Bob, The Gardener to the Big House, has been a busy bee recently and has been sharing some of his tips and tricks of the trade. On the 14th April Bob shows us, in pictures, how to take cuttings from Begonia's.
As Bob explains, and I can confirm, this is a very easy process and good way to not only enjoy free garden plants, but also enjoy the thrill of producing a plant from a cutting.
Begonia's are a great way to start if you have never taken a cutting before, although, there are many succulent plants like the Begonia, such as the Sedum, that this methods works well for too.
Bob is taking his cuttings from plants that didn't make the grade the previous year and have been overwintered in the greenhouse. Bob refers to them as 'runt's because they were not full plants and the roots probably didn't develop properly.
Here is what Bob suggests:
Take the top growth from the shoots of the Begonia that you have chosen as your source. The cuttings need to be about 2-3" (50-75mm) and don't be too particular how the stem is cut.
Remove all of the lower leaves but retain a couple at the end (remove any flowers or buds). Then, using a sharp stanley knife or craft knife, slice through the juicy stem just below a joint (node).
Pop them into water and leave to develop roots for about three weeks. When you can see succulent shoots appearing from the leaf joint and you are confident that they can sustain the plant, remove them from the water and pot them on.
Bob has achieved about forty, all but free plants, from two 'runts' that would otherwise been compost fodder.
If you take the example of Sedum as I have mentioned above, you can see the hairy roots which have emerged from the leaf joints quite clearly.
You might also be interested in the mid season pruning of Sedum. It is a great way of prolonging the flowering season and delaying it slightly but also for maintaining a very tight clump rather than letting the leggy shoots fall over and expose the crown.
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