Potting or planting rooted cuttings. What to do with cuttings after they are rooted.
I get this question a lot;
“Mike, once my cuttings are rooted, what do I do with them?”
You have two options.
1. You can plant them in a bed and grow them from there.
2. You can put them in pots and grow them right in the container. We use containers close to this size:
How soon after they are rooted can you do that?
You can pot them or plant them in a bed once they have a nice little root ball and that will vary from plant to plant. Ideally, you should have many roots that are at least 3/4 of an inch long.
More about planting rooted cuttings in this informative video:
Questions or comments post them below.
Mike,
Glad you reposted this video. I make geranium cuttings every Fall from the plants/flowers I want to grow next year. Should I use the same amount of Osmocote that you use on these woody cuttings? Last year I didn’t use rooting hormone/honey on any cutting and had a better success rate – Go Figure!
One note that I have for 2023 is to use more fertilizer on my rooted cuttings than in the past. I will appreciate your answer.
Chuck,
In the spring, once potted, I give them one tablespoon of slow release fertilzer if they are in a one gallon or at least a two quart container. One quart? 1/2 tablespoon.
Thank you!
Mike, I am have some figs that rooted that have small leaves. I also have the same for Camilias and blue berries with small leaves and buds. . My questions are:. What to do with each variety since spring is almost here in South Louisiana { Zone 8} ? Should I remove them from the crowded pots and re-pot them in individual to get enough growth to survive and increase in size.
What type or combination soil should I put in the pots I am going to put the propagated plants into?
I am also attempting to root some Pittisporum for my beds. This is all for my personal home and landscape. This is my VERY FIRST attempt to propagate plants and I am 84 years of age and.I have found that patience is the best ingredient.
John,
Yes, put them in a bigger pot and let them get rooted in. Use a potting mix that is light and drains well. Might have to add perlite if the mix is too sticky.
Love your videos. Now that they are potted and fertilized who do you do to keep the ants from making homes in the potted plants?
Jim,
That’s not something that has ever been an issue for me, but it does come up in the members area, http://backyardgrowers.com/join
. But honestly I’m not sure what they treat with or whether or not it’s a big issue. We have plenty of ants here, just not in my pots.
Mike
I find that here in so. East Tx I don’t get ants in my pots when they are not sitting on the ground without a little air space.
My pots that sit on the ground often get ants.
If it’s an edible item I empty and replace soil and put a spacer under pot.
If it is not an edible I put ant poison on it.
HI Mike, Love all your videos & the info that you take the time to share with us. thank you so much. I save all the info that you share it is very much appreciated.. Love how your grandson in the video helps you with the repotting, it is so very wonderful that they are so interested in what there Grandfather does with gardening, What size of planting pot are you using in the video & were may I be able to buy some? It looks to be a prefect size. Have a lot of plants that I have a lot of plants to dug up & divide & put into pots & that, in hope to be able to sell comes next year. If I kept them in the pole barn over winter should I water them through the winter months? Thank you so much for your time it is very much appreciated.. May God Bless you & your family always
Sandy,
Pot sizes are tricky and I am slowly moving toward all trade gallon containers. Then container you see is a 2 quart container but they are difficult to find and not really big enough for many things which is why I am switching.
I love your bibs no matter how you keep them up…mine don’t stay up either…love every thing you do
Robert
Hi Mike,
Thanks for showing me how to root softwood cuttings. My friend’s Gramma passed away, so with your help on the vid, in mid-August we got a lot of softwood cuttings from her farm. They are in sand with pencil sticks and white trash bags over them, just like your vid!
We don’t know what to do next, do we leave them as is for the upcoming New England winter (1st hard frost ~ mid Oct) or should we put them in pots with soil to get through the winter?
Thanks for your hard work showing us how to do things we didn’t think we could do…you ROCK!
Lori,
99% of my cuttings remain in my propagation beds until spring and they usually fair pretty well. Just water when warm and dry even though they are dormant.
Mike,
It is August 29. I am moving Sept 12. I have number of cuttings I rooted this past spring… i think I will okay potting them and taking them with me. However, I also have several plant that I planted in my temporary bed. I was planning on potting them later after they go dormant… but since I am moving, I will need to try to pot them now…… is there anyway to do this safely without shocking the plants?
Thanks,
Ray
Ray,
Water them well, dig way out around them so as to not cut significant root and hope for the best.
How goes it Mike? I read all your articles. I love plants and live on a small farm which I tend myself. Hubby died few years back. Sure miss him. I had a friend give me some Rose of Sharon cuttings. She had let them sit for a few days. Upon recieving them I immideatly placed them in a bucket of water as It was freezing outside. I placed them in my garage. When spring arrived I checked for root sprouting. Nothing. I thought I had killed them all. Later on checking back I noticed them sprouting leaves, many of them. Checked about 2 weeks later, plenty of leaves no root sprouts. That was in the spring. I did plant a couple in corner of flower bed. Doing well. I gently dug around one of them and checked for root growth. nothing., plenty of leaves. now fall is here no roots, still green leaves What has happened? the flowers on friends plants are non self seeding. Could this be the problem.? Her’s are beautiful. All white row of flowers edging a lusious green lawn.
Elayne,
You really handled them wrong, they don’t like to root in water which is true for most plants. If you have stuck them in the ground in late winter, early spring they’d all be rooted by now. See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/
and this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/09/hardwood-cuttings-winter-of-20152016/
Hi Mike I love all your videos I just put me in a new sand bed and I was wanting to know if you can give more details on how you set your water system up thanks Dave
David,
Here are two posts, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/02/top-secret-irrigation-tips-for-your-yard/ and https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/mikes-plant-propagation-kit/
Hi Mike! I have hollyhocks I potted up last fall in gallon containers. They didn’t all sell in my June sale.
Now the roots are hanging out of the pots.. Do you think they will overwinter alright? I can put them in my greenhouse, but I’m concerned about the roots. What do you think?
Leslie,
Sounds like they are root bound, root bound plants do not over winter well. I’d shift them to a larger container before winter.
Mike,
I love your “Mon w/ Mike and all your info. But I swear I’m going to send you a large
safety pin for that bib strap and have Pam pin it up. It is so distracting and annoying
to watch you keep putting it back. It also distract from the very smart person you
are. It makes you seem like a “hick” Please know I am not trying to pull you down but
that strap is.
sincerely.
donna
Mike doesn’t seem worried or bothered by it, nor should you, my friend. Just listen and learn. If it distracts you that much, just listen and watch out your window or twiddle your thumbs.
Mike is simply authentic, Donna. You should try it. You might like it and learn something or lower your blood pressure at the same time.
Stay real, Mike. We love you just the way you are!
Timothy
Erie, PA
Thanks Tim,
I appreciate it.
I agree Timothy!! I’ve Learned so much from Mike, and I’m just grateful he’s taking the time to share his knowledge with us!
Thanks Geneva, I appreciate that.
Hey Mike, I see from the link you keep thousands of potted $4.97 plants & shrubs.
How do you keep these over the winter/snow? Do you simply cover with white plastic and leave in the pots?
Curious how they would hold up over winter not being in the ground.
Whatever your method, would it be same for perennials and shrubs?
Thanks,
Brian
Brian,
If you cover, white plastic for sure. http://www.freeplants.com/how-to-build-a-hoop-house.htm. My container areas are recessed below grade so wind doesn’t hit the pots. Last winter, days and days below zero, as low as 15 below, most things did fine. We lost some as did most growers, but all in all things did fine. They have to be moist, you cannot allow them to dry out over the winter, or be wet all the time. If the potting soil drains well they should be fine. Water if you get a warm spell.
My grandmother purchased a variegated peach tree 84 years ago. I was able to get tiny plants from it and planted one in a backyard I owned 20 years ago and again in my backyard now. Unfortunately, the one I planted here died at age 10 years. I was heartbroken. But, the other one that is just a mile from me is huge. It is a very unusual peach tree as it blooms white on one side, pink in the middle, and red on the other side.
I can easily get to this tree and get cuttings. I have just watched all of the videos from Mike but didn’t see how long it takes the cutting to make a root ball and how do you know when you have a root ball so you can transplant it? So, that is my question. I am thrilled to have found this site and to possibly be able to have another generation of my grandmother’s peach tree.
Thanks, Linda Jordan – Shreveport, LA
Linda,
Depending on the plant cuttings can take from 4 weeks to 8 weeks to root. Use one of these methods, http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm. You’ll know the cutting is rooted when you pull on the cutting and feel resistance. Once you have a nice ball of roots about 1″ long you can transplant into a garden in a protected area. After that only move the plant when it is dormant.
I just finished pulling up landscape fabric and it was a nightmare, like you said. In the video showing what to do after plants root, I noticed behind you several rolls of the stuff. Do you use it after all?
Jean,
I never use the weed barrier fabric they sell in the stores. We use a commercial ground cover material that all nurseries use to put under out potted plants, it’s much, much heavier and we never put anything over it like soil, mulch or stone. If we need to change it picking it up is a breeze because the only thing we put on top of are potted plants that we sell. It’s a very different product than the stuff sold in the stores and costs several hundred dollars per roll.
Thank you, it was very interesting. Lovely grandson.
I potted up some cuttings about three weeks ago. I put them in small plastic (4″) pots with plastic drink bottles with the bottoms cut off. Some look like they are actually rooting up. My question is What about winter? What should I do to prep for winter, watering and all that? I am in Idaho, zone 5.
Thanks, Rod.
Hi Mike,
I love your videos and tips. I have a question about you video production. Please tell me what kind of camera you use for your clips.
Thanks.
Jeff
Jeff,
I’m not even sure. I think it’s a Cannon 1080 something. Pretty basic really. We used to use a wireless mic but that became problematic so lately we’ve been using the mic on the camera. Works pretty well but we really need to put a wind screen over the mic as many have suggested, just haven’t taken the time to order one yet. Need a new camera, that one is giving us grief now.
innovation is your trademark mike!
my brother used a home made shield by bending a piece of heavy card stock (or cardboard) into a U with the bottom trimmed for the camera to rest on (and a hole drilled where the tripod mount goes and he had a shield for a few minutes of his time and the thing lasted for over a year.
enjoy and many thanks!
Thanks Mike!! Great video as always. I learn so much from you! And I look forward to receiving your emails and videos.
What is the best way for to get good Tomatoes to grow well, can you do them in pots. Jeanetta
Jeanetta,
I won’t pretend to be a tomato expert but they can be grown in pots. More here; http://www.freeplants.com/growing-tomatoes-in-your-garden.html
MANY THANKS !
Mike thanks for the great video what potting soil do you use?
Keep your ideas coming !
Mike,
Thanks for all the time and effort and thought you put into your videos. I’m almost finished watching all 44 pages. Thanks for “Mondays with Mike”.
Is it O.K. if we use some of the beautiful photos you post in these videos?
Thanks,
Al
Thanks for the video on potting up rooted cuttings. Your grandson is a delight! How wonderful that he is growing up with a grandpa that teaches so many valuable lessons.
I especially was interested in how much of the slow-release fertilizer you use in each pot. Though you didn’t show or mention it, I assume you mix it into the soil on the top…..not just leaving it in a pile….right???
Thanks for all the wonderful information and tips.
How do I get rid of Nutgrass (Yelllow Sedge,Purple Sedge) in my garden?
Home depot has nutsedge killer. I have quite a bit which I have to keep killing out.this grass. I hate it, but I have to much I have to use a bigger sprayer to get rid of this much.
apply Image as directed on the bottle ./
available at Lowes