Question
QUESTION: Hey Tom, Its me again...I have several different types of plants and flowers in my Mississippi yard...which of the following can I use cuttings to root?
Vinca
impatiens
Sweet Potato vine
Red Salvia
Hibiscus
Mum
Rose
Gladiolus
Zinnia
Carnation
Lantana
Basil
tickweed
Blanketflower
Purple Cone Flower
Elephant Ear
Coleus
Ivy

I have used rooting powder in the past? What method do you think is best for rooting?
Thanks, Jamie

ANSWER: Hi Jamie,
Thanx for your question.
Vinca and impatiens can be started from cuttings but impatiens rot easily if you don't keep a good eye on them.  Sweet potatoes are easily rooted in water.  Red salvia -seed, Hibiscus from seed or cutting, rose - from cutting, mum-from seed or cutting, glad-from corm, zinna-from seed, carnation -from seed, lantana-cutting or seed, basil-cutting or seed, tickweed-seed, blanketflower-from seed, coneflower-from seed (does not transplant well due to long taproot), coleus-cutting in water, ivy-cutting.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So ur suggestion would be to use water instead of rooting powder? How do you root with the corm on the glad?Thanks, Jamie

Answer
Hi Jamie,
The plants I indicated you could root with water are an either or.  Usually, the root powder works better but in the case of coleus and sweet potatoes, the water is fine.  You cannot root gladioli.  They come from a corm and the corm (bulb) will make cormels (or cormlets) which are small, clonal versions of the corm (mother bulb).  Each Autumn, if you lift the corms after the foliage has died back from the gladiolus, you will find some cormels around the base of the corm.  Many of the larger corms will have spent themselves and will not be good for planting next year.  Gladiolus corms multiply like tulip and daffodil bulbs do.  I hope this helps.
Tom