What Kind of Plants Can Be Started From Cuttings?
Just about any plant can be propagated by a cutting. There are hard wood cuttings, soft wood cuttings, and leaf cuttings. The few plants that cannot be started from a cutting include bulb plants, like the lily. Shrubs, house plants, and most landscaping plants will clone themselves with cuttings. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Soft Wood Cuttings
-
Soft wood plants that can be started from a cutting include azaleas, rhododendrons, and other deciduous plants (plants that lose their leaves each year). Root the cuttings in a coarse soil medium. Soft cuttings from plants like honeysuckle or wisteria are easiest to propagate. The cuttings should be only about 6 inches long.
Hard Wood Cuttings
-
Hardwood cuttings are taken from plants in the winter, or dormant time of the year. Plants such as forsythia, pussy willow, or grape vine are perfect for hardwood cuttings. Just remember that each cutting must have a bud node on the end which goes into the planting medium. Dig a trench and bury the cuttings part way. Mulch to protect the cuttings. In the Spring, the cuttings will develop leaves and roots at the same time.
-
Leaf Cuttings
-
Plants which are good for leaf cuttings are most indoor plants like Swedish Ivy, Wandering Jew, and succulents. Jade plants need only have a leaf broke off and pushed into the soil to start propagation.
Misconceptions
-
Some cuttings do not result in a good quality plant because the parent plant is a hybrid. The plant may grow perfectly, however the flower or fruit produced will be different than the parent plant.
Warning
-
Plants that have been started from cuttings must not be distributed freely. Some plants are patented. These plants can not be reproduced unless it is for the owner's personal use.
Potential
-
Any plant can be subject to experimenting. Try taking a cutting, dipping the cutting into a rooting compound and placing in a moist soil bed. Maintain a good moisture content for a couple weeks. If the cutting generates new growth and develops a root system, then the plant can be started from a cutting.
-
