I am sure that most people have come across Ground Elder or Bindweed, and know how successful they are at producing new plants from even the tiniest portion of root left in the soil following weeding. It is this natural ability to produce new plants from pieces of root that we are harnessing when we take root cuttings from cultivated plants.

Many plants including Acanthus, Eryngium, and Oriental Poppies (Papaver. orientalis), produce thick fleshy roots that provide perfect material from which to producing root cuttings.

There are essentially two different methods of working with root cuttings: -

• Using the horizontal fleshy roots that emerge from the crown of a plant; or

• Using the thicker vertical roots that thrust downwards to where there is moisture, and which solidly anchor the plant in its location. 

Vertical Root Cuttings

Whenever you lift or divide a herbaceous perennial with fleshy roots is the time to obtain the material to produce vertical cuttings. Select some good strong downward travelling roots and sever them from the parent plant, being careful to note at which end you will find the top of the root. Wash the roots to remove any remaining soil and dust with fungicide.   

Back at the potting shed, lay the roots out so that you know exactly which end of the root is the top. The convention amongst gardeners is to start at the top of the root, and using a sharp knife produce a flat cut, then cut off the selected portion at between 2in (5cm) and 2.5in (6cm) using a sloping cut, repeating the process until the whole of the section of root has been used. The flat top and sloping bottom cuts are really to allow the tops and bottoms of the sections of root to be identified.

Having prepared your cuttings ready for planting, give them all another dusting with fungicide to ensure that the exposed ends are protected, and you are now ready to plant them.

I prefer to use individual pots to save the time and trouble of potting on when the new plants begin to grow, but you can choose a bigger pot and plant more roots in the one pot, which makes life easier when it comes to limited space, watering and looking after the plants until they start into growth.

Simply fill your plant pot with a good potting compost and push the sections of root vertically into the compost, pointy end downwards. Some people recommend leaving the tops of the cuttings uncovered so that they get some light, which will encourage chlorophyll production, and others argue that they get better results if the pieces of root are fully covered helping to prevent them from drying out. That is the joy of gardening, if it works for you then it must be the right way to do it.

Simply keep the compost from drying out (Do not over-water), keep the cuttings warm, and in no time at all you will be rewarded with a new batch of your chosen plant. Oh yes I nearly forgot, label your plants when you pot them.