A gardening expert has revealed a brilliant and simple way you can get free plants this September and shares how you can plant them in time for the following spring
If you want to fill your garden with a flourish of free plants then follow this expert hack.
While many of us are quick to hang up the gardening gloves once summer has ended, early autumn can be a great time for plants, as the soil is still warm and there is plenty of rain to keep your buds hydrated.
Even better, an expert has revealed a way to plant them for free. According to BBC presenter and horticulturalist Monty Don, September is a great time to get free plants by taking cuttings.
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If you haven’t taken a cutting before, Monty reassures gardeners not to be daunted. He wrote in his blog: “[Cuttings] are easy, mostly successful and the gateway to producing scores of new plants for free. They also enable you to be very specific about what you want.”
He explains that this is because a plant grown from a cutting will always be “exactly the same” as its parent plant – allowing you to control what your garden looks like.
Monty says you can take semi-ripe cuttings from the current season’s wood, which means that it will be slower to make new roots but will also take longer to die back. This allows for more flexibility and means gardeners are under less time pressure.
You should go about taking cuttings with a sharp knife and secateurs. Monty suggests placing the cuttings straight into a plastic bag as this will reduce moisture loss. He also advises taking cuttings in the morning while the plant is full of moisture – however, it is something which can be done when you feel like.
He adds that gardeners should choose plants which display “healthy, strong, straight growth” for cutting material. It should also be free from any flowers or flower buds.
Once you have taken material from the plant and placed it in the plastic bag, Monty says you should pot them up immediately. He added: “The quicker you can do this, the more likely you are to have success.”
To prepare the plant for potting, he recommends stripping off all lower leaves and side shoots, so that only an inch or less of foliage remains. Then cut the bare stem “to size” with a sharp knife just below a node, before burying it in a container of very gritty or sandy compost.
Monty adds that you should place the cuttings around the edge of a pot, and place it somewhere warm and bright. Though, he warns not to place it on a south-facing windowsill as it may scorch.
Once in the pot, you should water it well and keep it just moist. Monty says a daily spray with a mister will help stop the leaves drying out before new roots have time to grow.
He explains that it will become apparent that the roots have formed when you see fresh new growth. At this point, the cuttings can be removed from the pot and placed in individual pots, before being planted outside next spring.
