The weather here in this part of Wales has really been quite OK for the past couple of weeks. A few hard frosts, a few grey days, but little wind, not much rain and no snow.
I am chomping at the bit to do things in the garden. The propagators are full of all the seeds that need a long growing season, the grasses are cut back. As the soil is workable, not frozen not waterlogged, I decided to divide a Ligularia dentata ‘Desdemona’ that had performed poorly last year, I also wanted to increase my plantings of Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding heart). Clumps of dicentra stay compact for many years, and so do not need to be divided, which is a good thing as they have a brittle root system, and don’t like disturbance. They are, however an ideal candidate for root cuttings.
As I had the ligularia out of the ground – here is how I do my vertical root cuttings;-
Lift your plant, I suspect that if you are a purist you should wash all the soil away from the roots.
Select some young, healthy roots and cut them off cleanly close to the crown. The guideline is a root “the thickness of a pencil”. I just go with what is available.
Discard the thin ends and any fibrous bits coming off the root. The important point to remember is that you know which is the top end of the root (The end closest to the crown) and which is the bottom (the end furthest from the crown). Root cuttings struggle to grow if they are planted “upside-down”!
Here I have laid them on a board with the top end to the right, and the bottom end to the left – but you can also cut the top end straight across and the bottom end on a diagonal as a visual reminder. Depending on the thickness of your root, cut it into sections between 2 ins and 4 ins (5 – 10 cm) long. If you are making root cuttings from something that has thinner roots they need to be on the longer side.
For to-days experiment, I decided to try some root cuttings in toilet roll cardboard inners … I am sure that somewhere, sometime I saw Carol Klein do this, and it strikes me that it would be a good way to keep the roots from the different plants getting snarled up together. It also means that when they are potted up there will be minimal root disturbance. This will be especially useful for the brittle roots of the Dicentra. You could also use cell trays.
Gently push your roots into the compost, so that the top of the cutting is flush with the soil level.
Here I have actually experimented with putting three sections of root into each cardboard “cell” and they are not quite pushed in yet.
Cover with a layer of grit and water well. LABEL it, with plant name and date. If you can give your root cuttings gentle bottom heat, they will root more quickly but I don’t have room to do that. I put them in a cold frame or greenhouse to protect them from the worst of the elements which here is rain! Sodden root cuttings tend to rot off.
The most difficult thing about root cuttings is working out which plants will respond well by growing from bits of chopped off root. One clue is all those plants that you have moved in your own garden, only to find they have regrown in the original location. So this includes Oriental poppies, Acanthus, Eryngium planum, Crambe cordifolia, Cardoon, Japanese anemones, Pasque Flower, Verbascum, and Echinops. For the vegetable growers among you you could try horseradish!
Jealous of your nice weather, unwaterlogged soil, full propagators.
I think I saw Carol use toilet roll tubes on A year in the Cottage Garden. I will be interested to see how three crammed in together do
Helen/patientgardener´s last post ..Day 1 in Sproutapouch
Yes, I will be interested to see if 3 crammed together will work – I thought it might make the resulting plants “bulk up” quicker – but it might just make them hungry, I have also done single ones so I can see which will work best long term.
K
Excellente, Karen.
A masterclass from the mistress of rootcuttings!
Now for the math!
Best
R
Robert Webber´s last post ..Beautiful in blue
But thank you for the comment
K
Brilliant post – thank you for such a great description of how to take root cuttings. It is a technique I am going to try this year and this helps a lot.
Alison´s last post ..Of Shadows
Hi Alison, do give this technique a go – the “optimum” time for taking root cuttings is late autumn – early winter, when plants are dormant. I am probably doing these a tad late, it depends what you define as early winter and I guess on the weather conditions locally. Glad you found the post useful
K
Thank you – I am truly rubbish at cuttings and, though some have actually taken, I suspect it was just luck. Am going out now to wield the knife (well, after a cuppa) as I have one or two things which could do with attention. Hmm…
Kate´s last post ..Snowdrops galore
Were you wielding the knife at roots or shoots?
I think the secret with cuttings is to take loads (much more than you think you need) at all different times, and some of them will work!
K
The only trouble with the ‘much more than you need’ thing is that you end up with several trays of variegated sage and have to give some to your friend with the Open Garden.
PS: I have more if you want them….
Kate´s last post ..Snowdrops galore
Well there you go …. you cannot be all that bad at cuttings if you are supplying friends who sell plants at their “open gardens”.
However, your friend will be very happy to take all your excess cuttings of anything, except perhaps variegated sage, off your hands
K
I can’t wait to try this, Karen, thanks so much! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Frances´s last post ..From Me To You*
Frances, I am not too sure how the seasons are for you, but the optimum time is when plants are dormant autumn to early winter, but I have time now so I have given it a go now. If you do it during the Autumn, leave your plants somewhere sheltered over winter. Good luck
K
I have not tried root cuttings before – your toilet roll idea is neat.
Our snow has finally disappeared today. I am still not tempted to spend long outside and need some sun to drag me out of my winter slump
easygardener´s last post ..Too cold for some but not for others
Hi Easygardener, hope the sun comes out soon so you will climb out of your winter slump. I use toilet roll inners for loads of things, I know they go mouldy but it does help with root disturbance and sometimes I can be a bit heavy handed!
K
Great idea using the loo roll tubes to keep your cuttings separate. It may be copied!
Bridget´s last post ..A Black Day for Ireland.
Bridget, I use them for seed sowing too – currently I have canna seeds germinating in them. They just fit into a cell pack with 12 divisions, and it will give the baby canna a longer root run – copy away, although for the root cutting experiment as I said above, I think I saw Carol Klein use them, so not my original idea.
K
I’ll bring over all my loo rolls I have been saving for you since last spring.
My garden is still waterlogged and the soil very cold. Only 12 miles away, and the difference is amazing. When it gets warmer, you can come over and practice on some of my plants. I know there is a couple you want some of!!
Thank you Dobby – I can never have too many. Yes, I will come and chop things out of your garden when the weather improves
K
Must give this a go, now that you have explained it so well !
Pauline Mulligan´s last post ..Second Wave of Snowdrops.
Well – it will be a case of watch this space – I will do a follow up post when they start growing!
Good luck if you give it a go.
K
Well I’d never even heard of taking root cuttings so found this fascinating! Now I just need to get some plants…
)
Di, welcome and thanks for taking time to leave a comment – glad you enjoyed this post
K
I’ve never tried root cuttings, but I’m very tempted. It would be lovely to increase our dicentras, and the Eryngium planum that I admired so last year. I need to be convinced about the loo roll inners though: whenever I’ve used them to start sweet peas in they go horribly mouldy and I end up tearing them off before I plant out.
hillwards´s last post ..Flowers in February
You do not have to use loo roll inners – I agree they do go rather disgusting and mouldy.
If you are taking root cuttings of Dicentra, I do suggest that you use individual cell trays or small pots, they really do have brittle roots. For Eryngium planum, pop the root cuttings around a larger pot say 1.5 / 2 litr, cover them with grit and leave them in a cold frame or similar. Eryngium planum respond well to root cuttings, I took loads last year.
Good luck
K
Karen, Such simple, straight forward instructions~I am sure I can do this! Thank you, xoxogail
Gail´s last post ..A Brilliant Blue Sky for GBBD~February 2012
I am sure that you can too Gail
The thing is, to just do it! it is only a bit of time and a bit of compost and you may be surprised at the results, I know I was when I first started doing root cuttings. Lovely to hear from you
K
xx
This is a really good explanation Karen, and when I have finished moving earth about-the soil is workable here too- I may give root cuttings a go!
linda´s last post ..February garden
Glad you found the explanation straightforward Linda – I am surprised that you have never done them (?) Good luck with the Earth Moving
K
xx
Oooh, using loo roll inners makes sense to me, as and when I ever get around to trying root cuttings I will give it a go. In the mean time, thanks for a really clear post on how to do it. I’m about to head out to cut back the last of my own grasses, always an exciting time of year as it means Spring is really on its way.
Janet/Plantaliscious´s last post ..Adjusting Expectations
I do enjoy this point in the year, when the cut back grasses look so neat after weeks of looking tatty and being whisked around the garden by the wind, and yes, Spring is on its way. Glad you found the post useful
K
Oh gosh, I didn’t even get to the end of the post, as soon as I saw Pasque flower I was off, shopping! Really, I shold be banned from reading other people’s blogs at this time of year, it has a very bad effect on me – I just have to have whatever people are writing about.
All Seasons Gardener´s last post ..Spring flowers, or not, as the case may be
Pasque flower is something that I dont actually have in this garden and yet I always enjoy it in my customers gardens ummmm, I may have to go shopping too!
K
We seem to have the snow you should be having. Thank you for the brilliantly simple sounding method of taking root cuttings – it’s not something I’ve ever tried. Have you ever tried sedums? Christina
Christina´s last post ..2012.02.15 GBBD What a difference a year makes!
Christina, I cannot believe how much snow you have had in Italy!
Sue Beesly from Lodge Lane Nursery wrote a brilliant post about propagating sedums here – and it works, I have tried it!
K
Karen thank you for this wonderful link. Christina
Christina´s last post ..2012.02.15 GBBD What a difference a year makes!
A most informative post Karen. Have never had much joy with root cuttings but have always started them late autumn – perhaps late winter might be a better time. May have a rootle around tomorrow to see what I can unearth. Not quite sure where my dicentra are although I have managed to divide them before which was quite a nerve wracking process.
Anna´s last post ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day ~ February 2012.
Thank you Anna. I find that I am rubbish at caring for things through the Winter, I think it is because of the damp and my lack of inclination to spend time in the winter greenhouse
Dicentra are funny, when I was writing this post I wondered where my D. Alba had gone, yet today, 4 days later, I notice that it is now 3 inches above the ground!
Let us know what you find when you have a rootle around!
K
I love cutting taking but have only ever done oriental poppies as root cuttings. This is a really straightforward description of the process, thanks so much. I wonder if it would work for echinacea? Must consult my propagating book. Or you!
elizabethm´s last post ..Going away
Elizabeth, Echinanea is the next plant on my hit list! I have never actually tried to do root cuttings from them which is why I didn’t mention them in the list above but because of the way their roots look I cannot see why it wouldn’t work if you used the smaller roots from the outside of the plants.
You can also look at your Echinacea and see if there are little offsets around the base of your plant, (Basal cutting material) these can be gently removed and potted up to grow into baby plants.
K
Karen, thank you for these very detailed instructions. I will be very interested to follow the progress of your Dicentra spectabilis; I have that one also. Hardy Hibiscus is another plant easily propagated through root-cuttings.
Debra @ Gardens Inspired´s last post ..How to Grow Money Plants
Great post on how to do cuttings. Would you mind me using it / linking to it from my website?
Great instructions – it’s something I’ve been meaning to try for years but never got round to. With my hands a bit full this year, maybe next year… – I’ll have to bookmark your instructions.
HappyMouffetard´s last post ..The Beauty of Inflections