Propagation of plants by cuttings
The easiest way to grow more plants is to cut and root cuttings in early summer. In this way, berry bushes, flowers and even fruit trees can be propagated. However, this method of reproduction has many nuances.

Why is this method so popular? And because the offspring during cuttings will be an exact copy of the parent, they will quickly take root in a new place and will please with endurance in harsh conditions. And most importantly, you will receive a new planting material for free.

Types of cuttings

The cuttings are different. Which option to choose depends on the type of plant.

Green cuttings

In most cases, lignified cuttings are used for propagation, but some plants prefer to propagate by young green shoots.

What species is suitable for: barberry, weigela, hydrangea, derain, viburnum, vesicle, lilac, chaenomeles, mock orange.

How to root. Actively growing young lateral shoots are cut with a sharp knife into segments with 2-3 internodes. The lower cut should be oblique at a distance of 0,5 – 1 cm from the kidney. The top cut is straight. It is even more reliable not to cut the cuttings, but to tear them off with the “heel” – the part of the stem from which they depart. Cut off the lower leaves.

Then the cuttings are treated with a root formation stimulator – Kornevin or Heterauxin (1): either the lower part of the shoot is powdered with powder, or the preparation is diluted in water and the cuttings are placed there for 6 hours. Then they are planted in a garden or a pot to a depth of 2 cm. 3–5 cm of coarse sand must be poured over the ground: it protects the cuttings from decay.

Stem cuttings

This option is suitable for herbaceous perennials – they use segments of shoots for reproduction. They are cut until mid-summer.

What species is suitable for: aquilegia, astilbe, cornflower, gelenium, delphinium, stonecrop, panicled phlox.

How to root. The stems are cut into pieces with two internodes. They are dusted with any root formation stimulant and planted in the ground – preferably in a greenhouse. Such cuttings will take root quickly – if, for example, at the end of June you plant cuttings of panicled phlox, then in August you will get young plants with roots – they can already be transplanted into a flower garden.

Semi-lignified cuttings

These are shoots that have begun to bark at the bottom, but the top is still green.

What species is suitable for: hydrangeas, rhododendrons.

How to root. At the end of June, the tops of the semi-lignified shoots of the current year are cut off and cut into cuttings with two internodes. Cut off the lower leaves. Longitudinal incisions 1–2 cm long are made on the bark. The cuttings are powdered with a root formation stimulator and planted in pots in a mixture of peat and sand in equal amounts. After 2 – 3 months roots are formed, and young plants can be transplanted into open ground.

General cutting rules

Each type of cutting has its own characteristics, but there are general rules that must also be taken into account.

Cut in the morning or on cloudy days. At this time, there is more juice in the cuttings – these take root better.

Cover with a bottle. Regardless of where the cuttings are planted – in pots or directly in the garden – they need to arrange a mini-greenhouse. The easiest way is to cover them with a plastic 5-liter bottle without a bottom, or put them in a large jar with a lid (2). Such a shelter will help maintain high humidity around the cutting.

After a few weeks, young shoots will appear from the buds. At the end of summer, they begin to gradually open the bottle so that the seedlings get used to the fresh air, and then the shelter is completely removed.

Spray. One shelter with a bottle is not enough, because it is very hot in summer. Cuttings should be regularly sprayed with warm water. Ideally, daily. It is possible once a week (many people come to the dacha for the weekend), but in this case, the soil around the cuttings should be constantly wet. So water them properly.

Protect from the sun. During rooting, the cuttings should be in partial shade.

Warm up for the winter. Overwinter rooted cuttings are left where they were planted. And so that they do not freeze, in late October – early November, the soil around them is covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves or covered with several layers of non-woven fabric.

In the spring or autumn of the following year, young plants are transplanted to a permanent place.

Popular questions and answers

We asked typical summer residents questions about plant cuttings agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

What fruit crops can be propagated by cuttings?

Many varieties of cherries, almost all varieties of cherry plums and some plums reproduce well with green cuttings. But cherries and apricots do not give roots on cuttings.

Can apple trees be propagated by cuttings?

In the vast majority of varieties of apple trees, cuttings do not take root. But there are pleasant exceptions. The roots on the cuttings form: Altai ruddy, Gornoaltayskoye, Zhebrovskoye, Zhigulevskoye, Kuznetsovskoye, Moscow red, Pepin saffron, Gift for gardeners, Ranetka purple, Ural bulk, Flashlight.

Is it possible to propagate pear cuttings?

Pears, like apple trees, in most cases cannot be propagated by cuttings. But this culture also has varieties that give roots: Lada, Moskvichka, Smart Efimova, Autumn Yakovleva, Memory Zhegalova.

Sources of

  1. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii- i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/
  2. Kudryavets D.B., Petrenko N.A. How to grow flowers // M .: Education, 1993 – 176 p.

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