Grow Your Own Magazine

Help!

I've never sucessfully taken cuttings before and plan to this year to take lots so I can fill my garden for free

Anyhow, I want to take cuttings of my Fireworks Geraniums and am now determined for it to work as I've promised some to a friend who recently lost her husband and she said he loved variagated leaf geraniums (which mine are)

So I was hoping for a Laymans terms way of propogating them please. Along the lines of the Lavender advice lol (i.e. stuff in ground, stamp down earth)

I've tried cuttings before with bags over the pots and they go mouldy etc so I'm hoping I can avoid that technique

Also, how much of the plant can I use before I risk killing it? My garden is fairly sheltered so am hoping they'll over winter for next year but don't want to kill them by taking to much of the plants for cuttings this year (I have 2 of the variagated ones so not too many to use)

Ta in advance
Shortie

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Cut geraniums- flowering stems.. at a leaf joint. Remove all but 3 -4 small top leaves. Remove flowers/flowering buds.
Do NOT add rooting powder.
Stick in damp compost.
Keep in warmth - not in direct sunlight - 12 to 20C.

Do not cover.

Wait.

Works for me - about 70% take...

The only difference from Madasafish, I would use a 50/50 mix of compost and vermiculite to stick the cuttings in.

I find it works well for geraniums, osteospermums, marguerites and fuchsias.

valmarg

Lovely thanks...

How much of the plant can I use before I'll kill it, and can I start taking the cuttings now?

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

You can cut a geranium back to about 5cms long and as long as the stems have leaves and are fed and kept in a warm enivirnoment, several years.

Yes. Start now. You get better results when weather is warm but not hot:
Note to me: job for Monday!

I have NEVER been able to root geranium cuttings because I always put a placky bag on top, which rotted them. Now I just put them in a pot and forget them, and they do ok.

Fuchsias are easiest of all, just root them in a pot of water.

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I came, I saw, I planted

I've tried to root all sorts of flower cuttings in water over the years and most seem to work, I then add compost to the water for about two weeks and then transfer to a pot and let the 'mud' dry out until just damp. I thought it was only Pelargoniums that should not be covered? I've not had major probs with propagating geraniums covered in plastic bags. If I do get mould, it's usualy because the compost is too wet.

I have always let the cutting dry for 12 hours or so. Take the cuttungs and prepare them ready for planting and then leave them overnight for the bottom cut end to dry before planting. Follow the other advice as well, no rooting powder and no plastic bags.

Best of luck

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

If I only want to take a few cuttings, I tend to put the cutting on the window sill. I get a glass of water, put cling film over the top and put the cutting through a hole into the water. Within a very short space of time, roots have formed, at which point I plant up in smallish pots (3" say) of normal bog standard potting compost and hardly ever lose any. I do find it easier to take pretty small cuttings, easier to handle etc and they soon catch up. Also, if I'm taking autumn ones, they take up less space in the greenhouse over winter. I also cut back the parent plant if it's too big, pot it up and keep it for the winter in a frost free environment with very little water. As soon as it starts growing again in the spring, start watering and you can take loads more cuttings. Makes it value for money to buy the occaisional fancy plant if you get loads more for free!!

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Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

Thanks everyone, I think I'll try rooting them in water... I've done it before that way for carnations before (well.... I might as well get more value from a bunch from I can m DH )

Now I need to see if suss out a decent flowering stem or 20, lol

Thanks again

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

I've had 2 lots of fuchsia cuttings in water for about a month. They show no sign of rooting but no sign of dying either. I have to keep changing the water to wash out the little glass containers because they become very green and slimy. I wonder if they'll ever root?

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Some days you're the statue, some days you're the pigeon!

vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated July 6th 2008

Just to be different I always dip the ends in rooting powder but it's mure for the anti fungal properties than the rooting bit.

I use a 50:50 mix of Perlite & compost - water it well and then put the cuttings in and I usually take my 1st lot around November ( I have the luxury of a prop bench and a heated greenhouse) then once these get going I take the tops out & root them and the 1st lot make nice bushy plants.

My "stock plants" are about 3 -4 years old now and are in 9" pots and I virtually murder them every year for cuttings as I only grow variagated ones now and then they get putt out side for the summer to recover.

Hope this helps shortie.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Well, you've all encouraged me to have a go at this. I have one solitary geranium and would love more ... wish me luck!!

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Life may not be the party we hoped for but since we're here we might as well dance

Lovely ta... I didn't get time this weekend, but have my little one with me all week this week as the childminder's on her hols.

With the 'reverse treasure map' (i.e. to bury the bulbs not dig them up) and geranium cuttings (plus maybe a trip to the lottie) I might have a budding Titchmarsh on my hands (or maybe Sven Wombwell as he's blonde and broad shouldered )

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

hello all, i was looking for a posting for taking cuttings for geraniums, i dont want to sound silly, i know nothing about gardening but trying hard to learn, it says cut a flowering stem by a leafjoint, plse could someone explain in really silly dummie version for me, ive got a lovely large geranium and would like to take some cuttings for next year.

thank you and sorry to seem dum

I'll have a go. Cut a stem off; cut off flower. Now cut immediately below where the leaves join the stem. Remove all leaves except top 2 (ish). Wilt the cutting for a day (geraniums need it). Then pot up in multi-purpose compost, keep damp not wet in the light but not hot.

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I came, I saw, I planted

Good explanation Two Sheds. However, I do think we have to be sure whether we are talking about geraniums or pelargoniums. Pelargoniums are the big flashy flowering jobs that are sold for bedding and pots (commonly known as geraniums). They respond really well to drying out for a day or two before potting up. True geraniums have softer growth, subtler colours and can be increased by cuttings or division of established plants.

My cuttings taken on Monday - in greenhouse all week.. look to have rooted.
thanks for the reminder.