Grow Just About Anything from Seed to Cuttings by Sticking It in Soil:
It’s February and time to start germinating seeds. Whilst traditional soil sowing is the method of choice for our average everyday garden seeds, there have been many other sowing “hacks” that have made the rounds in the internet & YouTube. These new methods have also been proven to be faster and more effective than planting in the ground… especially with more exotic seeds & cuttings. My long term results however, suggest that rooting in soil remains the best.
While starting new plants from seeds & cuttings, I’ve tied hydroponic grow systems, simple water in a cup, wet paper towel in Ziplock bags, moist sand/coco coir in plastic container and air layering. Germination/rooting occurred faster in all these methods compared to sticking seeds/cuttings in soil/potting mix. The success rate of the other methods also is also greater vs traditional in ground sowing. Nevertheless, I would eventually discover that survivability of seedlings & rotted cuttings was best among those started in soil.
Plants from the other methods looked leggier (weaker) and more likely to die after transplanting into a pot or into the ground outdoors. The potting mix I use is premium quality with the right amount of drainage & nutrients, yet my newly sprouted seedlings/rooted cuttings weren’t as successful surviving through the hardening off period where young plants are introduced to the outdoor growing environment vs those I started right from a pot or a seed starter tray.
I’ve stuck everything from tropical fruit seeds, plant cuttings, runners, scraps of produce and even broken branches from fruit trees into soil. And given enough time, most of the attempts resulted in successful seedlings & rootings. Surprisingly, all my in-ground started plants thrived past the initial stage of growth and thrived through the year and some even bore fruit. In contrast, the plants that I started from the other methods didn’t fare half as well. I believe it’s the acclamation process of transferring the young plants into soil that kills off most fledgling seedlings/rooted cuttings. There are defences in moisture, pH levels & growing medium that the plant is suddenly introduced to when transferring from the other methods into their final soil-based destination.
In summary, I suggest avoiding other fancy methods and just “stick things in dirt” and watch them grow. Make sure the potting mix you use is well draining & of high quality, there will be little to no risk of transplantation shock nor physical disturbance of newly formed roots as with the other methods. You’d be pleasantly surprised by how many plants you can grow… it does take a much longer time (sometimes months) but it’ll be worth it in the end. The best part about the soil method is that it’s the laziest and cheapest as well! Also, make sure you know which fruits are true-to-seed and which cuttings are from scions vs rootstock. You don’t want to waste years raising a plant only to eventually realize that the fruits from it taste like crap.
