Growing new plants by layering Layering can be used to increase many kinds of climbing, spreading, trailing or bushy plants. A high success rate with suitable, and sometimes difficult, subjects is possible. One feature of layering is continued growth. Young plants are nourished by the parent plant while root formation takes place. Strawberry runners provide a ready means of increase and should be pegged down into pots of compost.
Spider plants produce plantlets at the end of runners.
Forsythia and hydrangeas can be layered by scooping out a hollow under a suitable shoot. This is done in autumn. Cover with a thin layer of soil and tie the tip onto a cane. Leave for at least six months to root. Stool layering is good for rhododendrons.