Taking Winter Cuttings
Every gardener has a few annual flowers they love so much they hate to see them die in fall with the cold. Whether it be a old heirloom geranium, a favorite colored fuchsia, or grandma's impatiens, it's great to try protect these plants by bringing them inside for winter. However, unless you have a greenhouse or a big sunny room, they will struggle to grow in winter under low light conditions and they will take up a lot of room. So how can you overwinter these personal favorites without having to move all the furniture to make room for them? The solution is to take cuttings.
Taking Cuttings
By rooting cuttings from your favorite plants you'll be making more plants for next year and not taking up much room holding them indoors all winter. Plus, they will grow slowly and not get as leggy as a mature plant trying to survive the winter indoors.
Take a 4- to 6-inch long shoot, cutting the stem right below a set of leaves. Remove all but the top set of leaves. Dip the bottom of the cuttings in a rooting hormone powder, such as Rootone. Stick the cutting in a plastic pot filled with moisten potting soil. Cover the cuttings and pot with a clear plastic bag that has holes poked in it. The cuttings should stay moist, but not so wet that it rots. Usually the cutting will root in a few weeks. When you see signs of new growth or you can gently tug the cutting and it doesn't pop out, it's rooted. Remove the plastic and place the cutting in a sunny window. You can take many cuttings from the same plant. Once they are rooted and it's clear the cuttings will survive, toss the old plant.
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