10 tips to make your cuttings a success

Every gardening enthusiast dreams of expanding their plant collection for free. To achieve this, they have a secret weapon: plant propagation. Have you decided to take cuttings from your favorite Monstera variegata and exchange them for a caladium bulb? Want to renew a tired misery? Follow these 10 tips to make sure your cuttings are a success.

What are cuttings?

These lavender cuttings will be perfuming our gardens in no time - Photo by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata /wWkipedia

Cutting is a plant propagation technique. Cutting a plant consists in taking a section (stem, leaf, trunk) and rooting it to obtain a new specimen, independent of the mother plant.

There are other techniques for multiplying plants, such as :

sowing ;
layering ;
removing shoots ;
dividing clumps.

Cutting produces a plant that is genetically identical to the mother plant. The cutting will have the same characteristics (color of leaves and flowers, shape of foliage, smell, etc.) as the plant from which it comes.

Tip no. 1: choose the right plant

Spotted Pothos is an easy variety to cut - Photo by Blueleaf22 /Flickr

Not all plants can be cut. Some plants, like conifers and annual flowers, reproduce by sowing. Others, such as fruit trees and certain rose bushes, multiply mainly by grafting. Finally, bulbous plants (tulips, narcissi, daffodils) use their underground organs to renew themselves.

Before taking the plunge, check that the species is suitable for cuttings. There's no point trying too hard to take a cutting from a poppy, an Echeveria leaf or a banana stem. The operation has no chance of success. You'd be wasting your time and reaping nothing but frustration.

Misery) and succulents are planted directly into the soil. Cuttings of Fittonia, Hypoeste or Philodendron, on the other hand, need to spend a few weeks in water to develop their roots.

What's more, some cuttings take better when they 're covered with a translucent cloche that guarantees a high degree of hygrometry. For others, this method is synonymous with rotting and is not recommended.

Not sure which method to use? Download the Monstera application. Our care guides show you how to cut your plants for each variety. When several solutions are possible, we suggest the one with the best chance of success.

Tip 7: plant in a suitable substrate

You can't have successful cuttings without the right substrate - Photo by Erik Mclean / Pexels

The medium in which your cuttings are grown is an important factor in their success. Houseplants need a rich, light substrate, like seedling compost. Choose a quality mix that will provide your new plants with all the nutrients they need to thrive.

But not all species are suited to seedling compost. Cacti and succulents, for example, prefer a more draining substrate. For potted outdoor plants, a mixture containing garden soil is often recommended.

You can find a suitable substrate for your plant in the shops. But you can also make your own growing medium. Ingredients and proportions depend on the variety you wish to propagate. But you will almost always need :

a rich potting soil (soil for green plants, seedlings, flowering plants, etc.) ;
drainage material (river sand, perlite, pozzolan).

Other elements, such as bark, peat or sphagnum peat moss, are required for cuttings of plants with specific needs, such as epiphytic plants or carnivorous plants.

Tip 8: find the right exposure for your cuttings

In summer, you can leave your houseplant cuttings outside - Photo by Francis Chung /Flickr

Cuttings need light to grow, but they dread direct sunlight.

When taking cuttings from indoor plants, it's often best to place your pots in front of a window screened by a curtain. This way, your young shoots will receive maximum light.

When taking cuttings from shrubs, perennials or trees outdoors, give them a bright, sheltered spot. An eastern exposure, to take advantage of the morning sun, and against a wall is the best choice.

Tip 9: Take several cuttings

With several cuttings, you can also try out different methods for each one - Photo by Teona Swift/ Pexels

Cutting is far from an exact science! Even if you follow our advice to the letter, you may still be in for a nasty surprise. So don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Don't hesitate to take several leaves or stems to make several cuttings at a time, in different pots. If one of them doesn't take, you can always rely on the others for new plants.

Some cautious gardeners recommend taking seven to eight cuttings each time. If you're worried about being overrun by an army of Peperomia, or your rose bush isn't full enough to take that many branches, stick to four or five cuttings at a time.

Tip 10: Keep an eye on your cuttings

After a few weeks, you'll know if your cuttings have worked - Photo by Cottonbro studio / Pexels

You thought you'd done the hard part by cutting a branch from your mini-monstera? Think again! Now you'll have to wait for your cuttings to take. But you can't just sit back and wait for your cutting to produce new leaves. While your young shoot is putting down roots, you're going to have to give it a little help.

Start by checking the condition of the substrate. With few exceptions, potting soil should always remain slightly damp. Rather than watering it, mist it regularly with rainwater. It will be wet, but you won't risk soaking it.

If you're using suppressed cuttings, remember to aerate your plant every day. Remove the lid, bag or plastic bottle for a few minutes to prevent rotting.

Are your cuttings in a glass of water? Make sure the level doesn't drop and that the water remains clear. When the water becomes cloudy, change it. As with watering, use room-temperature water and, if possible, rainwater.

Finally, be patient before transplanting your cuttings. You need to wait until the root system is sufficiently developed before potting or repotting your plant. The speed at which roots appear varies from one species to another and according to the conditions in which the cuttings were taken. When you take cuttings in water, you'll see roots forming after a few weeks. For cuttings in the ground, the appearance of a new leaf is generally a sign that the roots have begun to grow. Sometimes, however, the first leaves develop before the root system. Wait for several leaf blades to appear before repotting.