A four to six inch piece of stem, stood in a tall glass of water or pushed half its length into damp soil mix, grows roots of its own. That is a cutting: an exact copy of the plant you love, so long as you keep the moisture high until it settles in.
A key benefit is that you reproduce the same exact plant as the one you love!
A great many plants are very easy to grow from cuttings, such as willow, olive, pear, apple, fig, coffee and grape.
On to the technical side of preparing cuttings. Here are the tips on how to correctly prepare cuttings.
→ Shortcuts: cuttings for roses, hydrangea, geranium, zz plant, oleander
→ Note: cuttings is different from grafting
Basically, a cutting is a piece of the plant that you cut off and place in a substrate for roots and shoots to grow.
Cuttings in soil mix is what works for most plants.
To ensure constant moisture, place a clear plastic bag atop the pot and fasten it with a rubber band. Another good option is to use a garden cloche to increase air humidity.
Many plants are able to sprout roots even if all they have is water. It’s possible to use stems and tips of branches. Sometimes even a single leaf is enough.
For both soil and water cuttings, the length of 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) is perfect. Indeed, several new cuttings can be made from a single, longer branch.
Exceptions: some cuttings can sprout upside-down, slanted, or lain flat, like Plumeria and willow, and many grasses. For example, papyrus sprouts however it’s planted.
Though it sounds technical, micropropagation is simply the idea of cuttings, taken to the extreme. A tiny clump of cells is collected from the host plant and set to grow in a special growing medium. It involves pipettes and micro-dosing nutrients.
Micro-propagation is how breeders grow thousands of identical clones from a single plant. Most forestry trees are grown this way.
The three methods described above suit different plants and different levels of patience. Here is what each one asks of you, and what it gives back.
| Method | Substrate | Key step | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuttings in soil mix | Special cutting soil mix, or a mix of peat and sand | Bury at least half the stem, water abundantly, then keep the air humid under a clear plastic bag or a cloche | The widest range of plants |
| Water cuttings | Plain water in a tall glass or thin-necked vase | Change the water every 2-3 days to prevent algae, and pot up once roots reach about an inch (3 cm) | Stems, branch tips and, for some species, a single leaf |
| Micro-propagation | A special growing medium | A tiny clump of cells is lifted from the host plant, with pipettes and micro-dosed nutrients | Breeders producing thousands of identical clones, and most forestry trees |
Whichever you choose, a piece 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long is the right size, and it must go in right side up.
For most plants, woody stems are used. However, many plants can sprout a new plant from leaves, stalks, roots and even fruits.
A stem is taken from the plant. It can be cut into several portions, as long as at least a few nodes and leaves are present on each portion.
The stem or branch then becomes the “trunk” of the new plant. Roots sprout from the bottom and new leaves and branches appear at the top.
A single leaf is plucked from the plant. The portion that was attached to the plant is wedged into clean soil mix. A new plant emerges from the underground part of the leaf. The leaf itself shares its nutrients to the new plant, and then it withers away.
Several species such as begonia, African violet and other indoor plants like the Zamioculcas are compatible with this particular technique.
Many plants with thick roots or tubers can be propagated simply by snipping a piece of root from a larger plant.
The small piece of root is then buried directly where the new plant is to grow. An intermediate step where it is planted in a pot is also possible.
Placing the root only in water (water cuttings, as described above) won’t work. Indeed, since it’s fully formed, the root needs to breathe air, too.
A flower that is often propagated through root cuttings is the Iris flower. Some shrubs also easily propagate through root cuttings, such as common snowberry.
Some fruits evolved to multiply after being eaten. Of course, seeds often do the trick, but some seedless fruits still propagate! Take Ananas comosus, (common pineapple) for instace. When ripe, animals wrestle the fruit from the plant and bite it off. The green-leaved tip then sprouts roots and turns into a new plant!
Species that are most often propagated through cuttings, all techniques combined, are listed here:
Camellia, rhododendron, buddleia, Maule’s quince, forsythia, tree mallow, fuchsia plants, honeysuckle, lilac, soap bush, meadowsweet, weigela, hibiscus, aster, dahlia, lantana, nasturtium, clematis, wisteria, wild privet, cypress, oleander, etc.
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