How to Take Stem Cuttings

Step 1: With a sharp knife, slice the stem of the parent plant approximately 1 inch beneath a node.

Step 2: If you must transport the cutting, gently wrap it in a moistened, absorbent paper towel.

Step 3: Trim end of stem to just below a node. Often you can take several cuttings from each collected stem. Snip off any flowers and all but two or three leaves.

Step 4: Dip in rooting hormone, if desired. These products prompt root cells to divide. Place cuttings in moist rooting medium. Some plants, such as pelargonium and coleus, will root in a glass of water.

Step 5: Cover cuttings with plastic.

Step 6: Pot or transplant cuttings when new growth shows.
you get plants and make friends. If you appear presentable, courteous, and knowledgeable, you will assuage any fears that you might damage their precious plants. Offer to propagate a cutting for the gardener, as well as yourself. This one almost always works!

Take cuttings from the stem, leaves, or roots of various plant species. Stem cuttings are referred to as softwood, greenwood, or hardwood. Softwood cuttings are those taken in the spring before new growth begins to harden. They are the easiest to root.

Greenwood cuttings are taken in the summer before the stems have fully matured. They root a little slower, but on average are more likely to survive. Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature stems at the end of the growing season. They are usually the slowest to root. Leaf cuttings, reserved for fleshy-leaved plants, can be taken anytime during the growing season. Root cuttings are taken from dormant shrubs or trees. Often one method works better than the others for a specific plant; even varieties within a species respond differently.

Cutting a piece from a plant and having a whole new plant form may seem like magic to non-gardeners, comparable to cutting off your finger and growing a twin.
you get plants and make friends. If you appear presentable, courteous, and knowledgeable, you will assuage any fears that you might damage their precious plants. Offer to propagate a cutting for the gardener, as well as yourself. This one almost always works!
Take cuttings from the stem, leaves, or roots of various plant species. Stem cuttings are referred to as softwood, greenwood, or hardwood. Softwood cuttings are those taken in the spring before new growth begins to harden. They are the easiest to root. Greenwood cuttings are taken in the summer before the stems have fully matured. They root a little slower, but on average are more likely to survive. Hardwood cuttings are taken from mature stems at the end of the growing season. They are usually the slowest to root. Leaf cuttings, reserved for fleshy-leaved plants, can be taken anytime during the growing season. Root cuttings are taken from dormant shrubs or trees. Often one method works better than the others for a specific plant; even varieties within a species respond differently.
Cutting a piece from a plant and having a whole new plant form may seem like magic to non-gardeners, comparable to cutting off your finger and growing a twin.