Taking and Growing Cuttings

This by no means is the only way to take cuttings or the only way to plant and care for cuttings. This is how we do it and what we recommend, which works well for us. 

A few things to note:

• To promote tuber production, you need to pinch back your cuttings a few times through the growing season. It really make a difference.  I'll pinch once or twice while rooting, but I'll pinch them again at planting time, and at least one more time in the growing season.  It is not uncommon to see tubers already forming when I plant.
• When planting cuttings, pretend the oasis is the tuber. It needs to be 4" below the soil line. Defoliate the cutting and plant as deep as you can. I like to dig a 5" hole, set the oasis on the bottom, cover the oasis and stems with soil, leaving 2 sets of leaves above soil. If the cutting is not tall enough, I still set down that far, but fill with less soil, until the cutting is tall enough to back fill the hole the rest of the way.
• Cuttings need to be acclimated to your climate. It is best to pot them for a few weeks and if temps allow, set out in a shady spot for a few days and if possible, plant on a rainy day. The rain will help a lot with transplant shock, but the clouds are great for acclimating transplants too. After a couple days in the shade and then a day or more in the rain, they need no other special treatment, except:
• Cuttings need fertilizer more than a tuber and sooner than tubers. Tubers provide the plant with nutrients until the roots are established. Cuttings don't have a tuber to supply nutrition and don't have a lot of roots to start off with. So, I always water in my rooted cuttings with 50% (half dose) Miracle Grow the day I plant them. I then water them as needed, but for the first 2 weeks, every time I water, I water with Miracle Grow or Alaska Fish Emulsion at 50% strength. I like to rotate them.