Softwood cuttings

Get more plants for free by following Nick Bailey's guide to propagation. This month: softwood cuttings

- Nick Bailey

Softwood cuttings are one of the easiest and most affordable ways of producing new plants, and this month is the perfect time to start taking them. Most plants are currently at their most urgent surge of growth, so you'll stand a very high chance of success. I remember my astonishment, as a child, that the cuttings my grandmother gathered on garden visits sprung roots in just a matter of weeks!

The softwood propagation technique I'm about to explain is one that I use regularly for plants I buy that I want more of but are more expensive than I can afford. So, if you like to share plants with friends, save money and repeat a particular species through your garden or pots, then this is the technique for you.

Success with cuttings

Most softwood cuttings are taken in spring and early summer from the season's new growth, but potting up in midsummer will also allow them to develop roots that will survive winter

1 Take cuttings early in the morning. If you can't pot them immediately, place in freezer bag with a few drops of water to retain humidity.

2 Remove all but the top four or so leaves with a sharp, sterile knife or blade. If the remaining top leaves are large, halve them to reduce water loss.