One of the most satisfying things about growing any plant is being able to multiply them easily and, most of all, quite cheaply, and fuchsias definitely fall into that category. There are plenty of fuchsia books and web sites telling you how to take cuttings but the basic method shown on this page is the way I take cuttings, as do many other fuchsia growers. It works for me.

First, gather together all the things you will need. A good razor sharp knife is needed as the cut you are going to make must be clean and not ragged. A clean cut leads to quicker healing and root development.

Rooting medium of the right sort is essential. Fuchsias will root in almost anything, even water, but this is not ideal as the cutting will form water roots which are brittle and will easily break when you try and pot them on into compost. Also the cutting will suffer a check (stop growing) whilst the proper feeding roots develop.

I have tried the Jiffy plugs as described on the Seasonal Thoughts page and whilst they do give good results, they take up too much room in my greenhouse and they need to be kept constantly moist, let them dry out and (if you haven't already lost the cutting) you will have a devil of a job to get them wet again.

An ideal rooting medium is one made up of 50% perlite or vermiculite mixed with 50% ordinary potting compost which has been put through a ¼" sieve. This medium must be moist enough to the point that it holds it shape if squeezed in the hand, but not so wet that water runs from it.

Labels and pens. Don't think you will remember which cutting is which. You won't.

A good clean healthy plant is the most important of all. It's no good hoping you can rescue one or two cuttings from a pest or diseased ridden plant which is about to go in the bin. Your cuttings will soon follow it. Give it a good water the day before you take cuttings so that they will be as fresh as possible. A cutting will have to survive for at least 21 days (in the right conditions) without any roots, so it needs the best start you can give it.

Have everything ready and to hand. The sooner you get your cutting settled into it's new environment, the better.

The best time to take cuttings is in the early season when all fuchsias want to do is put on new growth. Once they go into flowering mode its hard to find non flowering shoots and if you do, the cuttings often try to produce flower buds instead of roots.

Here we have an unprepared cutting as seen when taken from it's 'mother' just above a set of leaves. By chance this cutting is throwing leaves in three's instead of the usual pairs. I don't know why this happens, but its not uncommon and, whatever the reason, it can be considered as a bonus as an extra side shoot will be made in each of the leaf axils, giving extra flowers. But don't be surprised if some of the later growth reverts back to the more usual pairs of leaves.

With the bottom leaves removed and the stem trimmed off just below the leaf node we have reached the stage where most books and gardening programmes tell us is the ideal fuchsia cutting.

Well, it is a fuchsia cutting and if taken in the early spring will root quite easily, but, as the season progresses, the stems will ripen or harden and rooting cuttings of this size can take longer, so putting the cutting under more pressure.

A much better cutting is the one shown here, commonly known as a 'tip cutting'.

All the goodness and hormones are raging away at the top of every shoot so it makes sense that cuttings taken from the tip are the best ones.

To take it a bit further, two thirds or half of the bottom set of leaves can be cut (cleanly) away as the cutting will not need all this leaf during it's time of propagation. The cutting is now prepared and ready for the next step.

Here we have a 3 inch pot with 12 tip cuttings and a 2 inch pot with 5 tip cuttings. The idea being to root them altogether and leave them in the pot and grow them on and treat them as one plant. This has now been accepted by the British Fuchsia Society and such plants are now allowed in shows run under B.F.S. rules.

There are no rules about how many should go in a pot. I feel its as many as looks comfortable, as tip cuttings will vary in size from cultivar to cultivar. Fuchsias do not need any sort of rooting powder but if you feel it is necessary then go ahead.

Give them slight spray with a fine mister before they go into the propagator.

I recommend you try the 'multi plant' method if you are looking for a decent size plant in one season. Once you have them rooted in a 3 inch pot, water from the bottom to avoid the problem of Botrytis.

Here we have two home made propagators. A pop bottle, with the middle cut away with the top sitting inside the bottom, will house the 3 inch pot whilst a coffee jar will take a 2 inch pot. Or simply place a plastic bag over the pot and seal with an elastic band. One or two small canes in the pot will stop the bag touching the cuttings.

These are ideal methods for anyone without a greenhouse as they can be placed on a north facing window cill. Don't put them in direct sunshine, like the one on the right, or the cuttings will fry.

Don't go opening them up every day to have a look, leave them alone and they will be quite happy in their little environment.

This is my preferred container for cuttings. The main reason being that I can get about 60 cuttings into one of these and space in a greenhouse is always at a premium. If I intend growing 'multi plants' then, once they are rooted, I can pick the best and carefully pot up whatever number it takes to fill a 3 inch pot.

Rooting should take place in about three weeks at a temperature of about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The right conditions will be apparent by a fine misting being formed on the inside the lid.

You can usually tell when a cutting has rooted without disturbing it. It takes on a fresher and healthier look, even producing new growth in the tip. Here we have a tray where the majority have rooted whilst some need a little bit longer.

This is the most crucial time for cuttings and they need to be treated gently. They should be introduced into the drier environment of a greenhouse gradually. One way is to pot them up into another propagator, giving them a bit more room this time, and replace the lid. After a couple of days open the vents on the top, another couple of days later prop up one side of the lid by about half an inch to allow more air in. The lid can then be removed altogether after another couple of days.

Now your cuttings are ready to do what you will with them. There is a whole range of shapes and sizes that fuchsias can be trained into. Perhaps I will devote another page on this subject in the future.

Good Growing.