Easy Plant Propagation

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Rooting in water is quick and easy for plants that can be propagated this way. Other plants will root best in soil or a soil-like medium such as perlite or vermiculite. Roots that form in water are structural wimps compared to those that grow in soil. Either of these mediums, or a mixture of half peat moss and half sand, will reduce problems with disease when you’re working with slow-rooting woody cuttings. To speed things up, many people use rooting powders or gels, which provide synthetic forms of several common plant hormones. However, research studies show that plants that root readily do not benefit from hormonal stimulation, plus there are natural alternatives you can make yourself at home (see “Rooting in Willow Water,” below). If you are working with a challenging plant (such as blueberries or another slow-growing woody plant), the Rooting Database hosted by the University of California is a magnificent source of information on success rates using various rooting mediums, rooting hormones and much more. Hundreds of challenging trees, shrubs and perennials are listed by common or botanical name. With the right technique, you can propagate almost any plant from a cutting.

Improving Your Luck

Herbaceous or green-stemmed cuttings (the most common type gardeners handle) root as readily in compost-amended potting soil as they do in sterile soilless mediums as long as six key factors receive close attention.

Choose a donor plant that has not yet begun flowering, but is approaching mature size. If the cuttings do have buds or flowers, snip them off. Rooted cuttings retain the general maturity level of their parents, but until they have enough roots to support reproduction, you should remove flowers that try to form.

Make sure the donor plant is in good condition. Water it the day before collecting cuttings, which are at their best during the morning hours.

Keep cuttings small — no more than 6 inches long — and remove all but the topmost three to four leaves. A few leaves help the cutting survive on light-derived energy, but too many will suck the cutting dry.

Temperatures must be kept warm, around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, so bottom heat from a warming mat (or heating pad) is especially beneficial. Outdoors, wait until after your last frost passes to try rooting anything (other than root-bearing divisions) directly in the garden.

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