what cuttings are you taking now

[Ladygardener]

Just wondered what would be ripe for propagating at this time of year.

[Rosefriend]

oooo good question - we take cuttings early here - August.

I intend to take fuchsia, pelargoniums, Solanum alba, Begonia's and red Budd's and and and..

RF

[Ladygardener]

It's good to think ahead RF don't you think. I can't believe we're halfway through July. We're still waiting for summer here. The garden is taking care of itself now apart from pulling up mouldy calendula and deadheading and I'm looking for things to do. Not sure of the timing of anything but I thought fuchsia, dianthus, lavender, rosemary to start with. I might try some dahalia cuttings too. Hope to do them over the next few weeks or so.

[andy]

Almost all shrubs and climbers are ready for semi ripe cuttings now. A 3-4" tip cutting is fine for shrubs. Remove all but the top pair of leaves and place in a pot...then enclose in a sandwhich bag to retain heat and humidity.

Lavenders, euonymous, rosemary, philadelphus, cornus, salix, wegeila, berberis and in fact pretty much any shrub will do (but not cotinus.)

I'm sure i did an article on this last year using my world famous sketches done in "paint"

[andy]

Have a look at this

gardenworld.proboards103.com/?board=prop&action=display&thread=4955&page=1

[Ladygardener]

Thanks for that great link Andy, full of useful info. ;D So glad to hear phyladelphus is good for cuttings. I bought one this year and would love to try.

[Weeterrier]

I've made a very small start, with three cuttings taken from a neighbour's yellow Erysimum. But I hope to start seriously very soon. With three other colours of Erysimum, Penstemons, Fuchsias, a couple of Salvias, Dianthus, Violas and anything else suitable.
Fortunately, I have free rein in all my neighbours' gardens too ;D
Wish the greenhouse wasn't full of tomatoes.

[Weeterrier]

Clicked on the link Andy, must try the Passionflower.

[Ladygardener]

Lucky you WT having free rein of the neighbours gardens especially if they have plants you like. I started today with some rosemary. Too wet really to do anything else. Has done nothing but rain here for what seems like weeks.

[andy]

Jul 17, 2008 19:03:05 GMT Ladygardener said:

Lucky you WT having free rein of the neighbours gardens especially if they have plants you like. I started today with some rosemary. Too wet really to do anything else. Has done nothing but rain here for what seems like weeks.

With most cuttings, mix potting compost with silver sand....50/50. This will make sure the cuttings don't get too waterlogged in the pot and sit there rotting.

[Weeterrier]

That is what I use too, though my local Homebase hasn't had silver sand for ages. May have to venture further afield.

[Ladygardener]

Have now taken fuscia, rosemary and mock orange.

[Weeterrier]

Well done i haven't started yet.

[Chuckles]

I've done several semi and hardwood cuttings from my Magnolia Stellata, fingers crossed. Some Penstemon, the dark purpley leaf one with the whiteish flowers, name slipped from brain atm. Not sure what else I might have a go at yet

[owdboggy]

Good time for any Alpines which have finished flowering too, things like Phlox subulata and Phlox douglassi fors, Aubrieta, Dianthus etc.

[Ladygardener]

I've got some dianthus in water in the hope they will form roots.
Took a dahalia cutting from the bottom of the pink one today. We'll see. ;D Took some more rosemary cuttings too.
All the others I took are still alive so that's something.

[andy]

Just taken some rosemary and lavender semi ripe cuttings

[Ladygardener]

I can't have enough rosemary and lavender I think, wonderful hardy plants and the smell ;D

[Weeterrier]

LNG, Dianthus root very well in silver sand, if the water doesn't work. I must get started, but the midgies are so awful here, I can hardly venture down the garden.

[owdboggy]

Forgot about alpine penstemons, they are easy. I root all my cuttings in pure sharp sand in my cuttings frame. I did have a heated pad under the sand at one time, but it died of old age and I have not bothered replacing it. Only really needed for more difficult things like Daphne etc.
One thing I do keep next to the frame is a pressure spray of clean water. Every time anyone goes past, they lift the lid and spray the plants with mist. It helps no end.
Without listing them, I think there are over 250 cuttings of various things in there at present.
If one does use pure sand like this, then you have to move the rooted material on into potting compost quite quickly as there is obviously no food in the rooting material. When potted up they need to be kept shaded for a week or so afterwards.
One tip I was given recently was when potting up your rooted cuttings, use the rooting material round the roots of the plant. ie. make a hole in the potting on compost, put the plantlet in and fill up round it with the rooting material. It means that the roots are not immediatley exposed to a new environment.
One other point, if you are doing a lot of cuttings like that and using the material over and over again, it is worth dipping every cutting in a fungicide before putting in. And make sure they are not harbouring any pests too. A cuttings frame full of greenfly is not a pretty sight!

[Jasmine]

The poor pots at school were looking dire when I went to water them yesterday but I have to go to school to water them as the pots are too heavy to bring home for the hols. While I was there I took some cuttings from fuchsia Dark Eyes - I am trying to do the school pots with cuttings taken each summer to save on the outlay for new plants.

[Ladygardener]

The dahalia shoot I took from the one which has'nt flowered yet rotted and died. All others seem to be doing ok.

[andy]

You can still take lots of semi ripe shrub cuttings now...infact right up to the end of september is ok !!!

Cuttings of bedding plants such as fuchsias, palargoniums and all those wonderful things you get in hanging baskets can also be taken now right through to the end of september

[Ladygardener]

Thanks Andy, I intend to take some more if it ever dries up here.

[Ladygardener]

I'm delighted to say everything is still alive and well. I've made a bit of a nursery bed near the compost bin which I've popped the mock orange, dahalia, and a lupin cutting in and they're all doing grand despite the torrential rain. It is fairly sheltered. The rosemary cuttings are mostly fine, had to pull up one which was rotting. Have'nt been able to get to a garden centre but it's on the cards for the weekend. ;D

[snowowl]

I took some lavender cuttings a couple of weeks back they look ok at the moment i just hope they root.
I will also take some penstemon cuttings to in a few weeks.

[Ladygardener]

I took 3 cuttings a few weeks back from a lovely lemon scented geranium which plocket sent to me last year as a cutting.I'm delighted to say they've all done well.


This is the cutting Plocket sent, now quite a big plant as you can see and pride of place in the sitting room. The leaves give the most woinderful lemon scent when rubbed.

[Ladygardener]

Had a little browse around the nursery bit of the border yesterday. I can see 3 fuscia cuttings with new leaves on them and what I think is the mock orange with new leaves coming on it too. The lavender and rosemary have done ok in the mini greenhouse, did loose a few and of them all the rosemary look the healthiest. The pelagonium cuttings which I also took have come through well and have been outside on the window ledge since the storm a couple of weeks ago. Did anyone elses cuttings make it?

[andy]

My willow hardwood cuttings came through the winter for the second year running.

As soon as the growth on the shrubs reaches a couple of inches long, but is still nice and soft (usually april into may), then is the time to take softwood cuttings. 2 - 3" long tip cuttings are inserted into sandy compost and given bottom heat if possible. Humidity is essential so wrap in a sealed poly bag and put a few frops of water in the bottom.

Most shrubs can be taken like this but probably the best is fuchsias.

[isabella]

The cuttings I don't seem able to overwinter are fuchsias so I buy small plants in early Spring.I choose ones that look like they need pinching back and when I get them home I do just that and use the pinchings for cuttings. These are the cuttings (now rooted) that I took at the end of February