IN THE GARDEN
It’s not too late to have go at softwood cuttings, and there’s still plenty of time to take hardwood ones too
30cm in length, making a clean cut at an angle above a bud and a cut straight across the lower section of stem below either a single bud or a pair of buds. If you’re going into mass production, your hardwood cuttings can be inserted into a trench in the open garden. But on a domestic scale, a deep flowerpot containing a 50:50 mix of grit and multi- purpose compost will do the job nicely. The bottom two-thirds of the cutting (ie the section with the straight cut) should be immersed into the soil, with the angled cut exposed above the surface of the compost. Cuttings should be kept moist until the following autumn, when they will have developed healthy roots and are showing signs of new growth. At this stage, your cuttings can be potted up and grown on until large enough for planting. So, yes, you can get plants for free, produced from your own garden. It’s not too late to have a go at softwood cuttings,
and there’s still plenty of time to take hardwood ones too. If successful, you’ll reduce the money spent at the garden centre, you can admire your efforts for years to come and there’s the added thrill of sharing surplus with gardening friends. If you should happen to fail, you can always try again next year!
Sally Petitt is head of horticulture at Cambridge University Botanic Garden
• Ensure you use a sharp knife to make a clean cut and minimise infection. • Cut onto a durable surface, rather than cutting up towards your hand, but keep some plasters nearby just in case of any slips! • Use a hormone rooting powder to protect exposed surfaces from infection and encourage quick root development. • Keep pots of hardwood cuttings in a sheltered location, either tucked away in the rain shadow of a house or shed, or in a cold frame. • Resist checking your cuttings for root growth – once they’ve got good roots you’ll see new leaves and shoots developing. Top tips for hardwood cuttings
BLUSHING BEAUTIES Flowers of Rosa ‘Maid of Kent’ (above) and Rosa ‘Charles de Mills’ (right)
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2025 81
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