Tips
Growing From Cuttings
Have you always coveted a particular plant in a friend’s garden and wished you could have a specimen yourself? Growing plants from cuttings is the easiest – and definitely the cheapest – way to propagate large numbers of plants.
What you’ll need:
- A pot filled with Yates Seed Raising Mix. (This mix has been specially formulated to successfully raise seeds and help roots form on cuttings)
- A pair of secateurs
- A sharp knife
- A pencil
- A plastic label (which can be made out of strips cut from an icecream container)
- Yates Cutting Powder or Clonex
- A small container of water
- Yates Mini Greenhouse
- Yates Waterwise DroughtShield
- Pieces of favourite plants. Good examples are murrayas, grevilleas, fuchsias, geraniums (pictured) and gardenias
Step-by-step guide to taking cuttings:
- Preferably take cuttings in the early morning while it’s cool. Select tip pieces that are at least 10cm long and with a minimum of two sets of leaves. If you can’t treat them straight away, wrap them in paper and put into the refrigerator until you’re ready to start.
- Remove bottom leaves and cut just below the node (the spot where the bottom leaf or leaves were attached to the stem).
If the leaves are large it may be better to reduce their size by cutting them in half. The bigger the leaf, the more water it will allow to escape from the plant. - Use the knife or blade to scrape down the side at the base of the stem for about the last centimetre. This will form a ‘wounded’ area where roots are more likely to develop.
- Dip the base of the cutting into water and then into a small amount of Yates Cutting Powder. Shake off the excess. If preferred, use Clonex Hormone Gel. With the pencil, dibble a small hole into the top of the Yates Seed Raising Mix in the pot.
- Insert the cutting into the hole and gently firm the mix to hold it upright.
- Put a number of cuttings into the one pot.
- Water with a gentle spray.
- Label with the plant name and date.
- Next spray over the cuttings with Yates Waterwise DroughtShield. This will coat the plant material in a clear polymer film that will cut down on water loss.
- Place the pot into a Yates Mini Greenhouse or, at the very least, cover it with a plastic bag to retain moisture.
- Put the greenhouse into a bright shaded spot and check regularly to see that the mix is still moist. Water gently if necessary.
- After about 6-8 weeks ease out one of the cuttings to see if roots have formed on the base. After they have, each cutting can be transplanted into an individual pot and fed with some Yates Thrive soluble Plant Food.
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