Open Grow Guide

Propagating from stem cuttings

By Open Grow Guide Updated

This guide covers stem, leaf and root cuttings, with the timing, tools and numbers each one needs. Stem cuttings come first, and softwood ones are generally taken in spring or early summer. Most stem cuttings are 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long, dipped in rooting hormone and set into a clean medium. You then cover them, keep them warm and moist, and wait for roots. That wait runs anywhere from 2 to 16 weeks, depending on the plant species. Leaf cuttings and root cuttings follow their own rules, and the later steps cover both.

When to do it

Softwood cuttings are generally taken in spring or early summer, while the plant is producing soft, actively growing stems. For woody shrubs such as summersweet clethra, early summer gives the greatest rooting success. Semi-hardwood cuttings are ready when the stem snaps like a green bean instead of bending limply. Perennial hibiscus cuttings can be rooted whenever new growth is available, although rooting is usually quickest in spring. Root cuttings are usually taken in early spring or late winter, before the plant starts growing. Cuttings taken later in the season root with more difficulty and may need a rooting hormone that earlier ones did not. Collect cuttings in the morning from a plant that was well watered beforehand.

What you need

A clean, sharp knife or pruner makes the cuts. You also need a rooting hormone product, and only a small amount of it goes on each cutting. For woody plants, one containing 1,000 to 10,000 ppm IBA can produce 80 to 100% rooting. The medium is the next item. A mixture of equal volumes of peat moss and coarse perlite suits most plants. Perennial hibiscus can instead use three parts sand to one part peat. Whatever you choose must drain freely and be free of disease organisms and weed seed. If you mix your own, spread it in a layer and heat it at 220°F (104°C) for 1 hour. Add a container, a liquid fungicide, and a clear plastic bag with stakes or hoops to hold it up. Leaf cuttings also need small stakes or toothpicks to pin them in place. For light, a north window or fluorescent lights work indoors.

Step by step

  1. Step 1

    Take softwood cuttings in spring or early summer, while the plant is producing soft, actively growing stems

    Test a stem's readiness by bending it: a semi-hardwood cutting snaps like a green bean when it is ready, instead of bending limply.

  2. Step 2

    Take softwood cuttings from woody shrubs, such as summersweet clethra, in early summer for the best chance of rooting

    Cuttings taken later in the season root with more difficulty, and may need a rooting hormone treatment that earlier cuttings did not.

  3. Step 3

    Collect cuttings in the morning, from a plant that was well watered beforehand

    For perennial hibiscus, you can take a cutting whenever new growth is available, though rooting is usually quickest in spring.

  4. Step 4

    Cut the stem with a clean, sharp knife or pruner

    Make most cuttings 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) long. For woody shrubs such as clethra, cut shorter stems, about 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) long. For perennial hibiscus, start with a pencil-thick cutting of firm new growth, 5 to 6 in (13 to 15 cm) long.

  5. Step 5

    Strip the leaves from the bottom 1 in (2.5 cm) of the stem before you insert the cutting into the medium

    For perennial hibiscus, strip the lower leaves before you set the cutting into its rooting mix.

  6. Step 6

    Dip the bottom 1/2 in (1.2 cm) of the cutting into a rooting hormone product, then gently tap off the excess

    Use only a small amount, since too much hormone slows root development instead of speeding it up. For woody plants, a hormone with 1,000 to 10,000 ppm IBA can produce 80 to 100% rooting.

  7. Step 7

    Prepare a free-draining rooting medium before you take your cuttings

    Mix equal parts peat moss and coarse perlite for most plants, or three parts sand to one part peat for perennial hibiscus. Whatever mix you use, it should drain freely and stay free of disease organisms and weed seed. Skip compost and garden soil, since both are likely to carry pathogens and weed seeds. If you make your own medium, sterilize it first by spreading it in a shallow layer and heating it at 220°F (104°C) for 1 hour.

  8. Step 8

    Insert the cutting upright into the medium, just deep enough to hold it in place, usually 1/2 to 1 in (1.2 to 2.5 cm)

    Space cuttings in the container so their leaves do not touch one another.

  9. Step 9

    Water the cuttings in, then treat them with a liquid fungicide

    From then on, keep the medium moist but never soggy or wet.

  10. Step 10

    Cover the cuttings with a clear plastic bag held up on stakes or hoops, so the plastic does not rest on the leaves

    This keeps relative humidity near 100 percent around the cuttings, which cuts down on the water they lose through their tender leaves.

  11. Step 11

    Keep the rooting environment between 70°F and 80°F (21°C to 27°C) to encourage the best growth

    Some sources instead suggest 75°F to 80°F (24°C to 27°C) for optimum results.

  12. Step 12

    Give the cuttings diffused light, and never set them in full sun, where the cover will overheat

    Indoors, place them near a north-facing window or under fluorescent lights for 12 to 16 hours a day.

  13. Step 13

    Check the inside of the cover every day

    Add moisture if no water has condensed overnight or if the medium looks dry.

  14. Step 14

    Expect rooting to take anywhere from 2 to 16 weeks, depending on the species

    Many stem cuttings root within three weeks. A rooted clethra cutting can grow enough to fill a one-gallon container by the end of the season.

  15. Step 15

    Begin hardening off a rooted cutting by increasing the time between mistings, or by increasing the airflow around it

    At the same time, increase light gradually by moving the plants into spots that get more sun. Plants that are not hardened enough are less likely to survive being transplanted.

  16. Step 16

    Admit air gradually to wean the cuttings off their humid cover, then pot each one singly before you plant it outdoors

    Remember that a cutting without roots cannot take up water to replace what it loses through its leaves, so letting it dry out at this stage will kill it.

  17. Step 17

    Stick leaf cuttings, such as begonia, upright in the medium, with the leaf's basal end inserted into the mix

    For Rex begonia leaf cuttings, instead wound the leaf by cutting through the underside of its main veins, then lay it flat on the medium. Pin leaf cuttings to the moist medium with small stakes or toothpicks to hold them in place while they root.

  18. Step 18

    Take root cuttings in early spring or late winter, before the plant starts growing again

    Cut them 2 to 7 in (5 to 18 cm) long, depending on the root's diameter.

  19. Step 19

    Lay small, delicate root cuttings, 1/8 to 1/4 in (3.2 to 6.4 mm) across, horizontally in the medium

    Set larger root cuttings, 1/4 to 1/2 in (6.4 to 12.8 mm) across, vertically instead, with the end nearest the original crown facing up.

  20. Step 20

    Keep root cuttings between 55°F and 65°F (13°C to 18°C), cooler than the 70°F to 80°F (21°C to 27°C) range used for stem cuttings

    Wait until shoots have emerged and enough new secondary roots have developed before you move them to their own containers.

Mistakes to avoid

A cutting that dries out will die, because without roots it cannot absorb water to replace what it loses through its leaves. Check the inside of the cover daily, and add moisture if no water condensed overnight or the medium looks dry. Overwatering is also a mistake, since the medium should be moist but not saturated or wet. Putting the cuttings in full sun is another, because the cover will overheat there. Diffused light is the right choice. Using too much rooting hormone is a mistake as well, since excessive amounts slow root development. Compost and garden soil are poor choices of medium because they are likely to contain pathogens and weed seeds. Crowding cuttings so their leaves touch one another goes against the setup, and so does letting the plastic rest on the leaves. Moving rooted cuttings out too fast carries a cost, because plants that are not adequately hardened are less likely to survive transplanting. Waiting too late in the season makes rooting harder and may call for a rooting hormone.

How this page was made

  • Written with AI assistance from the sources listed on this page. AI is never the source of a fact.

How we work