Being able to propagate plants is a valued skill — both in the nursery industry and at home. Whether you are a professional or a home gardener, this nursery course will help you develop the skills necessary to propagate a wide variety of plants via their cuttings.

Our Certificate of Cutting Propagation will give you insights into preparing cuttings from various plants using stem, root, leaf and bulb cutting techniques. You’ll also learn about propagation mixes, soil testing, nursery production processes and greenhouse management for propagation.

Learning Outcomes

Outcomes achieved by undertaking a nursery course include:

• Learning about the principles of cuttings, including their importance
• Exploring phenotypes vs genotypes,
• Gaining an understanding of why to choose cutting propagation
• Studying where to get cuttings from
• Examining basic cutting techniques
• Understanding the ease with which tissue forms roots
• Attaining knowledge of thetypes of stem cuttings (softwood, hardwood, semi hardwood, herbaceous, tip, heel, nodal, cane etc.)
• Gaining insights into treatments (eg. basal heat, mist, tent, etc.)
• Learning about how to test rooting etc.
• Exploring non-stem cuttings
• Gaining an understanding of root cuttings (natural suckering with or without division, induced suckering, in-situ whole root cuttings and ex-situ detached root cuttings
• Studying bulb cuttings
• Examining scaling and twin scaling
• Understanding sectioning
• Attaining knowledge of basal cuttage
• Gaining insights into materials and equipment
• Learning about the selection and maintenance of stock plants
• Exploring disinfecting cutting material
• Gaining an understanding of growing media
• Studying propagation media
• Examining the biological, chemical and physical characteristics of propagation and potting media
• Understanding testing for toxins
• Attaining knowledge of air filled porosity
• Gaining insights into potting up cuttings (soil-less mixes, rockwool, etc.)
• Learning about the factors that affect rooting
• Exploring juvenility
• Gaining an understanding of cutting treatments (hormones and their application, anti-transparents, acid/base treatments, disinfectants etc.)
• Studying callusing
• Examining mycorrhizae
• Understanding carbon dioxide enrichment, etc.
• Attaining knowledge of how to set up a propagation area
• Gaining insights int creating and managing an appropriate cutting environment in terms of water, disease, temperature, light and air quality
• Learning about greenhouses and other structures
• Exploring watering methods (mist, fog, capillary etc.)
• Gaining an understanding of heating etc.
• Studying the management of cutting crops
• Examining how to estimate the cost of production
• Understanding how to keep records, etc.

And more!

10 Plants Easily Grown From Cuttings

Filling your garden with a variety of flowers, shrubs and other plants can be expensive. However, one of the easiest ways to save money is to grow your plants from cuttings. Once you’ve done our nursery course, you’ll realise just how easy it is! In the meantime, here are some of the easiest plants to grow from cuttings.

#1 – Geranium

Geraniums are easy to propagate and grow from cuttings. Cuttings should be about 12cm long and you should remove any leaves from the bottom of the cutting. A good tip is to let the cutting dry out for 12 to 24 hours and then dip the bottom of the cutting into a rooting hormone. Then place it in a pot full of potting mix and give it a good water. Putting a plastic bag over the plant and pot will also act like a greenhouse and keep the humidity in.

#2 – Horseradish

You should propagate horseradish by root or crown division in spring or autumn. Take root cuttings 60mm long or shorter if plant material is limited. Lay the cuttings horizontally in a Styrofoam box filled with potting mix or in a prepared garden site. The cuttings should be buried three centimetres deep and kept moist until the first leaves appear.

#3 – Hydrangea

Start with a fresh green stem taken in spring or early summer. Deadhead the flowers down to where you get living stems. Cut healthy pieces of stem about 15 to 20cm long, positioning the top cut above a pair of emerging leaves, close to the node, and the bottom cut also just above a node. If the lower leaves are mature, remove all but the top two and cut these in half to reduce water loss as the roots eventually begin to form. Dip the cuttings into rooting hormone gel or powder and insert into pots filled with propagating mix so about a third to a half of the cuttings are buried. Water well and put the pots out of direct sunlight. Keep them moist but not soggy.

#4 – Sage

To propagate by cuttings, take a top cutting about ten centimetres long. Pinch your thumb and forefinger over the lower half of the cutting and pull forward, stripping the lower leaves from the cutting. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone or powder and insert into a pot filled with propagating mix. Take at least four cuttings at a time. In six to eight weeks, your cuttings should have established roots and will be ready to re-pot.

#5 – Fuchsia

Fuchsia is easy to propagate from cuttings in spring. Cut growing shoots about 6cm long, remove any bottom leaves, dip in rooting hormone and pop into a pot or planting tray filled with propagating mix. Place in a warm spot and in three to four weeks they should have roots. When your cuttings have started growing, you can repot them. Some fuchsia cuttings will also grow roots in a jar of water on a window ledge.

#6 – Oregano

Take tip cuttings in spring — they should be about 6cm long. Pinch your finger over the lower two centimetres of the cutting and run your fingers downward to remove the lower leaves. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone or cutting gel, and then insert it into a pot filled with propagating mix. Make a hole in the soil and then insert the cutting, firm down the soil, and water. Place in a bright position and water when dry. Roots will develop over the coming six to eight weeks, at which time the plants can be re-potted..

#7 – Azalea

As you’ll learn in our nursery course, another popular plant for propagating are azaleas, and late spring and early summer are good times to take cuttings. Fill a clean pot or seed tray with propagating mix. Take cuttings about 10cm long and trim the base of the stems just below a node. Remove any flower buds and all except about two leaves. Dip the stems into a rooting hormone to increase the strike rate. Make a hole in the propagating mix and insert each cutting. Water the cuttings then cover them with plastic bag. Keep the cuttings out of direct sun. Check them occasionally and water them if they are dry. When the cuttings form roots transplant them into individual pots and gradually move them into more light to “harden off”.

#8 – Philodendron

Mature plants can be carefully lifted and the root structure divided. Place the new sections into a pot filled with quality potting mix until they establish. Plants may also develop offsets around the base. These can be carefully removed and re-potted until established.

#9 – Jade

Lay the leaves or shoots on a tray in an airy spot out of the sun and leave them to dry for a couple of weeks. Then place them on, or with the base of the stem barely in, a pot of propagating mix or coarse sand. When they have grown roots and new shoots, pot them up separately in a premium-quality cacti and succulent potting mix.

#10 – Begonia

Select a healthy piece of stem about 10 to 15cm long. Place two stem cuttings into a glass of water and hold in place with tape. Wait until the roots are growing through the base of the stem. When they reach a few centimetres, pot up the rooted cuttings into individual pots. After six months, plant them into the garden.

 

On completion of this nursery course, the Certificate of Cutting Propagation, you will have gained a foundational knowledge to build skills in the area of professional propagation.