Learn how to multiply your plants: red fountain grass!

Now that the weather is cooling down in my zone 10 garden in Los Angeles, I'm doing yearly maintenance on some of my ornamental grasses.

 

 

Red fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum enjoyed a great run this summer.

As a "warm season" grass, Pennisetum setaceum is in active growth mode throughout the summer and its feathery plumes stir up a lot of attention from passersby.

 

I usually let my grasses grow and leave them alone to set their own height restrictions but lately, I've noticed some of them need help with "girth control."

Their getting fat around the middle!

 

Good news for me because that means that the plants can afford a little "horticultural lipo" when I extract some "divisions" and create more plants!

Want to see me in action, propagating red fountain grass?

 

I promise this video is very short and informative and may encourage you to get dirty!

Look for all of my "Multiply Your Plants" videos shown weekly on my garden TV talk show, "Garden World Report."

Last week, I multiplied a Kalanchoe plant by cuttings.

 

 

The succulent, Kalanchoe luciae "Flapjack" is one of the most dramatic looking  plants I have in my garden.

Jade green leaves with dark red wine margins.

Mmm, just gorgeous.

 

It's expensive too!

A 5"-inch pot may set you back $8 to $10 dollars or more, depending on where you live.

Fortunately, Kalanchoe's are a part of "natures stimulus" plan and are easily multiplied into many plants through "offset propagation.

 

 

 

A "monocarpic" plant, once the Kalanchoe flowers, it starts to die, new "baby plants" can already be seen at the base.

 

As a tradeoff for being monocarpic, the Kalanchoe is truly sympathetic and endows the gardener with "baby plants" and "offsets" to take it's place once it dies.

I know lot's of people who just throw the Kalanchoe away when it finishes flowering.

Don't do that!

Do you realize there are dozens of new plants waiting to be given a chance to live (and save you some money) through propagation?

It's so easy to multiply this plant, its almost feels like I'm "getting away with murder!"

 

 

How I multiplied my Kalanchoe luciae, "Flapjack"

Enjoy the video on how to propagate Kalanchoe plants.

 

First, I cut the flower stalk from the base of the new baby plant.

I see lots of small Kalanchoe leaf clusters growing along the length of the flower stalk.

 

 

The leaf clusters are the "offsets" I will use to make more plants from!

 

 

I use a clean, sterile knife to cut the leaf clusters from the stalk.

I cut close to the base, snipping off a tiny part of the flower stalk.

 

 

Next, comes the difficult part.

I have to wait about 3 days for the ends to dry and callous before planting them!

I feel like I'm "sitting Shiva!" "Oy, veys mir!"

 

 

Succulents like Kalanchoe should be planted in a well draining container, at least 5"inches deep.

A sandy rooting mix is best- you can buy it or use 3 parts sand to 1 part loam.

Moisten the soil, but don't saturate it with water.

 

 

Keep your plants in a warm area, shaded from the sun.

Water consistently, but moderately and you should have new plants in about 8 to 10 weeks!

 

You can check to see if your plants are ready for transplanting by giving them a light tug.

If you feel a slight resistance, roots have  formed.

 

Congratulations..you have a new plant!

 

Multiply a Geranium Plant

Now that you've mastered multiplying Kalanchoe plants, try your hand at propagating geraniums…it's even easier!

 

Watch the video, "How to Turn One Geranium into Many Geraniums! Gardens Of The Rich and Famous"

I appear as the gardening expert on the new show, "Gardens of the Rich and Famous" on the Digs Channel on Youtube and dispense "gardening 101"  information.

Please subscribe to the show and share the videos with your friends.

 

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