There are several reasons that you might want to learn how to take a plant cutting. Perhaps you are moving to a new home and want to take some of your favorite plants or shrubs with you. Maybe there’s a plant that has sentimental value and you’d like to preserve the memory by planting one in your own landscape. Or maybe your plants are simply flourishing and ready for a trim, making it the perfect time to learn how to take a cutting from a plant! You can share the new plants you propagate with friends and family or fill in vacant spots around your own house.
Propagating Plants from Cuttings
Propagation refers to the breeding of new plants from a parent plant. It seems like magic, but yes – you can grow a whole new plant just from a cutting! Cuttings can be propagated in a variety of ways, such as in a moist pot of soil, a damp paper towel and a plastic bag, or even in a glass of water. With a bit of care and patience, you’ll be well on your way to raising new plants for your garden or houseplant collection.
How to Take Plant Cuttings
When making a plant cutting for propagation, take care in selecting a piece of the plant that is healthy and well-hydrated. Stems with leaves that are dried out, curling, or yellowed will not root well. Keep an eye out for the nodes of the plant, which appear as bumps along the stem or at the base of the stem where leaves attach. The plant nodes are spots where a new leaf, bud or roots can sprout and are the best place to encourage new root growth.
Using a sharp, clean pair of scissors or knife, make a clean cut underneath a node on your plant. The cutting should be long enough for the cut end to be buried in soil or submerged in water — roughly four to eight inches (10-20 centimeters) is an ideal length.
Softwood Cutting Propagation
The variety of plant you want to propagate will further determine the maturity stage of the cutting you should select — herbaceous, softwood, semi-hardwood, or hardwood — as well as which methods will be most successful to propagate your cutting.
Soft-stemmed green plants such as pothos or philodendrons will propagate easily using most methods as long as you choose a healthy, flexible herbaceous cutting with intact nodes. Softwood cutting propagation is also fairly forgiving and refers to the stage when the stem of the plant is just starting to harden and able to snap.
If you are interested in propagating roses, it’s typically recommended to take a rose cutting in the softwood stage. Woodier, more mature plant cuttings, such as semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings, may need more attention to their rooting conditions and often require extra humidity in order to develop roots successfully.
If you have an herbaceous cutting, in many cases you can simply root your plant cutting in a glass of water and start to see tiny roots growing in a matter of days. Propagation by water is very easy and a common method for propagating houseplants. Be sure to remove any leaves on the lower part of the stem that will be submerged.
In general, it is a good rule of thumb to remove most of the leaves from your cutting since it will allow the cutting to focus more energy on growing the roots. Keep the glass in a sunny spot and change out the water every few days to keep it from becoming stagnant, and within a few weeks you’ll have a cutting with strong roots ready to be potted.
How to Take a Hardwood Cutting
For more mature, woodier plant cuttings, roots will take longer to develop (usually several weeks to months) and the cuttings should be monitored to make sure they have enough humidity and hydration. Dipping a hardwood cutting in rooting hormone can be a helpful starting step to give it an extra boost in sprouting roots. Just like softwood cuttings, you will want to remove the lowest leaves of the cutting to allow enough stem for root growth.
A common practice is to wrap the cutting end in a damp paper towel and then place it in a sealed plastic bag in a warm spot. Check the cutting every few days to make sure it stays moist without rotting. Once starter roots have emerged, move the cutting into a pot of well-draining soil, keep it moist but not waterlogged, and continue to monitor its growth. Once the roots are a few inches long, it will be hardy enough for replanting.
If you have a variety of plant that is known to root easily, you could bury your fresh cutting directly into a small pot of potting mix. Cuttings can be prone to disease and fungus, so opt for a soilless potting mix or perlite mix if this is a concern and make sure to keep the plant hydrated and in a warm, sunny location. In general, herbaceous and softwood cuttings have a higher chance of rooting than semi-hardwood or hardwood cuttings. In any case, you may want to prepare more than one cutting in case some of your new plants do not propagate successfully.
List of Plants That Grow from Cuttings
Some plants are easier to grow from cuttings than others. Here’s a list of different types of plants that are most successfully grown from stem cuttings:
6 Trees to Grow from Cuttings
1. Lemon Tree
Lemon trees can be grown from cuttings and make attractive potted trees for a deck, patio, or sunny balcony. Plant your lemon tree in the ground when it becomes too large for a patio pot. 2. Juniper Tree
Junipers are popular for creating hedges or planting around the foundation of a house. Propagating the plants you need from cuttings is an economical way to get all the shrubs you need from a single plant. 3. Fig Tree
Potted figs make a beautiful focal point for a patio or deck. The fig can be planted in the ground when it outgrows its pot or the space. 4. Elderberry
Elderberry is a low-maintenance plant that provides multiple seasons of beauty. You can easily grow more elderberries from stem cuttings to place throughout your landscape. 5. Willow
Willow trees are a good choice for areas with moist soil, such as low spots in the landscape or near pods or streams.
6. Tea Olive
Mature tea olive trees produce clusters of fragrant flowers. Plant them near areas where people congregate, such as a patio or deck, where the sweet fragrance can be enjoyed.
6 Shrubs to Grow from Cuttings
1. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle’s dense foliage is good for hiding an unattractive fence or training to a trellis to create a privacy screen. The flowers have a sweet fragrance and provide a food source for butterflies and hummingbirds.
2. Forsythia
Forsythias are popular for creating hedges. A single plant can supply many cuttings to grow into shrubs for a hedge or foundation planting. 3. Dogwood
Dogwood shrubs are great for naturalizing around large landscapes. Most types have attractive foliage, good fall color, and produce berries that offer a food source for birds.
4. Holly
Evergreens, like Holly, offer a touch of color in otherwise dull winter landscapes. Hollies can be used to create a privacy hedge, foundation planting around a house, or to create a backdrop for a flowering borders. 5. Lilac
Lilacs’ lush, fragrant flower clusters are a sure sign that spring has arrived. These fast-growing shrubs make an excellent screen, wind-break, or informal hedge. 6. Hydrangea
Hydrangeas are so popular you might be able to get stem cuttings from your friends or family. Any of the species are easy to propagate for sharing or adding more hydrangeas to your landscape.
6 Perennial Flowers to Grow from Cuttings
1. Rose
Taking a rose cutting is a common way to preserve varieties that may have sentimental significance. The flowers or fragrance may hold memories of a special time, place or loved one. 2. Bee Balm
Bee balm (Monarda) is one of the most popular plants to grow to entice hummingbirds to the garden. Grow them near a deck, patio, or porch where you can sit and watch your winged visitors. 3. Chrysanthemum
Many commercial growers that supply the chrysanthemums sold at garden centers every fall, grow their mums from stem cuttings. So easy, you’ll want to try it yourself! 4. Sedum
Most sedum species are incredibly easy to propagate from cuttings or plant division. The low, spreading varieties make great groundcover for hot, dry areas and a single sedum plant can provide many cuttings to cover a large area. 5. Catmint
Catmint is an excellent choice for areas that experience summer drought. Established plants are virtually carefree and the fragrant foliage and flowers attract bees and butterflies. Propagate plants to create a low border or a groundcover. 6. Lantana
Lantanas are at home in the garden or growing in pots or hanging baskets. By starting lantana plants from stem cuttings, you can grow plants to place in many locations.
6 Annuals to Grow from Cuttings
1. Impatiens
Dense plantings of impatiens are a great way to add a mass of color to shady locations. They’re also popular for pots, hanging baskets and window boxes. 2. Geranium
Vegetative geraniums (those that are not started from seed) are easy to propagate from stem cuttings. Keep a few of your favorite geraniums as potted plants through the winter to use for taking cuttings in the spring. Grow them in a bright window to keep them healthy until you can safely return your plants outdoors. 3. Begonia
Many species of begonias are available in an array of colors, leaf shapes and sizes. Stem cutting can be used to grow begonias for the garden, pots, hanging baskets and window boxes. 4. Coleus
The colorful foliage of coleus is a great way to brighten up mixed containers or use individual plants in pots or the garden for consistent color all summer long. Remove flower buds as they appear to keep all the plant energy focused on growing foliage.
5. Salvia
Starting salvia from stem cuttings is a great way to produce more plants for creating a garden edging or growing in a pot. The tubular flowers will attract hummingbirds and bees!
6. Hypoestes
Commonly known as a polka-dot plant, the beautiful, speckled foliage of Hypoestes makes a colorful filler for mixed annual plantings or grown individually in a pot. Hypoestes can be brought indoors for the winter and enjoyed as a houseplant near a bright window.
6 Houseplants to Grow from Cuttings
1. Pothos
Pothos is one of the easiest houseplants to grow from stem cuttings. You can grow them in water or start directly in soil to share plants with friends, family, or coworkers.
2. Philodendron
Philodendrons come a wide array of shapes and sizes. Propagating philodendrons from stem cuttings is a great way to share your plants or trade with other philodendron fans for varieties you don’t have.
3. African violet
African violets grown from stem cuttings have been a source of new plants for generations of houseplant enthusiasts. African violets are easy to care for, produce beautiful velvety foliage, and are reliable bloomers under optimum growing conditions. 4. Monstera
Propagating monstera plants can be a little confusing since they produce aerial roots along the stem as they grow. Aerial roots serve to anchor the plant to trees in nature and will not start a new plant. A proper stem cutting, including a growing node, is required to grow a monstera from a stem cutting. 5. Snake plant
Sansevieria (snake plant) is so easy to grow, it’s ideal for anyone new to growing houseplants or who is forgetful about watering. Snake plant’s rigid leaves, and distinctive vertical lines look great in rooms with a modern décor.
6. Spider plant
Chlorophytum (spider plant) is another incredibly easy plant to grow and share. Baby spider plants are produced on long stems that extend from the main plant. The little plantlets are ready to be snipped right off and placed in water or soil to start a new plant. Propagating plant cuttings may require some trial and error as you determine what conditions your specific plant cuttings prefer. With a bit of perseverance, your efforts will pay off and you’ll be rewarded with a wealth of new plants to decorate your home and share with family and friends. If you’re new to plant propagation, try putting a pothos cutting in a glass of water and watch for the roots to start sprouting — it’s that easy!
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