There are only two ways that plants can propagate themselves - one is through the sexual process of releasing seeds, and the other is vegetative propagation, or cloning the parent using part of the plant to make new plants.
The art of cloning plants involves making new plants with exactly the same genetic makeup as the parent. For home gardeners it is a fast, easy, and inexpensive way to increase the plants in the garden with no surprises of colour or size. Apart from sowing seeds, cuttings, division, layering, and grafting are all ways to increase plants without any worries of anomalies or genetic differences, A word of caution though, many new plant hybrids are now protected by breeder copyright and should not be propagated without paying a royalty to the breeder.
Gardeners long ago observed nature's way of vegetative propagation and adapted them for use in the home garden. Almost every gardener has had the experience of pulling out a dandelion, and having left a small piece of root, found another plant has grown and taken its' place.
Almost any part of the plant can be used as a cutting providing it contains cells that are capable of reproducing themselves by division and then differentiating to form new tissue. Cuttings are most frequently taken from shoots, but roots and single buds can also be used. Leaves of certain plants as well as pieces of bulbs, corms and rhizomes also can be used as cuttings.
Softwood cuttings are cuttings taken from young side shoots and are usually about 2-3 inches long. You can tell if a shoot is ready if it snaps rather than bends. Take your cutting off with a sharp knife or razorblade so as not the bruise the tissue and encourage rot. Semi-ripe cuttings are woody at the base and green toward the top. When taking semi ripe cuttings, the key is to make sure to take a 4-6 inch cutting with a heal (a small piece of the older wood from the previous years' stem). Hardwood cuttings are usually taken in the fall and use longer branches cut straight at the bottom below a bud and at an angle, a sloping cut above a bud at the top (the sloping cut at the top helps you remember which end is up). Cuttings are taken as nodal (just below a node, or pair of leaves), or internodal (cut anywhere between the nodes), depending on the plant.
The only trick to cuttings is keeping them alive and functioning while they regenerate. They need protection and ideal conditions including the correct amount of light, warmth, and shelter. Some type of cover is necessary, be it a mini greenhouse, cold frame or simply placing a plastic bag over the pot.
To ensure the most success, work early in the day to discourage wilting. Have all supplies ready to go before you take cuttings. Compost makes for the best rooting compound, but peat moss mixed with perilite will also work well. Poking a hole into your rooting mix for your cutting will ensure that your cutting won't break. Leave the tip of the cutting intact; remove all the leaves from the lower half with a knife. Do not cut the skin of the shoot. Dip in the appropriate rooting hormone, if desired, and place in the mix to the bottom of the hole. Firm the mix around the cutting and water gently. More than one cutting can be placed into a pot, as long as they are not touching each other. Cover you pot with a plastic bag, a tray cover or cut off pop bottle. This provides a safe environment for you cuttings, and helps to keep them moist. Rooting time really depends on the plant and the type of cutting and can range from 1-2 days for some softwoods, two to five weeks for semi-ripe and 5 to 25 weeks for hardwoods. Just make sure to overwinter your cuttings in a sheltered location in the garden. Good luck and good gardening!
