How To Propagate Fushias From Cuttings

This tutorial covers another easy-to-propagate flower, the fushia! This lovely plant is often found in hanging baskets, or trimmed into topiary-topped trees. It develops into a woody plant, and can often survive through a mild winter. My poor fushia finally died this winter because we had a very, very long and cold snow season. Poor thing...
I picked up an unusual purple bloomed variety called Winston Churchill. I think it looks really interesting. I usually choose the traditional ones with white blooms instead.

To propagate your fushias,

1. Select a young side stem (non-woody) with 3-5 leaf nodes.
2. Cut under the last leaf node.
   
3. Keep cuttings fresh in water while you work. Don't let them dry out.
4. Fill a clean container to heaping with sterile soil. Firm down soil.
5. Use a pencil or dibber to make a deep hole in the soil, and place cutting inside hole.
6. Push soil towards the cutting to fill the hole, and gently firm down soil around the cutting.
   
7. Add more cuttings as desired.
8. Water generously all over the plant.
9. Place into bright location with indirect sunlight. Shade is good.
   
10. Water daily to ensure the cuttings do not dry out.

The key to successful propagation is to keep your cuttings well-watered. Make sure your container has good drainage so that you can water them daily, or even twice on dry days. Do not let your cuttings have full sun until they have developed roots. Otherwise, the sun will dry out your cuttings too much and they will die.
In three weeks, your cuttings will develop roots and be ready to transplant. You'll know that the cuttings have developed roots because they will look lively instead of thirsty-looking. They'll be developing new leaves also.
See the cute little roots?
Notice that there are no roots growing directly down from the end of the cutting. The roots grow out from the leaf nodes. This is another key point to propagating plants successfully. Always keep a leaf node at the bottom so the plant can grow new roots. Some plants don't care as much. I have noticed that the impatiens and dahlias can grow roots from non-leaf-node parts of the stem. In general though, it's good to cut under a node.
I think that roots and the whole process by which a plant can make a new copy of itself from a cutting is really amazing. It would be similar to growing a clone of yourself from an arm. Nature can be so mysterious and fascinating.

Happy Gardening!

Putting Down Roots

I'm putting down roots that wriggle through dirt,
that swell and expand and reach down.
The soil can be hard, dry, brittle, or moist.
The roots can still penetrate deep.

The roots are so white, with hairs feather-fine.
They are pure, crisp, and light in their form.
Easy to tear, in numbers they hold
the plant in its upright unfolding.

I'm putting up vines, they are growing, expanding!
Deep green, how they twist and wrap tight.
Creaking and groaning, writhing and moaning,
they sigh at the weight that they hold.

Wring and they'll rain tears.
Cut and they'll bleed.
Chop and the vines downward fall.

But deeper the roots grow, reaching for water,
and outward they'll sneak, sideways climb.

One day, post rainfall, one day, warm sun.
I'll be a vine once again.

--Marie Tai