Now, let’s talk about cuttings.
A cutting is when a stem or section is removed from a plant and placed in a growing medium where it eventually produces its own roots, creating an entirely new plant, identical to the original.
The bane of my mother’s life. My favourite line and her most dreaded words are “Guess how many plants I just made”.
Snip, snip, snippety snip. Chop bits off things and make more things.
There are various types of cuttings. The type of material depends on what time of year and stage of growth cycle you take the cutting at.
Softwood cuttings are taken from new fresh growth of a plant. This is when the cells are active, and they usually root quite easily.
Semi-softwood is taken when the new growth begins to harden but is still flexible. These cuttings are usually taken in late summer.
Propagating my own plants has allowed me to create countless shrubs that I otherwise would not have been able to afford. Taking cuttings is something I would recommend anyone to try. The process of waiting for a tiny stem to start to shoot out roots and build its own blooms is beyond fascinating and extremely rewarding.
Remove the leaves from the lower section of the stem.
Locate a leaf node and cut the stem at this section. This is where the most dividing cells are located and so it makes it easier for the cutting to produce roots.
Place your cutting into your planting medium along the edge of a pot as this provides for better drainage.
If the leaves are large you may consider cutting sections off as you want the cutting to put all its energy into producing roots rather than supporting leaf growth.
And now you wait.
When you begin to see roots forming through the bottom of the pot or the plant begins to produce new growth it is time to pot on and allow each cutting an individual pot to mature.
Have patience and have fun. Growing plants from cuttings is an enjoyable process and one I think everyone should try.
