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Cuttings
Maxine Winter
Posts: 55
in Talkback
Good morning,
I am a relative new gardener and I'm wanting to know how to take a cutting from a hydrangea and when is the best time to do this xxx
0
Posts
Hi
This video shows you how to do it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60M1eSDXdJY , but I also find that hydrangeas will develop roots in a vase of water at this time of year, then you can pot them up and they'll grow on quite happily if you keep them in a cool and sheltered place.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's not something I've done intentionally Verdun, but when Nature does a bit of propagation for you it'd be rude to ignore it
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Everyone keeps says how easy it is to take cuttings and I'm going to try lavender ones, is it really that easy?
Course it is OL.....
Some things are easier than others - you only have to stick 'em into any old soil and pot and they'll root - like Buddleias. I do the same with Verb. bonariensis - I damaged a few when transplanting them a while ago - I just trimmed back the broken pieces (as Verd describes above) and stuck them in little pots of gritty compost out of the direct sun. They're needing potted on now. Nice gritty medium for Lavender - it's a while since I've had lavender, but I don't think you'd use the poly bags - someone will correct me if that's wrong though. Cut below a joint and trim most of the foliage away to leave just a bit at the top. You can put quite a lot round the edge of a pot and they should root pretty quickly at this time of year. Just keep them in a sheltered spot, not too hot and sunny, and don't let them get dried out completely. Pot them up individually once they've got new growth. Apologies if I've missed anything obvious.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
All my cuttings seem to fail to be honest.
Thinking back years ago when I was starting out, I think my main problem with cuttings was to take them too soft. I find cutting are more doable when they have a bit of substance about them ie semi-ripe. Then it is getting the balance between coolness and dampness. Always use some sharp sand in your compost or perlite/vermiculite to give a well drained medium, then sit them in a warm shady spot, making sure they are kept dampish. If you want one cutting, take half a dozen. I have found no great difference between clay and plastic pots and using/not using hormone rooting powder. The more cuttings you take, the more successful you will be. Practise makes perfect !
Hi Maxine, Ive never taken cuttings before but I did take three penstemon cuttings this year and two have taken and have now been potted on. I actually used some alpine soil that I had which is of course very light and it worked a treat.