It's so rewarding taking hardwood cuttings; the only hard part is waiting for them to root!
|
| Root Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) from hardwood cuttings
|
'Take hardwood cuttings in late autumn and winter – choose stems of the current year's growth that are firm and have hardened.'
There is something particularly satisfying about propagation by hardwood cuttings. It requires no specialist equipment and can be done out in the garden without protection or heat. Although it takes a full year for the cuttings to root, the wait is worth it because the results are so spectacular, producing large plants ready for planting out or potting up.
Basic technique
Take hardwood cuttings in late autumn and winter. Choose stems of the current year's growth that are firm and have hardened. Make the bottom cut straight across immediately below a node or leaf joint, and the top sloping cut above a bud and angled away from it to run water away from the bud. The length of the cutting depends on the amount of growth made during the year, but should be 20-30cm (8-12in). Given sufficient growth, you can make two or more hardwood cuttings from each branch. If stems are uniformly thick, make sure you know which is the top and which is the bottom. This is why we make a sloping cut at the top and a horizontal cut at the base. Inserting the cutting upside down will result in 100 per cent failure!
I always root hardy plants outside in a sheltered part of the garden but, where space allows, you may wish to place them in a container of soil-based compost in a garden frame over winter and set them outside in spring. Evergreen conifers are less prone to wind or frost damage if you put them in containers in a garden frame. With rows of hardwood cuttings lined out in open ground, lay landscape fabric between the rows and cover with bark or gravel to keep down weeds.
The following summer, the cuttings will produce side shoots and in autumn (a year after taking the cuttings) you will have strong, bushy plants ready to dig up and plant out. Depending on the species, rooted plants will be bushy, 45-60cm high with side shoots. Some cuttings will simply die. The stem will turn dark brown or black and become brittle. Pull these out of the grown and burn them.
Hardwood cuttings method A: for most plants
|
| Cuttings in a trench
|
1 Choose a little-used area of the garden, preferably one that is well drained and protected from the wind. Dig a trench 15cm (6in) deep, making one side vertical. If your soil is heavy, spread a 2.5cm layer of coarse grit or sand in the base of the trench to assist drainage.
Choose a fully ripe stem of the current year's growth that is firm and has hardened. Make a straight cut at the base of the stem, immediately below a node or leaf joint. At the top, make a sloping cut above a bud, angling it away from the bud. The cutting should be 20¬-30cm in length. Plants such as roses or gooseberries are easier to handle if the thorns or spines are removed at this stage.
Space the prepared cuttings vertically, 15cm (6in) apart in the trench, making sure that the base of each cutting is in direct contact with the grit (with no air pocket underneath). Position the cuttings close to the vertical side of the trench to keep them upright when the trench is backfilled with soil.
2 Backfill the trench…
3 …then use your feet to firm the topsoil around the cuttings. Take care not to damage the portion of the cutting that is above the ground. Finally, use a fork or a rake to loosen the surface of the soil and apply a deep mulch of bark or compost to deter the weeds.
Hardwood cuttings method B: for taller plants
|
| Hammer pegs the right way up
|
|
| Saw larger branches
|
1 For larger plants, such as willow or poplar, saw a length of straight branch about 1.2-2m (4-6ft) long, after leaf fall.
2 Use a crowbar to make a 30cm (1ft) deep hole in the ground.
3 Insert the cutting and firm it in with your foot. Alternatively, cut 'pegs' of willow 30cm (1ft) long and 3cm (1in) in diameter. Make a hole in the ground with a crowbar and hammer the pegs 15cm into the ground, making sure you get them the right way up.
*Extracted from How to Propagate by John Cushnie, published by
Kyle Cathie.
denotes Subscriber-only content | Wednesday 23 July 2008 | Help | Glossary 
