Making cuttings -- the fastest way to get a mature plant. The ideal time to do this is in the spring
and summer when plants are actively growing, although it’s not impossible to do
in winter, if you want to use “woody” cuttings.
Also, the easiest part of a plant to start cuttings from is the actively
growing upper part, rather than the mature (woody) base.
The First, Second,
Third and Fourth
parts of growing from cuttings is very much the same as those parts we
discussed last month for seedlings.
Prepare your pots, paying attention to soil texture, nutrient levels,
and mold. You will want to prepare and
have ready, containers to receive cuttings before you actually cut, -- the cuttings need to have a clean, fresh
cut which can absorb nutrients and water.
Just a note about putting cuttings in water rather than soil . . . roots
developed in water are not the same as roots developed in soil, so if you start
out in water, the cutting will have to start all over again after you transfer
it to soil. (I know, . . . I didn’t
believe it either until I extensively, and skeptically researched it.)
Fifth, when you make
cuttings, be sure that you a stem long enough to include “leaf nodes” which
should be buried beneath the soil – this is where roots begin. Also, strip all the leaves except for a very
few at the top. This cuts down on a now
rootless plant trying to support big leaf structures.
Sixth, cultivate extreme
patience !!! It may take weeks for roots
to develop, and you don’t want to disturb this growing environment until there
is an abundance of roots. To test whether roots are being formed, give your
cutting a slight tug – if there is resistance, it tells you that roots are
holding the plant. At that point, you
can pop the cutting out of its pot and check to see if there is a whole network
of white hair-like roots.
Seventh, it is probably too
soon to plant directly into the soil, so transplant to a larger pot and give
your new plant some more light and back off on the moisture. By poking your finger into the soil, you
should be able to see if its dry down about an inch – then it’s time to water.
Last Step is to transfer your
healthy plant to its final destination.
Another
adaptation to this method is what I call the “brick method” . . . bend down a
stem until you can bury it in the ground (but still keeping it attached to the
mother plant). Scape the stem as before,
bury it, place a heavy weight on top and declare that weight to be off limits
to everybody. Go off and leave the plant
for a couple of months. When it is
firmly attached to the ground, cut it from its mother and transplant it to its
preferred destination. This is my
favorite means of propagation !!
I have only scratched the surface on this subject, so if you are
interested in learning more, a good and extensive article on propagation by
cuttings is the following https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/plant-propagation-by-stem-cuttings-instructions-for-the-home-gardener
Submitted by -
Martha Dysart
