Grow More Soft Fruit By Taking Hardwood Cuttings

, written by Benedict Vanheems gb flag

Redcurrants

As a way to trim your grocery bill, growing your own fruit is undoubtedly one of the easiest wins. Fruit, especially soft fruits such as currants and gooseberries, doesn’t come cheap. Most of the cost can be attributed to the skilled labor involved in picking it, and the packaging and transport necessary to get it to the customer without so much as a blemish or bruise. But if you grow it yourself, you don’t have to worry about any of that.

Most fruits will crop for many years in return for little more than a bit of mulch and an annual prune. But new fruit plants cost a lot more than a packet of seeds. So having the wherewithal to propagate new plants from existing stock, for almost nothing, is a great way to ensure a steady supply of fruit for decades to come, at no further cost to you. Sounds tempting doesn’t it? So let’s do it!

“Taking
It’s easy to grow new plants from hardwood cuttings

Hardwood Cutting Propagation

Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature wood (unlike softwood cuttings which are taken from younger, more flexible growth). Cuttings are usually made from mid-autumn to the end of winter while plants are dormant. At this time of year there are no leaves to contribute to moisture loss and cuttings can ‘wake up’ gradually when spring arrives. This goes a long way to improving their chances of successfully rooting.

Hardwood cuttings are easy to take from black, red and white currants, plus gooseberries. The big selling point for hardwood cuttings is that they require very little aftercare, though they will take much longer to produce roots than other types of cutting. Still, if you’re happy to plan a couple of years ahead, this is the most effective and hands-off way to shore up stock in advance.

“Blackcurrant
Blackcurrant cuttings ready for planting

Taking Hardwood Cuttings

Take cuttings from plants that are still in their prime; don’t wait until they are nearing the end of their productive life, or you run the risk of a year or two with nothing to pick! If you have gardening friends with a surfeit of fruit bushes, drop a few hints. They’ll more than likely let you loose with the pruners to bulk out your own garden. Reciprocate if you can – gardening’s all about sharing the bounty!

You’re looking for strong, healthy growth from the most recent growing season. In the pictures I’m propagating my long-suffering but ever-productive blackcurrant. Stems should be woody, mature and ideally about pencil thickness. Avoid pest-damaged stems or any stems showing signs of disease. Take cuttings 20-30cm (8-12in) long using clean pruners. Make a horizontal cut just below a bud to form the base of the cutting. You can take multiple cuttings from a single stem if it’s vigorous. It’s worth taking a few more cuttings than you need as insurance against any losses.

Now it’s time to tidy up your cuttings. Remove any soft growth from the very tip, and make a diagonal cut at the top of each cutting, just above and sloping away from a bud. This helps excess water to drain away, and also makes it easy to tell which way is up!

“Making
Make a diagonal cut at the tip of each hardwood cutting to help water drain away

Growing Hardwood Cuttings

Plant cuttings into an out-of-the-way patch of ground or into pots. To plant into the ground, cut a narrow trench by plunging a spade into the ground then wiggling it back and forth to create a slit. Soil must drain freely or else cuttings could end up rotting in sodden soil. You can add sand into the bottom of the trench to improve drainage. Space cuttings about 15cm (6in) apart, and firm in. About two-thirds of each cutting should be below ground so that just a few buds are showing above.

Use equal parts sand and general-purpose peat-free potting mix in deep containers. This will really help with drainage, which is important if cuttings are to get through winter unscathed. Aim for two to four cuttings per pot.

Please, please, please remember to label your cuttings. You will – I promise – forget what was what a year later, no matter how confident you feel now. Or maybe you have a better memory than me!

“Blackcurrant
Hardwood cuttings should root within one year

Keep cuttings weed-free and don’t let the soil or potting mix dry out. If cuttings are lifted up by heavy frosts, firm them back into place. Pot-raised cuttings will benefit from protection, such as a cold frame.

Most cuttings should root within a year. You can tell when roots have started to grow by buds breaking above ground. This may be as soon as the following spring or as late as fall. Once they have, simply dig up or tease your cuttings apart then pot them on or plant into their final growing positions. Cuttings can be left in the ground a little longer to grow on before transplanting.

And there you have it. Taking hardwood cuttings really is as simple as that! It just goes to show that gardening doesn’t have to be complicated. If you thought propagating fruit was best left to the professionals, I hope I’ve given you the confidence to try it out for yourself. Enjoy the fruits of your labors!

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Comments

 
"Will this work for blueberries?"
John Garvani on Friday 21 December 2018
"Is the statement about peat-free potting mix because they wont root in peat, or because you don't think people should be using peat? "
Mike Harrold on Friday 21 December 2018
"good article! you didn't mention rooting powder. do you not think it is necessary? also you didn't mention grapes - they are perfect for this kind of hardwood cuttings!"
Robyn on Thursday 27 December 2018
"Hi John. Yes, this should work for blueberries too."
Ben Vanheems on Wednesday 2 January 2019
"Hi Mike. Peat-based potting mix would work but we strongly believe that people shouldn't be using peat. Removing peat damages natural habitat, and even in places where extraction is modest and natural regeneration high, it still has a negative effect as it releases locked up carbon back into the atmosphere."
Ben Vanheems on Wednesday 2 January 2019
"Hi Robyn. Thanks for the heads up on grapes - yes, all good for this type of cutting too. Personally I don't use hormone rooting powder as these types of cuttings root pretty easily so the success rate is very high without it. Also, it's no trouble to take a few extra cuttings to cover any losses. That said, you can dip the end of the cutting into hormone rooting powder if you choose as it should encourage quicker rooting."
Ben Vanheems on Wednesday 2 January 2019
"Can I still take cuttings in february? South UK, Ringwood"
Lies Steeno on Saturday 6 February 2021
"Seeing as plants should still be dormant, yes, it should be fine to take hardwood cuttings this month, but I would try to take them as early as possible."
Ben Vanheems on Monday 8 February 2021

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