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.
Being winter the time taken for the cuttings to strike is much longer. Generally it's going to take 2-4 months for roots to develop on a cutting taken during winter. This is due to temperatures and light conditions. Most plants understand what season it is based on the light.
Too much or too frequent application of mist / fog keeps the growing medium saturated, excess water will flow from the bottom of the trays and rooting will be delayed. Applying mist / fog too infrequently will increase transpiration from the leaves and cuttings will lose turgidity and could die from drying out.
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.
You can propagate houseplants at any time of year. This being said, the best time to do it is during their growing season – which is typically spring-summer. They will grow more slowly during the dormant months of autumn-winter.
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.
“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.
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.
Ideally, the temperature of the medium should be maintained slightly higher (5°F-8°F) than the air so that callus and root growth occur faster than shoot growth. To accomplish this, bottom heat- ing is required. Desirable propaga- tion temperatures are 73°F-77°F for the medium and 68°F-73°F for the air.
Try to wait until at least 50% of the cuttings have good rooting before potting them up; however, for some hard-to-root species, you may be lucky with only 10% to 20% success.
After two or three weeks, check to see if roots have formed by working your hand under the cutting and gently lifting (Figure 3). If no roots have formed, or if they are very small, firm the cutting back into the mix, rebag, and check for roots again in one to two weeks.
From stick to root development (Stages 1-3), propagators sometimes use too little water or moisture, but most often provide too much water, which leads to leaching and waterlogged propagation substrates (Fig. 1), uneven rooting and loss of cuttings due to rot (Fig. 2) or botrytis.
Give cuttings bright light but not sun. Keep soil moist but not wet. The cuttings should root within three weeks. Admit air gradually to wean the cuttings from their humid environment, then pot singly before outdoor planting.
Most cuttings taken in spring will be flowering in their first summer. Those taken in late summer will be overwintering under glass and be ready to harden off during May. One of the keys to overwintering rooted cuttings under glass is to keep them on the dry side in bright frost-free conditions of around 7°C (45°F).
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.
Roots need air in order to grow. You should try and change the water with fresh tap water every 2-3 days or so for best results because oxygen in the water will be depleted.
To promote root growth, create a rooting solution by dissolving an aspirin in water. 3. Give your new plant time to acclimate from water to soil. If you root your cutting in water, it develops roots that are best adapted to get what they need from water rather than from soil, Clark pointed out.
The basic principle behind applying mist to vegetative cuttings is simple. Without roots, cuttings cannot adequately replace the water lost to the environment due to evaporation and transpiration mainly. To aid them along the beginning of their life journey we must replace this water loss with water applications.
Plant cuttings mistakes can range from using dirty tools to potting up your cuttings in the incorrect potting soil. Too much harsh sun, too much or not enough water, and using offcuts from plants that are sickly or flowering can also put your cuttings at risk.
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. This plant has heavy rooting and is ready to be moved to a pot with potting soil.
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.
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.
Herbaceous cuttings can be taken throughout the growing season (spring to late fall), while softwood cuttings should be taken in spring or early summer. Cuttings can be taken as long as the parent plant is healthy and in active growth.
When winter propagating, cuttings will need protection from the elements and some moisture. Protection may be in the form of a poly tunnel, kitchen windowsill, enclosed porch, or cold frame. Whatever you are using should be well lit, frost free, ventilated, and offer wind protection.