Broom Cuttings

[Geoff]

Not veg I know. This time of year I take loads of shrub cuttings but the one I regularly fail with is Broom. One year I got 9/10 but most years I get 0 and true to form this year's batch are the only sorry sight in the propagator. I took a mixture of heel and straight cuttings, put them in the usual gritty mixture, set the propagator at 65 to give some bottom heat and misted them 5 or 6 times a day. I don't know that I did anything different the year they rooted. Anybody got any tips?

[Johnboy]

Hi Geoff,
When did you actually take these cuttings?
If you take them too early in the season they do not have the capability to root. It should be July and August for semi mature wood and October and November for hard wood cuttings. I prefer to take them mid period and have just taken some Broom cuttings this week. They do not need to go into the propagator and are simply on the bench covered with a polythene cover as most of my other semi mature wood cuttings. The polythene is tucked under the module tray to make a little ecosystem and this means that very little watering is involved.
JB.

[Geoff]

I took them on 7th July. Perhaps the year I was successful I was a little later. On reflection it is possible I didn't use heat, I don't always but use the propagator as an easy way of creating a close atmosphere, I shade it with white polythene . Everything else is looking good, some with roots out of the bottoms of the pots. I'll try again as part of another batch next month, I've spotted some things in a neighbours garden I would like to try. Any thoughts on heel or no heel?

[Johnboy]

Hi Geoff,
Certainly take a heel cutting but the heel must be trimmed with no ragged pieces. What I mean is that if you take a heel make sure that it is free of pieces of unneeded bark.
Certainly bottom heat aids rooting but a propagator gives overall heat which causes transpiration. A heating pad with a misting unit is ideal but in a heated confined area such as your propagator you are not providing the correct atmosphere.
Last week I made a complete balls-up of some special Holly cuttings and this morning I touched the bench and all the leaves, bar the terminal pair dropped off. I shall leave them to continue but do not hold out much chance of any rooting.
I should take some more Cytisus cuttings and have another crack 'cos there's a whole month left in the cuttings window and plenty of time to make established plants before onset of harsh weather.
At present I have got hundreds of cuttings on the go.
Have an order for Lonicera and Privet Hedging plants, of both green and gold and will commence them this week. (these are called fodder!)
JB.

[FelixLeiter]

I took a mixture of heel and straight cuttings, put them in the usual gritty mixture, set the propagator at 65 to give some bottom heat and misted them 5 or 6 times a day. I don't know that I did anything different the year they rooted. Anybody got any tips?

I'm not sure your cuttings are going to get any bottom heat when the outside temperature is a mean of 72ºF at this time of the year. I don't suppose the thermostat even comes on. But I wouldn't be using bottom heat myself. Timing is important when taking semi-ripe cuttings, but it's not just about following the calendar, although it does of course narrow it down. Much depends on how the season has progressed: wet and cold, hot and dry, or any other combination will mean a difference in the stage of ripeness of cuttings on the same date each year.

So I'd follow Johnboy's advice and keep a succession of cuttings going through the next month, and I'm sure one of those batches will come up trumps.

[Geoff]

I'm not in tropical Devon - not much of any day gets to 72 and night time is nearer 52 so even in my shed the heat is often on.