Whilst potting up some cuttings which I took in August, a gardening friend suggested I should share my procedure. I take no credit for it; I don’t remember where I came across it – that was probably 45 years’ ago – but since then I have successfully raised thousands of cuttings using this method.
I put a layer of the cutting medium (50% perlite, 50% potting compost) in the bottom of a 20cm pot, then place a 12cm pot inside the larger pot and fill the space between with the cutting medium. (Photo 1). The cuttings, usually six, are then inserted and firmed. The hoop (of stout plastic coated garden wire) is to support a clear plastic bag, which I remove as soon as growth is apparent.
This simple method has several advantages:
• The cuttings are virtually assured of perfect drainage, whilst having a source of moisture from the layer below
• When the inner pot is removed, the cuttings are accessible individually and can be extracted easily, their precious roots intact, without any digging around (Photo 2)
• It uses much less cutting medium than simply filling the [larger] pot!
In this case the subjects were Cistus x hybridus var. corbariensis and Rosmarinus officinalis 'Boule'.