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Index : Miscellaneous Gardening Topics
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- 33. New Plants from Cuttings - Top
It's not always necessary to go to the nursery or garden center to obtain new plants. You can start your own plants from cuttings of your favorite garden and landscape plants or those of your friends and neighbors. It's fun and easy to do. All you need are the cuttings, a soil-less media to root them in, and some rooting hormone. Any supplies you need to purchase will be much less expensive than buying the plants themselves, and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself!
Spring is the best time to start new plants from cuttings. Most will root easily from either softwood or hardwood cuttings. Softwood cuttings are taken from the new growth flush. These shoots or stems are pliable and bend without breaking. They are vigorous and easy to root, depending on the plant species. Semi-hardwood cuttings, as the name implies, are taken from softwood stems that have matured, but have yet to become hard and woody. When you bend semi-hardwood stems they snap. Most plants will root from semi-hardwood stem cuttings.
Cuttings should be collected in the early morning. That's when they have the highest moisture content and are least likely to wilt. Immediately place the cut end of the stems in a bucket of water and keep them there until you are ready to place them in the rooting media.
Take your cuttings from the ends of shoots and stems. The cuttings should be 4 to 6 inches in length. Make an upward slanting cut directly below a leaf node. The nodes are where leaves attach onto stems. Cuts should be made with a sharp knife or hand pruners. Leaves are then removed from the lower half to two-thirds of the cutting. This has two purposes, first to prepare the cutting for "sticking" in the rooting media, and second, to reduce moisture loss from the cutting through leaf transpiration.
The media used to root cuttings should be sterile and free of pathogens. That's why it is not advisable to use garden soil or ordinary potting soil. An excellent rooting media can be made by mixing together equal parts of sphagnum peat moss and perlite. Another excellent material for starting cuttings is vermiculite. All of these products are available in small and large bag quantities at local garden centers.
You can place the media in any container that has drainage holes. Plastic or wood flats, individual plastic pots, plastic milk jugs, liter cola bottles, and other items that have or can have drainage holes punched into them. They also should be deep enough to stick cuttings into the media at least 2 inches deep with enough room left for roots to grow out the bottom and sides.
Prior to placing the cuttings into the rooting media, wet the media thoroughly. It is advisable to apply rooting hormone on the cut end of the stem. Rootone and other rooting hormones are sold in small bottles in garden centers. Most contain 1% IBA (indolebutryric acid). The IBA is mixed with talc, so that it may be easily dusted on the cut end.
To avoid contaminating the hormone, do not dip cuttings directly into the bottle. Instead, pour a small amount of the hormone talc into a paper cup. The cut stem can then be dipped directly into the talc in the cup. Make a hole in the rooting media about 2 inches deep with a sharpened pencil. The hole will allow the cutting to be placed into the media without pushing it in and rubbing off some of the hormone talc.
Cuttings can initially be placed fairly close together when using a flat, tray or large pot. A three or four inch spacing between cuttings will provide enough room for initial root growth. Firm the media around the cuttings to ensure good contact with the cuttings and to provide them support. Eventually, rooted cuttings will need to be repotted in individual containers or in the ground.
To keep the cuttings from drying out during the rooting process, a mini-greenhouse should be created by using clear plastic to enclose the cuttings, pots, trays and all. A simple greenhouse can be made by placing the hole rooting container in a large, clear plastic bag. Wire hoops or stakes can be used to prevent the plastic bag from laying on the cuttings. Moisture droplets will form on the inside of the plastic if the media is sufficiently moist. If not, add more water to the media.
Keep the cuttings in a warm location, but out of direct sunlight. Leaves at the top end of the cuttings will continue to photosynthesize and provide the needed carbohydrates for root development. Every week or two, give a gentle tug to one of the cuttings to help determine if rooting has occurred. When leaves perk-up and some evidence of new growth appears, then the cuttings have developed roots and may be transplanted.
Slowly acclimate the rooted cuttings to drier, sunnier conditions before planting in the ground. Gradually open the plastic "greenhouse" cover to acclimate the rooted cuttings to drier air, and give them gradual exposure to sunlight before actually planting them out in there permanent growing locations.
Tickets are now on sale for the 6th Annual Master Gardener Home Garden Tour, to be held on Saturday, April 12th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $6.00 and may be purchased at the Extension Center at 4210 N. Campbell Avenue, at Harlow Gardens and Rillito Nursery & Garden Center. For more information call 626-5161.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
- Updated: April 6, 2003
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