Hi @BenCotto ... Any advice on taking petunia cuttings, please? I sowed some seeds this year, and none germinated (compared to last year, when they all germinated... I'm blaming it on the peat free compost...). I have one straggly plant from last year, kept in the greenhouse, which is now in flower... thought I may be able to take some cuttings from it...
I just took some cuttings from my Red Velour on Monday - just standard soft tip cuttings about 4 or 5 inches long, leaves removed from the bottom two thirds or so, in a pot of gritty compost, in a plastic bag loosely closed at the top with an elastic band and standing on my windowsill propagator base. I hope they take!
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I took my cuttings on my birthday, December 16th and most came through the winter in an unheated greenhouse. Lack of light and heat meant they limped through the next few months and I hope they’ll soon put on a growth spurt. Actually they might have more chance of doing so if I didn’t keep on pinching out the growth tips. I also repotted them in slightly larger pots a couple of weeks ago thinking they’d benefit from an injection of fresh compost.
@Janie B, what I do is take cuttings that are about 3” long, trim of all the lower leaves, put them in very gritty compost and pop a clear plastic water beaker over the top making a snug fit. Periodically I tap the beaker to shake off the condensation and check from time to time they’re not succumbing to mould. At this time of year I would expect fresh growth to be apparent after about 3 weeks. When I see roots stretching out of the drainage holes in the base of the pots I take off the beaker covers.
I'll have to see if I can get hold of some of those clear plastic beakers. I do keep the plastic bags for re-use but the beakers would probably last longer and be easier to clean.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Cuttings taken on 6th April now have new growth, and roots coming out of the bottom of the pot. Time to separate them into individual pots and see what the strike rate is. That'll be a job for the weekend.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
This is one of the parent plants, growing in an old washing copper found buried in the garden. The plants were outside all winter, sheltered by a brick wall.
This parent plant was overwintered in the greenhouse. I’m debating whether to put it outside yet.
This is one of the parent plants, growing in an old washing copper found buried in the garden. The plants were outside all winter, sheltered by a brick wall.
This parent plant was overwintered in the greenhouse. I’m debating whether to put it outside yet.
Out of interest, how old are the 'parent plants' in the copper pot @BenCotto? Do you have to rejuvenate them with a haircut or chop them right back down to base when frosts are over? Apologies if you'd explained this previously, I couldn't find the info on searching back through this thread!
That’s a good question @Devonian. I think they were put in as cuttings at the start of the 2021 growing season but it could be they were fresh plants in 2020 and are now in their third year. My inclination is to say 2021 not 2020.
Here’s the copper pot one month on from the photo above. The hope is a couple of inserted plants will fill the base and drop downwards to give blanket coverage.
Posts
@Janie B, what I do is take cuttings that are about 3” long, trim of all the lower leaves, put them in very gritty compost and pop a clear plastic water beaker over the top making a snug fit. Periodically I tap the beaker to shake off the condensation and check from time to time they’re not succumbing to mould. At this time of year I would expect fresh growth to be apparent after about 3 weeks. When I see roots stretching out of the drainage holes in the base of the pots I take off the beaker covers.
This is one of the parent plants, growing in an old washing copper found buried in the garden. The plants were outside all winter, sheltered by a brick wall.
This parent plant was overwintered in the greenhouse. I’m debating whether to put it outside yet.