root cutting taken during the winter work best

Or you can do tip cuttings of new growth in spring and early summer. I use Rootone for this, and make sure that a leaf node is below the soil line.

Soeur

Could these cuttings be started in a cup of wet perlite under plastic in the house? About how long for roots to begin developing?

~Mary

I've had success with tip cuttings. I used Rootone and put the cuttings in my cold frame which was filled with sieved compost. Half of them rooted and half rotted. Probably would work better in a sterile and better draining medium.

It is recommended that Phlox paniculata be propagated by root cuttings to pest/disease issues of the stems. It only takes a very little piece of root to make a new plant and you won't have to sacrifice bloom timing that way either.

Wouldn't it be easier on you, and the plant, to just harvest the seeds?

Seed might be easier on the plant (although tip cuttings just do what a browsing deer does in the wild, not really hurting the plant), but it would take *years* longer to get a sizable plant. In my experience, P. paniculata seed germinates erratically over several years from a fall sowing. Additionally, if you want to increase a particular variety, vegetative propagation is the only recourse. They don't come true from seed.

Soeur

May 10 and so far none of my cutting have rooted. I bet they would be happier if they had bottom heat.

Anyway it's worth the experiment. At least they have not died yet, although they are looking a bit rough.

FireVicar

I am rooting several varieties of phlox paniculata in my water propagator using tip cuttings as in Rosco's system. Al

I started the cuttings on April 11. May 20 and almost all the cuttings have taken root. Now I have about 100 new tall garden phlox plants in three colors.

What a boon!

FireVicar

I loved all the suggestions. The upshot is that I waited until last week to get cuttings from a phlox that does not make seeds. I made a cutting chamber by inverting a clear plastic cake dome over a clear plastic cake dome turned upside down of the same size. I filled the bottom with soiless medium and perlite. The cuttings look very healthy so far; I cut off all the leaves except the top two or three, and there I cut most of them back. I was able to root hibiscus this winter using this method, but it was not but about 30% successful. I am hoping for better odds this time. I did use rooting hormone on them also.

Now I have a question - I went out for the paper today and one stem of my phlox "David" was broken and the flower had just started. I put the stem (it's the entire stem) in water. Will this root?

I wonder if you could take a garden phlox cutting and plant it inside a milk jug, using potting mix and dipped in rootone, enlarge the air circulation holes around the neck of the jug, just like we do Wintersowing, if this would work? Keep it in the shade and keep checking to see if it has taken root.

Fire Vicar..what medium did you root your garden phlox in? I have MG potting mix, Vermitculite, and perlite here and Rootone..Which ones have you found works best for you and what ratio if you use two mediums? Do you keep the "rooting plant" in shade while the rooting takes place? Do I need to cover the "rooting plant" with plastic but don't let the plastic touch the plant? What about using a water bottle or jar for a greenhouse?

I bought a bag of MG spagnum moss and on the back it shows this and perlite make good seed starting mix. Has anyone had good results using this mixture?

Pippi21 a 50% peat and 50% vermiculite are commonly used as a seed starting mix. For cuttings I prefer 80% perlite to 20 percent peat. Tip cutting will wilt very fast without tenting. I always used a hormone even when not required, as it contains a fungicide to help prevent stem rot. Al

Al, when you say you prefer 80% perlite to 20% peat, does that mean you mixed 8 cups of perlite to 2 cups spagnum peat moss for your cuttings? 50%/50% could be an equal amount of each(peat and vermiculite for seed starting mix?Example: 5 cups peat, 5 cups vermiculite?