An easy way to increase plants is to root cuttings. Here are five plants that are so easy to root that all you have to do is stick a cutting in water and you will get a nice new rooted plant. Interested in trying this out?
5 Easy Plants You Can Root
Just take a cutting below a leaf node on the stem with a few sets of leaves. Follow the instructions in this article and you should have new plants to pot up and grow.
- Coleus- grown for its fabulous foliage.
- Begonia- gorgeous foliage and beautiful flowers
- English Ivy– really lovely vining plant with beautiful leaves.
- Vinca (periwinkle)- good ground cover or container plant with charming blue flowers.
- Nepeta (catmint)- great garden plant that is a real butterfly magnet and blooms like crazy.
Tips and Hints For New Plants From Cuttings
Helping your cuttings along:
Cut some fresh willow twigs and make a tea by pouring hot water over them and steeping for a few hours. Use it to root cuttings in water, or as an additive to your potted cuttings.
Don’t use softened water to root your cuttings.
Bruise the end of the cutting a bit if the stem is tough. Don’t crush or bruise if the stem is soft.
Time of day? The morning is best, when stems are turgid.
How To Root A Cutting For A New Plant
- Locate a healthy looking, strong growing plant. With a sharp knife or scissors cut a 5 inch piece just below a leaf node.
- Remove leaves that will be below water level, so they don’t rot and foul the water.
- Best to remove any flowers
- Some don’t change the water, but it is best if you give the plant fresh water every few days or so.
- When roots are 3 inches long, plant up in moist potting soil.
- Cover plant with protective plastic like a baggie or a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off. Grow ’til you see new green shoots. Remove plastic.
If planting outdoors, harden off gradually like any newly grown plant.
Try These Plants
Other plants to try rooting in water:
- Honeysuckle vines
- Virginia creeper and Boston Ivy
- Bleeding heart
- Dianthus
- Veronicas
- Hydrangeas
- Butterfly Bush
Felco F-310 Picking and Trimming Snips are very handy for making a nice clean cut. If you plan to make new plants through this propagation method, a pair of snips is a valuable tool to own. They also can be used to easily reduce leaves and remove flowering tops.
Read More On This Topic
Propagating Houseplants
Herbaceous plants from cuttings
Rooting Cuttings In Water ~from Mother Earth
