Tag Archives: propogation

Time to Take Basil Cuttings

After finally discovering the secrets of growing basil last year it is long overdue i started off some more basil plants. The only way to grow basil is on mass so you don’t feel guilty cutting back a whole plant to make a nice fresh pesto. After experimenting with growing from seeds I dind by far the quickest and easiest way is to start off with a supermarket bought basil plant.

I simply take about 15-20 cuttings from the original plant as soon as i get it home and pop them into small glasses of water. They’re left on a bright windowsill that doesn’t get too much direct sun. After 2-3 days this is what you get….

It always amazes me how quickly the roots grow from these basil cuttings. The above plant is only 5 days old! I’ve just potted up the cuttings into regular compost to grow on. I usually pinch out the tops after 2-3 weeks of further growth to help the plants bush out.

I’ve found the real secret to growing basil is to no let it have too much direct sunlight. In our kitchen we have a small dormer window that get plenty of light but not too much direct – only an hour or so in the morning. It seems to be the perfect place to grow basil. Hopefully it won’t be long before pesto is on the menu…

Aloe Vera Cuttings

I’ve been waiting over the winter for the time to come when I could take some ‘pup’ cuttings from our aloe vera plant. As you can see from the photos below, Aloe Vera plants tend to self produce babies or pups that sprout up from the root system of the main plant.

Now that the worst of winter seems to be past us i’ve decided to finally go ahead and split these baby aloe pups from the main plant. They should make good little gifts for people over the summer.

Aloe Vera Plant

Aloe Vera Babies

Aloe Vera Big Baby

General advice seems to be to wait until the aloe vera pups have about 3 leaves of their own before trying to separate them.

I simply dug away the soil around the pup, exposing the root system then carefully cut away from the mother plant with a sharp knife. You should leave as much of the root system on the pup as possible to help it establish itself.

As with any cutting it’s best to keep the freshly potted Aloe pups out of strong direct sun and spray/mist regularly with water in order to help keep them moist. I’ve put these three in a propagator to help keep the moisture levels up but a simple plastic bag would do just as good a job.

Taking Christmas Cactus Cuttings

Christmas cacti are relatively simple to take cuttings from. Simply twist off or cut 2/3 segment pieces of a healthy plant. Pot the cuttings around the edge of a large pot filled with potting compost and sharp sand or vermiculite. 3/4 of the bottom segment should be buried below the compost.

If possible try to take your cutting 1 segment below a V or split. This will mean your new plant already has two stems from which to sprout new growth which should help speed up the plants initial growth.

As will all cuttings it’s best not to water them but instead to mist the foliage regularly in order to stop them from drying out. After a few weeks you should notice some new segments forming.

Christmas Cactus Cuttings

Christmas Cactus in Flower

Your cuttings will almost certainly wilt and flop over after a few days. Stick with it and keep misting and keep them in plenty of light. Hopefully after a few days the shock will pass and they’ll get down t sprouting roots.

Some people dip the segments in rooting powder or gel prior to planting however I don’t bother. Other people recommend leaving the cuttings in the open air prior to cutting in order for them to heal over, again I have never felt the need to do this.

Christmas Cactus - A few weeks later
Above is a cactus that came from a cutting back in September. It’s growth has been pretty slow, mainly due to me taking the cuttings at the end of the summer. Despite this you can see there are plenty of new shoots forming and hopefully i’ll have a nice healthy cactus by the time Christmas comes round.