FLORGARD

Tip 1: Hygiene is very important. The cut you make instantly becomes an easy entry point for plant diseases, so you need to ensure that all cutting tools, your hands and even the working benches are suitably clean.

 

Tip 2: Ensure that all cutting instruments are as sharp as possible, so all cuts are clean.

All plants differ in terms of the type of cutting which works best, when to take the cutting, how to take the cutting, and the aftercare required. Make sure you check what your plant needs before taking your cutting.

 

Tip 3: Always select a healthy and true to type plant and stem to take the cuttings from.

 

Tip 4: Cuttings should be from a non flowering stem, so check for flowers or flowerbuds first. Easy to root plants can be exceptions to this rule (eg pelargoniums) although all flowers and flower buds must be removed prior to propagation. Heathers can be problematic, so select stems with the fewest flower buds on them and cut your propagation material from sections without flower buds.

 

Tip 5: You should aim to have as little time as possible between taking the cutting and planting it. All cuttings, except hardwood cuttings, are very prone to drying out and should be taken in the early morning so they are fully turgid (or water the parent plant well a few hours before taking the cutting), stored in a plastic bag (ideally a co-extruded bag which is black on the inside and white on the outside) and used as quickly as possible. If you can’t plant them the same day, then keep the sealed bag in the refrigerator until the next day.

 

Tip 6: If you are taking multiple cuttings try to ensure that they are all the same size, that way they will all be ready to pot up and plant on a the same time, making your life easier.

For stem cuttings, always make a slanted cut at the top of the cutting and a straight one at the bottom, so you remember which way up to plant it. With root cuttings the opposite is done (a straight one at the top and a slanted one at the bottom).