DATE:   11/20/97
WRITER: Bob Polomski,  (864) 656-2604
            
Rooting Geraniums

     Q:  Before winter arrives, I would like to root some
cuttings from several large annual geraniums that I rescued from
my garden. How do I  go about taking cuttings and rooting them? 
Do I need to buy a special rooting hormone? 
     A:  The common bedding geranium of window boxes (properly
Pelargonium x hortorum) is readily propagated from cuttings.
Indeed, many commercial growers maintain stock plants from
which they take cuttings each winter for next year's plants.
     With a sharp knife or razor blade, take three to four inch
long cuttings of terminal growth. Make an angled cut just below a
node -- the point where the leaf joins the stem. Remove the
lowest leaf or two. Next, dip the cut end into rooting hormone
(0.1 percent IBA; available as Hormodin #1, Hormex #1, or
Hormo-Root A).  
     Fill a small pot with equal parts of peat moss and perlite
and use a pencil to poke a hole in the medium before inserting
the cutting. This prevents the rooting powder from being scraped
off. When you have stuck all the cuttings, water them well and
place the pots in a plastic bag secured at the top with a
twist-tie. Set the pots in a location receiving bright, indirect 
sunlight. Rooting should occur in 2 to 3 weeks.
     When the cuttings have rooted, remove the pots from the bag
and move into direct sunlight in a cool room between 55 and 65
degrees Fahrenheit. You will end up with bushier, more
floriferous geraniums if  you pinch each of these young plants
back at least once. -- Bob Polomski, Clemson Extension consumer
horticulturist.                                                   
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     If you have gardening questions or comments, write to
Agricultural News & Publications, A-101 Poole Agricultural
Center, Box 340311, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29634-0311. 
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