With temperatures and light levels rising, now's a good time to make new house plants via leaf cuttings - tropical and subtropical species are ideal candidates. And what's more, this is one of the most simple, rewarding and speedy ways to take cuttings.
Years ago, when I taught horticulture, we managed to fill a vast glasshouse very inexpensively by bulking up classic house plants such as streptocarpus (Cape primroses and African violets), begonia rex and sansevieria with leaf cuttings. Placing cut leaves in contact with compost initially looks so unlikely to reap a reward but it works like magic. Let me tell you how...
Taking leaf cuttings
Tropical and subtropical plants such as streptocarpus, our example here, are perfect for propagation via leaf cuttings in June. Here's how to get great results
1 Fill a 9-12cm pot with a mix of multi-purpose peat-free compost and sharp sand, firming the surface down to within 1cm of the top.
2 Use a sterile, sharp blade to cut a few healthy, active leaves from low down. Make sure they are free of pests and diseases and are well hydrated.
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Denne historien er fra June 2023-utgaven av BBC Gardeners World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A new plot for tasty crops
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July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
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