Easy propagation ROOT CUTTINGS
Increase stock of fleshy-rooted plants such as oriental poppies, anemones and verbascums
Not all plants can be divided, but taking root cuttings is a simple technique that can be used to increase stock of a range of herbaceous perennials such as oriental poppies, acanthus, phlox, Japanese anemones, verbascum and echinops. You can also propagate shrubs such as lilac and chaenomeles, and climbers such as passionflowers in this way.
This technique won’t work on variegated plants because new growth will be all green.
How to do it 1.
Lift the plant Carefully remove the plant from the soil and wash away soil around its roots. Cut off up to one third of the root section with secateurs, choosing young, vigorous, pencil-thick roots close to the crown. Replant the parent plant right away. For woody plants that can’t be easily lifted, such as lilac, scrape away the topsoil to expose the roots then treat in the same way. 2. Prepare the cutting Trim away the thin root end and any fibrous side roots. Divide each root into 5-10cm (2-4in) sections. Make a sloping cut at the lower end and a sloping cut at the bottom of the cutting to keep the orientation the same as on the plant.
3. Insert into pots Fill pots with compost and insert the cuttings 4cm
(1½in) apart with the horizontal cut just below the surface of the compost, then cover with a layer of grit, water and place in a cold frame. Growth should appear in spring when they can be potted into individual pots.
✿ Plants with thinner roots such as campanulas, phlox and Japanese anemones need longer sections of root so they have sufficient energy to produce new growth. Cut these root sections into 7.512.5cm (3-5in) pieces and lie them horizontally on a tray of compost. Cover with a 1cm (½in) layer of compost and grit, water and pop in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse.