- Taking cuttings is a great way to propagate new plants - be it from your own shrubs or perhaps shrubs from a friends or neighbours collection, presuming they are ok with you taking a few slips. There are lots of different propagation methods of taking cuttings, root cuttings, leaf cuttings, grafting and budding and more often hardwood, softwood and somewhat in between semi ripe cuttings.
- Amongst the most popular Summer cuttings that are taken include hydrangea, rosemary, lavender, forsythia, fuchsia, buddleia and other shrubby perennials. They root easily enough and quickly bulk up so you can pot them on by autumn.
- Using rooting powder or gel isn’t necessary but increases your success rate - when using rooting powder use it sparingly - shaking off any excess powder - if you use too much it can inhibit root production.
- Take your summer cuttings by cutting the top few inches of new growth or this years growth from plants - usually from non flowering side shoots or stems
- You are looking to take cuttings of about pen or pencil thickness and of a similar length and cut just below a leaf node - take cuttings early in the morning or late in the evening when the plant is not under stress and contains plenty of moisture.
- Once you have selected your cutting you want to carefully remove most of the leaves leaving just one or two at the top of the cutting - sometimes cutting the remaining leaves in half if they are a large leaf to help prevent moisture loss. Your compost should be mixed with some perlite, around a 50:50 mix, and you can add some potting grit - this nice open mix will help encourage rooting.
- You can dip your cutting into the rooting powder and then insert the cutting into a small pot - around a 10cm pot size - filled with your compost mix - you can put 2 or 3 cuttings into the one pot just try to avoid the leaves touching of one another and no need to push the cutting too deep just enough to be secure in the pot. Carefully water the pot allowing the excess water to drain away.
- Put the pot in a well-lit position indoors, but out of direct sunlight. Keep compost moist and your cuttings should root in six to eight weeks.
- After a couple of months you’ll see some new growth and if you pull gently on the cutting it should resist and hold in place. You can then separate the cuttings if you have a few in the one pot and pot them on into a larger pot - perhaps a one or two litre pot in some multipurpose compost.
A few jobs for the week ahead;
- Check veg plants for aphids and get rid of them before they multiply
- Tie in new stems on climbing roses horizontally to their supports to encourage more flowers
- Keep polytunnels and glasshouses well ventilated and watered - soaker hoses can be a handy option and can be combined with a timer
- Peg down runners on your strawberry plants to create more plants for next year but if you don't need more plants simply remove the strawberry runners completely
- Check any newly planted fruit trees and shrubs and keep them well watered in any dry spells until they establish
- Pinch out side shoots on your tomato plants
- With the mix of sunshine and showers promised this week, it’s ideal time to apply some lawn feed - keep the lawn healthy and a nice strong green colour