Clever multi-pot propagation

As someone with a big ‘plant habit’, I regard propagation as one of my best friends. It’s easy and free, and has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. Like I said – I have a big plant habit! I learned this nifty multi-pot propagation method many years ago and I love it! It’s so compact and it’s also a brilliant way to grow hundreds of plants with maximum space efficiency and ease. It’s particularly useful for hardwood cuttings, which are taken from deciduous or evergreen shrubs usually in winter or spring. The wood is generally second-year wood and doesn’t bend easily.

The multi-pot approach is a winner, as it means you can lovingly jam lots of pots into a tiny space and, importantly, harvest them easily by removing the pots to access each cutting. Not all the cuttings will survive, but you won’t even notice, because most of them will. Here’s how to create one.

What you will need

• hardwood cuttings
• coir peat and propagation sand
• plastic pots of varying sizes
• honey
• pencil
• wire, or a wire coat hanger, straightened and cut in half
• plastic bag and string

How to create a multi-pot propagation

1. TAKE some hardwood cuttings from the plants you want to propagate, making them 15–20cm long. With this length, you will have at least five nodes, which is where the future roots will sprout from – the more nodes the better!
2. CREATE a suitable potting mix. I use a 50:50 mix of coir peat and propagation sand, which ensures good drainage and moisture retention. Cuttings at this stage require hardly any nutrients, so there’s no need to add compost.
3. CHOOSE your pots – you’ll need three. Ensure that there is at least a 3cm gap between each one when they are stacked inside each other, as this is where you’ll plant your cuttings.
4. PLACE a smaller pot in the largest pot. Add potting mix beneath it so the rims line up. Repeat the process with the next pot.
5. FILL the gaps between the pots and the innermost pot with potting mix.
6. REMOVE most of the foliage on each cutting, leaving a small amount at the top to photosynthesise (drink in the sun).
7. DIP the bottoms of the cuttings into honey. Honey has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, protecting the cuttings from pathogens (the bad bugs).
8. MAKE holes in the potting mix with a pencil, and insert one cutting per hole. You can fit lots of cuttings into one pot, spacing them 3–5cm apart.
9. BEND two lengths of wire, each about 50cm long, to form the frame of a mini hothouse (an old coat hanger works well). Insert each end just inside the edge of the largest pot – it’ll hold itself nicely there.
10. WATER all the cuttings.
11. PLACE a recycled plastic bag over the wire frame, secure it with string and place the plants in a sunny position. If you see condensation inside the plastic bag, there’s no need to water. Once that disappears, remove the bag, give the cuttings a good drink and replace the bag. Now we wait…

After four weeks or so, check if the cuttings have set roots by removing the smallest pot – you should be able to see the next layer’s cuttings and some of their roots. To harvest the cuttings, separate the pots and use a butter knife to gently ease the cuttings apart. Pot them up into larger pots to establish more roots, or straight into their forever home in your garden bed.

Photo by Natalie Mendham