Plant Doctor Archive

Propagating dianthus

I have lovely dianthus in my garden and would like to share my plants with some keen gardening friends? What is the best way to propagate them?

Dianthus can be grown from cuttings taken in spring or summer. Take fresh, healthy cuttings from non-flowering shoots and trim the tops off with sharp scissors. Dip in a softwood hormone powder to stimulate root growth and plant in a container filled with equal parts of peat moss and sand. Water well and drain. Cuttings will generally take three to four weeks to establish themselves.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.