Propagating plants by cuttings is often quick and easy. But there are different forms of propagation from cuttings.
If a plant is propagated using cuttings, clones of the mother plant are created, from which the cuttings are taken. The propagation of cuttings is a so-called vegetative form of propagation, for which the formation of seeds is not necessary in order to allow offspring to arise. But propagation by cuttings can also be divided into different forms. One speaks of leaf cuttings when new, small plants develop from individual leaves that have been removed from the substrate. However, propagation via head or partial cuttings is much more widespread.
Cut, root and plant cuttings
With the head cuttings, the first 5 to 10 cm of a shoot are removed and placed in a suitable substrate. A potting soil like our Plantura is best Organic herb & sowing soil suitable that is perfectly matched to cuttings. With the so-called partial cuttings, a middle part of a shoot is cut to size and inserted accordingly. However, it is important that the cutting contains at least one so-called node - a leaf bud. Particularly with the partial cuttings, the degree of lignification of the cuttings must be taken into account. The cuttings should not be too lignified, nor should the tissue be too soft. In the case of woody cuttings, the rooting is heavier and softer tissues are prone to fungal attack - especially if the rooting takes a little longer anyway.
If the cuttings are cut, make sure that they have two leaves that are more or less fully developed. The leaf area is important for the cutting to be able to provide the energy required for rooting. However, the leaves also have a disadvantage for the cuttings: the larger the leaf surface is, the more the cutting becomes in dry air, high temperatures or high light intensity transpire. As a result, the cutting has to ensure an increased supply of water. This is difficult, however, as a young cutting cannot absorb any water due to the lack of roots. The key to successful cuttings propagation is therefore to ensure high humidity in the habitat of the cuttings. In large nurseries, this is achieved, for example, by a fine spray mist in the greenhouse.
At home you can already have the required high humidity in one Mini greenhouse reach on the windowsill. As an alternative, you could cut a PET bottle in half and place it over the cuttings. However, as soon as the first roots form, the cutting can be slowly weaned. The hood, which ensures high humidity, is removed from time to time and then longer and longer. Ventilation creates a more realistic acclimatized environment for the cuttings. If the high humidity was maintained continuously, there would again be an increasing risk that the cutting would be attacked by dangerous plant fungi.
Summary of cuttings propagation:
- No matter whether partial or head cuttings - the cuttings must contain at least one leaf nodium for propagation to be successful.
- The cutting shoot should neither have too lignified nor too soft tissue at the interface.
- It is best to make the cut with a sharp knife and disinfect it before each cut.
- Permeable and nutrient-poor substrate for cuttings like the Plantura Organic herb & sowing soil use (mini greenhouse, PET bottle)
- Generate high humidity for rooting and thus protect the cuttings from drying out.
- As soon as the first roots form, gradually reduce the humidity and thus counteract the risk of fungal attack.
Propagate herbs by cuttings
Gardening skills and sensitivity are required if you want to propagate the kitchen herbs from the windowsill yourself. This can usually be done easily using cuttings. But the right time should be timed: late spring or early summer are the most favorable in terms of temperature and light. In addition, the shoots have usually not yet set any flowers or buds. These are undesirable with cuttings because they mean a lot of force at the expense of the formation of new roots on the cuttings.
Basically, a cutting can be placed in a glass of water until the first roots are formed. However, we would like to advise against this. Special water roots are then formed. These are not as finely branched and hairy as the roots in soil or substrate. If the cutting is then transferred from the water glass to the pot, these roots are initially of no use to the plant. There is often a risk that the water roots will be infected with fungi and that the cuttings will die after potting. The better alternative is therefore to stick the cuttings directly into a suitable substrate and also to ensure high humidity in a mini greenhouse on the windowsill.