Amateur Gardening 21-Apr-2018

ONE of the most exciting things about spring is that it’s the prime time to get more plants for free. As the garden surges back into growth, you can trim your plants and use the off-cuts to create new ones. Between now and early summer, when plant shoots are fresh and tender, you can take softwood and basal cuttings. Like small children, they will soon put on a growth spurt and transform into mature plants that are ready to harden off and join their parents in the garden. Semi-ripe and hardwood cuttings are taken in late summer and autumn when the plant material has matured and is hard at the base, with soft tips. Softwood cuttings are an easy way of propagating hardy and tender perennials such as roses, pelargoniums, Penstemon and…

MANY indoor plants can be propagated using their leaves. This is a simple process, best done in late spring or summer when the plants are in full growing mode. Select a healthy-looking, medium sized leaf and cut it from the plant using sharp, clean scissors or a knife. You can either slice away the central spine of the leaf, or cut the leaf across into three or four broad sections. These are inserted into trays of dampened compost that has been mixed with a little sharp sand or perlite. African violets can be propagated by removing entire leaves and inserting their stems into the compost mix. Seal the cuttings tray in a plastic bag and place it somewhere light and warm. New leaflets should start to appear at the base of the parent cuttings within…

Cuttings root best in fresh seed and cuttings compost mixed with a little perlite to make a lighter growing medium and allow air and water to circulate around developing roots. Use fresh compost and new or well-washed pots. Clay pots can be better than plastic as they are slightly porous, which reduces the risk of waterlogging and lets the cuttings breathe. Rooting powder or gel helps strong roots develop. It can soon get sappy, so buy new each year.…

1 Clear away some soil from the crown of the parent plant. Choose a strong shoot around 4in (10cm) long and cut it off from the base. 2 Prevent the cuttings from drying out by temporarily storing them in a plastic bag somewhere cool and shady while you prepare their pots. 3 Cut away the side leaves leaving just the main shoot. If left, the extra leaves would take energy needed for the rooting process. 4 Dip the cuttings in rooting compound and inset them around the edge of a clay pot of gritty cuttings compost. 5 Water them using a fine rose and then place the pot in a heated propagator or seal it in a plastic bag to keep humidity around the cuttings. 6 Place the cuttings somewhere warm and light. They will…

THINGS are moving forward for certain plants in the world of tender corms and tubers, while others are still sitting tight and waiting for the frosts to finish. Gladioli corms that were lifted last autumn are best kept in storage until after the last frosts have passed. Mine have overwintered under the greenhouse staging in stacked trays of dry sandy compost. I check them over every couple of weeks to make sure they are still firm and healthy, and haven’t been attacked by rots or mould. The dahlia tubers I potted up several weeks ago have started to shoot, but I will keep them undercover for a few more weeks before I gradually harden them off and plant them in the borders. Again, I will wait for the frosts to clear, but in the…

Last summer I sowed some Dahlia ‘Mignon’, which are favoured by bees and other pollinators. They put on a wonderful show into early autumn and by the time they finished had developed healthy tubers. I lifted and overwintered them and hope they will flower again this year. The seeds should be sown thinly onto damp compost, covered and kept somewhere light and warm until germination. Prick out the seedlings when large enough and grow them on. Plant them out in borders or tubs when the threat of frost has passed.…