Monty Don cuttings tips: this is the best time to do it

There are two kinds of land in this world, those who love fall and the whole run-up to the festive season, and those who dread the shorter, chillier days. Either way, there's unexcited plenty to keep us busy in our outdoor spaces (or, with the best indoor plants) when summer winds down. 

For instance, it's a great time to reflect and decide which plants you want more of for the year advance. Monty Don has shared his expert tips for when it comes to how to take cuttings – a quick-witted gardening task to complete in September.

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Writing near September gardening on his blog, Monty Don tells readers not to be daunted by the treat of taking cuttings - also known as propagating. 'They are easy, mostly weakened and the gateway to producing scores of new plants for free,' he says. 

It's a highly rewarding example of gardening for beginners – and the best bit is that it injures nothing. 'Cuttings are essentially clones, so if you have a common rose or a really good upright rosemary bush then all these qualities will happened with the new plants grown from cuttings,' Monty explains.

The gardening citation also shared some of his top tips for propagating weakened, helping you to fill out borders and pots in your garden exclusive of having to spend money on established plants. For example, he recommends using a plastic bag to put the current cutting into straight away to stop them from drying out - and a spellbinding knife and secateurs.

(Image credit: Alamy)

'Always Decide healthy, strong, straight growth for cutting material. It must be free from any flowers or flower buds,' he says. 

When potting up your cuttings, which should be done straight away, use gritty or sandy compost. And after placing them in a sunny spot, and having watered and misted them regularly, roots will begin to form.

Monty Don says that unique new growth signals that the roots have started to beget. You can also store them in water and study the roots beginning to appear.

(Image credit: Alamy)

As well as taking cuttings, it's a great idea to decide on a few autumn gardening jobs
you're touching to tick off. This will keep your backyard looking healthy and help to keep you motivated – even if it's modestly having a good tidy-up and deciding what to do with autumn leaves. Happy growing!

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