Growing native plants from cuttings.How to grow native plants from cuttings.Woody plants are generally the easiest to grow from cuttings.From the plant that you wish to propogate, cut a piece (about 15cm in length) from the tip of a small branch which has new leaves growing at the tip. Most plants are actively growing late Winter/early Spring, so this is generally a good time for taking cuttings to grow. Remove all of the lower leaves (just pull them off) and leave only the fresh new leaves at the tip. Re-cut the stem and dunk the cut end into a rooting hormone powder (available from nurseries). Push the stem gently into a small pot filled with potting media (see below for mixture). Push it in about 6cm deep. Gently firm the soil around the stem so that the stem will not move about when you water it. Keep your pot in a warm, protected position up off the ground so that it has good drainage. Water with a gentle spray. Keep the soil just moist - not too wet, not too dry. When the plant has established in it's pot and grown some new leaves it is probably ready to plant into your garden. Preferably it should be planted in either Autumn or Spring so that it doesn't have to cope with extremes of temperature. When planted keep up your normal watering routine until your plant is settled in and growing. Potting media.Your local nursery can sell you a small bag of potting mix suitable for propagation of native plants.Or you can make up your own media by using coco peat (bought in a brick size block) and vermiculite. Follow the provided instructions for preparing the coco peat. Then, mix 2 parts coco peat to 10 parts vermiculite and a small quantity of slow release fertiliser (as per manufacturers recommendation). Back |