How to Propagate Cuttings for a Creeping Jenny
A low-growing, spreading plant, creeping Jenny or moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) forms an attractive mat of dense, light green leaves decorated by small yellow flowers in summer. Although creeping Jenny makes an attractive ground cover, it is often planted in containers to restrain its rambunctious growth habit because the plant is invasive in most areas of the U.S. Creeping Jenny, perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, is easily rooted by taking cuttings between spring and early summer.
Step 1
Cut 2- to 3-inch stem tips from an actively growing creeping Jenny plant. Use pruners or a sharp knife to cut the stems just below a bud or leaf. Remove the leaves from the lower part of the stem, leaving at least one or two leaves on the upper portion of the stem.
Step 2
Fill a celled planting tray with a lightweight, well-draining potting mixture, such as half perlite or peat with half coarse sand. Water the mixture until it is evenly moist but not dripping.
- A low-growing, spreading plant, creeping Jenny or moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia) forms an attractive mat of dense, light green leaves decorated by small yellow flowers in summer.
Step 3
Dip each cutting in powdered or liquid rooting hormone. Poke a hole in the moist potting mixture with your finger, then plant the cuttings, one cutting to a cell.
Step 4
Cover the tray with a sheet of clear plastic to keep the potting mixture moist. Place the tray in bright, indirect light. Creeping Jenny roots quickly -- usually in about two weeks -- in temperatures between 64 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit
Step 5
Remove each cutting from its cell when when the cuttings show healthy new growth. Transplant each cutting into a 4-inch pot filled with commercial potting soil.
- Dip each cutting in powdered or liquid rooting hormone.
- Transplant each cutting into a 4-inch pot filled with commercial potting soil.
Step 6
Return the cuttings to indirect light and keep the potting mixture lightly moist for another month, then plant the new creeping Jenny plants outdoors.
Related Articles
References
- The New Sunset Western Garden Book; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, Editor
- University of Illinois Extension: Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia Nummularia
- Texas Tech University Department of Plant and Soil Science: Moneywort or Creeping Jenny
- The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers From Seed to Bloom; Eileen Powell
- The American Horticultural Society, Plant Propagation; Alan Toogood, Editor
Writer Bio
M.H. Dyer began her writing career as a staff writer at a community newspaper and is now a full-time commercial writer. She writes about a variety of topics, with a focus on sustainable, pesticide- and herbicide-free gardening. She is an Oregon State University Master Gardener and Master Naturalist and holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative nonfiction writing.
