Propagating Hardy Geraniums - Easy Peasy!

These are very easy to propagate from cuttings



Just cut a stem (or more) from the plant



You should be able to get a few cuttings from each stem.


Cut it into pieces about 1" - 2" below a node



Remove any flower or seed pod and leave just one leaf



Then just pop it into a pot (we don't use any rooting powder but it's a matter of choice) leaving the node just above the surface.

Keep in a shaded area out of direct sun and keep the soil just moist.

It can be done most times of year during the growing season but we find they propagate better during the flowering period - like now.

 

You'll probably find that some of them won't take but as it's so easy to do you should do enough to expect a 50% success rate. If more take then you can give them away as pressies

 

Root cuttings are fine if your plant spreads quickly or needs splitting.

 

Hydrangeas are usually good.

Doing hardy geraniums this way doesn't have quite as good a result but they are so easy and you can get so many from each stem that it doesn't matter. We've just done 60 and if 30 survive until next year that will add to our charity sale. I think we may do lots more yet. It took the two of us less than 10 minutes to do the 60. I filled the pots with compost and Mrs Shiney did the clever stuff.

 

I suppose it depends on how many new plants you wish to make. We expect to get 100+ ready for next year. I don't think we would have any plants left if we took them with roots

 

Looks good

We're not in business selling plants but sell them for a local charity that we support, that looks after mentally handicapped children. On our open day we were lucky enough to sell about £1,000 worth of plants (all of them at least half the price they can be bought elsewhere)

 

Thanks Redstar

It does take a lot of work. We spend a lot of time preparing plants for sale and, although most of our sales are on open day, we have people popping in every so often to buy plants. Even after having sold so many on open day we still had lots left. By the end of the summer we usually have sold about another £400 worth.

Funnily enough, trying to give things away doesn't work but selling them does. I remember many years ago putting a wheelbarrow full of apples on the front with a sign 'help yourself'. Nothing went, so I bagged them up and changed the sign to '20p a bag' and they all went