Plant Cuttings
Episode #14 14/07/07
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane
One way to save money in the garden is to grow your own plants and winter is the best time to do it. Right now across Australia nurseries are taking cuttings. These cuttings are going to grow roots in the winter and establish a really good root system and start to grow well in the garden in spring and summer.
There is a huge range of plants that you can grow from cuttings but the general rule of thumb is to try and choose varieties that don’t flower during the winter or early spring.
The Chinese Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is a classic example, a brilliant climber and ground cover and taking cuttings now will guarantee success.
Some other varieties include:
Bush Christmas (Syzygium australe ‘Bush Christmas’)
Tiny Trev (Syzygium australe ‘Tiny Trev’)
Azaleas
Mock Orange or Orange Jessamine (Murraya paniculata)
Grevilleas and Bottlebrush
The easiest of all cuttings is tip cutting and by taking them now the sap has slowed down with the cooler weather. It means it is more likely to callus over the winter months and set roots.
The things you need to succeed are not expensive such as:
To take the cuttings you will need about 20 tips. Cut the foliage down to two to three leaves and cut the remaining leaves in half, this reduces the area loss for moisture. Dip the ends of the tips into the hormone gel and push gently into the soil. Make sure the soil is loose and friable, make sure you don’t compact the soil.
To further reduce moisture loosely place a plastic bag over the top of the cutting and pot. Tie of with a twisty or rubber band. You should end up with a 50-75% success rate with these cuttings. To check when they are ready gently ease them out of the pot and check the callusing and how the roots are coming. Look out for new shoots and that is the time to transplant them into new pots.
This is a great way to save money in the garden and that way you can spend your money on other important things like soil improver and mulch.
Featured Products
Clonex Purple Rooting Hormone
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane
One way to save money in the garden is to grow your own plants and winter is the best time to do it. Right now across Australia nurseries are taking cuttings. These cuttings are going to grow roots in the winter and establish a really good root system and start to grow well in the garden in spring and summer.
There is a huge range of plants that you can grow from cuttings but the general rule of thumb is to try and choose varieties that don’t flower during the winter or early spring.
The Chinese Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) is a classic example, a brilliant climber and ground cover and taking cuttings now will guarantee success.
Some other varieties include:
Bush Christmas (Syzygium australe ‘Bush Christmas’)
Tiny Trev (Syzygium australe ‘Tiny Trev’)
Azaleas
Mock Orange or Orange Jessamine (Murraya paniculata)
Grevilleas and Bottlebrush
The easiest of all cuttings is tip cutting and by taking them now the sap has slowed down with the cooler weather. It means it is more likely to callus over the winter months and set roots.
The things you need to succeed are not expensive such as:
- Propagation Mixture made up of course river sand and peat
- Six to eight inch pots Yates Clonex Purple Rooting Hormone Gel – protects the cutting base from disease and stimulates root development.
To take the cuttings you will need about 20 tips. Cut the foliage down to two to three leaves and cut the remaining leaves in half, this reduces the area loss for moisture. Dip the ends of the tips into the hormone gel and push gently into the soil. Make sure the soil is loose and friable, make sure you don’t compact the soil.
To further reduce moisture loosely place a plastic bag over the top of the cutting and pot. Tie of with a twisty or rubber band. You should end up with a 50-75% success rate with these cuttings. To check when they are ready gently ease them out of the pot and check the callusing and how the roots are coming. Look out for new shoots and that is the time to transplant them into new pots.
This is a great way to save money in the garden and that way you can spend your money on other important things like soil improver and mulch.
Featured Products
Clonex Purple Rooting Hormone
- Hormone gel for promoting root growth in softwood and semi hardwood cuttings.
- A unique and powerful blend of nutrients, vitamins, mineral hormones and anti-microbial agents in a gel base.
- Easy to use.
- Seals and protects cutting while enhancing root development.
- Reduces risk of disease.
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