Mount Folly Nurseries

How to take cuttings

If your over-wintered Fuchsias are beginning to shoot, they will need to be stopped (pinched out) to make nice bushy plants.  Why not use this freshly stopped foliage to create more Fuchsia plants by using them as cuttings! Here’s how:

Using 3½” pots filled with seed and cutting compost (multi-purpose compost will do), prepare your tip cuttings 2-3” long.  Dip the base of your cuttings into Hormone Rooting Powder.  Use a nail or pencil (commonly known as a dibber!) to dib 3-4 holes approximately 1” deep into the compost.  Place a cutting into each hole ensuring that the base of the cutting meets the composts (no spaces!).  Getting dib the compost firmly into place around the cuttings and water-in lightly.

Then you need to propagate your cuttings.  If you do not possess a propagator, you can make one by placing a couple of pencils or short canes either side of the pot to create a stand for a micro-climate cover.  You can use a perforated bread bag to drape over the stands which then keeps the micro-climate around your cuttings nice and moist.

Place this indoors by a shady window, and your cuttings should root within 2-3 weeks.  Occasionally turn your bread bag inside-out to reduce condensation and help stop your cuttings from rotting.

Once rooted, separate the young plants into individual 3½” pots, not forgetting to stop them thus making them bush out.

With these pinched tips you can repeat the process!

Scroll to Top