Growing Plants from
Cuttings
Watch those little suckers grow!
It’s very satisfying and fun to grow from cuttings
 Growing from cuttings saves you money
 The plant you get is the same as the parent
 Can be used where seeds are not produced
 Cuttings make it easy to extend the biodiversity
of your house and garden
 There is a minimum of equipment required
 Fully developed stronger plants obtained quickly
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Why propagate
with cuttings?
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Soft wood
Semi – Hardwood
Hardwood
Herbaceous
Leaf cuttings
Root cuttings
Types of Cuttings
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Propagating knife
Sharpening stone
Secateurs
Dibblers or dibble sticks
Potting medium
Containers (pots, tubes or flats)
Watering can with a fine rose
Pot-in-pot propagator
Equipment Required
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Viruses and bacteria can carry over from plant to
plant
They can be devastating
Wash all punnets, implements, trays and tags in
disinfectant solution –
◦ Dettol
◦ Bleach
◦ Household disinfectant
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Wash your hands!
Hygiene
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A well drained, aerated mixture that
retains moisture
◦ Coarse River Sand
◦ Perlite
◦ Cocopeat
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A general purpose mix is 2 parts perlite: 2
parts washed sand: 1 part cocopeat
Propagating Medium
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Choose a healthy, disease free shoot
Use a sharp knife or secateurs
Keep the cuttings cool and moist
Strip off lower ½ to 1/3 leaves
and remove flower buds
Cut stem below a leaf node
Use rooting material if required
Prepare growing medium and insert
cutting
Do not overwater
General process
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Plants showing symptoms of mineral
deficiencies
Heavily fertilised plants
Plants showing moisture stress
Obviously unhealthy plants
Plants injured by frost or drought
Wood that is stunted or weak
Stems that have abnormally over vigorous
growth
Material to Avoid
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Taken from the top 50-100mm of the
growing tip
Taken in spring to early summer
In early morning
Will snap not bend
Clean cut with a sharp knife
Use the pot-in-pot propagator
Examples: Daphne, azalea
Softwood Cuttings
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Cuttings are taken from shoots which are
becoming mature, firm base with soft tops
Look for terminal bud; full size leaves; pliable
stem with mature colouring
Take material in summer to autumn
Can be used with trees, shrubs, climbers
Remove ½ to ¾ of lower leaves and roll out
flower buds
Used with shrubs and trees
As for general process
Semi-Hardwood Cuttings
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Taken when plants are dormant and free
of leaves (mainly deciduous plants)
150-200mm of plant material
Above one node and below another
Slant top cut, basal cut straight across
Dibble into pot-in-pot propagator
Examples: elderberry, grape, gooseberry,
rose
Hardwood Cuttings
Usually used for soft succulent growth of
plants like geranium, chrysanthemum,
colleus
 75-100mm of terminal growth, retaining
upper leaves
 Let dry off if wet
 As for softwood cuttings
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Herbaceous Cuttings
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Take root trimmings from young stock in
late winter to early spring
Not grafted stock
Lift and replant (small stock) scrape soil
away from suitable roots (larger stock)
Select firm sturdy, undamaged roots and
cut cleanly (top straight/bottom angled)
Cut into 5cm sections.
Dibble roots vertically into propagating
mix
Root cuttings
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Take cuttings as per softwood cuttings
and place in a jar of water
Leave in indirect light
Change the water at least weekly
Wait until plants grow roots and pot on
Can be used with basil, tomato, lemon
verbena, rosemary, mint
Using Water to Strike
Cuttings
Increases the number of cuttings forming
roots
 Speeds up root initiation
 Increase number and quality of roots
Substances to use  Plant hormones (rooting powders)
 Willow Water (let cuttings stand in it for a
few hours)
 Honey (smear on the
end of the cutting)
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Rooting Substances
Once the roots have grown,
move the cuttings outside
outside for a few days before
planting out
 Plant out later in the afternoon
if planting direct into the garden
 Dig a hole, plant, mulch and
water it
 If planting into a pot keep them
moist until established
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Hardening Off
and Planting out
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