If you have ever tried to make a new plant from a cutting (from a piece of an existing plant) you know that it can be tricky to get them to live long enough to make root and not dry out and die. I was at a wonderful plant exchange this weekend and one of the people there told me about using a forsythe pot (don’t ask me why its called that) for starting plants from cuttings. I came home and looked it up and love this idea. It was easy to make and inexpensive.
Here’s what you need:
A gallon size or bigger pot, plastic or ceramic
Smaller clay pot with out hole on bottom otherwise you have to plug the hole with clay or a cork or something
Vermiculite (found in gardening section of any home improvement store)
Paper towels to cover hole in big pot so the vermiculite does not come out (I don’t use paper towels so I used newspaper)
Put paper in bottom of larger pot and press in place
Pour in vermiculite almost to the top
Push smaller clay pot down into the center of the bigger pot
Gently water the vermiculite until it is all damp and then fill the smaller pot with water to the top
Push your cuttings into the vermiculite. You could dip the ends of the cuttings in rooting hormone (or someone told me you can use powdered milk instead but I have not done any research on it)
Keep the center pot filled with water and your cuttings have a wonderful new home where they can put energy into growing roots and you don’t have to worry about the soil drying out and killing the cuttings.
This would also be a great way to start seedlings I think. It keeps the seedlings damp but not too wet. Starting plants from cuttings is a great way to multiply the plants you already have to get lots of free ones from other gardening friends who have plants you don’t. I have taken cuttings at parks, public roads and botanical gardens (I do not recomend this last one but there was a plant I HAD to have). Happy gardening.
Will pulling it out not harm the roots?
You have to be gentle but unless you leave it too long and it gets too many roots growing and root bound then the perlite stays very loose so its easy to remove without damage to roots or plant
I would like to know how you can tell if the cutting has rooted, and also, when ready, do you just pull it out and repot? Will pulling it out not harm the roots? Thank you in advance for your answers.
Maria, You can tell if it is rooted when you gently tug and feel it holding on. Because the vermiculite is very loose, it will not hurt the plants roots when you remove it. Just be gentle and repot 🙂
Marianne, The water in the middle clay pot releases the water slowly through its pores and so the vermiculite stays damp. I fill the water pot in the middle about every two days. Oh, forgot to say that when you are growing from a cutting you want to keep the pot of plants out of the sun. That would be too much stress on them. Let me know if you try it…it's really easy.
OK- I really want to try this but I just don't see how the water in the sealed ceramic pot keeps the vermiculite damp. Evaporation? Can you enlighten me?