Taking Geranium Cuttings

I thought I had published this article in July. Sorry. I've amended it slightly.

Pot geraniums (pelargoniums) are one of the easiest of all plants to propagate from shoot tip cuttings. There is still time to do this if you have a spot which gets some sun. Don't use rooting powder or any form of propagator - Just cut off about 7.5 mm (3 inches) of stem (flowering or non-flowering), carefully tear away the lower leaves and leaf bracts, then push them into slightly moist soil or compost. To avoid disease, use the compost as it comes straight from the bag (add some perlite or sand if you wish); do not add water.

Removing any developing flower buds will speed growth, since more food will be available for structural development. Keep them in good light.

GETTING THEM TO BRANCH BENEATH THE SURFACE
If you take care not to damage the axillary buds when removing lower leaves and leaf bracts, they can develop into new shoots and push up through the compost as if by magic. This has the effect of keeping the initial branching as low as possible, hence producing a bushier and more attractive plant.

You can then induce further branching by pinching out the shoot tips after every 2 or 3 nodes (places where leaves join stem).

Give the as little water as possible (water from below when necessary, never from above) over winter to avoid disease.

ROOTING IN PERLITE AND WATER
Geraniums will also root very well in perlite and in water. See 'Rooting Geraniums in Perlite and Water'.

See also 'A Cut Below Average' . Click 'Geranium' category to see all geranium posts.