Fall is almost here — at least we can hope. It is the perfect time of year to propagate your favorite plant by layering. Many people think propagating plants is difficult, and in some instances it is. But many of our favorite plants can be propagated by layering, and it is very simple and requires little effort.

Layering works best with shrubs and woody perennials. Try it with plants like hydrangeas, azaleas, rosemary, sage, roses, abelia and forsythia. Select a new shoot that is long enough to touch the ground. Take a sharp knife and slit the shoot at an angle, about half way through. Make a small depression in the ground and place the stem, cut side down, into the depression and cover with soil. You may dip the cut in rooting hormone before you place it in the soil but it is generally not necessary. Leave the tip of the stem protruding. Then cover the soil with a brick or anything heavy enough to make the stem remain in place throughout the winter. You are done for now, it is really that easy.

When spring comes, you will have a new plant! Simply cut the rooted stem free from the parent plant and dig up the root ball of the new plant. Set it out in a new bed or in a pot. Treat it like any other new plant, meaning, watch that is sufficiently watered until it has a strong root structure.

What is a rattlebox plant? Yet again, there is another plant on the Mississippi State Extension Service calendar this month with which I am not familiar. Rattlebox (crotalaria) is also known as rattlepod, shake shake or devil-bean. It gets its name from the sound it makes when the fruit is shaken, causing the seeds to “rattle.” It has small yellow blooms on branching stems. It is a member of the pea/bean family and was brought to this country because the seeds improve soil quality. However, it was discovered that the seeds are toxic to wildlife. Although some people use the plant ornamentally, it is now considered to be a noxious weed.

You may have read recently that crape myrtle bark scale has popped up in Natchez. It was first detected in the U.S. in Texas in 2004 and was first found in Mississippi in the spring of 2015. It is now well established in several areas of the state and will likely continue to spread. It is a serious threat to the health of our crape myrtles.

Bark scale has been spotted on many of the crape myrtles in downtown Natchez and is spreading to residential areas. The Mississippi State University Extension Service has published information about identification and treatment at https://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/publications/publications/p2938.pdf

Email your questions or comments to me at newsroom@natchezdemocrat.com.

 

Karen O’Neal is an Adams County Master Gardener.