"Grow Your Garden on a Budget: 10 Plants to Propagate in July Using Free Cuttings"
July is an ideal month for garden enthusiasts to propagate a variety of plants, taking advantage of the active growing period to improve rooting success. According to Julian Palphramand, Head of Plants at British Garden Centres, and gardening experts, the best plants to propagate in July include basil, coleus, geranium, clematis, fuchsia, star jasmine, weigela, verbena, dahlias, and mint, among others.
To effectively propagate these plants, follow these simple steps:
- **Basil, Coleus, Geranium, Clematis, Fuchsia** Take healthy semi-hardwood cuttings (stems that have begun to harden but are still flexible) about 4-6 inches long. Remove lower leaves, dip the cut end in rooting hormone, and place in well-draining potting soil. Keep moist and in bright but indirect light until roots develop in 2-4 weeks.
- **Star Jasmine** Take 2-3 feet sections of healthy stems and cut them into 4-6 inch semi-hardwood cuttings. Remove lower leaves, dip in rooting hormone, and plant in potting soil making sure a few nodes are buried. Roots typically form in about a month.
- **Weigela** Select 8-10 inch stems, remove soft tips to avoid rot, cut 4-6 inch pieces just below a leaf set, leave the top leaves on, dip bottom in rooting hormone, and place in a cold frame, unheated greenhouse, or bright windowsill. Keep moist for roots in a few weeks.
- **Verbena** Cut healthy non-flowering stems about 5-8 cm long below a leaf joint. Remove all but 2-3 leaves at the top. Place cuttings in water until roots appear (about 6 weeks), then transfer to soil pots before planting out.
- **Dahlias** Cuttings should keep only the top pair of leaves, pinch out the tip, and place cuttings at the edge of pots filled with compost and grit. Keep leaves just above the soil, water, and place in bright but indirect sunlight. After about 3 weeks, pot individually for later planting.
- **Mint and Succulents** Mint can be propagated from cuttings by placing stems in water or soil. Succulents are best propagated by leaf or stem cuttings, allowing cut ends to callous before planting in well-draining soil.
General tips for successful propagation in July include using rooting hormone to speed root formation and improve success rates, choosing healthy, disease-free stems for cuttings, keeping the soil moist but not waterlogged, providing bright indirect light rather than direct sun to avoid stressing cuttings, maintaining warmth and humidity around the cuttings, and being patient as rooting can take from a few weeks up to 6 weeks depending on the plant.
By following these methods, you can effectively propagate a variety of plants in July to expand your garden or replace aging plants. Propagating is a budget-friendly way to increase the number of plants in a garden, and it allows for the creation of replicas of favourite plants without the unreliability of seeds. Happy propagating!
By incorporating houseplants like basil, coleus, geranium, and fuchsia into your home-and-garden lifestyle, you can benefit from their propagation in July, following simple steps such as cutting healthy stems, dipping them in rooting hormone, and providing bright, indirect light until roots develop. Additionally, growing star jasmine, weigela, verbena, dahlias, and even mint from cuttings can improve your outdoor garden landscape and save you money, as propagating is a budget-friendly way to increase the number of plants in your garden.
