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Overview
Cuttings taken from new shoots will root easily in spring to provide new plants for flowerbeds or pots. Alternatively take cuttings of your favourite plants in late-summer to overwinter indoors ready for planting or potting in the following season. Practice the basics of rooting softwood cuttings with our step-by-step advice and you'll be able to use these skills for more complex cuttings.
Do it:
March - August
Takes just:
30 minutes
How to do it
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Softwood cuttings are taken from the current season's growth. Choose non-flowering side shoots, taking them as long as possible. Use a sharp knife or secateurs to cut them from the parent plant. -
Use a sharp knife to trim below a single leaf joint or pair of leaves aiming to create a finished cutting of 8cm - 10cm long. Carefully remove any leaves from the bottom half of the cutting. -
Fill a 10cm pot with cuttings compost, tapping it on the work surface to consolidate it. Mixing the compost with equal parts of perlite (see picture) will make the compost more aerated and can often encourage quicker rooting. -
Although not essential for easy-to-root plants, dipping the base of the cutting into rooting hormone will promote root development. Carefully tap off the excess powder or liquid. -
Insert the base of the cutting into the pot of compost. You should be able to fit three or four cuttings in a 10cm pot. Where possible try to position cuttings so that their leaves don't touch. -
Water the cuttings using a watering can fitted with a rose and allow the excess to drain and the foliage to dry. Then cover the pot with a clear polythene bag held in place with a rubber band around the pot. -
Place the pot on a well-lit position indoors, but out of direct sunlight. Keep compost moist and your cuttings should root in six to eight weeks. When the roots appear at the bottom of the pot, plant your cuttings up singly in the same-sized pot.
"Take cuttings in the morning, when the shoots are at their freshest."
"Remove the polythene bag once a day and shake out excess water to prevent conditions becoming too humid inside."
