Plant Propagation Techniques - Cuttings and Layering

Taking Plant Cuttings

Taking plant cuttings is an easy way to propagate your favourite plant. It involves removing a small part of a parent plant, which in time recovers from the shock, forms a callus over the wounded tissue and grows the missing tissues (e.g. root, stem or leaves). Plants can do this because they can differentiate their cells and grow different tissue types.

There are several different types of cuttings, and most plants can be propagated from a number of different ones. However, there is a large variance between plants in their ability to recover and grow from cuttings, some plants take readily to propagation from cuttings, whereas some take a great deal of effort and care (sometimes a good sign that another form of propagation should be used).

The parent plants from which the cuttings are taken should be healthy, and should not have recently been fed.

Herbaceous cuttings are those taken from non-woody plants, such as perennials and house plants (e.g. chilli plants or geraniums).

Softwood cuttings are pieces of new growth taken from woody stock plants (e.g. hydrangea or fuschias).

Hardwood cuttings, as the name suggests, are cuttings that have been taken from tissue that have become woody and is generally used for propagation evergreens (e.g. juniper or laurel)

Once the correct cutting has been selected, it is important to then maintain the correct conditions for rooting to occur. In general, it is best to keep the cutting out of direct sunlight, in a high humidity atmosphere between a temperature of 20°C and 25°C. Without the use of expensive equipment, the best way to copy these conditions is under glass or in a plastic bag in a partially shaded area.

The next important decision is which part of the plant to take the cutting from:

Stem cuttings are the most popular for houseplants. New vigorous growth with no flower buds should be selected and each cutting should be 5 to 10cm long and have 2 or 3 leaves attached. A diagonal cut should be made about 1cm below a leaf node and any leaves at the node removed before planting the cutting in the moist rooting medium.

The container should now be covered with a clear plastic bag tent (to maintain humidity and maintain temperature as previously mentioned) and placed in a warm position in indirect light.

The rooting medium should be checked every few days and kept moist (to maintain the turgidity of the cutting and prevent desiccation).

The only thing left to do now is to wait; rooting can take from a week to several months, depending on the plant and environmental conditions.

To check whether rooting is taking place, cuttings can be gently tugged after a few weeks. If there is resistance, it means that rooting is taking place and that the cuttings are less susceptible to desiccation, so the plastic bag can be removed.

Leaf Cuttings are undertaken in much the same way as stem cuttings, except that single leaves are taken. A single leaf from a fast growing shoot should be cut close to the stem using a razor blade or scalpel and the petiole (leafstalk) removed at the base of the leaf.

Then, the leaf is carefully slices across several of the larger veins on the underside of the leaf with a sharp blade (without cutting through the leaf itself).

The prepared leaf can then be pinned using toothpicks to the moist rooting media so that the leaf is in contact with the media as much as is possible. The container can then be placed in a clear plastic bag and kept moist using a spray gun on a regular basis (every few days).

Leaf cuttings can be seen to be successful when they start to produce fresh leaves. When the smaller plants have developed two sets of leaves, the original leaf cuttings can be cut into pieces and cuttings transplanted.

Root Cuttings should be undertaken in the dormant season (usually winter) when roots have large carbohydrate supplies. However, they also may be taken throughout the growing season. Fresh root growth should be taken of around 2.5-10cm in length and 0.5-1.5cm in diameter.

If you cut straight through the end of the root closest to the stem and cut the other end on a slant, it allows you to remember which end is the top (the straight cut) and which is the bottom (the diagonal cut).

The root cuttings can then be potted up, with the straight cut end uppermost just below (about 1-2cm) the surface of the growth medium.

If the cuttings take growth should be obvious.

Layering relies upon roots forming whilst shoots are still attached to the parent plant and is generally done in early spring, whilst plants are still dormant, or late summer, before stems become woody and inflexible.

This method relies upon bending a branch to the ground and burying a portion of it (holding it in place using a stone or peg), leaving the tip exposed. Rooting success can be greatly improved by wounding or girdling the buried section.

Once rooting is successful, the rooted section of the plant can be removed and planted.

To learn more watch the following videos (These videos are used in teaching horticulture at Haywood Community College, NC, USA sourced from youtube. Go to http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=mountainbikehound to view them all.)