GERANIUM CUTTINGS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 300, 10 March 1928, Page 28

GERANIUM CUTTINGS

COMMENCE IMMEDIATELY The time has now arrived when cuttings of perennial border plants should be taken. Of all this class of plants none is more popular than the scarlet geranium. These are used in practically every garden and if one is observant they must have noticed that the best blooms are produced from the young growth. Old ragged bushes are unsightly and new stock should be taken every autumn for planting out early spring. Now is the best time to commence this work, as they will strike much better while there is still sunshine and natural warmth to help them. In every case the cuttings should be made from the young tips which should be long enough to permit two joints to be buried in the ground and still leave two above. TAKING THE CUTTINGS A sharp knife should be used when making the cuttings so that they may be severed cleanly from the bush. Bruised or broken off pieces are not so likely to root. Strip the two bottom leaves off the stem, which should be cut quite level just below a joint. Allow the leaves to remain on top, as they help the cutting to exist while they are making root. The soil used should be light and friable with a good percentage of sand mixed with it. Five cuttings may be struck in a six-inch pot. Care must be taken that there is good drainage, otherwise the cuttings may rot. The instructions givqn for geranium cuttings may be applied to Ageratum, Calceolaria bronze and yellow, Heliotrope, Lantana and Marguerites.