Previous | Next

How to Grow Cuttings from Established Plants

You can grow more plants from the ones you have already in your garden! It's easy , as well as is a great way to increase your plants.

1. Choose the plants you wish to grow from a cutting, e.g. rosemary, lavender, roses. Not all plants will grow from a cutting, but you might surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
2. Using sharp garden shears, snip off 3-4" long lengths from the plant. Choose reasonably new but mature growth from the parent plant. Cut at a 30 degree angle leaving your cutting with a point.
3. Strip a half to two thirds of leaves from the cutting.
4. Time to treat the cutting before putting it in the ground. Place the cuttings in a weak mixture of water as well as "seasol" or other fish-meal/seaweed liquid fertilizer for a period of 3-4 hours, as well as then dip the cut end in raw honey just before placing in the ground.
5. Plant cuttings in a moist well prepared garden bed rich in organic material, with a ph around 5.5 - 6.0, but you can place them in pots with good potting mix. Space the cuttings 2-3" apart.
6. Keep the cutting moist, but not over watered. Expect a success rate of 50-90%.
7. Transplant your cuttings to their final growing spot.

• Cuttings will grow best in times of low "stress" - such as early spring, or early autumn. This allows the cutting time to establish roots as well as settle before times of excessive heat or cold, or low moisture.
• Commercial root growing hormones can be used instead of the seasol/honey method. Dip the cut-end into "Rootex" or other root-growing hormone which you can get from most nurseries.
• Cuttings grow best in spots which are shielded from afternoon sun as well as excessive wind
• Plants grow at different rates so it is difficult to judge when it will be OK to transplant - generally leave 2 to three months if growing in spring/summer, or leave until after the worst of winter if you struck your cuttings in autumn.
• You should cull out failed cuttings after 2 to 4 weeks. The failures will be obviously dead, if the cuttings have remnants of green after this period of time they will probably succeed in growing into a healthy plant.

Submitted by: admin
Hits: 0
Added: Thu Feb 02 2006

Review It Rate It Bookmark It