Tips
Plants for free
Somewhat surprisingly, given the heat of late summer, February can be a good month for taking cuttings and propagating your own plants. Why? Because by late summer the soft new spring growth has hardened and the cutting is less likely to lose water from the leaves.
Semi-succulent plants like geraniums (Pelargoniums) or impatiens are easiest for beginners, but many common shrubs such as abelia, gardenia, buxus, camellias, azaleas, fuchsias and grevilleas have a relatively high success rate.
The trick when growing plants from cuttings lies in keeping the cut pieces alive while they develop their own new roots. Professional nurserymen do this by growing cuttings in glasshouses where they’re regularly misted with fine sprays of water. But there are lots of techniques that can help a home gardener to achieve success. Try these:
- Take cuttings early in the morning, while it’s still cool. Choose tip pieces that are about 100-150 mm long. Wrap immediately in damp newspaper and then in plastic.
- Work in the shade. Fill pots with Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix and water well. Allow to drain.
- Trim the base of the cutting so that it ends just below a leaf node (which is where the leaf is, or has been, attached to the stem).
- Remove bottom leaves, leaving a few at the top. Large leaves can be cut in half (with scissors or sharp secateurs) to further reduce water loss.
- Dip the base of the cutting into Yates Clonex Gel.
- Use a pencil to poke vertical holes in the top of the mix. A 150mm pot can hold about six cuttings.
- Insert the base of each cutting into a hole and gently move the mix back to hold it in place.
- When the pot is full of cuttings, water carefully.
- Place the pot in a lightly shaded spot, out of direct sunlight.
- Ideally, cover with plastic wrap. Use wire hoops made out of an old coat hanger or chopsticks to support the plastic and keep it above the cuttings.
- Check regularly to make sure the mix stays moist.
- After a couple of months, gently move the stems to feel if they’re firm. This indicates root formation. When roots are established, new plants can be moved into individual pots filled with good quality potting mix (Yates Premium) and fed with a gentle liquid fertiliser such as Yates Nature’s Way Fish Emulsion.
Comments (27)
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Jill
Yates site member
06:25, 10 February 2010
Love this page will save .
Lorraine
Yates site member
06:38, 10 February 2010
will get out and take corokia cuttings now.
Lance
Yates site member
07:38, 10 February 2010
doing cuttings is easy. I do it with tomatos all the time. Pince out all those shoots like normal at about 100mm long (laterals i think there are called) strip off all but the very top leaves the exposed area where leaf is broken off is where roots may grow (you can dip in rooting hormone if you like, I don't) poke hole in ground, insert cutting right up to remaining leaves, soak it and keep watering every day once or twice, more often in first couple of days. you can put these intopots, but i put them straight into ground with about 95% success rate. This is a good way to turn a 6 pack of tomato plants into 30 or 40 plant staggered over a long time, so as the 'parent' plant is finishing cropping the first stage 'child' plants are coming on line and so on. about $6 for originale plants (unless i grow from seed i kept from last year) and I get more plants than i ever need (i end up giving some away).
Shona
Yates site member
07:53, 10 February 2010
How long do you have to keep the cuttings in the shade? Are they o.k. to go into the sun once you move them into individual pots?
Lance
Yates site member
08:02, 10 February 2010
once they have roots and are growing strong you are ok
Nigel
Yates site member
08:07, 10 February 2010
Like Lance I plant the laterals, but I don't but plants. I grow them from old and new seed. Some great tips above for cuttings etc. Have put up a green house so keen to learn more about that side of gardening. Only recently joined this site and get a lot from it. Keep up the awesome work guys .. & guyett's ~ Cheers
Andree
Yates site member
08:11, 10 February 2010
keen to have a try too.
Lesley
Yates site member
08:35, 10 February 2010
Always very interesting reading. I have a lot to learn but am at the moment growing cuttings of fuchsias by just rooting them in water before putting in containers.
Jean
Yates site member
06:31, 11 February 2010
I dip Fuchsia cuttings into hormone powder . I put 3 or 4 into one pot and the next year when they have grown leaves and flowere I plant them out.
Dee
Yates site member
10:02, 10 February 2010
I planted an apple cucumber and have leaves forever and no sign of fruit=why?Yet pumpkin has 50 =thank you Yates learning a lot
Tony
Yates site member
10:24, 10 February 2010
my tomatos have not gone red one has started. I was tooled sometime ago not to gave tomato plants to much water when they start fruiting as the tomatos will split. is this right.
Marlene
Yates site member
12:12, 10 February 2010
Very interesting site. I am learning a lot. Thank you.
kay
Yates site member
12:26, 10 February 2010
most of my garden are done by cuttins even my roses and they are still surviving so easy and much CHEAPER on the purse strings. enjoy
Fiona
Yates site member
14:08, 10 February 2010
May be moving and want to take some cuttings of some roses so with your ideas I will try to get them established in pots. Thanks
June
Yates site member
14:50, 10 February 2010
Ifind this site very interesting .I have a lot of tomatoes on my plants but are taking along time to ripen.
Elanor
Yates site member
15:41, 10 February 2010
Thank you so much for this. My husband's grandfather passed away in 2009 and we want to take cuttings from his plum tree while we can. The plums have become part of the family history I think! Thanks for the article.
George
Yates site member
16:31, 10 February 2010
I have had good cutting success using a 1/3 peat and 2/3 river sand mix without any additional gels etc. I cover the pots with the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag, put them in a cool corner of my shade house and "forget them" for a month or so. Usually there are new leaves showing so out they go into the shade house proper to grow on with a soak in my seaweed/comfrey solution.
Robert malcolm
Yates site member
18:00, 10 February 2010
I have always like ths page and how the things in and which seeds to sow each month.
susan
Yates site member
11:45, 11 February 2010
my garden is all cuttings mostly from friends i usually start them in pots them put them into the garden,after that is potluck i find your newsletter very useful and look forward to receiving it every month good gardening out there trail and error
Ross
Yates site member
20:23, 11 February 2010
A great informative site, gardening is such a worthwhile hobby and money saver.
Luke Shiu
Yates site member
15:06, 12 February 2010
With round cabbage ,leave the roots in the ground after you harvest them and you will find the grow a number of shoots. You can then cut these and replants them.You do not have to grow these from seeds.
Gaynor
Yates site member
19:02, 12 February 2010
I love gardening especially vegies as it it rewarding to go and pick your own, as they taste so much nicer than the shops.
lynette
Yates site member
10:18, 14 February 2010
i would like any ideas for flowers that will grow in pots that my 6yr old daugther can do easily?
lynette
Yates site member
10:33, 14 February 2010
i have got Zucchini in now but am finding them to be going rotten from the inside out,can anyone give advice on why this is happening?
tony
Yates site member
14:37, 14 February 2010
Ive never had any luck with propogation but i will try above method
Hayley
Yates site member
13:34, 16 February 2010
Once the cutting is established ie formed roots. When is it a good time to plant outside. If I take a cutting now, by the time it has formed roots the weather might be cooler outside. Any advice?
Belinda Jane
Yates site member
08:42, 17 February 2010
can wait to start my cutting thank yous all
Cara
Yates site member
17:33, 26 February 2010
Great page, could you please list some plants - both flowers and vegetables you can easily grown this way - thanks
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