Clip off the leaves on the lower half of the shoot so you have a bare stem to insert into your potting mix. Then, if you want, dip the end of your stem in rooting hormone. This generally helps cuttings root more quickly.
Sprinkle rooting hormone powder on a saucer. Dip the cutting in the powder, which will encourage root growth once it's planted.
Auxin, a naturally occurring plant hormone, stimulates root formation. Several synthetic forms of auxin are sold as “rooting hormone.” Though some plants will root readily without treatment, application of rooting hormone to the base of the cutting will often improve your chance for success.
The problem is if the cutting is too long the plant is more likely to wilt and stress. If the cutting is wilting it's far more likely to fail and not generate roots. Smaller cuttings will lead to better success rates and overall better outcomes for you and your cuttings.
Auxins stimulate root formation on the stem cuttings, e.g., IBA, IBA-alanine, NAA. NAA is synthetic auxin while IBA is considered as both natural and synthetic.
Hormones such as auxin, cyokinin and ethylene and other bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and glutathione are essential in regulating root primordia formation. Ethylene is involved in the commitment of leaf explants to root formation in response to auxin.
Environmental conditions: Environmental conditions like availability of water, light, temperature and rooting media may also affect the root initiation process in cuttings.
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.
Don't underestimate temperature either, most cuttings root dramatically faster if you keep them around 24°C to 26°C. Keep the container small. The plant naturally creates its own hormones to stimulate the growth of roots.
Your cuttings are too long
Cuttings need energy to make roots. If the cutting has too many leaves – or even too long of stem – it will spend its limited energy keeping those alive instead of on growing roots.
Willow Water Rooting Hormone
The stems of willows make an excellent rooting hormone. This is by far my favorite homemade rooting hormone option; willow water or willow tea as some may call it. It's a little trickier to make homemade willow water, but you can follow my DIY willow water rooting hormone recipe here.
Willow water has been used as a natural rooting hormone for centuries. It's made by steeping young, freshly cut willow twigs in plain water for 24 to 72 hours. Keep the container in a dark, cool spot while you await the brew. Filter out the willow stems and plan to use it right away on your cuttings.
Roots are dynamic and their growth is strongly affected by the environmental conditions found in the root zone. To survive and grow, they need Air (gas exchange), Water, Non-limiting Temperature, Carbohydrates, Minerals, Space, Low Soil Density, Microbial Associations and Non-toxic soil chemistry.
To use your homemade rooting hormone, dip the bottom of the cutting in the solution before “sticking” the cutting in rooting medium. Using apple cider vinegar as rooting hormone is a great way to give your cuttings that extra jump they need to grow roots.
Fill a pot with Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix—the lightweight texture will help roots spread out once they form. Then, dip the bottom of each leaf into a rooting hormone to encourage growth, and anchor it into the soil so that it's standing up vertically. You can put all of the leaves in one container.
Cinnamon provides a natural, chemical-free alternative to commercially available rooting hormones as an affordable and readily available substance. Its organic nature introduces minimal disruption to the soil's composition and the overall ecosystem, fostering a healthier environment for plant growth.
The cinnamon doesn't actually act as the plants auxin hormone (rooting hormone), rather, it's a natural antibacterial, antimicrobial agent, that works as a fungicide. This allows the natural rooting auxins that are found in the green growth of your cuttings to thrive without competition.
Some plants will root in water, but cuttings will develop a better root system when rooted in a soil-less potting mix. Sand or perlite can also be used, especially for cuttings that need good drainage and may rot if kept too wet.
Managing photosynthetic light during callusing is a balancing act. Enough light should be provided so cuttings can photosynthesize, producing the carbohydrates required to sustain the cutting as well as promote new growth, including root development.
Clean, coarse construction-grade sand may be used for rooting cuttings. Avoid very fine sand because it has poor aeration, which hampers root formation. A mixture of half sand and half peat moss is a better rooting medium. Vermiculite, a lightweight expanded mica product, is suitable for rooting cuttings.
The same commitment to detail is required when rooting cuttings. However, you must adjust the concepts throughout the four stages of development to meet the needs of unrooted cuttings. The four stages of development are: 1) arrival and sticking; 2) callus formation; 3) root development; and 4) toning, or hardening-off.