How to Root a Plant

Plant rooting is a simple and cost-effective way of sharing and expanding your garden. Whether you are turning a single plant into many, moving plants from one end of the yard to another, or exchanging your bouquet-bearing beauties with your neighbors, getting those plants to root takes little effort and time and is its own budding, flowering, growing reward.

Things You'll Need

• Parent Plant
• Sharp, clean scissors or knife
• Paper towels
• Plastic bag
• Plant growth hormone
• Container
• Compost
• Water

Instructions

Garden Sharing

1. Choose a healthy parent plant. You do not want to risk exposing your garden to the maladies of your neighbor’s. Make certain the plant you are taking the cutting from is disease and fungus-free.

2. 

   Use clean, sharp scissors or knife to cut from the original plant.

3. 

   Cut a small piece from the parent plant, just below the leaf node (joint), leaving the greens intact.

4. Place immediately in water. If you are transporting your almost-embryo from a neighbor’s, use a damp paper towel and plastic baggy to bring it home for rooting. If it’s an at-home rebirth, you’re set to go to the next phase of labor.

5. 

   Choose the easy option. If you are just multiplying your climbing indoor ivy, no need to get fancy–placing your cutting directly in water works fine. Really. A narrow vessel on a windowsill will do the trick and yield visible results. Take a daily peek at the glass and you'll see the roots form before your eyes and be ready to plant when you've got a healthy amount.

6. Go the other route (pun intended). While plunking the root of a common household ivy in a cup of water will yield evident and quick results, plants which are a bit more persnickety, may expect a modicum of attention. First step for those spoiled cuttings is a drop or two of plant growth hormone, which you can get at your local nursery. Apply it directly to the base of the new cutting, from where you want the root to grow.

7. Use a clean (bleached out if necessary) container in which you can put a starting potting soil or compost. It is imperative that your container and tools be clean and disease-free. There are compost concoctions specifically designed for new growth, but there is no need to get fancy. Peat, or a nutrient rich potting soil work well. Improvise, if you like, but avoid shoveling soil from the backyard--it's way too dense and confining. You want your plant's beginning bed to be something that will be easily kept moist and well drained.

8. Plant cutting in compost.

9. Keep moist. Do not allow it to dry out.

10. Keep safe. This is your baby and needs to be pampered until it’s ready to step up. Avoid direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.

11. Look for new growth. When you see visible signs that the plant is doing well, you can introduce it to the outdoors, more beating sunlight, temperature fluctuations and the like. Once it’s truly begun to stand on its own, you’re ready for step 12.

12. Set it free. Plant your new baby in your desired location. Make sure it is well-watered and well looked after and watch it grow from baby to parent plant.