How to make cuttings grow?

teaspoon1

OK, so here's the plan. A couple of pals have lovely plants in their gardens that they are happy to let me take cuttings of and I am just wondering how easy is it to grow things from cuttings? I'm talking everything from flowers to herbs to evergreens. Does it depend on the plant? I will be growing them in pots (mostly outside) and was intending to just stick them in some compost and see what happens!

Sorry for the silly question, I am a total novice when it comes to gardening! I have read through your board and am so impressed by the level of knowledge and green-fingered-ness!

Thanks in advance.

staffie1

Take cuttings at a junction with a leaf making a clean diagonal cut (very sharp knife) and dip in hormone rooting powder before planting in compost in the pot. I usually cover with a small clear plastic bag secured round the pot with an elastic band until the roots grow and fresh growth appears on the stem.

foreign_correspondent

I mix sharp sand in with the compost. Some cuttings will take better at some times of the year than others, and some plants propegate well from cuttings whereas others dont... but there is nothing to lose by trying!

You may also need to strip leaves off the stem - for example, rosemary has leaves all along the stem - you want to pull all of them off the bottom half (ie. the bit that will be submerged in the soil). I would always do several cuttings, as some may not take.

teaspoon1

Thanks for the tips so far! What is sharp sand BTW?

foreign_correspondent

teaspoon1 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips so far! What is sharp sand BTW?

this stuff...
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9273145&ecamp=trf-005&CAWELAID=266891342

Jake'sGran

It is not a silly question! I take cuttings all the time just because I cannot stop. I used to hate putting pieces I had pruned in the waste bin but I have got over that. Last year I took cuttings of Photinia, Choisya, Yew, Cotoneaster etc etc.
Sometimes my cuttings are quite long but you will probably have more success with shorter ones. I always remove lower leaves so that there is a good length of plain stem to shove right into the ground. When I realise I have got carried away again I take them to my pal at the Over 60s. He loves to have plants from me as long as they are hardy and are not deciduous.

SailorSam

Have a look at the Gardeners World website and you'll probably find photos of them taking cuttings from various plants.

olly300

Go to https://www.rhs.org.uk and put in the word "cuttings".

And you will find stuff like this: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0804/lavenderrosemarycuttings.asp


Taking cuttings is trial and error. For example I found that I don't need hormone rooting powder to take lavender cuttings and they will root in multi-purpose compost.

Patchwork_Quilt

The advice about taking several cuttings of the same thing is good. I took cuttings of our fruit bushes before we moved and one in three survived - but I'm a complete novice too. Unfortunately, I did this in late summer, but I think autumn is best. I was told to look for a non-flowering vigorous shoot

Hope it works for you

amcluesent

>Does it depend on the plant?<

Yep. Right now, taking cuttings from dahlias is the thing. I've also done hebes and Senecio.

tangojulie

There is an excellent series on Videojug from Capel Manor on all sorts of gardening tasks, including one on taking cuttings

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-propagate-semi-ripe-stem-cuttings

Semi-ripe cuttings won't be ready till later in the year, though. For now you can try either Staffie's instructions to take cuttings at a leaf joint, or try gently pulling off a side shoot with a small 'heel' attached. Some plants root more easily from some types of cuttings than others, just keep trying.

It's important to get them into their pots before they show the slightest signs of drying out, so if you are getting your cutting material from your mates, take longer stems than you need, put them in water to take home, and trim them down when you get there.

After much experimentation I have almost 100% success using a 50/50 mix of ordinary potting compost and perlite. Insert cutting (you can get several in a pot as long as they're not touching), water from above, allow to drain, cover with half a large plastic water bottle (Tescos 12p for a 2l bottle of value water can't be bad and is easier to manage than plastic bags), place in the shade and (the hardest bit) LEAVE IT ALONE.

Oh and be careful.... once you get the cutting bug you'll have more plants than you know what to do with.

Good luck!