Taking hardwood cuttings

Autumn is the ideal time to take hardwood cuttings, say Steve and Val Bradley, as they explain the best techniques to use if you want strong, healthy new plants

- Steve and Val Bradley

HARDWOOD cuttings are probably the easiest cuttings to take when you want to produce new plants. All you need is material from a suitable subject and a deep pot of compost or part of the garden where the cuttings can sit undisturbed while they root.

Hardy woody plants are ideal for this type of cutting, and you need shoots of the current season’s growth that have started to turn brown. Ideally, select shoots that are about the thickness of a pencil and make cuttings about 8-10in (20-25cm) long.

Making cuts in the correct places

This thickness is only a guide, as some plants have slender stems that rarely get as wide as a pencil. The length can vary according to subject: some grapevines can be propagated from a single bud, so the cutting will be only a few centimetres long, while some types of poplar, used for protection and windbreaks, can be 6½ft (2m) long. Pushed 12in (30cm) into the ground along a boundary, these root quite readily and will form an almost instant windbreak.

The key to success lies in making the cuts in the correct places – just above a leaf joint at the top and just below a leaf joint at the base. This is where meristems are located, the areas of the plant that produce new roots and shoots.

The type of plant you want