Taking Successful Cuttings

If you are gardening on a small budget taking cuttings is an excellent way of stocking your plot.  Taking sucessful cuttings is not difficult and it is easy to get a plant to root, as long as you follow a few easy steps.

When you take a cutting you need to ensure that the small piece that you have removed is alive, meaning that you need to plant it before it starts to wilt.  Moisture is lost from the plant as soon as you cut it and as the plant does not yet have any roots to replenish moisture, you must make sure that you keep it in a moist environment.  You should remove most of the leaves from your cutting, leaving about three at the top.  If you are collecting cuttings from your garden in summer you should have a plastic bag with some wet tissue paper in it and put the cuttings into this until you can put them in your propagator.  You should make sure that you take the right type of cuttings at the right time to ensure success.

The base of the cuttings must be in moist compost, but it also needs air if it is to root.  Cuttings compost should be light and well drained.  If you don't have any special cuttings compost you can use multi-purpose compost and add coarse send and perlite or vermiculate in equal measures to give a light, fluffy texture.  You should not firm it down as watering will settle the compost as much as is needed.  In the early stages the cut at the base of the plant will not absorb any water and you try to stop water evaporating from the leaves.  This is best done by misting the cuttings and keeping the propagator in the shade.  Take care not to over-water your cuttings as this will make them rot.  Mist the foliage as much as possible and make sure that the compost is moist, rather than wet.

Softwood and semi-ripe cuttings taken in late spring and summer root most quickly.  Fuchsias are particularly quick to root, usually within a few weeks.  When the cuttings are making new growth the will be well rooted and can be removed and planted in separate pots.

Stem cutting are the most popular type of cutting.  They can be taken throughout the growing season and it is usually best to take side shoots rather than the strong main shoots.  If you can, choose shoots without flowers or buds, but if this is not possible simply remove them.  It is ideal to take your cutting just below a 'node', the bump where the leaf joins the stem.  This is where most roots are produced.

Softwood cuttings should be taken in early spring when the growth is young and vigorous and roots very quickly.  The can, however, wilt and rot very quickly.  Conditions must be ideal, pots and trays should be clean and you should have a heated propagator, although you can use a sealed plastic bag.  You can take softwood cuttings in early spring from herbaceous plants and shrubs and fuchsias.  Basal cuttings of lupins and delphiniums can also be taken.  Basal cuttings are ideal for hollow stemmed plants such as delphiniums.  The new growth is solid which makes for perfect cutting material.

Semi-ripe cuttings are taken in summer from shoots that are firmer and more mature than softwood cuttings.  These are easier to handle and root quickly.  You can take cuttings from most tender plants, such as fuchsias, pelargoniums, penstemons and also many shrubs. 

Heel cuttings can e taken in mid summer and are semi-ripe cuttings, but they are taken with a piece of older wood at the base.  This method is particularly suitable to take cuttings from ceanothus, abutilons and conifers.  It is best to select a previous year stem with a new side shoot growing from it.  Cut the older stem into sections, each with a side shoot attached.  Some people find heel cuttings a bit fiddly, but they are not difficult.

Hardwood cuttings are the easiest to root, but it takes a year for them to be moved on.  They are used for hardy shrubs and are taken in autumn, as soon as the leaves have dropped.  Cut off the long shoots that grew that year and remove the tip and then trim the base so the cutting is about 30cm long.  The are rooted in the garden and can be planted in a trench with some sharp sand at the bottom.  The plants will begin to grow in the spring but should be left in position until the following autumn.

Root cuttings can be taken of many herbaceous plants.  You need to dig up the plant in autumn and wash the soil of the roots.  Cut off sections of the thickest part of the root at pencil thickness.  These should be cut into pieces of 5-8cm long and then push them into pots of gritty compost, so the tops are just below the surface.  After watering put them into a cold frame or cold greenhouse and they will sprout in spring.