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Strike A Posy

There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own flowers. Whether you enjoy them as a cut flower display or love the look of the bees buzzing around the garden, there is just something magical about flowers.

And it’s easy to grow more, without buying more – yep, you read right! You can fill every nook and cranny and grow your own little backyard florist just by taking cuttings or propagating from your (or your neighbours!) existing flowers.

Here’s how:

Get the gear:

Yates Seed Raising Mix
Yates Mini Greenhouse
Sharp secateurs
Yates Clonex Purple
Hand mister filled with water
Pencil
Selection of plants (Certain plants strike (or take root) easier than others. These include: dianthus, fushias, chrysanthemums, lavender and geraniums).

Before you start:

Take cuttings early in the morning before the heat of the day.
Cut off the stems or branches where most of the new growth is showing.
If you are not going to propagate until later in the day, wrap the cut stems in lightly moistened newspaper and place into a refrigerator. Some cuttings can last 1-2 days in these conditions.

Let’s get propagating:

Fill the base of the Yates Mini Greenhouse with Yates Seed Raising Mix and lightly moisten top with water. 
Using a pencil, poke evenly spaced holes in the mix for your cuttings. 
From the tip of your plant, measure approximately 10cm down and cut just below a node. Tip! Nodes are the slightly bulgy sections on the stems, where leaves appear. Cutting just below the node is where the roots will form. 
Remove lower leaves from the cutting, leaving a maximum of two leaves at the tip. 
Dip the end of the cutting into Yates Clonex Purple, then insert the into the prepared holes. Lightly backfill and compact so the stems stay upright. 
Mist the leaves with water and place the lid on the greenhouse. Tip! To help further reduce water loss from the leaves, apply Yates DroughtShield to the cuttings prior to watering. 
Position the greenhouse where it will receive filtered light and is protected from the hot afternoon sun and strong winds. 
Mist regularly to keep up the humidity in the greenhouse. Avoid watering from the base as this can cause rot. 
After a couple of weeks, check if your cuttings are ready by carefully pulling on them gently. If they are hard to remove, then they have taken well and can be transplanted into larger pots or planters. If there are no roots, but the cutting is not showing any signs of blackening or rot at the base, place it back into the soil, continue to mist well and check its progress every couple of weeks. 
Once your plants are full grown, remember to feed them well with Yates Thrive Roses and Flowers Liquid Plant Food to boost their posy potential!