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Cuttings

MrsFoxgloveMrsFoxglove Posts: 180
edited June 2018 in The potting shed
Evening all :)

What do you use for potting up cuttings? I bought some seed & cuttings compost today which i've used in the past but I just watched a little clip on YouTube about taking Penstemon cuttings and the lady used vermiculite in with her compost, is this absolutely necessary? Just trying not to spend too much and I noticed today that a small bag of vermiculite is £9 at the garden centre so if I can get away without it that'd be great but if its a must have i'll pop and get some tomorrow. 

Also what am I doing with cuttings once they've rooted- I mean how do I protect them all over winter? I don't have a greenhouse or coldframe so am worried they'll just die  :s 

Lastly, what cuttings are you all taking now if any? Can I take cuttings from Delphiniums :#

Thanks kindly  :*:*:*:*
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  • SussexsunSussexsun Posts: 1,444
    You can buy vermiculite in Poundland for £1 and it is just as good as the expensive garden centre stuff but no you can put cuttings into compost without it.
    i over winter some tender plants on my kitchen windowsills. 
    To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

  • MrsFoxgloveMrsFoxglove Posts: 180
    Thanks Sussexsun, my little kitchen windowsill is going to be packed out over the next few months  :#:D I have loads of seeds to sow too! 
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I got that from poundland as well. It is fine and ideal for cuttings.
  • SussexsunSussexsun Posts: 1,444
    Wilkos sells plastic growhouses for £10. Good some starting dahlia tubers and the like. They also sell a large bag of vermiculite for £5 if you decide you need it.
    i notice you are in Surrey so winters can still be quite mild and I would risk geraniums in them over winter.
    i grew up in Surrey and still go back quite often to visit my brother and always found the winters quite mild.
    To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

  • MrsFoxgloveMrsFoxglove Posts: 180
    Good to know I can get it in Poundland  :)
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I do my Penstemon cuttings in a glass of water, then use ordinary multi purpose to pot on.
    I don’t do delphinium cuttings, just grow fresh from seeds but I take Salvia cuttings. All in MPC with a bit of vermiculite added. 
    Ive got a Wilco grow house, the wide one, you can get spare covers for them. As long as you fix them to a wall they do tend to run away on a windy day😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Sandra100Sandra100 Posts: 130
    Can anyone advise what cuttings can be taken now please?
    I've read that Lavender can be done, I tried last year and had no joy whatsoever
    !!
  • MrsFoxgloveMrsFoxglove Posts: 180
    Lyn said:
    I do my Penstemon cuttings in a glass of water, then use ordinary multi purpose to pot on.
    I don’t do delphinium cuttings, just grow fresh from seeds but I take Salvia cuttings. All in MPC with a bit of vermiculite added. 
    Ive got a Wilco grow house, the wide one, you can get spare covers for them. As long as you fix them to a wall they do tend to run away on a windy day😀
    Oh I do have one of those little zip up greenhouse jobbys that I could use :D

    When you do your cuttings in a glass of water do you fill it up all the way? Do you just leave it on a windowsill? How long does it take to root? Do you cover the glass at all? Thanks dal  :*
  • MrsFoxgloveMrsFoxglove Posts: 180
    edited June 2018
    Sussexsun said:
    Wilkos sells plastic growhouses for £10. Good some starting dahlia tubers and the like. They also sell a large bag of vermiculite for £5 if you decide you need it.
    i notice you are in Surrey so winters can still be quite mild and I would risk geraniums in them over winter.
    i grew up in Surrey and still go back quite often to visit my brother and always found the winters quite mild.
    Yes I guess compared to other parts of the country Surrey does have it pretty mild for winters but it never feels mild in the depths of it and every spring and summer i'm always surprised when my little garden comes to life again  :# I was just worried about how fragile cuttings would cope. 
  • SussexsunSussexsun Posts: 1,444
    edited June 2018
    I am now on the Sussex coast so our weather is pretty similar. Mine might be slightly milder. I lost a lot of geranium cuttings last winter as they froze in the unheated greenhouse but this was the first year I lost anything. Pots I move into sheltered spots below the patio wall or corners, give a good mulch and pretty much hope for the best. I have too many pots to fit in my small greenhouse. A few tender cuttings end up on windowsills along with my succulents as the wet does them in but I tend to run out of space long before I need to start off seeds😩
    To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

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