Look sharp! Why warm days are perfect for taking cuttings

IT’S been good to enjoy the long summer days.

Now is an ideal time to start thinking about propagation, by taking cuttings of your favourite tender plants, or how you are going to over winter your favourite plants? It may be making space for them in the greenhouse so that you are ready to bring them indoors when the time comes later in the season.

I know it seems early, but planning and preparation are the keys to success. Done now, it will save you time later. It would be disastrous to lose your favourite tender plants that you’ve been nurturing all summer. August and September are the traditional months to take cuttings from salvias, pelargoniums, fuchsias and argyranthemums.

The earlier in the month cuttings are taken, the better, as they will form roots much more quickly. By taking them now, you can take advantage of good light levels and warm day temperatures to help get a good root system established before winter. It also means you can increase your stock for free, giving your displays more impact for next year. Often the struggle is space – what to do with and where to put excess plants. Gardeners are a friendly bunch and love to swop and share plants; it’s also very rewarding and satisfying growing your own.

If space is at a premium and you wish to take cuttings, look for young fresh shoots as they make ideal cutting material. Take a few young shoots from the parent plant – ideally 5-10cm in length. It’s good to take a few more than you require as an insurance policy. Have a polythene bag with you when collecting your cutting material as this will help prevent them from drying out and wilting in the sun due to warm temperatures. When taking your cutting, take it just above a bud or leaf from the plant. This will help reduce any pest and disease entering and prevent any die-back. Place in the bag straight away.

Trim the cuttings to below a leaf joint with a clean sharp knife or secateurs and remove the lower leaves. If there are any flower buds, pinch them out. This will help to encourage root development rather than putting energy into flowering. Place each cutting into a cell tray if you have one, or 5-6 cuttings round a 12cm pot. Use a peat-free compost mixed with John Innes No 1 so it is free-draining. Place a polythene bag over the top of the pot and cuttings, or a Perspex cover if you have one. Place the pot on a shady windowsill if you don’t have a greenhouse. Be patient and wait for the roots to develop. They should have rooted in about six to eight weeks when they can then be potted up and grown on.

If you have more space and are able and wish to do so, then lift stock plants in early autumn and pot them up so they can be over-wintered. Some people prefer to do this and take cuttings when the plant shoots in the spring. The same principles apply. It really depends on what space you have available to keep and over-winter your plants. Both are great methods and ways of saving and propagating your favourite tender plants. This will provide you with more plants while being able to increase your stock, giving your displays more impact each and every year.