Angel Trumpet Trees
Angel Trumpets Galore! We have an angel trumpet plant by Sharon’s shop that normally gets out of hand – growing every which way against the wall and windows. This year, we decided to cut all the stems back except two vertical ones and remove most of the leaves to make them look like little trees. That worked and they’re looking rather neat so far.
Angel Trumpet Cuttings
But, the result was a bunch of short cut-off stems. I have heard through the years that angel trumpets can be propagated easily from those stems. So, I tried a couple of ways. Both involved cutting off a piece of a new growth limb about 12 inches long. You remove the leaves and get a stick like that in the pot on the far right (placed in there last week.)
The bucket on the left is filled with water and the stems were simply placed in there “right side up.” The ones in the individual pots were just stuck in typical potting soil.
The cuttings in the water have started growing roots and you can see the leaves that have come on (it’s been a few weeks). But, I’m really impressed with the two in the potting soil that have been there the same amount of time. The roots are actually coming out of the pots drain holes and going into the ground. That appears to be the better method. Now, I can start a bunch, plant and enjoy a few here, and give some away. (sounds like the three reasons to garden!)
“They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.” Jeremiah 31:12 ESV
I Was Thinking the Other Day About... 
Yes, with such thick stems I believe you’d have the best success putting them straight into rich soil, especially if it was really peaty. Peat will root almost anything.
I had a long scrawny-stemmed “fig” tree given to me once — all the growth at the top and no strength to hold it upright — and I tried air-layering it. I made a few nicks in the bark half-way up and wrapped wet peat moss around the stem, securing it with plastic wrap so it would stay moist. Sure enough, after a month or so there were roots crawling around the plastic, looking for some earth to grab hold of. So I chopped it off just below the new roots and planted the new short tree. Experiment successful!
Thanks, for the insight Christine. I haven’t tried air-layering before but need to put it on my list. I’d like to start some more of a few shrubs I have.