How To Make a Windowsill Greenhouse

Have you ever wondered why professional greenhouses cover their germinating plants with plastic? The plastic creates a vapor and temperature barrier allowing the seeds and cuttings to remain warm and moist. Now you can create your own greenhouse with a plastic bag, your windowsill and Mosser Lee's long-fibered sphagnum moss. Here's how:

1. Wearing gloves, shred 2 or 3 handfuls of Mosser Lee's Long-Fibered Sphagnum Moss or use Mosser Lee's NoDampOff™. Place the moss in the bottom of a 2 quart clear plastic bag.
2. Add enough water to the moss so that it is completely saturated and pour off any excess water.
3. Take cuttings 4"-6" long from a plant, with a sharp knife or pruning shears. Remove the leaves from the lower third to half of each cutting.
4. Slice an inch-long sliver along the side of each cutting ending at the base. Dip the end of the cutting to the top of the cut in a root hormone.
5. Plant each cutting into the wet sphagnum moss.
6. Make sure that the cuttings are secure in the moss, standing straight or leaning against the side of the bag.
7. Seal the bag at the top with a rubber band or twist-tie creating the greenhouse effect.
8. Place your greenhouse on a northern windowsill until the roots have formed. Alternatively, pin the bag to the inside of a curtain.
9. You should not need to water your greenhouse because the sphagnum moss and the plastic cover will maintain the moisture inside the bag for months. Your cuttings should develop roots well before the moss dries out. However, if you notice that the moss is drying, open up the top of the bag and pour in just enough water to wet the moss.
10. When the roots have formed, you will see them through the bag and moss. Remove the cuttings from the bag and transplant them in a pot with the moss attached. Do not try to remove the moss from the roots.