How to propagate pelargoniums

This method for taking softwood cuttings works for most herbaceous plants. There are just a few weeks left now in the growing season to propagate cuttings ready for next spring. In advance, take the flowers off your pelargonium and feed it to encourage new growth.

From left: step one in action; right, step two CREDIT: Andrew Crowley

1 . Sanitise hands, knife and pot to prevent infection. Find a strong stem and cut it off at a diagonal above a leaf node.

2. Nip out the growing point at the tip of the stem, about three nodes from the top, and keep the rest.

From left: step three; right, step four CREDIT: Andrew Crowley

3. Remove all leaves and calyxes from the bottom half of the cutting. Leave no more than 2-4 leaves.

4. Fill a pot with compost. Use a dibber to make a hole, drop in a cutting up to its first leaf, close to the side of the pot.

From left: step five; right, step six CREDIT: Andrew Crowley

5. If you are planting several cuttings in one pot, space them at least a finger-width apart. Water in well.

6. Label the pot and place in a warm spot on a window sill that is not in direct sunlight or over a radiator.

From left: step seven; left, step eight CREDIT: Andrew Crowley

7. Mist the leaves of your cuttings regularly but do not water the soil unless it dries out. Water from the base.

8. Pelargonium cuttings should root in three to eight weeks. Check the pot base for signs of root growth.

9. Once rooted, you can transfer cuttings to a larger pot or wait until spring to plant out. Knock each plant out of the pot carefully so as not to pull on the stem or damage roots.