In Part I of this series, we looked at the plant structures involved in propagation, including stems, leaves, buds and roots. Now it’s time to put that anatomy knowledge to work!
A cutting is a portion of a plant that is removed from the parent and used to produce a new plant. Unlike propagation by seed, propagation from cuttings is asexual, meaning the new plant is genetically identical to the plant it came from. In other words, the new plant is a clone of the parent plant.
The basic idea is simple: a cutting must replace what it lost. A piece of stem without roots must produce new roots, while a leaf cutting may need to produce both roots and shoots. Which plant part you take, and whether it can develop into a complete plant, depends on the species.
Stem Cuttings
Stem cuttings are one of the most common ways to propagate landscape plants. A section of healthy stem containing one or more nodes is removed from the parent plant. The cutting can then develop adventitious roots, while buds along the stem produce new shoot growth.
Remember those nodes from Part I? This is why instructions often tell you to make a cutting just below a node. Remove the leaves from the lower portion of the cutting and insert that end into a moist, well-drained rooting medium, leaving one or more nodes above the surface. Keep the cutting moist while new roots develop.
Stem cuttings are often described according to the maturity of the growth being used:
Softwood cuttings come from soft, tender growth produced during the current season. They root readily in many plants but can lose moisture quickly. American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) and gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) can be propagated from softwood cuttings.
Semi-hardwood cuttings are taken from current-season growth that has begun to mature and become firmer. Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) and firebush (Hamelia patens) can be propagated this way.
Hardwood cuttings use mature, woody stems. Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) and gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba) are examples of plants that can be propagated from mature woody stem cuttings.
Rhizome cuttings use sections of underground stems containing buds capable of producing new growth. Cut the rhizome into sections, making sure each has at least one viable bud or growing point, and plant the sections in an appropriate growing medium. Gingers, such as butterfly ginger (Hedychium coronarium) and shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet), can be propagated from sections of rhizome.
Different plants respond best to different types of stem cuttings, so identifying the plant and selecting the appropriate material are important.
Leaf Cuttings
Some plants can produce an entirely new plant from a leaf or portion of a leaf. Depending on the species, a whole leaf and petiole may be used, or the leaf blade may be divided into sections. The leaf or leaf section is placed in contact with a moist rooting medium so that new roots and shoots can develop. In some plants, wounding or cutting the leaf can provide sites where that new growth develops. Begonias are a familiar example.
This ability isn’t universal. A leaf from many plants may produce roots but never develop the shoots necessary to become a complete new plant.
Helping Cuttings Succeed
Regardless of the type of cutting, start with healthy, vigorous plant material and use clean, sharp tools. Cuttings need adequate moisture while they develop roots, but the rooting medium should also drain well. Appropriate light and temperature are also important.
Plants naturally produce hormones, including auxins, that help regulate growth and root development. Commercial rooting hormones contain compounds that mimic or supplement the effects of naturally occurring auxins and can encourage root formation in some cuttings. However, supplemental rooting hormone isn’t necessary for every species. Rooting time can range from a few weeks to several months depending on the plant and the type of cutting.
Most importantly, match the type of cutting to the plant. Knowing whether a species roots best from softwood growth, mature stems, rhizomes, leaves or leaf-bud cuttings can save a great deal of time and explain why that cutting you stuck in a pot six months ago is still stubbornly just a stick.
Next month, we’ll look at another way to produce new plants: starting them from seed.
Miss Part I? Read A Gardener’s Guide to Plant Propagation, Part I: The Anatomy of Propagation here.
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Adapted from CIR579 by Sydney Parker Brown.
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