How to Grow Plants from Cuttings is something that is not very hard to do.
Cuttings are an easy and convenient way to grow new plants from old plants.

How to Grow Plants from Cuttings
This is a simple guide for how to grow fresh plants using a cutting from an established plant.
Starting a new plant from a cutting can be both convenient and relatively inexpensive to do.
Did you read about How to Grow Garlic?
That article shows you how to grow garlic from a single clove. It could not be any more simple than that to grow garlic.
Transferring freshly rooted cuttings to soil can be done easily if you use pots for seedlings. You can find a variety of pots for seedlings here.
People often ask can any plant grow from cuttings.
In theory, yes most every plant should be able to grow from cuttings. However, some plants are more successful at doing so.
Propagation is the term used when referring to when we reproduce plants.
Cuttings is just one method, and perhaps the most commonly used method, for reproducing plants. Other methods include layering, budding, grafting, and division in addition to using seeds.
You may be wondering what plants are good to grow from cuttings.
While you can try growing any plant from cuttings, some plants do better than others. That is, you may not be successful in doing so every time.
When you propagate using cuttings, you are attempting to grow new roots.
This can be done using soil or water as a medium. However, there are factors that can add to the success of propagation including the cut itself and how you prepare the branch.
Tips for propagating plants at home.
When selecting cuts, I suggest that you choose more than one for each plant.
Sometimes cuttings do not take or grow roots and having a backup or two may work for you.
More tips for you
- Rooting hormone is commonly used for propagating. While is is not always necessary, rooting hormone can help you propagating efforts be more successful.
- When cutting branches, use a garden shears or scissors that are in good condition. Also, it is best to make your cut at a 45 degree angle as this gives the branch optimal space for absorbing nutrient for growth.
- Sometimes splitting the stem can make the new root growth more successful. To do this cut the bottom of the stem into quarters. That is, make two cuts with the shears parallel and facing up towards the stem, about ⅓-1/2" long.
Easy plants to start propagating with.
Some plants are easier to propagate than others.
When starting out with propagation, it is a good idea to start where you may have more success.
Here are some common plants that people have more success with propagating.
- Lettuce
- Green Onions
- Celery
- Basil
- Sage
- Lavender
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Roses
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You may also be interested in these ideas.
How to grow Lettuce from a stem.
It takes just a few days to start seeing growth.
In a couple of weeks you could have a head of lettuce, depending on what kind you are growing.
Here is how to propagate lettuce.
- Cut the base off from the leaves. When doing this leave about an inch or two of leaves at the stem.
- Place the stem in a shallow bowl with about ½-3/4" of water.
- Put the shallow bowl by a window with light.
- Change the water every other day.
How to grow Green Onions from cuttings
Make sure that the roots are still attached when you purchase the green onions. Some distributors or stores like to remove the roots
Here is how to propagate green onions.
- Cut the onions down to about two inches.
- You can freeze or refrigerate what you have cut off for later use.
- Place your onion bulbs that remain in a glass or a jar with about an inch of water. Alternatively, you can place the bulb into a pot with soil.
- For best results, place the glass or jar in a sunny locations. Mine are not in direct sun and they do fine.
- It takes between 1 ½ to two weeks to grow the onions back.
How to propagate Celery at home.
Celery takes a bit of time to grow once it has grown new roots and you have planted in.
However, celery is still rewarding to propagate and perhaps, worth the bragging right as well.
Here is how to propagate your purchased celery.
- Cut off the celery to about two inches from the base or root.
- Fill a bowl filled with about two inches of warm water.
- Place the celery base into the water. The water should cover about an inch of the celery base.
- Place the celery base in water close to a window if possible.
- Change out the water every three days.
- In about a week your celery should have new shoots or roots. At this point you can transplant the celery into soil. (It is normal for the remaining celery on the base to turn brown.)
- When transplanting the newly rooted celery in soil, cover the entire base with soil.
- It can take about four to five months to grow a new stalk.
How to grow Basil from cuttings
In my opinion, basil is about the easiest plant to grow from cuttings.
If you are new to the world of propagating, you may want to start with basil as it is both easy to propagate and useful in the kitchen.
Here is how to propagate basil.
- Cut about four inches of basil off from the original plant.
- Pull off all of the leaves except for the top two.
- Place the basil into a glass of water so that the remaining leaves are not in the water.
- For best results, keep the growing basil in a window for light.
- Change the water every three days.
- It should take about a month for your basil to grow roots.
- Replant the basil in soil.
How to grow Sage
Sage is another easy plant to propagate. I actually have a propagated sage plant the I take indoors in the winter time to keep it going.
Here is how to propagate sage.
- Cut off a four inch stem of sage.
- Remove all of the leaves except for the top two.
- Place the cuttings in a glass with water.
- Place the glass in a sunny location if possible.
- Refresh the water every other day.
- It should take about a month to grow the roots needed to plant the sage in soil.
How to grow Lavender from cuttings.
Lavender is popular to grown because it adds color to a garden. It is also useful when used for scenting craft projects or even a room.
Here is how to grow lavender from cuttings.
- Cut a strip of (flowerless) lavender about four inches long.
- Remove all but the top four leaf nodes from the strip.
- Place the cutting in a pot that has potting soil in it. You can use a pencil or similar item to poke a hole to put the cutting into.
- For best results, place the pot in sunlight.
- It takes about a month for the roots to grow. At this point you can transplant the lavender.
How to grow Tomatoes from cuttings
It may be surprising to know that tomatoes can be grown nicely from plants that were once cuttings. This is one plant with fruit that can produce a lot of seeds as well.
Here is how to propagate tomato plants.
- Cut off a branch that is about eight inches long from a tomato plant.
- Remove all but the top four leaves from the branch.
- Place the branch in a glass of water, preferably by a window.
- In about a month you should see roots. At this point your can transfer the tomato branch to soil.
How to grow Pepper Plants through propagation.
This one is especially for anyone who likes their peppers. You can learn more about How to Grow Jalapeño Peppers here.
How to propagate pepper plants.
- Cut off a healthy branch from a pepper plant.
- Remove all but the top four leaves from the cut branch.
- Place the branch in a glass of water.
- The pepper branch does not need to be kept in direct sunlight to grow roots.
- Change the water every other day.
- In about a month the roots should be about an inch long. At this time you can replant the branch in soil.
- Pepper plants are another plant that has fruit with many seeds. While seeds may take longer to grow plants, you can stow them away for next year for planting.
How to grow Roses from cuttings.
Stems from fresh growth work best (recently bloomed) when it comes to roses. Also, hybrid roses do not take as well as the natural varieties. Lastly, make sure that your rose has no patent which can prevent you legally from propagating them.
Here is how to propagate roses.
- Cut a stem that is about a foot long.
- Remove any buds, flowers and all of the leaves except for the top four.
- Roses do best when propagated in potting soil rather than water. I suggest that you first quarter the stem (as described in the tip section above).
- Use a pencil or similar item to poke a hole in the soil and then place the rose stem into the hole.
- Some people like to make a 'mini greenhouse' by placing a plastic bag (like the kind from a produce department) or empty plastic soda bottle over the rose.
- Allow to rose branch to root near a window with sunshine.
- It should take about three weeks to see root growth. You will see new growth on the stem at this time as well.