After reading this tutorial, you can start multiplying your most beautiful plants on your own. Read here how to cut cuttings correctly. Benefit from solid tips and tricks about the vegetative propagation method.

Propagation by cuttings works best in early summer

Table of Contents

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  1. All Seasons
  2. Young and unwoody
  3. where to cut
  4. How long to cut?
  5. Cut and edit
  6. wound cut
  7. stick
  8. frequently asked Questions

    9. Propagation of cuttings at any time of the year

    Early summer is the high season for cutting cuttings. Then many plants are in the sap and the floral life pulsates up to the tips of the shoots. Nevertheless, there is the option at any time of the year to devote oneself to offspring from cuttings. The following table provides an overview of popular plant species:

    Spring/Spring early summer/summer late summer/early fall Winter (sticks)
    ivy Clematis snowball forsythia
    delphinium dogwood barberry weigela
    sun eye honeysuckle pagan Buddleia
    phlox beard flower boxwood elder
    daisy hydrangea periwinkle liguster
    kitten willow rose holly Wild Wine
    cornel balcony flowers conifers ornamental currant

    Cuttings are young and unwoody

    As a cutting, in gardeners' language, the Shoot section of a mother plant designated. Special cultivation techniques encourage the tiny plant to form its own roots and grow into a strong young plant. Herbaceous shoots are primarily used for this purpose. Half-lignified shoots are the ideal starting material for the propagation of trees and shrubs. Annual pruning of shrubs and trees usually provides a wide range of potential cuttings with the clippings.

    Optimal interface: under buds

    Buds are the control centers in plant growth. They therefore play an important role in propagation by cuttings. Depending on the type of plant, buds are obviously large or tiny, so they are also referred to as eyes. Do not cut a cutting just anywhere, but like this:

    • Head cutting cut 3-5 mm below a bud or a pair of buds
    • Cut partial cuttings from the middle shoot section above and below one eye

    On leafed cuttings you don't have to keep a long lookout for buds. Mark them here attachment points of the leaf stalks the best position for the cut. A safety distance of a few millimeters prevents you from cutting into the vegetation point. The stub up to the bud should not be longer than 5 to 10 mm, otherwise the rooting process will be delayed or fail completely.

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    Cambium activates rooting

    Partial cuttings are cut just below or above a bud for good reason. In the immediate vicinity of a vegetation point there is a high proportion of valuable dividing tissue, known in technical jargon as the cambium. The cambium contains important reserve substances that promote the growth of new roots.

    Perfect length: at least one internode

    The interface is just as important for an exemplary cutting as the right length. The size and vigor of the mother plant largely determine the ideal size of the offshoot. Cuttings of a rock garden perennial, such as a cactus, sedum or thyme are almost 2 centimeters small, whereas wood cuttings reach a whopping 20 centimeters in length.

    Focusing on the internodes saves you from guesswork about the perfect cutting length. An internode marks the distance between two buds or leaves on a shoot. Consequently, this section is bald or slightly hairy. For a cutting to grow, it must be at least one internode long. The respective plant species determines the optimum length. While a cactus cutting is content with one internode, majestic shrubs benefit from many more internodes.

    tips

    Premium quality potting soil is always low in nutrients. A mix of sand and peat or pure coconut hum motivate a cutting to root. A wafer-thin layer of mature compost on the bottom of the pot provides additional encouragement for rapid root growth. If cuttings sense the richly covered nutrient buffet, they send their roots there with all their might.

    Cut and process cuttings

    Rarely can a cutting be planted immediately after cutting. To ensure that rooting and growth proceed in a controlled manner, professional processing follows the cut. How to do it right:

    • Take a clean cutting tool in one hand
    • Stabilize the cutting with the other hand
    • Count the required number of internodes
    • Cut off the lower end, a few millimeters below the bud or leaf
    • Cut partial cuttings at the tip above the bud or leaf

    A normal cutting is put half or two thirds in potting soil. Leaves on this section are removed because substrate contact could trigger rot. At least one pair of leaves should be visible. Since large leaves on the small cuttings evaporate too much moisture, they are cut in half.

    rooting powder

    With a number of plant species, a long line of patience is required when propagating cuttings until rooting finally begins. You can speed up the process with a rooting powder. Well suited and approved for the home garden is the preparation "Neudofix Root Activator" made from purely natural algae lime. If you dip the foot of the cuttings into the powder, root growth will be vigorously stimulated.

    Wound pruning improves rooting

    Some of the most beautiful flowering shrubs are sensitive to pruning and have a hard time with fresh shoots, such as rhododendron and azalea. In order for a cutting to be rooted and thrive vigorously, a modified cut necessary. By inflicting a targeted wound on the chosen instinct, you will stimulate growth. That is how it goes:

    • Cut the cutting normally with a sufficient number of internodes
    • Defoliate the lower part, cut the upper leaves in half
    • Cut off a 5-10 mm long and flat chip at the base of the cutting opposite the bud

    The aim of the wound is the formation of wound tissue, the so-called callus. This is dividing tissue that is actually responsible for wound healing. In many shrubs that are sensitive to pruning, callus tissue also stimulates the growth of new roots.

    digression

    Cut safely with a cutting knife

    Is the propagation of cuttings more often on the program for you during the year? Then it is worth investing in a cuttings knife. This is a folding knife with a straight blade, a single-edged cutting edge and a straight handle. This structure enables a completely level cut and prevents fatal crushing of the plant tissue. To ensure that no pathogens are transmitted when cutting cuttings, you should meticulously clean the blade after each mother plant and disinfect it with alcohol.

    Special case of sticks

    The quiet, low-work winter time can be used productively for a variant of cuttings propagation. Simple flowering shrubs such as Buddleia, Forsythia or Weigela are perfect candidates for propagation from sticks.

    After autumn leaf fall, cut pencil-length shoots with a bud at each end. Plant each shoot deep in loose, humus-rich substrate. Only the upper node should still be visible. By spring, new roots will form on each stick.

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    frequently asked Questions

    What is the main difference between the two propagation methods seed and cuttings?

    If you propagate plants by sowing, it is the so-called generative method. The genetic material of the plants involved is recombined. As a result, seedlings differ more or less markedly from their parent plants. The vegetative propagation by cuttings, on the other hand, gives you an exact likeness of the mother plant. For this reason, most hobby gardeners prefer the cuttings method to propagate shrubs, perennials and houseplants. Here an exact prognosis can be made as to which attributes the young plant is equipped with.

    If in doubt, is a longer or a shorter cutting advantageous for the propagation process?

    In garden practice, it has proven useful to cut cuttings with two or more internodes. The longer the shoot section between two buds, the longer the cutting can be. At first glance, this results in a larger number of leaves with a correspondingly higher degree of evaporation and the threat of drought stress. In return, the cutting has more potential to produce the substances required for root formation.

    I have heard that conifer cuttings are better off. How does it work?

    In fact, cuttings of thuja, fir, larch, juniper and other coniferous trees should be plucked off and not cut off. The best time is from the beginning of August to the end of September. This year's sufficiently woody side shoots of a healthy, woody main shoot are suitable. First cut off the main shoot about 5 mm below the side shoot. Then tear off the side shoot as the actual cutting with a jerk. A tiny tongue of bark develops, which significantly improves rooting.

    How can I tell rooting without digging up a cutting?

    When a cutting sprouts, the leaves signal that the first roots have formed in the substrate. If you are still unsure, carefully pull on the root neck. If you feel a clear resistance, the cutting has its own root system. You can now remove a cap and administer a liquid fertilizer at half the concentration for the first time.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    An incorrectly chosen interface ends all hopes of successful propagation of cuttings. Anyone who does not partially defoliate a leafy cutting will struggle with rot in the substrate. Drought stress is inevitable when large leaves evaporate copious amounts of moisture. Here, explore the 3 most common mistakes made when cutting cuttings with tips on how to prevent them.

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    Cutting cut somewhere no rooting cut just below a bud or leaf
    lower half of shoot not defoliated Spread of rot in the growing medium Always remove leaves that are in contact with the substrate
    large leaves not reduced drought stress Halve large cutting leaves

    tips

    All efforts to achieve the perfect cut are in vain if the cuttings then dry up. Put a transparent hood over the growing pot or bowl. The local warm, humid microclimate prevents your pets from suffering from drought stress. Daily airing prevents the formation of mold.

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