Up till now I have always taken cuttings and used three large wooden
boxes filled with either sharp sand and a bit of compost or a bit of
compost and vermiculite. Most cuttings I take are of shrubs, trees or
hardy plants. I grow an inordinate amount of cuttings taken from
friend's gardens and also vegetables. I don't heat the greenhouse but
give the cuttings some cover in the worst winter weather.

I have just treated myself to a plunge bed complete with soil warming
cable and a long heated propagator/shelf which takes four full sized
see d trays.
Both are now ensconced in my greenhouse awaiting further developments.

Trouble is, having made do for so many years I am not sure of the best
way to use the new equipment! Both have thermostats on.
Do I plunge cuttings direct into sand or use pots and plunge them? Do I
use the covered propagators and germinate vegetable seedlings or bring
on cuttings?

Be glad of advice from the more experienced so that I don't waste all
this new lovely stuff

Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
Up till now I have always taken cuttings and used three large wooden
boxes filled with either sharp sand and a bit of compost or a bit of
compost and vermiculite. Most cuttings I take are of shrubs, trees or
hardy plants. I grow an inordinate amount of cuttings taken from
friend's gardens and also vegetables. I don't heat the greenhouse but
give the cuttings some cover in the worst winter weather.

I have just treated myself to a plunge bed complete with soil warming
cable and a long heated propagator/shelf which takes four full sized
see d trays.
Both are now ensconced in my greenhouse awaiting further developments.

Trouble is, having made do for so many years I am not sure of the best
way to use the new equipment! Both have thermostats on.
Do I plunge cuttings direct into sand or use pots and plunge them? Do I
use the covered propagators and germinate vegetable seedlings or bring
on cuttings?

Be glad of advice from the more experienced so that I don't waste all
this new lovely stuff

Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk
I presume your old beds were outside the greenhouse?
Anyway, I prefer separate pots sitting on the heat as its more flexible (I
still use clear fruit punnets as you can see when things are rooting) but I
know folk who insert direct into the bed. The main thing you will find is
adjusting to the watering requirements, heated beds dry out far more than
ordinary plunge beds.
I also find a covering of thin white polythene really good for cutting out
sun scorch.
Sounds like you are going to have a busy season :~)

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

In article , Charlie
Pridham writes

I presume your old beds were outside the greenhouse?

No they were on the greenhouse shelves Charlie. I found that ramming
cuttings in all together gave me more success than individual pots so
just built these boxes with holes at the bottom to take all the
cuttings. They did get a bit heavy but lasted about 10 years though the
slatted greenhouse staging has rotted away. I used to put hard wood
stuff in the sharp sand and compost and the softer stuff or the cuttings
taken in the late spring etc in a mixture of vermiculite and sharp sand.
Have rooted all sorts this way including Calycanthus and even a Daphne.
Have never covered them.


Anyway, I prefer separate pots sitting on the heat as its more flexible (I
still use clear fruit punnets as you can see when things are rooting)

Oh brilliant idea! I did think this might be better or I'll be yanking
out the soil cable with the roots as some plants can root extremely well
into the cutting mixture!


but I
know folk who insert direct into the bed. The main thing you will find is
adjusting to the watering requirements, heated beds dry out far more than
ordinary plunge beds.

Was thinking of giving very gentle heat and then if there's space I can
sit slightly tender plants on top of the sand during winter. Is that a
good idea?


I also find a covering of thin white polythene really good for cutting out
sun scorch.
Sounds like you are going to have a busy season :~)


Just sown about 45 pots of Hardy plant seeds though they are going into
the cold frame. Many of my gardening friends have large gardens (over 4
acres) and they let me wander round and take cuttings of all sorts, they
then get plants back that come from other gardens so we all benefit. I'm
afraid have to confess that I tend to lose a bit of interest once the
cuttings has struck or the seed germinated ! I tend to get one plant
going and then use it as a mother plant.

I wondered if using these two heating aids would save me heating the
greenhouse? I don't do a lot of tender/half hardy stuff.

Thanks for the advice.

Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk