How to Propagate Plants From Cuttings

The Easiest Method to Propagate New Plants

How to Propagate Plants by Rooting Stem Cuttings

The Spruce / Jiaqi Zhou

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 10 - 20 mins
  • Total Time: 2 - 3 wks
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $10

Plant propagation is simply the process of creating new plants. Many plants can reproduce on their own by dropping seeds or through suckering, for example. You can also propagate plants an easy way by taking stem cuttings. Trim off a healthy portion of a stem, place it in water or a growing medium until it develops roots, and then plant it in a pot or the ground.

Propagating plants from cuttings is an easy and common way to create new houseplants, but it works for many garden plants. In cold-weather zones, you can take clippings of tender annuals and root them indoors to prepare a supply of new plants for garden planting in the spring.

Here's how to propagate plants from stem cuttings using these easy steps so you can multiply your garden plants and houseplants.

Watch Now: How to Propagate Dipladenia

When to Propagate Plants From Cuttings

Stem cuttings can be taken and rooted at almost any time during the parent plant's active growth period. You also can take cuttings from many woody plants (plants with hard stems) during their dormancy. In cold climates, you can take cuttings in the fall before frost arrives, root them indoors, and then transfer them to pots. By springtime, you will have vigorous potted plants that can go back into the garden.

Types of Plants to Grow From Cuttings

Soft-stemmed herbaceous plants are the easiest to grow from cuttings, but many woody plants can also be propagated with this method. The following list includes examples of plants that grow from cuttings.

  • Semi-hardwood cuttings are woody around their base but have softer stems up top. Examples of plants that can be propagated via semi-hardwood cuttings include holly, hydrangeas, and azaleas.
  • Hardwood cuttings have woody stems throughout. Examples of plants that can be propagated via hardwood cuttings include crepe myrtle, forsythia, and rose species.
  • Softwood cuttings have flexible soft stems. Examples of plants that can be propagated via softwood cuttings include clematis, asters, and chrysanthemums.
  • Greenwood cuttings are very similar to softwood cuttings, except that their base is slightly harder and they take a bit longer to grow. Examples of plants that can be propagated via greenwood cuttings include boxwoods, dahlias, and gardenias. 

Before Getting Started

The key to successful rooting of stem clippings is to find the appropriate moisture and temperature level for your plant cutting. In addition, applying rooting hormone to the cut end helps encourage root production. The time a plant takes to root will vary—herbaceous annuals may root quickly but perennials and woody plants, such as shrubs, can take longer.

Tip

Some cuttings will successfully root in a container of fresh plain water. However, transferring a water-rooted seedling to soil doesn't always work, so it's generally better to root cuttings in soil.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Razor blade or scissors
  • Small container for rooting hormone (optional)
  • Pencil or stick

Materials

  • 6-inch containers for planting
  • Soilless potting mix
  • Existing plant (parent plant)
  • Alcohol
  • Rooting hormone (optional)
  • Plastic bag

Instructions

materials for growing plants from cuttings

The Spruce / Loren Probish

How to Grow Plants From Cuttings

  1. Prepare a Container

    Fill a clean 6-inch-deep container with soilless potting mix to hold cuttings for rooting.

    A soilless mix drains well and provides suitably moist conditions that encourage the cutting to root. Don't use ordinary garden soil, as it might contain pathogens that can kill the cutting before it ever takes root.

    preparing a pot

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  2. Choose a Parent Plant

    Select a healthy parent plant from which to take cuttings.

    Avoid plants with diseases or lots of drooping or dying foliage. The best specimens for cuttings will have plenty of new growth and be large enough that taking cuttings will not harm them.

    Tip

    Good green growth is more important in a parent plant than plentiful flower buds. Too many flowers can actually hinder the ability of a cutting to grow roots.

    choosing a plant for cuttings

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  3. Find the Best Stems for Cutting

    • Choose green, soft (non-woody) stems for cuttings. Newer growth is easier to root than woody, older stems.
    • Look for a stem with a node—a bump along the stem where a leaf or flower bud attaches. This point is where new roots will emerge. 
    deciding where to take the plant cutting

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  4. Take the Plant Cutting

    • Use a pair of scissors or a razor blade that has been sterilized in alcohol to make a clean cut just below a node.
    • The cutting doesn’t need to be long, but it should contain at least two leaves and one node.
    • A cutting that is 4 to 6 inches long is usually sufficient. Longer cuttings sometimes dry out when placed in their growing medium.
    taking the plant cutting

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  5. Prepare the Cutting

    • Place the cutting on a flat, hard surface, and make a clean, partial slice through the middle of the node with a sterilized razor blade. Scarring the node will increase the chances of roots emerging from this spot.
    • Then, remove all but one or two leaves on the cutting. The cutting needs some leaf growth to continue photosynthesis, but too many leaves will consume energy that would otherwise go to root creation.
    • If the leaves are very large in proportion to the stem, cut off the top halves of the leaves.
    preparing the cutting

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  6. Apply Rooting Hormone (Optional)

    This step is optional. Some plants root easily on their own, but rooting hormone can help others by stimulating the cutting into sending out new roots.

    • Wet the node end of the cutting.
    • Dip it in a small container of rooting hormone.
    • Tap off any excess hormone; too much actually hinders chances for success.
    dipping the cutting in rooting hormone

    The Spruce / Candace Madonna

  7. Bore a Planting Hole

    Use a pencil or similar pointed object to poke a planting hole into the potting mix, rather than planting the cutting straight into the soil. Make the hole slightly larger than the stem diameter. Doing so will prevent rooting hormone from being wiped away when you embed the stem in the pot, and it's also gentler on the stem.

    boring a planting hole

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  8. Plant the Cutting in the Soil

    • Carefully plant the cutting in the hole you made in the potting mix.
    • Gently tamp the soil around it.
    • You can fit several cuttings into one container, but space them so the leaves do not touch one another.
    planting the cutting in the hole

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  9. Cover the Pot With Plastic

    • Place the container with the cutting into a plastic bag. The bag will keep the humidity high and hold in heat.
    • Do not seal the bag completely because some airflow is necessary to prevent fungal rot.
    • Keep the container in a warm spot in the house, ideally in an area that has indirect bright light.
    • Don’t put the cutting in full sunlight until new leaves begin appearing along the stem.
    preparing to cover the pot with plastic

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

  10. Monitor the Cutting

    • Until roots form, keep the soil slightly moist but not so wet that condensation forms on the inside of the plastic bag.
    • Check the cutting regularly for signs of rot, and remove any suspect cuttings as soon as you spot trouble.
    • After two to three weeks, begin checking for roots by tugging gently on the cutting. When you begin to feel resistance, it means roots have developed. 
    • At this point, you can transplant the cutting into its own pot or the ground.
    monitoring the cutting

    The Spruce / Loren Probish

FAQ
  • Where do you cut plants to propagate them?

    Cut just below where a leaf attaches to the stem, which is the node. Do not leave much stem below the node or that part will rot.

  • Can you put cuttings straight into soil?

    You can put a cutting into a fresh pot of soil or try rooting them in water, but it's often best to put the cutting straight into soil.

  • What plant cuttings will root in water?

    Some plants are known to root easily in water. Try herbs, such as mint or basil, and other plants, such as pothos, coleus, impatiens, begonias, philodendron, and baby's tears.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Plant Propagation. University of Maine Extension.

  2. Plant Propagation. University of Maine Extension.