Take cuttings successfully

Following a few easy ‘rules’ will give you the best results

- Ruth Hayes

PROPAGATING via cuttings can seem daunting if you haven’t done it before, but if you follow a few simple pieces of advice you will be successful.

The best time of day to take softwood cuttings is the early morning when plants are firm and packed with moisture after the previous night.

Always use sharp, clean scissors, snips, or secateurs to cut the plant cleanly. The material you should collect is this year’s new non-flowering growth that is healthy and pest-free.

If you think there might be a slight delay between harvesting and potting up, place the cut growth in a clean, dampened plastic bag and keep it somewhere cool (even in the fridge) until you’re good to go. Try to pot up the cuttings as soon as possible – 24 hours is the very maximum time.

I like to use a clay pot for striking cuttings as clay is slightly porous, allowing water and air to travel around the developing roots and protecting them from waterlogging.

If I’m reusing the pot I always give it a thorough wash first, inside and out, in soapy hot water to keep the vulnerable cuttings as safe and healthy as possible while they start to grow and mature.