A few weeks ago, I wrote about my ideas on a new method to overwintering my Coleus cuttings.

Since then, I received the Super Jiffy Peat Pellets and the NatureWorks PLA 9 oz. drinking cups and lids (which are biodegradable and compostable!!!). The Super Peat Pellets were pretty big compared to the regular Jiffy Peat Pellets that you get at the store.

First step was to expanded several Super Jiffy Peat Pellets by adding water to the pellets.

Once they were expanded, I placed each one into a drinking cup. I was able to place 18 cups into an empty plastic drawer (which I wasn’t currently using).

I went outside to take the cuttings. Other supplies I used included blank plant labels, pencil, eraser, chopstick (to make a hole in the peat pellets), rooting hormone, rubbing alcohol and garden shears. I sterilized the garden shear blade by wiping it with rubbing alcohol, then took my first cutting.

I try to find a young stem that is not too thick. Usually the side growth is the perfect size, but it just depends on the plant. This is how I usually take the cuttings:

I then dipped the cutting into rooting hormone (tapping off the excess); poke a deep hole with a chopstick in the center of the peat pellet then place the cutting inside. Squeeze the sides in so the soil fills the hole and makes contact with the cutting. Make sure to write the plants name on a label and place this along with the pellet back into the cup. Repeat for each cutting.

I didn’t put lids on the cups yet because the pellets are still pretty moist and the cutting are a bit small. Once they get bigger I’ll probably add them.

My plan is to cut the straw hole out I cut then cut a line from one side of the lid down the center to about the opposite site (but not all the way). This is so I can spread it apart and place the plant through the hole.

I realized that these lids are pretty tall, so I played around with it and discovered that you can put the lids upside down, so it’s even lower.

This is how each of the cuttings should look in it’s individual container (with a label inside):

Photos of the cutting I took and the parent plant will come soon.