2104 - Stem Cuttings Flashcards
Types of Stem Cuttings
- Softwood
- Semiripe
- Hardwood
Cuttings, what happens.
- Cutting taken across leaf node or area of vascular bundles (lamina) where there is a large area of Meristematic tissue.
- Cells quickly divide to form a callus
- Callus cells differentiate to form root cells
Softwood Cutting
Stem cuttings taken from young, soft growing points of the current seasons growth.
Pelargonium zonale
Fuchsia spp.
Softwood Cutting - When
Outdoor plant - Spring/Summer
Indoor plant - Can be anytime
Suitable cutting material will always be
- Healthy
- Vigorous
- True to Type
- Free of P & D
Cutting Compost is always
50/50 mix Peat/Peat substitute and Horticultural Grit/ Perlite
- Friable
- Moisture Retentive
- Well Aerated
- Low Fertility (risk chance of disease)
- Sterile, Free of P & D
- pH 5.5 - 6.5
Softwood Cutting - How
Softwood always NODAL cutting
- Prepare containers prior to collecting cuttings
- Can water the containers beforehand
- Take cutting early in the day when stock plant is fully turgid.
- Cut approx 15 cm long soft material just above a node
- Protect in a sealed plastic bag
- at prop bench, using a sharp, sterile knife trim to just below a node so the cutting is 5-10cm long.
- Remove lower leaves and any stipules
- can pinch out growing tip
- also can dip into low strength rooting powder (not pelargonium)
- along the edge of the container make a hole with a dibber. (edge of container, or individually per module)
- insert cutting, first leaves just above the compost
- firm gently
- water in to settle compost
- LABEL
Softwood Cutting - Aftercare
- Place in a heated propagator with bottom heat
- Warm humid environment (propagator/plastic bag)
- out of direct sunlight, to prevent water loss
- Remove any dead, dying, diseased material promptly
- once rooted, harden off cuttings gradually
- pot on
Semi-ripe Cutting
Stem cutting taken from the current season’s growth that has started to become woody but still has leaves.
Base of the cutting should be hard, the tip should be soft.
Buddleja spp. Camelia spp. Chamaecyparis spp. Berberis Ceanothus
Fast and Simple way to produce a large number of genetically similar plants in a relatively short period of time.
Semi-ripe Cutting - When
Majority are taken in Late Summer/Mid Autumn
Conifers are propagated in Early Spring
Selecting Cuttings Material
Parent plant must be:
Healthy
Vigorous
Free of P & D
True to type
Avoid Flowering growth.
(Stock plant may be pruned hard in Spring to stimulate new young growth for cuttings)
Semi-ripe Cutting - How
- Prepare rooting media first, firm gently and pre-soak.
- Select stock plant, and shoot that is healthy….
- sharp, clean tools
- in the morning to avoid wilting
- place in a plastic bag, keep in fridge until ready to prepare the cuttings
- Prepare cuttings by trimming them to 10-15cm in length.
- Remove the lower leaves, and on large leaved species reduced the leaves by half.
- wounding the stem slightly if necessary for species difficult to root
- roughly 4 leaves left
- dip in Medium strength rooting powder, tap gently to remove excess
- pre-prepared containers make a hole with a dibber around the edge of the pot
- insert cuttings up the the first leaves and firm gently
- water well if not already done so
- Provide some protection in the greenhouse or with a cloche, or plastic bag
- keep moist but not saturated
- bottom heat may speed up rooting process but not necessary
- avoid direct sunlight
- monitor for P & D
- remove any rotting material, fallen leaves
- harden off gradually once cutting have rooted
- Place containers
- NODAL
- HEEL where cutting is pulled away with a piece of the main stem.
- MALLET each leaf is planted as a cutting, burying the attached piece of stem.
Semi-ripe Cutting - NODAL
Nodal:
Cut is made just below a leaf node, for a prepared cutting that is 10-15cm in length.
Remove lower leaves, and reduce top leaves by half on large leaved shrubs.
Buddleja davidii
Semi-ripe Cutting - HEEL
Heel:
Where the cutting is pulled away from the parent stem, leaving a small piece of the main stem attached.
Prepare cutting to 10-15cm cutting out the growing tip, just above a node.
Ceanothus spp.
Berberis spp.
Chamaecyparis (rooting conifers is slow)
Semi-ripe Cutting - BASAL
Basel:
Where the shoot is severed at its base, there’ll often be a slight swelling where the cut should be made.
Prepare cutting 10-15cm
Aucuba japonica
