Learning how to take cuttings.

Good morning all,
Lovely day ahead here on the Yorkshire coast, weather looks spot on....
As im in a positive mood, I thought I would ask some advice on taking cuttings.
I am learning all the time with gardening, this year is the first time I have grown from seed for example, but I am still very much a newbie.
So....... how do I get started with doing cuttings?
What are a list of things I need to purchase?
What plants are easy to start off with?
Is this too late in the year to take cuttings etc etc.......

Thanks all.

 

For cuttings you need some pots 3"-4"- some very gritty compost and plastic bags that can go over the pots.
This is a very good time of year to take cuttings as plants are growing quickly, so will also root quickly.
There are several methods - which method will depend on what plants you have to take cuttings from.
I took cuttings of Verbena Bampton about a month ago, they're rooted and growing well in individual pots now.
Yesterday I too 10 cuttings of penstemon, I expect most of them to be rooted within a month too.
Which plants would you like to take cuttings from?

 

As well as what @Pete8 listed, make sure your secateurs (or knife) are good and sharp to take the cutting and snip off lower leaves cleanly. You don't want to bruise/crush the stem.
Lots of things will root in a jar of water, but you still need pots and compost to plant them up as soon as they have enough roots.

 

I don't really know what to try really.
We have plenty of different plants in the garden, would Buddleia be a good idea?
I was thinking more of if you are in a park and see something you like, do you ever take a cutting? or is that frowned upon?

Probably something you could recommend that's easy to start with?
Thanks.

 

It's an easy process and this article describes it well-
How to Take Cuttings of Tender Perennials - Squire's Garden Centres

If your buddleia has some short shoots with several pairs of leaves, you can take a heel cutting by peeling the shoot off the branch downwards which gives a 'heal' to the cutting.
If there's a tongue at the end of the cutting snip it off so it doesn't rot.
Cut off all the lower leaves leaving just 1 or 2 pairs of leaves at the top, then cut back those leaves by 2/3 leaving just a stem and 1/4" of leaf.
The cutting doesn't need leaves.
As per the above article put them round the edge of a pot of gritty compost, water and put a bag over the pot to conserve moisture.
Leave somewhere out of the sun and reasonably warm and they should root within a month.

 

For buddleias - you can literally cut a bit off [just below a leaf joint] and shove it in a pot and it'll root. I often use the spring prunings as supports for perennials - it's surprising just how many of those have rooted and are growing by the end of the season!
The thing about taking cuttings is - there are various ways of doing it , and it can depend on what kind of plant you're using, as @Pete8 says. The RHS has info on it, but there are loads of sources.
Timing is often the main factor, so this time of year can be very good for perennials, as they want to grow. However, keeping them somewhere that they won't be affected by too much heat is important.
As an example, many people find Verb.bonariensis seeds around readily, but it doesn't do that here, so I take cuttings to ensure enough plants. A piece about 6 inches or so, cut below a leaf joint, and the lower leaves removed, just leaving a few at the top, and pushed into a gritty mix round the edge of a pot, and leave it tucked in somewhere. The reason for putting cuttings round the edge of pots is because the drainage is better there. The middle of a pot can stay wetter, which isn't ideal for anything that likes sharp drainage. I'd do about 3 or 4 round a 4 inch plastic pot, and a plastic pot is also better as it doesn't absorb the moisture from the soil mix either. I don't always use the plastic bags, but this is where your climate can be a factor. Mine don't dry out so readily, but I'd use them if it was earlier or later in the year to help retain warmth, but that's where the mix is important as compost alone can stay too wet.

 

I’ve been using perlite mixed with compost for my dahlia seedlings, would that do, or is it a completely different product for the “grit”?

Also, what ratio do you mix it to with the compost?
Many thanks.

 

Yes, perlite is what I use too for cuttings.
For cuttings you can use a 50/50 mix of compost and perlite which is what I do.
You can even use just perlite for cuttings.

 

Would Buddleia cuttings be a good idea? Only if you want (and have space for) more of them.

 

I think the the OP just wanted to see see if he can take a cutting of something and get it to root and grow.
I've never taken a cutting from a buddleia, but I imagine they would be easy to do and he has one in his garden, so worth an experiment.

I have none atm, but frequently pull out buddleias where seed has blown in.
I've got quite a big area of border with nothing in it, so maybe it's time for me to get another. I'd like to fill the area with fastish growing perennials and shrubs and buddleia ticks that box.

 

I think there's a misunderstanding about buddleias. The cultivated ones aren't like the wild one that seeds into every crack and spare site all over any kind of ground. They're much better behaved - or they certainly are here. I've often taken cuttings of ones I like, and given them to my sister or a nephew, for their new gardens.
In a large empty plot, it's a very useful and easy filler shrub.