Grow Daisies from Cuttings
The kids were amazed at this little bit of “magic”. Imagine being able to cut part of a plant off and grow a new one from it!
If you don’t have a daisy plant to take a cutting from, chances are that someone you know will. They’re a very popular plant.
Choose a healthy daisy bush with lots of new growth on it. Using clean secateurs or sharp scissors, cut a length of about 10-15cm (5-7in) from the end of a branch. I have to say that although my own secateurs could use a good going over, most of my cuttings still strike (grow roots).
Gently strip the leaves from the woody part of the stem and dip the cut end in some honey. This acts as an antiseptic, to kill any germs and give your cuttings a head start at fighting diseases in the soil (or from my secateurs).
Poke a hole in your potting mix with another stick and plant the cutting, pressing the soil around it. Gently water in.
Leave for a few weeks in a sheltered spot - filtered sunlight is probably best. Keep moist but not wet, so that the cuttings won’t rot. Less moisture is needed after the first week.
After about three weeks, you can very gently move the stem of a cutting to see if it has grown roots. Once roots have grown, you can put it into a slightly more sunny spot.
Leave it in the original pot for at least 2 months before re~potting, and longer before planting into the garden.
Other thoughts:
- Cuttings usually strike best in mid- to late-Spring.
- It’s a good idea to take a few cuttings to grow at one time, as they may not all strike.
- If you have curious little hands like we do here, you may need to put them up out of reach (but not out of sight) of children until they grow roots.
You might be able to see that we grew our sprouts from fresh peas, in a little plastic food container.
Next time you have a particularly tasty tomato, put some of the seeds aside on a piece of paper towel and put them in a warm dry place to dry.
