Monthly Talk – Plant Progagation for Seed and Softwood Cuttings

By Peter Chivers

Peter Chivers worked for Portsmouth Parks Department for his whole career, starting as a ‘garden boy’ and progressing to producing colour displays for Portsmouth and Southsea, Thompson and Morgan and RHS Wisley.   Now retired, Peter gives talks to local groups, sharing his extensive knowledge and experience.

Peter explained and demonstrated the best way to produce perfect cuttings.    He stressed the importance of using good shears and a sharp knife and good quality compost.   One excellent tip he shared was to use ‘Jiffy 7’ plugs which are made entirely from compressed peat (non-peat options are available) which swell when put in water to make an excellent medium and supply enough nutrients to get young plants growing well.

Geraniums are one of the easiest plants to progagate from cuttings but the principles apply to many other types of plants.  Early Spring is a good time to take this cuttings from plants that have been overwintered.  The method Peter suggests is to make a straight 3-4 inches long just under a node and take off most of the leaves so only 2 or 3 remain at the top.  Also cut off the little brown nodules that grow on the stem.  Push the bare stem down in the plug or pot around 1” deep and keep away from frost.   When roots appear they can be potted on to produce new plants.   If you keep pinching out the growing shoots you will get more branches of flowers.   The same process can be followed with fuchsia cuttings.  March is also a good time to take Dahlia cuttings and other perennials such as Penstemon.

Peter also suggested that keen gardeners would enjoy a visit to the Ball Colegrave Gardens near Banbury.  They plant 4 acres of grounds with a diverse range of over 50,000 annual and perennial plants to create a spectacular of colour.  Visit to their website for  more information www.ballcolegrave.co.uk