Fancy a quickie...

.. a quick question?!! What were you thinking??! :hehe:

If I take some cuttings today (been inspired by Toby Buckland on Friday night) can I put them in my airing cupboard - it's the only warm place I can think of.

Is it too dark? Only other places I have, which are out of baby reach, are windowsills.

 

Hi Vicki and Jim.I wouldn't suggets the airing cupboard because cuttings being green need light and warmth for rooting.You would have the warmth from the airing cupboard but it would be pitch black in there so any cutting material would die,unless of course you are going to keep the door open until they have rooted:D

Have you a boiler for the heating of hot water in your house because you could always put your cuttings on the top if it doesn't get too hot up there,if it does then you could always place something like an old tea towel on the top first,then put the tray on top of that.The warmth from the kitchen when you are cooking would also help when the boiler wasn't on.Failing that you could use the window sills depending on what cuttings you were trying to root,as some of them root faster with bottom heat,which is where the boiler would come in.

I tend to use my airing cupboard where I have seeds that germinate better in the dark but might not be any good for seeds that need light for germination

Hope this is of some help to you

 

And too dry, a warm window sill is better-tbh they will probably root in a warm spot of the garden very easily at this time of year.

With cuttings it's a race between rooting and rotting, and in the dark they will rot.

Not too bright, not too dark, warm and keep nicely damp( not soaking-I know it's a mad world).

 

Well, I've been out ande taken cuttings of lavender, and three types of penstemon. I have a north east facing kitchen windowsill, which is usually great for getting seeds going, and I could put them on that. It is above the sink, so lots of steamy water as we have no dish washer - well, except me! I've put freezer bags over the top - haven't used rooting powder but I know lots of people don't, so I'm hoping that's not an obstacle. Will it be too light there, or should that be ok. I've just got a bit confused because I keep hearing gardeners on tv say to put them somewhere dark.

We have no boiler for hot water as we live in the country, so no gas - we have a multifuel burning stove that provides us hot water when the fire's lit, otherwise it's the emersion heater.

My favoured spot is the windowsill, if it will do.

 

Sounds perfect Vicki-I am one of those that don't bother with rooting powder-waste of money I believe.

 

Am I alone in finding Toby Buckland slightly attractive? I was watching GW on iplayer at uni & when I told my friend she looked at me as if I had went totally crazy!:lollol:

Any way, I tried taking cuttings from my dad's fuchsia I put them on the garage windowsill which was a bit on the cold side & sadly they didn't root. I'm trying a few different shrubs at the moment on a much warmer sill, is it necessary to have the plastic covering?

Is your lavender cutting just in compost? I read somewhere they should be put into water. I'd love to increase the number of my lavender plants!

 

No - it's not just you :luv:

I always thought he lacked a certain something - compared to the likes of Geoff Hamilton, Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh. I didn't think he had enough personality. But I saw him on one of the BBC's Chelsea programmes and he was so utterly charming when he was walking around the site. He chatted to so many people, made little comments to join in peoples conversations (which really surprised them, when they turned round and realised it was someone famous) and was really witty in a quietly spoken kind of way.

Since then I've been slightly drawn to him myself.

There's something about a man who tends plants lovingly with filthy, dirty hands :wink: :wink:

ps.. I mixed ordinary compost with a little coarse sand, dunno if that's the official line, but it felt like a good idea!

 

Still prefere Chris Beardshaw myself:luv: though Toby will do when Chris isn't around:D

Vicki,we live in the country in the middle of nowhere but still have a boiler for the heating:D Seriously though try the window sills but keep making sure the compost doesn't get too wet with the condensation in the bags.You might want to take the bags off each day and shake off the excess water inside so that the cuttings don't rot.Just make sure they are towards the light and certainly nowhere dark,and Good Luck with them

FS,you can root Fuchsia cuttings in jars of water on a window sill.Just try to take cuttings that have no flowers or flower buds on them and take off the leaves on the stems that might come into contact with the water,then use small jam jars and either put a couple into each jar or one in each and leave them,where they should root in a few weeks.When they have enough root on the bottom you can then pot them on into small pots of compost. Try to take the cuttings on wood that is still green on the parent Fuchsia and not wood that has started to go hard and brown.

 

True :luv: if only there were more of them to go around!

Kandy, should I leave the jars open or put a plastic covering on top?

 

Chris Beardshaw is a little short for my taste(I swear I saw a garden gnome that looked just like him in the GC last weekend)-Matt James-now he could go a long way. Toby Buckland..........er thanks but no thanks.


But my hugest crush-and it lives with me to this day is in Geoff Hamilton. Such a darling in every possible way.



Love Geoff Forever.

 

FS,you can leave the tops of the jam jars open jsut keep checking to make sure the level of the water doesn't go down too far through evaporation.I often use those meat paste small jars that Mr Kandy buys when we go shopping.They are made of glass and are just the right size for one fushia cutting.Don't be in a rush to pot on the cuttings because the water roots are quiet brittle to start with and will fall off of the end of the cutting.I leave mine until they are a small mass of roots in the water,then I pot on firstly into a small flower pot and then a bigger one,say 3inch onwards as the cutting gets going.

Loli,I am only 5ft 1 inch so Chris is just the right height for me and as they say all good things come in Good Looking packages so he will do for me{apart from Colin Firth that is:D:luv::luv:}

I will have to sort out my personal Geoff Hamilton photos that I took of him when we met him and scan them so you can see them.We live not far from Barnsdale :D

 

That would be absolutely brilliant Kandy-I look forward to them eagerly-he is my idol.


However, if we are talking period drama pieces of gorgeousness then for me, it is RichardArmitage-every single time. That commanding no b*****it Northern accent threw me a blinder.