Once your plants have rooted they need potted up or planted. In most cases I will pot up the newly rooted cuttings to help them grow stronger and more established root systems before planting in the garden. Potting up cuttings is a very simple process but there are a few small things to keep in mind. For information on growing those plants featured here from cuttings check out the posts below:
- Rooting Boxwoods from Cuttings
- Propagating Viburnums
- Rooting Camellias from Cuttings (YouTube Video)
When Do I Pot Up the Rooted Cuttings?
When I propagate cuttings I like to use plastic pots. Normally these pots are reused from plant purchases that I fill with my rooting medium then place in a large flat with no holes in it. The flat keeps the water in the area of the cuttings longer and prevents them from drying out too quickly. I know it’s time to pot up my cuttings by looking underneath the pot and checking to see if roots are beginning to emerge from the drainage holes. If they are I know it’s time to pot them up! If roots are not coming from the pots I give the cuttings more time to develop.
What Soil Do I Use for Rooted Cuttings?
If I have the time I will make a soil mix using a blend of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat (or coir), and 1/3 Soil conditioner (can be mixed with perlite or vermiculite). It’s a very basic soil recipe for potting up plants. If you use peat you will want to add some lime to the mix to balance the acidity.
Another soil mix I use is with premade soil mixes from the store. I mix the store bought mixes with soil conditioner to help improve drainage and incorporate organic matter.
How to Pot Up The Cuttings
The most important thing about potting up cuttings is being very gentle with the roots. They can be very fragile and the newly rooted cuttings may not have large enough root systems to handle losing a few roots.
Plant cuttings so that the crown of the plant is just above the soil surface when the soil settles. The crown of the roots is where the roots transition to the growing portion of the plant stem that is above the soil. I fill the pots before planting with soil then hold the cutting where I want the crown to be. Then I gradually fill with soil until it can stand on it’s own.
After filling the pot I tamp it down gently so that the soil can compress and push out any air pockets in the soil. Lastly I’ll water it in and add additional soil if needed after the soil settles.
Potting up cuttings is pretty much just like transplanting a plant. Just be a little more careful and cautious of those little baby roots! Check out the video below to see the process on viburnums, hydrangeas, and a little boxwood!
How to Propagate Plum Trees from Hardwood Cuttings
Last year my plum tree was the victim of a savage deer rubbing attack. The bark was stripped all the way around the trunk leaving no possibility of water passing toward the top of the tree through the cambium layer. It was frustrating to say…
Rooting Leaf Cuttings of Sedums
Every now and then there is a plant that will root from the leaves, like Asiatic lilies I wrote about earlier in the year. Sedums are another one of those kinds of plants. Recently I rooted several cuttings of ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum and another sedum…
How to Propagate Leyland Cypress from Cuttings
Plant propagation can continue at almost every time of the year, the winter is no exception. This is especially true if you have a little space in your house to put your cuttings or can manage to manipulate them into interesting centerpieces! In this post…
Rooting Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum Propagation)
Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) is one of my favorite shrubs (among too many to list) for good reason! It’s easy to grow, it’s dark glossy leaves change to various colors in red hues during the fall, and it provides nourishment in the form of berries…
One of My Favorite Shrubs: Salix integra (Japanese Dappled Willow)
One of my favorite shrubs is the Japanese dappled willow otherwise known as Salix integra. This was the first plant I experimented with for making cuttings. Maybe it was this shrub that launched my plant propagation obsession. My in-laws planted a few of these ‘Hakuro…
Red Twig Dogwood Propagation (Cornus stolonifera)
This week I was excited to find that something I had given up for lost actually worked, cuttings of a red twig dogwood. I took some cuttings in an attempt to propagate Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) back in the fall. After I prepared the…
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