Bottlebrush
Photo: Enzie ShahmiriWhen I go for a walk at a nearby park, I often pass a huge Bottlebrush. This plant received it's name because the flowers look like long red bottle brush cleaners. I love the intense red and always wanted to learn if it was possible to propagate this plant from cuttings. Well apparently it is rather easy to do, so I figured I share what I found out with you. Best results are achieved with woody plants if the cutting is done in the fall or when the plant has become dormant.
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You will need: Rooting hormone, alcohol, Vermiculite, a container, water and pruning clippers
Directions:1. Clean your pruning clippers with alcohol to remove bacteria. 2. Place vermiculite in the desired container. Vermiculite helps the cuttings to stand up right and allows the root system to develop. 3. Add some water to moisten the vermiculite.4. Locate a node on your cutting and snip right below it. Remove all flowers and leaves and dip the end in some growth hormone, so that the stem has enough energy to concentrate on giving roots.5. Shake the excess powder off and place the cutting in the vermiculite. Then place the container in a bright area and keep the container moist while the cutting is trying to form roots. Your bottlebrush cutting should start to form roots within a few weeks. 6. After the cutting has established itself in the container of vermiculite, you can plant it in another container that holds a potting mix or plant it directly in the ground.
Bottlebrush Plant Care -- powered by eHow.com
