Smallanthus maculatus - best time for cuttings?

[IanGallimore]

Hi Chad,

I've just bought my first Smallanthus plant from Mike Clifford (and another couple online) having seen it in his garden, and I'd love to propagate it in order to spread it around my garden. When you say you can prop it from lower bits of stem without leaves, could you give some more details? For example how tall do you take the stem cuttings, how wide are they ie are they thick mature stems, and how do you root them, straight into soil or via water first?

Many thanks!
Ian

[David F]

Agree about Paul’s comment on succulent cuttings being “no brainers”. I can send year old saved seed of Smallanthus maculata, or will have fresh seed come January. This plant self-sows in my garden like a weed, especially in other container plants. My Smsllanthus are already 20’ tall but no signs of blooming yet, typically starts in November here.


Smallanthus maculata about 22’ tall has completely screened my view of neighboring 2 story apartment building.

[MartinNicklin]

Ian don’t be overly precious about cutting details. It’s the easiest plant I’ve ever known to get any cuttings to root - tips of new shoots, bits of older woody stem, thin bits, thick bits. My advice would be to grow your plants protected from extreme cold in the first winter. When they are large enough to use them for cutting material then do so. Hacking them back to get cutting material bulks up the mother plant anyway so is a good thing. If you can get cuttings of any other plant to root then you are guaranteed success as it works just like any other easy rooter such as fuchsias, pelargoniums, dahlias etc.

[Chad]

Hi Chad,

I've just bought my first Smallanthus plant from Mike Clifford (and another couple online) having seen it in his garden, and I'd love to propagate it in order to spread it around my garden. When you say you can prop it from lower bits of stem without leaves, could you give some more details? For example how tall do you take the stem cuttings, how wide are they ie are they thick mature stems, and how do you root them, straight into soil or via water first?

Many thanks!
Ian

I've delayed answering this, being uncertain what horticultural level you are wanting in a reply.

I fear this will come over as 'talking down', so with apologies in advance...

I use a stem in August, usually about 6 or 8 feet tall, cut off at ground level.

The stem can then be divided in to binodal sections. Binodal meaning trimmed below one set of leaf origins, and above the next set up the stem. Where the nodes are close together then I'll take a 6 inch section with more nodes.

The sections that were near the soil before it was cut [basal] will be tough, woody and often without leaves. Those higher up the stem will have had leaves. Where leaves are present I remove them from the lower 'node' and trim them severely on the upper node of each trimmed section. The soft tip can be used as a single cutting with leaves removed from where they would otherwise be under the potting mix once stuck.

I stick them directly into a sharply draining potting mix in a 1L long tom pot. The bottom node should be about half way down the pot, which leaves a very leggy stem sticking out the top. I do one cutting in each pot since they will nearly all take. As they root they will also sprout new growth from the top node. In the first winter they may well die back to the soil, and next years growth will then come from the buds on the buried, lower node.

Gentle feeding once they are are showing some top growth in September [they are not slow] helps them to bulk up in their first year. I keep them under cover for their first winter, but not frost free [Cornish winter - seldom sees -5C and in the tunnel the next day will probably be warm].

They are ready to plant out as they come in to growth in the spring.


I've just read that back, and it feels horribly pompous.

Sorry.

Chad