Growing new roots at home | In The Moment: Episode 14

Have you tried growing your own plants at home? In this episode, our host Nadia tries her hand at propagating cranberry hibiscus at Edible Garden City’s Queenstown farm.

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains and shone a spotlight on the issue of food security. This led us to appreciate and understand the importance of being able to grow our own food.

Here are some tips if you’d like to get started:

• Select a healthy parent plant and use just a few leaves as stem cuttings
   
• Use potting mix if you’re propagating in a pot, else use soil if you’re growing the plant in the ground
   
• Fill the pots with potting mix and pat down gently
   
• Use a chopstick or your finger to poke a hole in the mix
   
• Place stem cutting into the hole
   
• Collapse the soil around the stem cutting
   
• Water plant generously
   
• Wait for the cutting to grow roots. To check if it’s ready, give it a gentle tug - the plant shouldn’t be displaced.
   
• When it’s ready, you can transplant from pot to the ground.

If you’re interested in growing your own edibles, here are some tips from the National Parks Board as part of the Gardening with Edibles initiative, jointly supported by DBS Bank and Tote Board through the Garden City Fund.

You can also subscribe to Edible Garden City’s Citizen Box.