October is a great time to take plant cuttings of your favorite perennials to propagate in your greenhouse or home over the winter. Propagating your own plants now helps to preserve plants that might be lost in the upcoming freezes and is a source of free plants for spring planting.
Hardwood cutting are taken in the dormant season (mid-autumn until late winter) after leaf fall, avoiding periods of severe frost. The ideal time is just after leaf fall or just before bud-burst in spring. Although this type of cutting may be slow to develop roots and shoots, it is usually successful.
September/October is the ideal time to take cuttings from your favourite strains of tender perennials to increase your stock for next spring or to make sure they live on if the parent plants do not survive the winter.
When to take cuttings. The best time to take softwood cuttings is from mid-spring to early summer. Hardwood cuttings are taken later in the year, from mid-autumn to mid-winter.
Answer: Autumn is a good time to take cuttings of outdoor potted, tender, tropical plants such as coleus and Pelargoniums (tender, tropical geraniums). Using a clean, sharp knife, cut 3- to 5-inch lengths from your “mother” coleus and geranium plants. Remove about half of the leaves.
As temperatures cool, you can start taking cuttings from tender perennials that are generally grown as annuals, such as coleus or geraniums. After a good frost, you can start dividing perennials and take hardwood cuttings. Fir, spruce, and pinecones can be gathered for spring plantings.
Taking cuttings in autumn is also a good way of increase your stock of your favourite plants. At this time of year, you can take semi-ripe cuttings, from this year's growth. They are woody at the base and soft at the tip. In autumn, hormone levels are high, so plants should root and grow well.
When exactly should I start taking winter cuttings? You now know that winter cuttings are taken from mid-autumn to late winter, but there will be periods within those months you should avoid. If the garden is particularly wet and frozen, avoid taking cuttings until there is a dryer day.
Most softwood cuttings are taken in spring and early summer, from the tender new growth of the season. If potted by mid-summer they will develop sufficient roots to survive the winter, otherwise pot up in the following spring.
Taking cuttings is a great way to propagate new plants. You can take cuttings at any time of year in a variety of ways, but the easiest (and most successful) method is by taking cuttings of plants' stems in summer.
Many of the coleus, geraniums, and some of the begonias that we all love in our pots will also overwinter well as cuttings. It's very difficult to bring the entire pot in, but you can take small cuttings, root them over the winter months, and then next spring plant them out in your containers.
October is a great time to plant those fall flowers. There are many varieties that can be planted this fall and start blooming early spring. Garlic (Zones 5-10): Garlic is a vegetable that can be planted in the fall for a larger and earlier harvest this coming spring.
Mid-August to mid-October is an ideal time of year to plant new trees, though, that time frame can be stretched into November and December. To be 100% sure, measure soil temperature early in the morning for a few, consecutive days. If your soil is consistently 50° F or higher, you're good to plant.
Warm growing medium temperatures accelerate cell division which leads to faster callusing, root initial development and subsequent root growth. It also speeds up the dry-down rate of the growing medium, which also helps encourage better rooting. The best way to warm the growing medium is through bottom heat.
Give cuttings bright light but not sun. Keep soil moist but not wet. The cuttings should root within three weeks. Admit air gradually to wean the cuttings from their humid environment, then pot singly before outdoor planting.
Media is usually kept at 72-77° F while air temperature is maintained at 68-73° F. If bottom heat is not used, air temperature should be maintained between 77 and 80° F. Maintaining air temperatures lower than medium temperatures retards shoot growth while promoting root development. Excessive heat can damage cuttings.
Propagating plants in winter does take a bit longer than in the summer, two to four months for roots to develop, but it's a great way to get free plants from winter prunings. Providing bottom heat will speed things up a bit, but isn't necessary.
“Grafting, budding, and plant propagation can be done on many types of plants during the winter, not just hardwoods.” High humidity and moisture are important during the post-cut and post-grafting periods.
Most cuttings taken in spring will be flowering in their first summer. Those taken in late summer will be overwintering under glass and be ready to harden off during May. One of the keys to overwintering rooted cuttings under glass is to keep them on the dry side in bright frost-free conditions of around 7°C (45°F).
Can you put cuttings straight into soil? You can put a cutting into a fresh pot of soil or try rooting them in water, but it's often best to put the cutting straight into soil.
Some plants will root in water, but cuttings will develop a better root system when rooted in a soil-less potting mix. Sand or perlite can also be used, especially for cuttings that need good drainage and may rot if kept too wet.
Take Herbaceous Plant Cuttings Now
October is a great time to take plant cuttings of your favorite perennials to propagate in your greenhouse or home over the winter.
Cuttings from many annual plants will keep over winter, sprout roots, and be ready for planting in spring. You may place them in pots or cups without drainage filled with moist perlite or vermiculite. Locate them at first in bright light, away from the sun.