Keeping out of the rain!

Well now the rain has finally arrived it's nice to stay dry indoors and get on with taking some cuttings. Pelargoniums are ideal container plants for summer and look really super in a group display. They are tender perennials so won't survive outdoors in winter, and we'll be bringing those that have been outdoors this summer into the greenhouse. September is a great time to take Pelargonium cuttings when the plants are still in an active stage of growth. It's good to do this each year to both increase your stock and replace older plants which are losing their vigour. We're taking the healthiest growing tips, cutting from the parent plant just above a leaf joint on the main stem and then just below one on the cutting, keeping them quite short at between 8-10cm. The potting mix is 50-50 peat free compost and perlite to make sure it's free-draining, and 5 to 10 cuttings will easily fit into a 12cm plastic pot. Stripping away lower leaves and any flower buds before inserting them and watering in. They are prone to rotting so we're keeping them uncovered in a light, dry atmosphere, but it is important not to let them dry out. They will hopefully root within 2-3 weeks when there's visible new growth at the tips and white roots coming through the base of the pot. We'll keep them indoors just slightly moist and frost free during the winter and pot on individually in the spring when they will grow away strongly for display next summer. Hope it's not stopped raining yet - I'm having too much fun!