September can feel like a quiet month for the garden, but one small, almost secret job now can turn next spring into your own personal greenhouse of free plants, according to TV gardener Monty Don.
As the planting season runs from September through to November, many gardeners are turning their attention to preparing for a beautiful garden next year. However, Monty recommends also turning your attention towards another task: taking cuttings.
Why September is the perfect time for cuttings
Although you might be brainstorming where you want to spend your money to make your garden lusher and more vibrant than last year, the key to free plants is already on your borders. September is the perfect month to start taking cuttings, says Monty.
He says on his website: “If you have not taken cuttings before - do not be daunted. They are easy, mostly successful and the gateway to producing scores of new plants for free. They also enable you to be very specific about what you want.
“A plant grown from a cutting will always be exactly the same as its parent plant whereas one grown from seed will always be different.”
How to take semi-ripe cuttings
The process is simple and easy to follow. Monty says: “Semi-ripe cuttings are taken from current season’s wood that has started to harden off a little. The tip is soft and bendy but the base of the cutting will have wood that has started to become more rigid. This means that it will be slower to make new roots than a soft cutting but also be slower to die back and this allows for more flexibility and a much reduced sense of urgency about the whole proceedings.”
“Before you set put to take any cuttings have with you a plastic bag and a sharp knife and secateurs. The bag is for placing the cut material immediately into to reduce moisture loss. In principal it is best to take cuttings in the morning whilst the plant is full of moisture but in practise it is something best done as and when you are minded to do it.”
There is a slight knack to where you are choosing to take cuttings from. Monty continued: “Always choose healthy, strong, straight growth for cutting material. It should be free from any flowers or flower buds. Plants like rosemary will root successfully from side shoots that have been peeled from the main stem but where there is plenty of material I prefer to take shoots with the growing tip intact.
“Once you have taken material from the plant and placed it in the polythene bag go and pot them up immediately. The quicker you can do this, the more likely you are to have success.
Aftercare: trimming, placement and watering
In terms of aftercare, there are just a few steps you need to follow. The key is trimming, placement, and watering. Monty says: “Strip off all lower leaves and side shoots so that only an inch or less of foliage remains. Cut the bare stem to size with a sharp knife just below a node (the point on a stem where leaves emerge) and bury it in a container of very gritty or sandy compost.
“It is best to place the cuttings around the edge of a pot and you can always get at least 4 and often more in one container. Put this somewhere warm and bright but not on a south-facing windowsill as it may scorch.
“Water it well and then keep it just moist but a daily spray with a mister will help stop the leaves drying out before new roots have time to form.
“You will know that the roots have formed when you see fresh new growth. At that point the cuttings can be removed from the pot and potted on individually before planting out next Spring.”
