Growing and propagating plants

Growing and propagating plants yourself
Whether vegetables, herbs, or houseplants, you can easily propagate and grow many plants. Labeling pots help you keep track of your cultivations.

Growing and propagating plants yourself

Maximise the potential of your plants! Propagating your favourite fruits, vegetables, and treasured greenery is simpler than you might think – just a bit of soil, a few pots, some water, and a dash of patience are all you need. It's a rewarding process that's not only sustainable and cost-effective but also a lot of fun.

There isn’t just one method for propagating plants. Depending on the species, there are various ways to grow new plants from existing ones. Here, we’ll introduce you to different propagation techniques, their benefits, and the types of plants they are best suited for.       

             

Propagation with seeds

From carrots and tomatoes to dill, cucumbers, sunflowers, marigolds, and cosmos, many plants can be propagated from seeds. This is the best method, especially for annual vegetables and summer flowers.

If the seeds are inside the fruit, carefully remove them, clean off any clinging fruit flesh, and dry them on a kitchen towel in a warm, dry place. You can store the seeds in small packets until sowing. However, don’t wait too long – they should be planted within two years at the latest. Over time, the seeds lose their germination power, meaning they may not sprout, and your efforts in collecting them would have been wasted.

Propagation with seeds
You can organise your homegrown and purchased seeds by month, ensuring you're perfectly prepared for the gardening year.

If the seeds develop directly from the flower, without being surrounded by fruit flesh, as with marigolds, sunflowers, and dill, cut the flower heads just before or at the beginning of seed ripening, leaving stems as long as possible. For example, you can use the EasyPrune from Bosch for this task. Hang the stems upside down in a dry, warm, and airy place until they are completely dry. Once ready, store the seeds in clean packets or containers.

Tip
Label carefully
‘By next year, I’ll still know which variety is in which packet’ – many gardeners think this, only to be proven wrong. To avoid forgetting which variety is in each packet, label them with the plant’s name, variety, and packing date. For flowers, it’s also worth noting their height, bloom colour, and flowering period.

When you sow the seeds of a plant, this is referred to as generative propagation. Seeds are formed after fertilisation and the resulting plants carry the genetic material of two parent plants. In shops, you’ll often find so-called F1 hybrids – highly cultivated seeds that promise high yields and other excellent traits. However, this is only true for the first year; seeds from these plants often fail to germinate or produce much poorer results. This is because the desirable traits split in the next generation.

Tip
Use pure seed varieties
Vegetable varieties from organic breeding and traditional heirloom strains are seed-stable, often referred to as true-to-type. Seeds from these plants produce offspring that closely resemble the parent plant in both appearance and traits.

Propagation through plant parts

Propagation through cuttings, layering, or dividing falls under the term vegetative propagation. For example, if you cut a shoot from your geranium, and allow it to root and grow until it becomes a new plant, it will look exactly like the parent plant. The same applies when you divide your chives, you will end up with two identical plants. This is no surprise, as no new genetic material is introduced in the process.

Propagation through plant parts
For rosemary cuttings, cut 10 cm long shoots, strip off the lower leaves, and place the shoots in seedling compost. Position near a window and cover with glass cloches, they will root quickly.
Tip
Ideal conditions in the greenhouse
If you create the right conditions, such as moist soil, a warm location, and plenty of light, your plant cultivation will thrive. A greenhouse provides the ideal environment for this.

1.  New plants from leaves and shoots

This method is quick and (almost) always successful: propagating plants from cuttings is truly simple. When the shoot tips, along with a portion of the stem and a few leaves, are cut, they are called tip cuttings. This works well for plants like coleus, rosemary, raspberries, and basil. 
Another option is to use leaves for propagation. Succulent plants with thick, fleshy leaves are particularly suited for this method. Let the leaves dry for a few days, then place them on cactus soil. Water sparingly to prevent the cuttings from becoming mouldy. For begonias, the leaves are cut into pieces and inserted into moist seedling compost.

New plants from leaves and shoots
Succulents are particularly easy to propagate – a single leaf, such as one from an orpine (Sedum telephium) plant, is enough. Simply insert it into the soil, as shown here.

2.  Dividing root balls

The trick with perennials is as simple as it is clever: older, well-established perennials can be dug up in autumn and divided using a clean, sharp spade. This gives you a new plant and rejuvenates the mother plant, encouraging it to grow more vigorously. This method works wonderfully for rhubarb, hostas (Hosta), coneflowers (Rudbeckia), and lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis).The best time for division is autumn. The weather is cooler, the soil moisture is usually higher, and the plants have enough time to root before winter. However, don’t forget to water regularly if it’s dry during autumn and winter. To prevent soil fatigue, plant the divisions in a different location in the garden. Soil fatigue occurs when a plant remains in the same spot for too long, depleting the specific nutrients it needs.

Dividing tubers or rhizomes
If you buy potted chives, they’ll last longer if you divide the root ball. If they’re growing in the garden, you can do the same by using a spade.

3.  Dividing tubers or rhizomes

Potatoes, dahlias, and other tuber-forming plants can be propagated directly through their roots – in this case, their tubers. To stimulate root growth, cut the tubers in half with a clean knife; for larger tubers, you can slice them into 2 to 3 pieces. Plant these pieces directly back into the soil – tools like a trowel or hand rake from Bosch’s handy gardening range can help with this task.Iris, wood anemones, and calla lilies form rhizomes, which look like thickened stems and usually grow just beneath the soil surface. Carefully dig out the rhizomes with a spade and divide them at their narrowest points. Replant the rhizome pieces at the same depth they were originally growing.

Layering
If your ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiifolia) becomes cramped in its pot or you’d like to propagate it, you can easily divide it. If you wash off the soil, it gives you a clear view of the rhizomes and roots.

4.  Layering

Raspberries, blackberries, clematis, and dogwood (Cornus) produce long shoots, known as layers. When these shoots touch the ground, they often root themselves without any help. New plants develop, which you can dig up, separate from the parent plant, and replant elsewhere. To ensure the shoots stay in contact with the soil, you can pin them down with a little soil. They’ll quickly develop roots. Strawberries also produce runners and can be propagated using the same method.

Regrowing
Strawberries, whether in the bed or a pot, can be propagated through runners. The runners often root on their own, or you can secure them with wire clips in a new pot.

5.  Regrowing

A lot of organic waste is generated in the kitchen: onions are left behind and start to sprout, and the leftover ends of lettuce or leeks are cut off and thrown away. Did you know that you can regrow these vegetable scraps? This is called regrowing. We’ll explain how it works here. It takes a bit more time if you want to grow pineapple, olives, or avocados.

Some fresh greens for salad or soup
Some fresh greens for salad or soup? You can easily regrow them from vegetable scraps! This method is called regrowing.

What can’t be used as cuttings or for regrowing doesn’t need to go to waste – it can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost. We’ll explain how composting works and how to build your own compost. If you have limited space, a worm bin or Bokashi bucket are practical alternatives that also fit on a terrace or balcony.

If you'd like to know more about when to carry out specific gardening tasks, you can find the right times to do the important activities in our garden calendar.