March 27, 2018

Fuchsia Cuttings

Spring to late spring, is the perfect time of year to start taking cuttings of soft wood plants such as Clematis, Salvia, Honey Suckle and Fuchsia.

Taking cuttings of Fuchsias in the spring will allow them to grow and flower that same year. Cuttings can also be taken in August time (UK) for the following year.

Choose a parent plant that is healthy and has plenty of available shoots for cutting.  You can use ROOT!T Stock Plant Tonic to help improve side shoots and also aid the development of the cuttings in the first susceptible days. Try to take cuttings in the morning when the parent plant is still turgid. This gives the cutting more a greater chance of rooting successfully as it is full of water.

With a clean scalpel or knife cut a shoot 5-10cm in length, just below a node. The node is the joint on the stem where leaves grow from. This is where there is a concentration of plant hormones that will in turn stimulate the production of roots.

Remove the lower leaves from the cutting as this is where the cutting will lose most moisture and may wilt and die.

Prepare the media that you are using. ROOT!T Natural Rooting Sponges are ideal for supporting cuttings at this stage and maintaining a good moisture to air balance at the roots. Alternatively, a mixture of compost (70%) and perlite (30%) can be used. Dibble a small hole in the compost and fill with ROOT!T Rooting Gel. Insert the cutting into the planting space quickly to provide a seal around the open stem.

Keep the cuttings in a propagator to maintain a warm, humid environment and keep at a temperature of 16-21 °C. Once white roots are visible from the ROOT!T sponge plugs, they can be transferred into pots. Keep protecting the small plants from frost until the weather has improved.