Semi Ripe Cuttings
Pelargonium cuttings in the greenhouse
The Avon Bulb catalogue has arrived. Berries are colouring scarlet through to black, nodding in the hedgerows and the Rosehips are blushing outside my window, a reminder to go foraging soon. Early morning fields turned silver; laden with heavy dew. Autumn has arrived.
In the garden I am seizing the last window of opportunity to take semi-ripe cuttings for clients; creating make shift potting benches on top of semi redundant BBQs.
Salvia microphylla ‘Cerro Potosi’
My favourite choice of cuttings for ease and reliability with which they strike, (important with the aftercare often left in the hands of my treasured clients), is Salvias. Their aromatic foliage and bright flowers extend the season from late spring until the frost. This year I’ve been relishing dark hues of S. x Jamensis ‘Nachtvlinder’ and the deep scarlet of S. Royal Bumble, as well as the lipstick pink of S. microphylla ‘Cerro Potosi’. They are half hardy so will need overwintering somewhere bright and frost free. Late summer to early autumn is the time to strike cuttings for a continued and hopefully expanding display next year.
Semi-ripe cuttings are fairly easy. Cut a shoot to between 2-4 inches; cutting below and above a node, using a flower free, healthy shoot. (Flowering hormones inhibit the rooting hormone; the two are antagonistic!) Use a free draining compost, or one specifically for cuttings / seed sowing. Do not let them dry out or get too wet. They like to be moist. If they wilt, I tend to either mist them with a sprayer, pop a clear plastic bag over the top (taking it off every now and then so they can breathe) or trim a few more leaves off to reduce transpiration (water loss). I take at least 5-10 cuttings of each species to allow for losses; it is unlikely that you will have 100% success straight away. Start with something that is almost failsafe such as rooting your favourite pelargonium (mine is Lord Bute). Hebes and Cistus root very easily and Penstemons fairly so. Don’t be afraid to try experimenting with rooting in water such as hydrangeas or hardy geraniums but make sure you change the water regularly! Remember that cuttings like ‘warm bottoms’ so if you have access to a heated bench this will stimulate rooting but it’s important not to let them dry out.
