How to Prepare For a Plant/Cutting Swap!

Our quarterly Plant & Cutting Swap is one of our most favorite events- a perfect place to make new plant friends and catch up with old ones too!

If you've never attended a swap or traded cuttings before, here are a few things you should know: 

-All plants and cuttings you bring should be healthy and pest-free

-Any full plants you plan to swap should be in pots you're prepared to part with

-For cuttings, use a sharp knife or shears, taking care not to crush the stem. 

-When taking cuttings of most leafy plants, cut low enough on the stem to leave 3-4 leaf nodes, or sets of leaves, intact. Other plants can be propagated from one leaf, sections of leaves, or simply dividing new plantlets off the mother plant, depending on the plant. 

-Place cuttings in water immediately, or wrap in a wet paper towel and place in a plastic bag. This is not necessary for cuttings that need to callus over, like succulents, cacti, sansevierias, etc.  

-Bring small containers, or plastic bags to the swap, to hold your new cuttings. We'll have water available to fill the containers. 

-Many people choose to label their cuttings with the plant name, as well as their social media handle. 

-Decide in advance if you're looking to swap for something specific or if you prefer to just share your plants/cuttings. There is usually a variety of plants at these swaps- from common plants to harder-to-find ones, so some may come looking to make certain trades, while others are just happy to send plants off to new homes.  

We've got more tips for rooting your new cuttings in this blog post on propagating, and we're happy to answer questions at the swap, so don't worry if you're new to all of this. 

Hope to see you at a swap!