A Cut Above The Rest: Utilizing Plant Cuttings
The Gardener’s Shortcut
Propagating plants from cuttings, also known as cloning, is one of the most rewarding skills a gardener can learn. It’s a simple and effective way to multiply your favorite plants, ensuring that their best qualities live on. This guide will walk you through the benefits, the necessary supplies, and the step-by-step process to turn one plant into many.
Why Propagate?
1. Get a Head Start on the Growing Season Taking a cutting from a mature plant is like fast-forwarding through the seedling stage. Because the cutting comes from an established plant, it is developmentally more advanced than a plant started from seed at the same time, leading to faster growth and earlier maturity.
2. Create Perfect Replicas of Your Best Plants A cutting has the exact same genetic makeup as the "mother plant" it was taken from. This means if you have a plant that is especially beautiful, productive, or resilient, you can create identical copies that will share those same desirable traits when grown under the same conditions.
3. Grow a Continuous Supply of Plants Propagation allows growers to create a perpetual harvest cycle. By routinely taking cuttings from healthy plants, you can cultivate a steady stream of new plants, ready to replace older or harvested ones. This ensures your garden remains productive and full year-round.
What You’ll Need:
1. A Healthy Mother Plant- Success starts with a great source. Choose a thriving, disease-free plant that is at least two months old and is currently in a vegetative (leafy growth) state, not a flowering one.
2. A Clean, Sharp Cutting Tool- A scalpel or a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears is essential. Disinfecting your tools and work surfaces before you begin is a critical step to prevent transferring diseases to your vulnerable new cuttings.
3. A Home for Your Cuttings (Plugs, Tray & Dome)- Your new cuttings need a medium to root in and a humid environment to thrive. This typically includes:
A rooting medium: Options include soil, rockwool cubes, or specialized grow plugs like Root Riot.
A tray: To hold your plugs and keep your workspace tidy.
A humidity dome: This clear plastic cover traps moisture, keeping humidity high (95-100%) for the first few days, then tapering to 80-85% for the following week. Alternatively, a dedicated hydroponic clone machine handles all of this for you.
4. A Container of Water- A common cause of failed cuttings is an embolism—an air bubble that gets trapped in the stem and blocks water uptake. You can easily avoid this by immediately placing freshly cut stems into a glass of water while you work.
5. Rooting Aid- While not always required, a rooting hormone significantly increases your success rate. These gels or solutions encourage rapid root development and often contain fungicides to protect against "damping off," a common fungal disease.
Popular choices: Clonex Gel, Olivia's Cloning Solution, Nitrozyme, and FOOP are excellent commercial options.
D.I.Y. options: For a natural approach, you can use fresh aloe vera gel or make willow water, as the bark contains natural rooting compounds.
6. A Gentle Light Source- Cuttings root best when they receive 18-24 hours of low-intensity light per day. A simple fluorescent shop light or a dedicated T5 fluorescent fixture is perfect for this.
Ready to Start Cloning? We carry a full range of propagation supplies—from professional-grade cloning machines and light strips to our favorite rooting aids—to help ensure your success. Feel free to call or stop by the shop
Step-By-Step
Step 1: Choose Your Mother Plant Select a healthy, well-established plant that is at least two months old. Look for strong, vibrant branches that are free of pests or disease.
Step 2: Take Your Cuttings Using your clean, sharp blade, make a decisive 45-degree cut across a healthy branch. Each cutting should be about 3-4 inches long.
Pro Tip: Take cuttings from the lower, more mature sections of the plant. These branches often contain more rooting hormones and tend to root more easily than newer, top-tier growth.
Carefully trim away the lower sets of leaves, ensuring at least two healthy sets remain at the top of the cutting.
Immediately place the finished cutting into your glass of water to prevent air bubbles.
Step 3: Apply Rooting Aid and Plant Have your tray of pre-moistened grow plugs ready. Take one cutting from the water, dip the cut end about half an inch into your chosen rooting gel or solution, and then immediately insert it into a grow plug. Gently squeeze the plug around the stem to ensure good contact. If using a cloning machine, place the cutting into a neoprene collar according to the machine’s instructions.
Step 4: Create a Humid Environment Thoroughly moisten your growing medium, but do not leave it soggy or with standing water. Place the cuttings in the tray and cover securely with the humidity dome.
First 2-3 Days: Keep vents closed to maintain 95-100% humidity.
Next 5-7 Days: Open the vents slightly or lift the dome for a few minutes each day to lower humidity to around 80-85%.
Step 5: Provide Light and Warmth Place your cloning tray under your light source for 18-24 hours per day.
Light: Fluorescent lights in the blue spectrum (4000K-9000K) are ideal for rooting.
Heat: Cuttings root fastest when their medium is slightly warmer than the air. Aim for a medium temperature of 75-80°F and an ambient air temperature of 70-75°F. A seedling heat mat placed under the tray is the perfect tool for this.
Step 6: Transplant Your New Plants After one to three weeks, your cuttings should have developed roots. You’ll know they are ready when you see new vertical leaf growth and roots poking through the bottom of the grow plugs. At this point, you can discard any cuttings that show no signs of root formation.
Once a healthy root system is visible, you can transplant your new clones into larger pots. Begin feeding them with a diluted nutrient solution and harden them off just as you would any young seedling.