Plant Cuttings from Annual Plants? – Yes, even you can do it!

Taking plant cuttings from annual plants is a great way to propagate new plants and add additional variety and abundance to your garden and outdoor spaces.

Taking plant cuttings is easy and can save you a great deal of money on buying new plants from garden centres.

Whether you want to propagate for yourself or give some plants to friends and family, this post will cover everything you need to know about taking cuttings from annual UK plants.

What are annual plants?

Annual plants, as the name suggests, grow, flower, and die within one growing season.

These plants grow from seed, flower, produce seeds, and then die all in one year.

While they have a short lifespan, these annual plants add a lot of colour and vibrancy to your garden in a short amount of time and are really easy to propagate more plants from with very little financial outlay.

What are plant cuttings?

Plant cuttings are pieces of a plant that are cut off and replanted to grow into a new plant.

Cuttings can be taken from the stem, leaves, or roots of a parent plant.

Once planted, the cutting will develop roots and grow into an independent plant that looks identical to the parent plant.- giving you more value for money!

Taking cuttings from annual plants

The best time to take cuttings from annual plants is during the growing season, which is typically from spring to autumn, whenever the plant has enough growth to be able to take cuttings from it.

Here are the steps to follow:

• Choose a healthy parent plant to take your cuttings from – Choose a healthy plant that is growing strongly with no obvious signs of disease or pests.
• Annual plants that are really easy to propagate include: petunias, impatiens, and marigolds, however, cuttings can be taken from a wide variety of annual bedding plants.
• Prepare your cutting tool – Use a sharp, sterilized cutting tool, such as a pair of garden shears or a really sharp knife. This will prevent the cutting from getting infected and improve its chances of success.

Take the Plant Cutting  

• Cut a 3-6 inch stem from the parent plant just below a node (the point where the leaf attaches to the stem). Remove all the leaves from the cutting except for the top two or three.
• Prepare your pots – Try to choose plastic free plant pot, we recommend our 8cm biodegradable paper pots or 0.5L coir fibre pots as suitable propagation containers
• Prepare your growing medium – Use a plant starter pellet or fill a small pot with a well-draining peat free potting mix. You can use nutrient free coir compost or homemade compost mixed with a peat free growing medium.
• Plant your cutting – Dip the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone and gently place it in the growing medium. Water the plant and place in a suitable propagator to retain moisture.

Care for your Plant Cutting  

• Keep the plant in a warm, humid location with indirect sunlight, a warm windowsill is perfect.
• Water it often, but do not overwater it. In a few weeks, roots should start to form.
• Once the plant is established, you can transplant it to a larger pot or plant directly outside into the garden.

By following these simple steps, you can successfully take plant cuttings from annual UK plants and propagate them into new plants.

Not only is it an easy and inexpensive way to add more plants to your garden, but it’s also a rewarding way to see a part of your garden grow from something so small.