Propagate Plants from Cuttings
Propagating cuttings from plants is a great way to increase the number of plants you have in your garden and can be used on many types of plants, trees and shrubs. There are three different types of cuttings you can take. Softwood, semi-ripe and hardwood. Below you will find some examples of the types of plants and trees suitable for each technique or cutting.
Softwood Cuttings
Softwood cuttings are taken during spring or early summer from hardy and tender perennials, deciduous shrubs, climbers and some trees. Examples of softwood cuttings are: Aubrieta, Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Penstemon, Petunia and Verbena as well as trees such as Betula and deciduous Magnolia.
To take a softwood cutting, do this early in the day when the plant stem is full of water. Choose disease and pest free plants and select a strong side shoot with no flowers as it will root more easily. Using clean, sharp secateurs or knife, cut 5cm – 10cm pieces below a leaf joint with a sloping cut to help to shed water. Remove all of the leaves from the lower half and pinch out the tip of the cutting. Take a few 4 cuttings to give you a greater chance of success.
Dip the bottom of each cutting into clean water then into rooting hormone powder and ensure it is thoroughly covered before tapping off any excess. Plant one per pot in a 0.25 litre plant pots using a suitable potting mix. We recommend this mix for semi-ripe, ripe and hardwood cuttings*: 25% perlite, 25% horticultural sand and 50% coir compost.
Make a hole for your cutting in your compost mix using a dibber or pencil and plant your cutting with the lowest leaves just above the soil surface, firming up the compost around it and water. Cover with a clear plastic bag, using canes to make sure your bag doesn’t touch the cuttings and be sure to remove the bag on a regular basis to give your cutting chance to breathe. A heated propagator is ideal, but if not, place the cuttings somewhere bright and warm but not in direct sunlight. Ensure the compost is kept moist but not soaking. Your cuttings should take six to ten weeks to root.
Once rooted, harden them off for a couple of weeks, placing them outside during dry, still days then bring them inside at night. After which, pot up into a 1 litre pot using multi-purpose compost and grow on until big enough to plant out.
Basal Cuttings
There are a few plants that require a ‘basal’ cutting (for example; Asters, Chrysanthemum and Lupins). The cuttings should be taken in early spring from solid stems. Using a sharp clean knife or secateurs, take several cuttings from basal stems (those that grow from the base of the plant) that are approx. 10cm tall. Remove the lower leaves as you would with other cuttings, pinch out the top then plant at least 2.5cm deep. Pot these up in a 3 litre pot by placing them around the edge of the rim.
Semi-Ripe Cuttings
Semi-ripe cuttings from this year’s growth are taken from evergreens and some deciduous plants between summer and early autumn. The stems are partly mature making them flexible but firm. Use for climbers, herbs, evergreen shrubs, conifers and hedging plants. Examples of semi-ripe cuttings include Blueberry, Dogwood, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Star Jasmine and many evergreen conifers.
Choose a healthy stem with no flower buds and cut just below a node (where the buds, leaves and branching twigs start) with a sloping cut. Your cutting should be around 10cm -15cm long and as straight as possible with no branches. Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the stem but leave two to four leaves at the top intact. Put your cuttings in a plastic bag in the shade and pot as soon as you can.
Apply the rooting hormone powder, ensuring it is thoroughly covered before tapping off any excess. Plant around the rim of a 2 Litre plant pot using the potting mix mentioned above. Plant your cutting so that two thirds of the cutting are below the surface of the soil. Water the compost enough to set it around the stem then either place in your greenhouse in indirect sunlight or cover with a clear plastic bag to mimic a greenhouse. If you have taken a cutting later in the season, it may benefit from being placed on a warm propagation bed.
Cuttings taken in summer should root anywhere between a couple of weeks to several of months, depending on the plant. When the roots are 1cm – 2.5cm long, repot the cuttings into individual pots – use a pot that is roughly 5cm bigger than the root system, so plant in a 1 Litre plant pot using a multi-purpose compost*.
After a couple of growing seasons, you can harden off your plant then move it outside and plant in its final position.
*It is worth noting that Ericaceous plants like Heather, Rhododendron and Blueberries, etc will require a more acidic soil composition to the potting mix we have suggested (ideally you can use 50% perlite and 50% coir compost). They will also require an ericaceous compost once they have rooted and a low dose feed with an ericaceous fertiliser.
Hardwood Cuttings
Hardwood cuttings are taken during mid-autumn to late winter after the plants have dropped their leaves. Examples of hardwood cuttings include Currants (Red, White and Black), Gooseberries, Mock Orange, Rose and Snowberry. This type of cutting tends to be the slowest to develop roots but usually offers the highest success rate.
Choose a healthy shoot that has grown that year and cut it off close to the base of the shoot below a bud with a sloping cut. Your cuttings should be around 15cm – 30cm long. If you wish to cut a stem into several cuttings, cut each one cleanly above a bud.
You can either plant your cuttings directly into a trench in a sheltered spot with well-drained soil. If potting up cuttings, use the potting mix mentioned above and pot two cuttings per 0.75 Litre plant pot or five to seven per 7.5 Litre plant pot. Apply rooting hormone powder and plant the cuttings as before. There should be a few buds above the ground so that plant can achieve growth in spring. Keep the pots in a sheltered position (ideally an unheated greenhouse or cold frame) and water often. The following autumn, you should be able to plant your plants in their final position.
If planting in a trench, plant the cuttings 15cm apart. Keep the cuttings in place for a full year and water often. If there is a very cold winter, cover with frost fleece to protect them.
