yard and garden
NEW PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS
John A. Wott
cooperative extension service horticulture department purdue university lafayette, Indiana 4790
Many plants can be reproduced from cuttings. In fact, propagation by cutting is the most popular method of reproducing ornamental plants. Propagation by cuttings is usually easy, rapid, and successful. Many new plants identical to the parent plant can be reproduced.

ROOTING MEDIA
When a cutting is severed from the "mother plant," its water supply is greatly reduced. For this reason the rooting media (soil mixture) must provide ample moisture as well as support the cutting during the propagation period. You may want to experiment with different media to determine which works best for your propagation set-up. A mixture of sand and peat moss or perlite and peat moss (1:1 by volume) often is used. Rooting media which hold too much moisture will cause the cuttings to rot.
Two sterile natural materials often are used. Vermiculite, an expanded mica, is available from most gardener suppliers. It's clean, easy to handle, moisture retaining, and available in different size particles. An expanded volcanic rock, perlite, is also used. It usually is combined with other materials because it dries out quickly when used alone.

CONTAINERS
Milk cartons, flower pots, flats, plastic freezing cartons, and plastic bags can be used for home propagation. Also, a forsyth pot may be constructed by setting a small clay pot (2 inches in diameter) inside a large pot (6-8 inches in diameter). Plug the drainage hole of the small pot. Water, added to the inside pot, supplies constant moisture (Figure 1).
After inserting the cuttings, cover the container with a polyethylene bag to conserve moisture. Never place the containers in full sun, for the enclosed cuttings will "cook."
Another simple method is to fill a polyethylene bag, such as a 2-quart freezer bag, with 6 inches of the moist rooting medium, insert the cuttings, and seal with a rubber
band or florist twist-em. Place in light shade, and open when roots appear. Do not over-water the rooting medium.
Gardeners who root large numbers of cuttings may want to develop a mist propagation set-up (See HO-89-2). In a mist system, the cuttings are intermittently sprayed with a fine mist for several seconds every few minutes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For example, the cuttings may be misted 10-12 seconds every 2 1/2 minutes, the interval between mistings lengthening as the cuttings root. Time clocks and electronic devices are available for automatically controlling the mist.

PREPARATION
A sharp knife should be used in taking and preparing cuttings. With soft herbaceous materials, the cuttings or "slips" may simply be snapped from the "mother plant" with your fingers.
To avoid moisture loss, place the cuttings in a polyethylene bag immediately, even while transporting them to the propagation set-up. If the cuttings must be held, keep them in a cool area or refrigerator. Place the cuttings in the rooting media as soon as possible after taking them from the "mother plant."
Cooperative Extension WOrk in Agriculture and Home Economics, State of Indiana, Purdue University and U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating.  H.G. Diesslin, Director, Lafayette, Ind.  Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.