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8 articles
Roots that form in a glass of tap water are a different animal from roots built in compost, and the handover between the two is where winter cuttings quietly fall over. This November we ran thirty cuttings both ways and potted them on side by side to see how bad the comedown really is — and how to soften it.
Every November someone suggests tepid water to speed up cuttings. I put cold tap, room-temperature and lukewarm water head-to-head on the windowsill for four weeks, then went looking at the science of dissolved oxygen, root respiration and rot. The kettle stayed off.
A November side-by-side in a cold shed asks whether a grit mulch earns its keep. Three surface treatments, one batch of hardy shrub cuttings, and eight weeks of watching for rot, roots and fungus gnats.
Three peat-free cutting composts, one traditional peat mix and a row of identical fuchsia cuttings on a cold November windowsill. Here is what happened to root timing, watering and cost per rooted plant, plus the peat-free recipe I would actually use again.
A small November trial on a UK windowsill puts the clear plastic bag under scrutiny. Bagged cuttings rooted faster in some cases, but mould and wet leaves told a more complicated story. Here is when a humidity dome helps, when it harms, and how to ventilate it properly.
A November cutting trial in a chilly UK shed compares bubble-wrapped pots, a budget heat mat and an unheated control. The aim is simple: find out whether cheap insulation can compete with bottom heat for rosemary, honeysuckle and privet.
A £15 LED strip, three common cuttings and one cool windowsill go head to head in a November rooting trial. The results are less about gadgetry than about warmth, light hours and damp air.
Willow water, honey, cinnamon, rooting powder and plain tap water, tested side by side on lavender, rosemary and pelargonium cuttings on a south-facing windowsill. Here's what the plant science says, and what actually happened in this autumn's very small, very honest trial.