What Is Plant Cutting? A Detailed Guide to Cutting Propagation Methods
Cutting:
A nutritional organ such as a root, stem, leaf or scale is cut from the parent plant and inserted into soil under suitable conditions; thanks to their meristematic function and regenerative capacity, the lost organs are regenerated and develop into a new plant. When the stem of a herbaceous plant is cut, adventitious roots are generally produced by parenchyma cells near the vascular bundles; but in perennial woody plants, adventitious roots originate from the vascular cambium region, usually produced in the parenchyma of the young phloem. Depending on which part of the plant is cut, cuttings can be divided into stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, leaf-bud cuttings and root cuttings. Common plants grown from stem cuttings include dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), cypress, olive, banyan, grape, Chinese rose, willow and poplar, lemon, azalea, camellia, holly, lilac, begonia, chrysanthemum and sugarcane. Plants propagated by leaf cuttings include rex begonia (Begonia rex), snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) and mother of thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana).
An introduction to cutting propagation methods for 9 common potted plants! Easy to root and fast with cuttings
“After the new rain in the empty hills, evening brings the autumn air” - before we know it, autumn is deepening, and this is exactly the good season for taking cuttings from indoor potted plants. If you want your potted plants to easily fill their pots, doing their cutting propagation well is an indispensable step. So how should potted plants be propagated by cuttings? Below we introduce the cutting methods for 9 common potted plants, let's learn together.
Image: Mint
1. How to propagate mint by cuttings
Select a vigorous branch, choosing between the tender tip and the woody part at the end of the mint, and the branch must have at least three bud nodes; remove the leaves at the bottom of the mint to reduce water evaporation, take off the bottom leaves; prepare clean soil - garden soil or nutrient soil will both do; simply bury the bud nodes on the mint stem nodes into the soil; after planting, use a sprayer to wet the surface soil; place it in a cool, ventilated spot with scattered light, and in about 4-5 days the white tender roots will grow out; once the roots have grown well, place it on a south-facing balcony for care, give it plenty of sun and ventilation, and keep the soil moist.
Image: Copper coin grass
2. How to propagate copper coin grass by cuttings
Copper coin grass is really very easy to keep alive. First find a watertight container and put some mud into it; separate the chosen copper coin grass from the roots and insert its stolons in; add water to about nine-tenths full; place it in a spot with super good light, and just remember to add water in time! In 3-5 days, copper coin grass will grow roots; afterwards, care for it with plenty of fertilizer, plenty of water and plenty of sun, and copper coin grass will quickly fill its pot.
Image: Petunia
3. How to propagate petunia by cuttings
Choose clean nutrient soil, put it into a seedling box, press it firm gently with your hand, then use a small stick to poke a hole in the middle; water it thoroughly with water mixed with carbendazim. Then simply take the shoots removed when pinching and topping the petunia for cuttings, and keep the length of the cuttings between 4-5 cm; soak the wounded part of the cutting in a carbendazim solution for about 20 minutes, then smear on a little rooting powder and let it dry in a cool, ventilated place; insert the cutting into the soil, spray with water and place it in a cool, ventilated place for care; it can take root in about 5-7 days. After rooting, do not rush to transplant it; wait another 1 week or so, and once the roots have grown sturdier, transplant it into a flower pot; after transplanting, first place it in a cool, ventilated place for 2-3 days to let the roots settle, then place it in a spot with good light for care - after 1 month it will fill its pot.
Image: Geranium
4. How to propagate geranium by cuttings
Starting from the tip, cut a section of stem 7-10 cm long; the leaves and small buds below the stem must all be removed; soak the wounded part of the geranium in a carbendazim solution for about 15 minutes to disinfect it, then place it in a cool place to dry; prepare seedling blocks, soak them open in water, and simply insert the geranium into the seedling blocks. If you do not have any, you can also use sponge to wrap the wounded part of the cutting; in about 5-7 days, the geranium will take root, and after waiting about 1 more week, it can be potted up; after potting up, first place it in a cool, ventilated place for 2-3 days to let the roots settle, then place it in a spot with good light for care. For the daily care of geranium, remember the seven words plenty of fertilizer, plenty of water and plenty of sun - only in this way will it bloom abundantly!
Image: Pothos
5. How to propagate pothos by cuttings
Cut a vigorous branch of pothos; when choosing, pay attention and look carefully to see whether it has nodes; prepare a clean container and fill it with water - tap water will do; first place the pothos branch in a cool, ventilated place to dry, then simply insert it into the water; in summer, change the water about once every 1-2 days. In about 7 days or so, the pothos will take root, and you can continue growing it in water.
Image: Moss rose
6. How to propagate moss rose by cuttings
Cut a branch of about 10 cm, choosing a relatively vigorous one. Prepare clean perlite; if you do not have any, you can also substitute vermiculite, river sand or other granular soil; wet it with water, first place the cutting in a cool place for 1-2 days to dry; insert it into the perlite, water it thoroughly, and keep it moist for these few days; in about 2-3 days you will see little white things emerging on the stem, which means it has properly taken root - once the roots have grown sturdier, it can be transplanted; after transplanting, first place it in a cool, ventilated place for 2-3 days to settle, then take it out for outdoor growing.
Image: Madagascar periwinkle
7. How to propagate Madagascar periwinkle by cuttings
Select the tender shoots at the top of the Madagascar periwinkle, remove the flowers and the lowest leaves, place the branch in a carbendazim solution to disinfect it, then let it dry; prepare a few bottles, then cut out a few round discs from cardboard sized a circle larger than the bottle mouth, and poke a hole in the middle of each disc big enough for the Madagascar periwinkle branch to be inserted; insert the Madagascar periwinkle branch through the hole, add water to half-full in the bottle, and put the cardboard on top; then place it in a cool, ventilated place for care, and it will generally take root in about 7-10 days; after transplanting, first let the seedling recover for 2-3 days, then just keep the soil moist and give it plenty of sun.
Image: Succulent
8. How to propagate succulents by cuttings
Cut the succulent in half across the middle, remove all the leaves below the succulent and keep only the few at the very top. Then place it in a cool place to dry; prepare clean vermiculite or perlite; if you have neither, you can also substitute other granular soil; simply insert the succulent, and it will take root in about 5 days. Note that before the succulent takes root, do not water it first - drought can make succulents root faster; after it has rooted, water it thoroughly in one go, leave it in a shaded place for 1-2 days, then give it plenty of sun, and water only when the soil is dry and stop when it is wet.
Image: Chrysanthemum
9. How to propagate chrysanthemum by cuttings
Select a tender shoot of about 10 cm at the top of the chrysanthemum, pinch it off, place it in a carbendazim solution to disinfect it, then let it dry; prepare clean nutrient soil, put it into a container, and water it thoroughly; simply insert the branch, and for the following week keep the soil moist so that it can grow roots quickly; once it has rooted it can be transplanted, and after it has recovered for a period, be sure to give it plenty of sun and keep the soil moist - only in this way will it bloom abundantly.
[Editor's concluding remarks]Autumn is exactly the good season for taking cuttings from potted plants, and it can greatly increase the survival rate of cuttings. The article above introduced the cutting methods for 9 common potted plants - have you all learned them?