rooting plants

Found a great gardening tip at on how to get a plant cutting to root against its natural inclination. All you need is a willow branch and boiling-hot water. You cut the willow branch into inch-long pieces and cut them in half lengthwise, and let them soak in the water. (Do not boil the willow pieces.)

What this does is remove from the willow the hormone that lets willow branches root so easily. Into this water you can then dip your cutting from a rose bush or other plant, and start it on the way to growing new roots and becoming an independent plant in its own right.

The page details roses specifically, but it's my understanding that the treatment will work on any number of plants, not just roses. I'll have to get a length of willow branch and try it on a cutting from a rose bush sometime soon.

If that's too much trouble, you can go to the garden center and buy rooting hormone, but this is cheaper and much more satisfying as well because there's a sense of personal accomplishment, much like growing tomatoes from seed instead of from seedlings.