Grow Your Own Garden - Semiripe Cuttings

Propagating from your garden plants: during September this can be achieved by seed collecting from later flowering plants, taking cuttings and dividing herbaceous perennials.

Semiripe cuttings are one way in which you can increase the amount of plants you have in your garden.

But what are cuttings?

They are a method of vegetative propagation. Vegetative propagation is where a piece of the plant other than the seed is used to create new plant or plants.

Plants reproduce themselves by seed and vegetative means. Propagation describes the methods by which humans reproduce plant material for their benefit.

You may well have sown seeds either directly into your garden and allotment or in seed trays in the greenhouse. Other methods of propagation, all which are by vegetative means, include grafting, layering, cuttings, division and micropropagation.

In other blogs we’ve looked at seed sowing, both indoors and outside. The propagation method I’m going to discuss here is cuttings. As a method of propagation, cuttings can be divided into stem cuttings, root cuttings and leaf cuttings.

Stem cuttings can be subdivided again into softwood cuttings, greenwood cuttings, semiripe cuttings and hardwood cuttings. There are more sub divisions, but I don’t want to make the blog too technical! Briefly, these four types of stem cutting refer to how mature the stem is, and when in the growing season the cutting is being taken. If you would like to learn more, with a mixture of theory and hands on propagation techniques, check out our gardening lessons.

In this blog we’ll look at stem cuttings, in particular greenwood cuttings, semiripe cuttings and heel cuttings. Greenwood cuttings are taken from the plant during early and midsummer, depending on the plant. Semiripe cuttings are taken between midsummer and early autumn, again depending on plant species. The difference is in the maturity of the stem from which the cutting is taken, and how responsive the plant is likely to be to growing roots and new leaves.

Heel cuttings can be taken with both these types of cutting. This is where a short side stem is removed along with a short ‘heel’; ie the cutting is pulled away with part of the stem at its base. The cutting is removed using one’s fingers, not secateurs; our linked video shows you the technique. The heel provides some support for the cutting when it’s planted and also reduces the risk of fungal infection.

A basic stem cutting is where the cut on the stem is made just below a leaf bud, allowing approximately three buds or leaf axils on the cut stem, not including the apical bud or growth tip.

How to take and prepare greenwood cuttings and semiripe cuttings

Taking greenwood cuttings and semiripe cuttings can be easily done and needs little in the way of ‘specialist’ equipment. For example, having a cold frame and a propagator is useful for raising young plants from seed or cuttings because they provide a controlled environment. However, something as simple as a seed tray with a plastic lid on a sunny windowsill or unheated greenhouse would be sufficient for most people.

You will need:-

secateurs or sharp scissors
plastic bags
a dibber
seed trays and plant pots
potting compost (free draining)
a propagator, or similar
somewhere to make a ‘bit of a mess’ – using a potting tray is good idea
plant labels and marker pen

Although many herbaceous perennials and small shrubs will be flowering, you should be able to find some non-flowering shoots and side shoots. These will do for both greenwood cuttings and semiripe cuttings.

Go out with your morning cup of tea or coffee and plastic bags and take the cuttings then as this is when the plant is most turgid, ie is most full of water. This is important as the cuttings have leaves on them, which will cause water loss through evaporation, and is also why you have the plastic bags.

Put the cuttings in the plastic bags until you’re back at the house/ potting shed. If you need to wait before preparing up your cuttings then putting them in their bags in the fridge for up to twelve hours will keep them fresher.

Once inside, you will need to prepare your cuttings.

If you have a straightforward stem cutting, trim the lower end to just below a leaf bud with a horizontal cut.
On a heel cutting, trim the heel if necessary.
For both types, trim off the lower leaves.
The apical bud, which is the growth tip at the top of the stem, may need to be trimmed off to encourage the cutting to form roots. If the apical bud has ceased growing, as it will do later in the season, as growth slows down, then leave it on.
Hormone rooting may or may not be needed, it does depend on whether the plant is one which roots easily, on the time of year and on the type of cutting. If you’re not sure, then use a little; you’ll be monitoring your cuttings anyway.
Pot up the cuttings in a well-draining compost, making a hole for them with your dibber, so as not to damage the stem. Firm in the compost around them and water.
Be sure to label your cuttings with plant name and date, including colour of flower if necessary.

Place the cuttings in a propagator or cold frame until taken to reduce transpiration/ wilting. Check regularly. The cuttings may roots fairly quickly, if the season is mild, but they may not fully root until the following spring.

If the cuttings are from deciduous shrubs expect them to lose their leaves as they would do if still attached to the parent plant. Evergreen cuttings may also lose their leaves, but so long as the stem continues to look healthy, this is normal.

So, what plants would be good to take semiripe cuttings from? Here are a few suggestions:-

Evergreen herbs, for example, lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme. If you wanted to grow your own aromatic hedge to edge your flower borders this would be an economical way of doing so.

Pelargoniums, commonly known a pot geraniums. These are tender perennials so although they’re generally treated as annual bedding plants, they’re easy to take cuttings from at this time of year and then you’d have more pelargoniums for next summer.

Deciduous shrubs such as deutzia and salvia.

Fruit bushes such as gooseberries also propagate easily from semiripe cuttings.

However, a note of caution when propagating plants through taking cuttings. Some plants are protected by Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) which means that whilst you can take cuttings and divide plants for your own use in your garden, you are not allowed to sell the resulting new plants.

Enjoy taking cuttings from your garden plants!