Gardeners' World: Monty Don on taking cuttings from plants
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Gardeners’ World lead host Monty Don has shared how to propagate cuttings into soil on the latest episode of the programme. Monty explained how he mixed up perlite with peat-free compost to create moisture and oxygen into the soil. The 66-year-old said: “I’m mixing up plenty of perlite into a peat-free compost.
“When you’re taking any cutting, there are two things that are essential: oxygen and water.
“You actually don’t need any nutrition at all because there are no roots to feed it – you want to grow the roots in order that it can feed.
“Perlite improves drainage and that lets the oxygen in but also soaks up water and releases it slowly.”
Monty had a dicentra cutting which he had taken earlier.
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The cutting had no roots which means it can’t support very much extra growth.
Monty trimmed off a leaf and any slightly dead material at the base of the plant.
He said “dead material” needs to be removed because it may rot and “cause problems” later on.
“If there’s any slightly dead material at the base that could come off because if it’s dead, it may rot and then that will cause problems,” Monty added.
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The gardening expert used a “dibber” to put it in the compost, burying it about half its length into the soil.
A dibber is a long tool that looks like a stick.
The tool is used to make holes for seeds, seedlings and cuttings to make sure they’re buried in the soil without damage.
They come in different widths and are best suited to sowing seeds and cuttings.
The gardening expert said after planting the cutting, he would then water it and put it on the bench which he will mist.
He said he will put the cutting into a mist propagator.
However, those without a propagator, can use a polythene bag.
He said: “You can simply put it in a polythene bag – a food bag – water it, put it in the bag, just tie the top and put it somewhere bright.
“Then, as the water evaporates it will collect on the inside of the bag and keep the soil moist.
“All you have to do is untie it and water it every few days.
“You’ll know when the cutting has rooted because you’ll see new growth.
“You can also use the same technique very successfully on dahlias.
“When you’re taking the cutting, you take a shaving of the tuber as well.”
Gardeners’ World is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
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