Why Propagate Plants by Cutting or Layering?
These are two easy ways to get additional plants with little effort and no cost. A cutting is a small shoot or branch cut from a plant and placed in water, soil, or planting medium to root and form a new plant. Layering is bending and pegging the shoot of a living stem to the soil. The shoot takes root while still attached to the parent plant.
Stem Cuttings
Cuttings from stems can be taken any time in the growing season. Select 3- to 5-inch lengths of non-flowering shoots. Using a knife or pruner, cut just above a leaf joint (where the leaf attaches to the stem). Trim to just below such a joint and remove the leaves from the lowest third of the stem. Insert cuttings almost to the lowest leaves into soil. Put cuttings around the edge of the pot.
Make sure the leaves do not touch. Water and treat with liquid fungicide. Cover with a plastic bag supported by stakes or hoops to keep it off the leaves. Give cuttings bright light but not sun. Keep soil moist but not wet. The cuttings should root within three weeks. Admit air gradually to wean the cuttings from their humid environment, then pot singly before outdoor planting.
| Plant | When to Propagate | How to Propagate | Where to Plant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astilbe | Early spring before foliage unfolds | Cuttings or division preferred to seed. After first killing frost, cut plants down to the ground, or leave in place for spring clean-up. Divide every 3-4 years. Dig up crown, shake free of soil, rinse roots around crown with water. Cut through center of crown with knife. Should have 3-4 "eyes" (buds) in each section. Replant sections at same height as original crown. Water and add light mulch. | Dappled shade or sun if kept watered. |
| Candytuft | Spring, early summer, or fall | Seeds. Layer. Cuttings. Cut close to root with knife, or tear off at terminus. Soak after planting. Cut back foliage. | Sun/part shade |
| Chrysanthemum | Spring | Divide roots. Stem cuttings. Take cuttings in early spring or late winter. | Sun/light shade |
| Coreopsis | Spring/fall | Fall pruning. Cut off at ground, lift with spade or fork. Divide with spade or knife. Stem cuttings. | Full sun |
| Dianthus | Spring or after bloom | Layer. Cuttings. Divide with knife or pull apart. | Sun |
| Geranium (Scented) | Late August/early September | Stem cuttings before frost. Take four-inch stem; strip off last few leaves, let age for one day. Put in sand or vermiculite out of sun but in light. Root four weeks and handle as a seedling. | Sun |
| Lavender | Early spring/fall | Tip cutting taken from new growth in fall or divide in early spring. Break apart clump. Use knife/spade to divide. | Full sun |
| Monarda | Spring/fall | Root division | Sun/part shade |
| Impatiens (New Guinea) | Root mid-February | Stem tip cutting 2-3 inches. Stick into soil straight up and down. Try to give bottom heat (75°F) | Half-day shade |
| Salvia (Sage) | Cut to ground in winter | Annual. Can take tip cuttings in summer. Winter little plants indoors. | Sun |
| Sedum | Spring or after bloom | Mid-April separate new growth. Stem cutting. Divide with knife and pull apart. Set high. Also, can root a piece of stem by sticking it in soil. | Sun/part shade |
| Thyme | Mid-spring to early summer/fall | Cut heavily in spring to woody stem. Also cut up to October, but no more than 1/3 maximum. Divide (they break apart easily). Layering in spring works well. | Full sun/partial shade |
| Yarrow | Spring and after bloom | Stem and tip cuttings. Root division. Divide in half (or more if it has some age on it) with sharp knife. Divide or replant every third year. Set plant high when replanting. | Full sun/well drained soil. |
Root Cuttings
Root cuttings are best for perennials with thick, fleshy roots and should be taken when the plant is dormant. Lift the plant and wash soil from the roots. Select roots of pencil thickness and cut off with a knife beneath the crown. Trim off any trailing, fibrous roots. Cut into 3- to 5-inch sections with a straight cut nearest the crown at the top of the root and an angled cut at the bottom. New shoots appear from the top of the cutting. Insert vertically (thin ones horizontally) with the flat end up into pots of damp cutting soil (equal parts peat moss and sand). Put the flat tip end flush with the surface, firm, water, and dress with compost. When cuttings develop young shoots, put them in individual pots filled with soil-based potting mix. Grow until they are large enough to plant out.
Leaf Cuttings
Cuttings can also be made from leaves. Fleshy leaves are best for this method. Cut into the main vein of leaves, for it is at these points that baby plants develop, and put the stem of the leaf in moist sand.
Layering
To layer, bend a branch down to the ground and fasten it so part is beneath the soil. This section should have a wound (a notch or small slit held open with a pebble) on its underside to stimulate root development. Hold the branch down with a peg or brick. The leafy end of this branch (5 to 10") should be above ground for it will be the top of the new plant. Spring is the best time for layering. Keep soil moist. Perennials usually root in about eight weeks.
