Which perennials can be propagated by cuttings

Foliage plants you may wish to bulk up include coleus Solenostemon , plectranthus and Senecio maritima. Most tender perennials propagate easily from cuttings. There are two methods that are particularly useful: semi-ripe cuttings and softwood cuttings.

You can also find specific advice on salvias , penstemons and pelargoniums on our other web pages. Most cuttings taken in spring will be flowering in their first summer.

Those taken in late summer will be overwintering under glass and be ready to harden off during May. It is easy to propagate a wide range of tender plants, but problems such as grey mould and damping off diseases can occur under glass where ventilation can often be inadequate. Pelargonium rust can be a problem in damp conditions. Fuchsias , usually trouble-free, but can suffer from fuchsia gall mite or fuchsia rust.

Glasshouse whitefly can affect most plants under cover especially fuchsia, pelargonium , verbena and chrysanthemum. Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9.

Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work Join now. The key to success is maintaining good protocol for collection, handling and storage of cutting material, regardless of the route the cuttings take to arrive in your mist system. Cuttings should be free of harmful pathogens, and for consistent results in propagation, stock plants are typically maintained with higher standards than those used for finished product.

Stock plants should also be retired at a suitable interval. Misting intervals should be set to meet the environmental requirements of the propagation zone. The best propagation systems adjust the mist interval to meet humidity, light and temperature levels and are managed by computer systems. It is also possible to manually adjust the mist intervals to meet the propagation requirements as environmental conditions change. The general idea with any mist system is to keep the foliage of unrooted cuttings moist, but not too saturated.

Schedules for cropping vary by firm, but typically, most stem cuttings will show evidence of root initiation within weeks and may complete their stay in the mist system in weeks.

A period of post-mist finishing is usually required and typically lasts weeks for most perennials. Frequently pinching the cutting flats will produce a nicely branched liner suitable for finished product, and pinching operations can be made shortly after the flats of perennials are removed from the mist. Total cropping time should be weeks or less for perennials produced by tip cuttings. Successful propagation of uniform, healthy perennial liners generated from stem cuttings is possible for many greenhouse and nursery operations.

By following the objectives outlined and through careful observation, a high degree of success is possible with these diverse and interesting plants. March Environmental conditions While optimum environmental requirements for rooting cuttings vary by plant, most plants are tolerant of these parameters, allowing the requirements to be met in a way that provides successful rooting for many types of plants in the same propagation environment.

Hormones Many species benefit from the addition of rooting hormone to the stem end of the cutting. Perennials for propagation With so many plants in the industry, perennial propagation may seem a bit overwhelming, but to some extent, propagation strategies can be employed across many generic lines. Scheduling For successful results propagating tip cuttings from these and other perennial groups, healthy, vigorously growing shoots should be selected.

Sinclair Adam Jr. Shoots growing from ground level can be detached, trimmed with a knife and the lower leaves removed. These cuttings also root very easily, especially when placed in a propagator. With other perennials such as physostegia and lysimachia roots have often already started to grow. Prepare the basal cuttings by trimming the base of the stem to make a clean cut and remove lower leaves.

The stem is severed from the parent plant when roots form. Other plants that are propagated through layering include wax myrtle and boxwood shrubs. Mints and other herbs are propagated easily from runners and offshoots from the parent plant.

Certain flowering plants, such as lilacs, send up shoots called suckers that form from spreading root systems. The sucker is severed from the parent plant an allowed to grow for one year before it is transplanted to a new area. Other plants that reproduce in this manner include aloe vera and some cacti. Climbing rose bushes, spirea and forsythia are propagated through layering. Azaleas and rhododendrons also produce new plants through the layering method.

Wisteria, clematis and honeysuckle propagate with little effort from an advanced form of layering called serpentine layering.

A stem is laid on the ground, and alternate buds are covered with a layer of soil. A wound is made in the covered section of the stem for roots to form.