How to Propagate Your Plants

Co-authored by Tyler Radford

Last Updated: December 17, 2022 References Approved

Growing your own plants is a satisfying and inexpensive hobby. Propagation of plants refers to producing more plants by dividing, grafting, or taking cuttings from existing plants. If you have seen a beautiful plant in your neighbor's garden or somewhere else in the area, here is your opportunity to include it in your garden too. Unlike seed, cuttings and divisions of plants will result in an identical plant that will reproduce the same beautiful flowers, blossom etc. that probably attracted you to it in the first place. The fundamental tools you will need for this work are a pair of clippers, a sharp knife, and a pair of gloves.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Jon Rowland
Plant Specialist
Expert Interview. 7 September 2021.} Before you propagate your plant, make sure that it is not protected by propagation laws that apply in some places.^{[2]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Dividing

1
Dig the plant up when the flowers have faded.
2
Shake the soil from the roots.^{[3]
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3
Break the plant into several pieces. The divisions should follow natural points on the plant (at nodes, or between leaves etc.). The important thing is to make sure each divided piece has shoots and roots on it.^{[4]
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4
Replant each piece in good soil in a pot or sheltered garden bed and water thoroughly.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Taking Cuttings

1
Select a suitable pot for your cutting. You might want to use a normal-sized flowerpot for one plant or you can even establish several cuttings in the same pot, planted apart from each other. Seedling tubes are also a good idea for many plants.^{[6]
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2
Prepare the pot. Get a plastic (polythene) bag and place gravel at the base of the bag. The pot will be placed in here after you have made the cutting. Fill the pot with suitable soil - sand and peat for drainage make an ideal combination for many plants. Finally, the pot must be able to drain well (the water will go onto the gravel, rather than pooling in the plastic bag).^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source
Missouri Botanical Garden
Oldest botanical garden in the U.S. and center for botanical research and science education
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3
Cut a firm, young shoot from the current season's growth. Cut it off just below a leaf or joint (node).^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source
Missouri Botanical Garden
Oldest botanical garden in the U.S. and center for botanical research and science education
Go to source}^{[9]
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Expert Source

Tyler Radford
Plant Specialist
Expert Interview. 6 October 2020.}
4
Prepare the cutting. Once you have cut the plant piece, strip or cut off any leaves on the lower half. You can strip or cut off as high as two-thirds if necessary. If the bark looks like it will tear, use scissors. You can also make a small incision to the lower end of the stem to encourage root growth from this "wound".^{[10]
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- You can use rooting powder to propagate a plant with stem cuttings.^{[11]
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  Expert Source
  
  Jon Rowland
  Plant Specialist
  Expert Interview. 7 September 2021.}^{[12]
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  Expert Source
  
  Tyler Radford
  Plant Specialist
  Expert Interview. 6 October 2020.}
5
Insert the cutting into sand and peat in the pot. Use a skewer, pencil, or similar long object to create a hole for the cutting to sit in. Do not use the cutting itself to push in a hole or you will damage it. The idea is to gently drop the cutting into the hole and carefully in-fill with dirt.^{[13]
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6
Place both the pot and the cutting into the bag. Make sure the pot is sitting snugly on the gravel.^{[14]
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7
Tie the top of the bag with a twist tie. This makes it easy to undo for watering and to place back on again.^{[15]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Final Steps for Both Methods

1
Keep the soil moist. Do not soak or over-water the cutting or divided plant or it may rot and not take root. Water spray works well for many plants but take care with succulent and furry leaves. They are best only watered directly at the soil level, otherwise the combination of humidity and water may encourage fungal growth.^{[16]
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2
Pull the cutting or divided plant gently in about 6 - 8 weeks. If you can feel resistance, you'll know there are roots. Most plants will root within 6 - 8 weeks, although some species of plants can take up to 12 months! Do some research on the plant if you are not sure. Most common garden variety plants will root quickly.^{[17]
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3
Transplant to a larger pot or the garden when the seedling is well-established.^{[18]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Understand the difference between asexual and sexual propagation

1
Use sexual propagation for increasing plant numbers by germinating seed and growing the seedlings to maturity. This is probably the most widely used method by the majority of growers, including many agricultural grain crops.^{[19]
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- There are many ways to pre-treat seed for attempting germination in the artificial setting of a greenhouse. These are processes used in an effort to overcome seed dormancy and reach successful germination on a human driven schedule. Mother Nature does a wonderful job of overcoming dormancy so seed will germinate at the safest time for the seedlings to emerge into a growth friendly environment. We try to imitate those processes to grow plants indoors successfully.
2
Use asexual propagation for processes that involve using the leaf, stem, and root cuttings. Some common ways to do this type of propagation are leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, rhizome propagation, tuber propagation, and water propagation.^{[20]
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Expert Source

Jon Rowland
Plant Specialist
Expert Interview. 7 September 2021.} All of these asexual methods develop plants that are essentially clones of the original specimens. Putting slips into a jar of water in the kitchen window until roots form are stem cuttings. This method as a high risk of mold developing.^{[21]
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- Dividing clumps of plants, such as Hostas, when they get very large is another form of asexual propagation.
- Plant bits of a rhizome root will cause new plant growth and is another form of cutting. The practice of grafting which is often used with roses and fruit trees is a type of asexual propagation.
- Use layering with raspberry canes where they are bent over to the ground and covered with soil where new roots will develop.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I keep tiny bugs away from my aloe vera plant?

Community Answer

You can typically control small bug populations by squirting your plant with a stream of water and then rubbing the colonies off the leaves with a soft cloth.
Question

In covering the new plant in the polyethelene bag, should it be exposed to direct sunlight?

Community Answer

Don't let your cuttings dry out, get too hot or too wet. Keep them in dappled shade or indoors until established.
Question

Can you provide some details about asexual propagation?

Community Answer

Plants are often propagated asexually by a process known as "cloning" whereby a living segment is selected and severed from the parent and then planted, forming an independent, genetically identical clone. The segment is determined based on its viability as a self sufficient organism, with the exact boundaries of the segment depending on the species. If cut in the optimal place and planted in soil, the clone will grow new roots or other relevant moisture absorption apparatuses. This process may be repeated an infinite number of times, at little to no detriment to the parent plant ,provided that it has enough time regrow. This form of asexual propagation is often done methodically by human agriculturists but also occurs naturally for some species, ch actually break off into viable segments upon forcible enough contact with other kinetic elements in the environment, such as wind or getting caught on the fur of a passing or browsing animal.

Warnings

Equally, do not over-water or you risk encouraging fungal growth or rotting.

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Don't let your cuttings dry out, get too hot or too wet. Keep them in dappled shade or indoors until established.

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The knife used to make a cutting must be clean, to avoid any possibility of transferring disease to the plant.

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