Today I took softwood cuttings of a few plants in order to overwinter them more easily indoors (as we have zero space) and to attempt to increase the number of each plant.
I used sterile cuttings compost mixed with perlite to create a very free-draining sterile mix, put into 7cm square pots – square being easier to store. Ideally I would have used terracotta pots for increased drainage and aeration, but I didn’t have any spare.
I took typical cuttings, about 8 – 10cm long, removing lower leaves, cutting below a leaf node at the bottom and nipping out the growing tips. Then stuck them in holes at the edge of the pots (as you can see in the main picture above).
The plants in the picture are Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’ (top left – one of my absolute favourites), Solenostemon scutellarioides (middle and bottom left – two unknown cultivars raised from seed) and Pelargonium ‘Lord Bute’ (bottom right).
I’m winging it a bit and not using rooting powder on these. I’m also probably not going to cover, and just leave in a low-light window in a cool room over winter. We’ll find out in a couple of weeks if this care-free strategy has worked or been a complete disaster… Stay tuned.
