How to... take semi-ripe cuttings
This is a great way to get hold of shrub varieties you've seen in other gardens...
Taken in late summer, semi-ripe cuttings may be slower to root than softwood cuttings, but often result in better success rates. Most deciduous and many evergreen shrubs can be propagated as semi-ripe cuttings - a great way to get hold of shrub varieties you've seen in other gardens! Some favourites are lavender, philadelphus (mock orange), potentilla and weigela. Get your favourite plants for free by following these simple steps...
Select a healthy shoot of this season's growth and cut it from the parent plant just above a bud node.
Use a sharp knife to remove the side shoots from each stem (each removed side shoot could be a new cutting), then trim the main stem just below a node, leaving a cutting that's around 10-15cm long.
Trim the lowest leaves and cut off very soft growth at the tip of each cutting.
Dip the end of each cutting into water and then into hormone rooting powder, tapping off any excess before placing into a pot filled with cutting compost. You can fit several cuttings into one pot.
Put your cuttings into the cold frame or greenhouse, or create a mini greenhouse on your windowsill by covering the pot with a polythene bag.
Once well rooted (after about two months, when they've started to produce new leaves), pot the cuttings into individual pots, gradually hardening them off before planting outside.
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