How can I propagate an English ivy?

An English ivy (Hedera helix) can be propagated by stem cuttings. Using a sharp knife, cut off four- to five-inch-long shoots. Pinch off the leaves on the bottom portion of the cuttings. Dip the cut ends in a rooting hormone. Then root the cuttings in perlite or coarse sand. Insert the bottom one to 1 1/2 inches of the cuttings in the rooting medium. Moisten the rooting medium. To reduce the loss of water from the cuttings during the rooting process, place a clear plastic bag over the cuttings and container. Cuttings can also be rooted in flats covered with clear plastic domes.

Next place the cuttings in a well lighted location (but not in direct sun). Keep the rooting medium moist throughout the rooting period. The cuttings should root in six to eight weeks. When the cuttings have developed good root systems, remove them from the rooting medium and pot them up.

What is the proper way to germinate pawpaw seeds?

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) seeds germinate slowly because they possess dormant embryos and slowly permeable seedcoats. Germination can be improved by placing the seeds in a cool, moist environment for 80 to 100 days. The cool, moist requirement can be met by placing the pawpaw seeds in a moist 50:50 mixture of sand and peat moss and then placing the seeds in the refrigerator.

After 80 to 100 days, remove the seeds from the refrigerator and plant in potting soil. Keep the potting soil evenly moist and warm (70 to 75 F) until the seeds germinate. Germination of pawpaw seeds tends to be slow and erratic.

Can I prune my red raspberries back to the ground in late fall?

The growth and fruiting characteristics of raspberries are unique. The plant’s roots and crown are perennial, while the stems or canes are biennial. A raspberry plant may survive and produce fruit for many years. However, individual canes live only two years and then die.

There are two types of red raspberries. Summer-bearing red raspberries are strictly vegetative during the first growing season. The following year, these same canes flower, produce fruit, and then die.

The growth and fruiting characteristics of fall-bearing red raspberries are slightly different. Fall-bearing varieties naturally produce two crops. The first crop is produced in late summer or early fall at the tips of the current season’s growth. The following year, a summer crop is produced on the lower portions of these same canes. After the second crop, the canes die.
 
Many gardeners with fall-bearing red raspberries prune them back to the ground in late fall or early spring. Doing so eliminates the summer crop, but allows the late summer/early fall crop to mature one to two weeks earlier. In addition, total crop yields are larger utilizing the one-crop system versus the two-crop system.

Summer-bearing red raspberries should not be pruned back to the ground in late fall or early spring. Pruning summer-bearing red raspberries back to ground level will eliminate the following season’s crop.

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