How many cuttings to new plants

Hi,
Just started taking some cuttings for the first time, this might seem a silly question but is it one cutting to each new garden plant or do some plants require more than one cutting.
John.

 

No such thing as a silly question John (if there is, I've asked a few in my time !).
What sort of plants are you taking cuttings from ?

 

Hi AnniD,
Ivy and Fuchsia are two not sure what the other two are called.
John.

 

Say you take 3 or 4 cuttings from one fuschia plant, you would in theory get 3 or 4 new plants and the same applies to the ivy.
Of course there are lots of factors to take into account, sometimes only one out of three will "take" (succeed) or sometimes it can end in failure.
Hope I've understood your question correctly

 

The way I read the question, if you planted say, three rooted cuttings in the same pot and grew them on to plant out, it would make it look a bushier plant and look established earlier. Sometimes, with hederas and fuchsias, a single stem looks pants until it's established

 

Hi AnniD,
Can i assume that one cutting should be enough for each new plant providing it roots ok?.
John.

 

In theory yes, but as @flounder says, you can put several into one pot and grow them on to look like one bushy plant.

 

Hi flounder,
I think your right in what your saying, I was wondering if there is a set rule as to how many cuttings need to go into each new plant or do people have different ways of producing new plants, hope you can understand what i am getting at.
John.

 

No set rule. We all probably do things differently depending on what plants and what we are doing cuttings for.

I tend to assume each cutting (if successful) will be one plant.

Having said that, I’ve just potted on some supermarket growing Thyme. There were so many individual seedlings, I’ve planted them in small clumps and will treat each clump as a small plant. I might do the same with my oregano cuttings to get a “bigger plant” more quickly

 

Talking of cuttings. My last pot of French Tarragon suddenly died so bought a new potted plant. Has anyone had any luck growing cuttings from stems. My search engine says it is nearly impossible to grow plants from stem cuttings. Also what would be the best month for taking cuttings as I live on the South Coast? However you would think I was back in Scotland the weather I am having today.

 

French Tarragon is best propagated from root cuttings which are very easy.
Around late Feb/March take your plant out of its pot.
There will be some quite thick pale roots with little bumps on them.
Cut lengths about 2-3" long, lay them horizontally it in a pot or tray with compost and cover the root with about 1" compost and keep it slightly damp..
Within a few weeks you should see several new plants growing from each bit of root.

French Tarragon loses it's flavour after 2-3 years, so use the above method to refresh your stock of plants.

They grow best if planted in good soil in the garden, but they grow ok in pots.

 

That's good to know @Pete8 I didn't know they lost flavour as they aged.

My French tarragon in the wee raised herb bed died this winter so I bought a new one, potted it up and grew it on till I could get my herb bed cleared of bindweed, rampant fennel and a few other weeds. All done now with a new oregano too as that copped it.

I also planted another tarragon in the polytunnel as insurance and it is doing very well.

@johnboy there are no guarantees with cuttings so I always take several from a plant to up the percentages and increase the likelihood of success. Once I know a cutting has rooted I find it best to pot up each one in a small pot in good compost so it can develop its own strong root system.

After that, it depends on the cuttings you're growing and the eventual size of a plant as to whether you plant 1 to a bigger pot or 3 or more to get more impact. You can always swap any spares with family, friends and neighbours.

 

Thank you Pete8

 

Thanks for all the advice guy's ,
Much appreciated.
John.

 

Just seen your post, sorry for late reply!
I always (mostly) plant in odd numbers. 3, 5 or seven cuttings to a pot, 3 pots planted in a triangle. It makes your eyes see bigger plants rather than individual pots. If people don't believe this phenomenon, try it. if it doesn't work for you...haha, gotcha...if it does, which it does, you'll see it looks better