any leaves that would be under the growing medium and trim a third or so off of any remaining leaves, especially if they are large and juicy. I recommend using a rooting powder on the lower part of the cutting. Use a dibble (or a pencil – something to loosen the area for the cutting to sit in) to make a small hole in the growing medium. Gently firm in your cutting with your fingers, then move on to the next one.
These cuttings need to be grown in a tray or pot with a clear cover over them to maintain high humidity while they are developing roots. Plastic is usually suitable. If you’re growing in trays you can usually buy covers. If you’re using a larger pot with multiple cuttings, you can support a plastic cover with sticks and secure with a rubber band. Or you can place a drink bottle (cut in half) over your cuttings.
Semi-hardwood cuttings will root better if they are heated from below. I have a four tray heat pad to grow my babies, but you just need something warm and plenty of light (not direct sunlight).
Hardwood cuttings
Take hardwood cuttings mid to late fall. Make the cuttings longer. I concentrate mostly on fruit trees or grape vines for this type of cutting. Make sure you are placing the right end in your growing medium. It’s easy to get confused when there are no leaves on your cutting. If you’re putting them in a bag to transport them, just make sure you place them in the same way. Or you could wrap twine around the cut end, or even cut them on the diagonal instead of straight across.
Most of these cuttings don’t require rooting powder. You also don’t need to 
cover them with plastic. Place them in the shade through winter and don’t let the medium dry out completely. When spring comes, place them where they will get some sun and you should soon see new leaves appearing. By late spring you can pot them up, feed well and grow them strong through the growing season and plant them into their permanent position late autumn or winter.
How To Get Plants For Free Method 2: Division
Dividing clumping plants
There are many plants that will happily divide. Usually they will be clumping types of plants, but you can divide most rhizomes and tubers also. To divide a plant you can use a sharp spade for larger plants or your hands or secateurs for smaller plants. Make sure you get roughly even amounts of roots and greenery. Sometimes you can divide into two, three or even four new plants from the original plant.
It’s really important to get the divided plants into their new positions and watered in well as quickly as possible. Some of the edible plants to divide include many of the thyme family, chives, oregano, rhubarb, comfrey, horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes and members of the mint family.
Dividing rhizomes, tubers and bulbs
There are quite a few edible plants that you can divide from the fleshy parts that grow underground. Ginger, galangal, and sweet potato can be divided from where you find new shoots on the rhizomes or tubers. Cut a generous section (at least an inch, preferably more) back from new shoots. Allow the cut to dry for two or three days, then plant in soil. You can do the same with potatoes. 
In fact if you leave potatoes in the cupboard they’ll start to grow by themselves.
Garlic is also grown by pulling apart the garlic bulb and planting each clove. Many flowering bulbs also multiply by growing bulblets to the side or below the parent bulb.
Layering division
Plants like strawberries send out runners from the parent plant. As long as the runners are on soil, they will put down roots. When they do, you can sever the new plant from the parent. Unfortunately with strawberries if you allow the parent plant to send runners, you will forfeit getting fruit from that plant.
Blackberries, raspberries and similar plants will send out canes. The end of those canes will often rest on the ground and grow roots. When they have secured themselves they can be severed from the parent plant. You can help this process along a bit by pinning the ends of canes to the ground and keeping moist. I also do this with rosemary branches that lay on the ground. Once they are established you can transplant them to where you want them to grow permanently.
How To Get Plants For Free Method 3: Raising Seeds
Seed raising is another great way to get new plants. 
If you start saving your own seed, your new plants are free! To get the best results make sure your seeds have been stored correctly. And keep the seed-raising mix moist until your seeds germinate. Some seeds are tricky to germinate, but most herbs and vegetable seed are easy to germinate. I always plant more seeds than I want (like these basil seedlings) and thin them out as they start growing, keeping the strongest few plants, then later thin out again, keeping the best plant.
It’s a good idea to try out different methods of plant propagation. Then you have options pretty much all year round. And you broaden your experience and understanding of the plant world.
Good luck growing your new free plants. Use these methods to create more plants for your organic vegetable garden. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
Warm regards,
