How to Propogate Plants
Easy on the Wallet: There are so many ways in which plants are unlike us, and thank goodness for that. Imagine if we, wanting to make clones of ourselves, needed to cut a limb just below a joint to grow a whole new human? And yet that’s exactly what happens in the case of plants. Unlike seeds, which may or may not grow true to their original, propagated plants are exact duplicates of their mother plant. And all it takes to propagate are scissors or clippers, water or soil, and, if wanted, powdered or liquid rooting hormone or organic alternatives. –Propagation may just be the cheapest and easiest of all aspects of gardening. It’s hard, after all, to beat an activity that takes only a few minutes and nearly zero dollars. Plus, it’s also very, very close to magic.
When to Propagate: Late September is an absolute opportune time to make plants for free. Why? Because for many plants, propagation takes best via semi-hardwood cuttings. These are stems that are partially mature, with a woodier base and soft, greener tips. Late summer and early Fall have plants in just such a state a-plenty.
How Exactly to Cut a Cutting: So you’ve gathered your clippers and you’re outside. Now where exactly do you make the cut? First find a plant in a semi-hardwood state. Avoiding the woody base, travel up the length of the stem until you encounter branching stems that have lost their brown woodiness. Follow that stem out until you come to the first set of leaves. All leaves on plants emerge from leaf nodes. Prior to leafing out, these nodes both look and feel like small bulges. When cutting, snip just below a leaf node, being careful not to nick the node. The roots will sprout from leaf nodes that are below the soil line if planting in soil, or the water line if in a vase. If you leave stem on the plant below the bottom-most node it’s not the end of the world, but it won’t root there and essentially only acts as a possible entry point for fungus and bacterial disease. Snipping off just below the node takes away that risk.
I’ve Snipped my Cutting: Now What? Many cuttings will root in water alone. How to tell if your cuttings are these? Generally, entirely woody, or soft, limp cuttings will not thrive in water. They will need to be planted into soil from the beginning. To start in water you are looking for firm, green stems with a healthy node. Once you have your cuttings chosen (take cuttings from non-flowering stems), slip them immediately into a plastic bag or container. Once a plant is cut it immediately starts to lose moisture. Sealing it inside a container or bag helps the cutting hold onto its water reserves until you can plant it. After you’ve collected your cuttings, it’s time to plant. Whether rooting in water or soil, you want to give the plant the absolute best chance of putting its resources and energy where they are needed most: making roots. To that end, strip off all leaves except for a few at the top. This alleviates the plant’s burden of sending energy and nutrition there.
Choosing Water: If you choose to root in water, simply place your cutting in a clear or colored glass container so that the node/nodes you would like to root are below the water line. Change the water every 2-3 days to replenish the oxygen supply and help stop any bacteria from getting a foothold. Water rooting is immensely satisfying, as it’s so simple to watch the roots appear. It may take a few days to even weeks for roots to emerge (different plants will have different rooting speeds) so patience is key. But you will soon be rewarded. Wait until the roots are at least 1-1.5” before transplanting in peat-free potting soil. How many cuttings to place per container? For cuttings in water, I’ve found that one plant per container works best, as the delicate young roots of multiple plants can become easily entangled, leading to even greater chance of root injury or stress when later transplanting into soil.
Planting in Soil: Push your cutting gently into the soil until the leaf node is entirely covered. Planting along the edges or in the corners of your pot can benefit your cuttings in a few ways: 1) The center of a pot has less oxygen and poorer drainage, which can cause your cutting to rot before it has a chance to root out and grow. 2) Planting close to the edge encourages roots to divide: when they hit the edge of the container they split, creating many branching roots instead of just a few. 3) Space management: By planting along the four sides or corners of your pot, there is less chance of tearing roots due to entanglement when the day comes to transplant them into larger pots or into the garden. Visually (unless you’re growing in a clear-sided pot!) you won’t have the immediate satisfaction of watching the roots emerge and grow, but the plant will let you know when it has rooted, anyway: if you see new growth on your cutting, your plant has rooted.
What About that Rooting Hormone? Using rooting hormone is not necessary. But it does give cuttings potted in soil a boost. When we take a cutting from a plant, that cutting is immediately stressed. Rooting hormone creates a natural plant hormone called auxin. This signals to the plant that it should begin forming roots. There are synthetic hormones available in powder, gel and liquid form. For organic gardening honey can act not as a rooting hormone, but as an antiseptic and antimicrobial powerhouse, helping moisturize and keep the cutting healthy to prevent rot and allow it a chance to naturally root & grow, which, after all, is the entire point!
Water your soil-planted cuttings immediately. Covering the potted cuttings with a plastic bag (placing the bag over the plant and the pot, both, and securing with twine or a rubber band) is an ideal way to help retain moisture in the soil, aiding healthy rooting. Just poke a hole or two in the bag to help circulate air and accommodate gas exchange. Just remember if you use plastic, to save it and reuse it again and again, instead of throwing it away. Plastic cannot always be avoided in gardening, but it can definitely be rare, and, when used, kept within the gardening cycle through reuse.
Whether rooting in water or soil, enjoy the propagation process. It’s quick, simple, straightforward, nearly cost-free…and will literally create many exact-replica plants right before your very eyes.