Save money by cloning your favorite plants by means
of cuttings. Take soft cuttings from the tips of
healthy, disease-free plants. It's a great inexpensive
way to have more of the plants you love to share
with your friends and family.
4" pot with hole for drainage (if reusing an old
pot, dip in a solution of water with a few drops of
bleach)
- Rooting soil (mix vermiculite and peatmoss)
- Sharp, clean knife
- Rooting powder (available at a garden center for
about $3)
- Pencil or small dowel
Fill a 4" pot with rooting soil to a depth of about 4".
With a sharp knife take a 3" - 5" stem cutting from
the parent plant just below a leaf joint. Remove any
flowers or buds. Trim off all but 3 or 4 leaves at the
top. Dip cutting in water/bleach solution, then in the
rooting powder (which has rooting hormone and
fungicide). Use the pencil to make a 3" deep hole in
the pot just slightly larger than the cutting stem and
carefully insert cutting so the rooting compound
won't be brushed away. Gently firm the soil around it.
Several cuttings can be placed in one pot. Water the
cuttings and store in a shady, cool area. Rooting may
begin to take place within 3 - 4 weeks.
 
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