Free Plants from Easy Cuttings – Snip ‘n’ stick details

Once you know if a little snip off a plant can create a whole new one, your garden possibilities are limitless – and free! Whether you’ve seen a plant you love in your neighbor’s garden or want to buy only one and grow many, knowing when and how to snip can be the key to creating paradise. When I began gardening, I’d wished all books were written in simple language. Why not have codes like cookbooks, with the degree of difficulty stated? Well, this is just such an article. No “Cupressocyparis leylandii” (Latin/Greek names).

Although most plants can be propagated using various methods, cuttings are from the “easy” category. Raising trees from seed or layering is slow; grafting is better after the Latin lessons; and root division guarantees a new plant but you might need to help your neighbor dig and divide. If ordering one or two from a nursery check with your local extension office for details on your zone – they’ll even test the soil for you. With all that in mind, I’ve snipped for simplicity and your easiest and immediate use into the following:

Types of Cuttings and Sectioned: 1) leaves/vines 2) stems 3) roots

Sections Include: when, how and where to Snip ‘n’ Stick (with list of plants)

And just in case you want to help your neighbor,

or you are the neighbor: Divide & Multiply

Whole leaf Cuttings: Any season. Cut healthy, mature leaves from the parent plant close to the base of the leaf stalk. Slightly nick the veins at intervals since the new plantlets form at the cut surfaces of large leaf veins.

Snip ‘n’ stick on equal parts peat and course sand so each cut just touches the surface for African violets, aloe - succulents

Snip ‘n’ stick on same as above, adding a bit of nutrients and soil for Begonias, geraniums, vines

Softwood Cuttings: spring to early summer from new growth (greenhouse exceptions). Stem tip cuttings from healthy, close noded shoots about 4 – 6in/10-15cm long. Should be soft, almost succulent and if bent they will snap, or squash if pressed. Trim each cutting just below a node; remove its lower leaves. Normally root within two weeks.

Snip ‘n’ stick in water - with a piece of wire netting over the jar and the stem about 1 – 2 “ deep for basil, boxwood, carnation/Pink, coleus, dogwood, geranium, ginkgo, hop (from female tips), hyssop, ivy, Japonica/flowering quince (lateral shoots), mulberry, sage, spider plants, plum/cherry/ peach (Prunus), thyme, witch hazel

Note: with all herbs, the more you use, prune or divide them, the quicker they grow. Once you let the flowers mature or go to seed, they stop. (see video on pruning basil for proof you can show your neighbor if you want to ask for clippings - know where to snip)

Greenwood Cuttings: early to mid-summer from slightly more mature wood (When growth begins to slow). These cuttings root less readily but survive better than softwood cuttings for gardenia + 

Semi-ripe Cuttings: mid to late summer through fall from shoots/ virtually ripened stems (thickened and become harder). Less prone to wilting since the stems are firmer and woody. Cuttings will bend without snapping and not crush. Have your pot ready with holes poked in the soil for transplanting. Be very careful not to leave the little shoots exposed to drying or the sun – retaining their moisture is important.

Snip, trim, dip ‘n’ stick in earth – trim off a few of the bottom leaves and dip in rooting compound which protects the new plant from disease for anise tree, bay laurel, boxwood, camphor tree/cinnamon, clematis, frankincense, gardenia, grape, honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lemon balm, leyland cypress – in late summer, magnolia, mint, morning glory, myrtle, nightshade, olive, oregano, passionflower, pepper tree, periwinkle, pistachio, rosemary, sage, thyme, wax myrtle. Also used for plum/cherry/ peach and shrubs.

Hardwood Cuttings: end of the growing season from fall through spring – when the tissues are fully ripened/fully mature. They are easiest to maintain in a healthy condition but are often slow to root and best if taken with a heel.

Snip, trim, dip ‘n’ stick in earth with added perlite, sphagnum moss or peat and sand for caper bush, currant, elder, grape, honeysuckle, jojoba, mulberry, nutmeg, poplar, roses, willows or leafless deciduous and broad-leaved or glossy-leaved evergreens such as holly and rhododendrons (waxy leaves develop slowly and wilt easily when younger), fig

Root cuttings: mid to late autumn or in early spring and best if taken from a plant when it is most dormant. While it is easier for a root cutting to develop shoots than a stem cutting to form roots, not all root cuttings develop as readily. Root cuttings from variegated plants will have only plain green leaves.

Select plants with thick roots - about as thick as a regular pencil. You can use thinner cuttings but make them much longer than the ideal pencil width and 2-4 in/5-10cm in length. Thinner cuttings will do better if placed horizontally rather than upright for herbs +

Divide and multiply:late summer or early spring (warm, mild) every 3-4 years after flowering when growth is minimal. Dividing the roots is the easiest method of all and most commonly used. The secret of successful division at any time is always to have more root than shoot, to cut away excess foliage, and to keep the divisions moist and sheltered until established. Don’t allow roots to dry out so the new divisions should be replanted immediately. You can wash the roots to make it easier to disentangle them for complete division.

Snip, trim, dip ‘n’ stick in same earth or add nutrients to starter soil with a little of the same earth it came from for cardamom (seeds in autumn), cattail ( subject to statutory control – Australia), comfrey, iris, goldenrod, fennel, French tarragon, ginger, hop (spring only), hostas, Jacob’s ladder, lemon balm, licorice, lovage, mint, oregano, periwinkle, rhubarb, sage, tansy, thyme, trillium (by seed can take up to 3 yrs!), valerian (remove flowers to encourage rhizome growth), wasabi

Suckers: Not all plants need lifting to separate them. Many produce new plantlets around the parent. Dig these up and remove in spring, which helps the parent retain its shape. Scrape back the soil, exposing the base of the plant and carefully pull off the long suckering root where it joins the parent. Cut back its main root to just below the fibrous, feeding roots, if there are several shoots on the sucker, divide the main root so that each shoot has its own roots. Cut back the top growth by about half, then pot each sucker in soil-based potting mix, and allow to root in high humidity – 59F/15C.

Some produce rooted runners (i.e. strawberries). While there are other perennials that produce mats of individual rosettes, lift a mat and pull it apart gently or lift just a few from the edge - replant. The absolute easiest I’ve found are herbs that have rhizomes or creeping roots. You can cut SNIP ‘n’ STICK pretty much anywhere – and if you keep them moist, they’re bound to grow.

The Latin/Greek terms do come in handy when looking for very specific plants. The little cuttings I planted of “Cupressocyparis leylandii”/Leyland Cypress are doing well - please see their progress in the photo. Cuttings really are easy and I wish you the best in creating your paradise!

For additional details to save money and your back, hop on over to: PRESIDENTIAL GARDENING Historical victory we can all enjoy  Happy snipping and sticking...