Photo by JLTaft
My friend Jan has a cool glass root starter system for plant clippings. With spring coming up, everyone's thoughts are turning toward the warmer weather. When it's still too early to start seeds for outdoors we often turn to our houseplants to fulfill the gardening urge. Getting them ready for the better growing season - repotting, trimming up the tattered growth and pinching back the tips of tendrils to encourage fullness on the main stems. And best of all, starting new plants from those trimmings by first rooting them in water and then planting the newly rooted slips in soil for a whole new potted plant.
Photo by JLTaft
Jan's rooting system not only looks attractive, but saves space as well. She describes it as a set of 'petri-like' dishes, with three pouring spouts on the lip of each dish. Placing a plant clipping in each of the spouts, with the cut end in the dish full of water and the foliage protruding out on the outside, they are then neatly and sturdily stacked on top of each other to create a tower of starting plants.
Photo by JLTaft
The system is called "The Plant Factory" and was made by Corning Glass Works. Since this factory's headquarters is located in my home town, and had changed it's name years ago to Corning Inc. this item must have been made quite some time ago. I have no idea whether they are still being manufactured for sale. A quick google search brought up no results, so they may not be available. Though there may be similar product on the market.
Photo by JLTaft
Since Jan is taking her gardening hobby to a higher level with a greenhouse in the works and plans of offering various types of bedding and potted plants for sale. She needs a convenient way to start some plant's inside until her greenhouse is in working order and the weather has warmed up. This product enables you to add more dishes to each tower and use more towers as needed, providing a compact way to start many new plants at once, and it looks neat and interesting in your home.
Photo by RLHall
My creative root starter is not as sophisticated, efficient or attractive... but it will do, for me... in a pinch!
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