Taking cuttings is a great way to propagate new plants. You can take cuttings at any time of year in a variety of ways, but the easiest (and most successful) method is by taking cuttings of plants' stems in summer.
“Grafting, budding, and plant propagation can be done on many types of plants during the winter, not just hardwoods.” High humidity and moisture are important during the post-cut and post-grafting periods.
Many of the coleus, geraniums, and some of the begonias that we all love in our pots will also overwinter well as cuttings. It's very difficult to bring the entire pot in, but you can take small cuttings, root them over the winter months, and then next spring plant them out in your containers.
It's the perfect time for taking winter cuttings, meaning more plants for free - and who doesn't like that? Taking cuttings can be really fun and a great way to keep your green fingers active over the winter months.
Most softwood cuttings are taken in spring and early summer, from the tender new growth of the season. If potted by mid-summer they will develop sufficient roots to survive the winter, otherwise pot up in the following spring.
Taking cuttings is a great way to propagate new plants. You can take cuttings at any time of year in a variety of ways, but the easiest (and most successful) method is by taking cuttings of plants' stems in summer.
Media is usually kept at 72-77° F while air temperature is maintained at 68-73° F. If bottom heat is not used, air temperature should be maintained between 77 and 80° F. Maintaining air temperatures lower than medium temperatures retards shoot growth while promoting root development. Excessive heat can damage cuttings.
Hardwood cuttings provide an easy and reliable method of propagating a range of deciduous climbers, trees and shrubs, and as bonus, they are taken from mid-autumn until late winter when more time is usually available to the gardener.
When to take cuttings. The best time to take softwood cuttings is from mid-spring to early summer. Hardwood cuttings are taken later in the year, from mid-autumn to mid-winter.
Answer: Autumn is a good time to take cuttings of outdoor potted, tender, tropical plants such as coleus and Pelargoniums (tender, tropical geraniums). Using a clean, sharp knife, cut 3- to 5-inch lengths from your “mother” coleus and geranium plants. Remove about half of the leaves.
Cuttings from many annual plants will keep over winter, sprout roots, and be ready for planting in spring. You may place them in pots or cups without drainage filled with moist perlite or vermiculite. Locate them at first in bright light, away from the sun. Move later to an area where they receive morning sun.
There are many plants that can be propagated during winter. We often take cuttings during winter as it's a quiet time in the nursery. Most people may assume that it's simply too cold to take cuttings during the winter months, however there are quite a lot of plant species where winter propagation is the perfect time.
Cuttings use energy to form new roots. If the cutting has leaves, most of the energy comes from photosynthesis. Expose these cuttings to bright light, but not direct sunlight, during the rooting period. If you use hardwood cuttings that have no leaves, the energy will come from reserves stored in the woody stem.
Plant patents
Translation: you cannot divide that overgrown perennial, root cuttings, or layer branches if the plant is protected by a plant patent. Basically, the only legal way to reproduce a plant with this type of patent is by seed.
The Art of Water Propagation:
However, we like to keep them in water on their germination plate forever, so we can enjoy the root growth as well as the foliage :-). As long as you give them proper nutrients in the water, they can thrive indefinitely without soil.
September/October is the ideal time to take cuttings from your favourite strains of tender perennials to increase your stock for next spring or to make sure they live on if the parent plants do not survive the winter.
Propagating plants in winter does take a bit longer than in the summer, two to four months for roots to develop, but it's a great way to get free plants from winter prunings. Providing bottom heat will speed things up a bit, but isn't necessary.
Technically, you can transfer your cuttings to soil at any time. In fact, you can actually propagate directly into soil, however, it's much harder to do within your home. When you propagate in soil, you have to keep a good balance of soil moisture, air flow, and humidity.
It is best to harvest cuttings in early spring and plant immediately but if this is not possible, cuttings can be stored safely for about 4 months. Store cuttings in a cool, dark, and moist place. Do NOT store in a wet area as this will promote root growth and weaken the cutting.
Keep it in a warm, bright location out of direct sunlight and wait until roots grow and develop to about 1-3 inches long. Be patient, this can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks or in some cases, months! After roots have developed, plant your cutting in fresh soil in a pot and water as normal.
You can grow both deciduous and evergreen trees from a branch, but deciduous trees (those that lose leaves at the end of every growing season) tend to be easier to start from a branch. But before you can learn how to grow a tree from a branch, you'll need to start by watching your desired tree for a young branch.
Warm growing medium temperatures accelerate cell division which leads to faster callusing, root initial development and subsequent root growth. It also speeds up the dry-down rate of the growing medium, which also helps encourage better rooting. The best way to warm the growing medium is through bottom heat.
In general, the rooting medium should be sterile, low in fertility, drain well enough to provide oxygen, and retain enough moisture to prevent water stress.
Several cuttings may be placed together in one container. Be sure to add fresh water as needed until the cuttings are fully rooted. Rooting will generally occur in 3-4 weeks but some plants will take longer. When the roots are 1-2 inches long or longer the cutting is ready to be potted up.