How to Take Plant Cuttings: Softwood vs Hardwood Cuttings

Taking plant cuttings is one of the easiest ways to grow more plants without spending much. You don’t need fancy equipment. Just a healthy parent plant, a decent growing mix, and a bit of patience.

I’ve always rated cuttings as one of the best ways to propagate plants. They let you grow several new plants from one strong mother plant, which makes a big difference if you’re building up a garden on a budget. They’re also useful for tender plants that can be harder to grow from seed.

The two most common methods are softwood cuttings and hardwood cuttings. Both work well. You just need to know when to use each one.

Softwood Cuttings

What Are Softwood Cuttings?

Softwood cuttings are taken from fresh, soft growth, usually in spring or summer. They come from the younger part of the stem, not the older woody growth lower down.

This method is often quicker than hardwood propagation and usually gives a better success rate.

How to Take Softwood Cuttings

1. Choose the Right Shoot

Take a healthy non flowering shoot about 5 to 10 cm long from the parent plant. Morning is best because the plant is still full of moisture.

Make the top cut neatly above a bud. Make the bottom cut just below a node. Strip off the lower leaves. If the top leaves are large or fleshy, trim them back to reduce moisture loss.

Some plants are better taken as basal cuttings. These include aster, chrysanthemum, delphinium, and lupin. In those cases, take the young shoots from the base of the plant in spring.

2. Prepare the Cutting

Dip the base into rooting hormone powder. Before that, you can lightly wound the bottom of the stem with a small slice. That can help roots form along the side of the stem.

Fill a pot or tray with free draining cutting compost. Make a hole with a pencil, stick, or thumb, then place the cutting in so the first leaves sit just above the compost surface. Firm it in and water thoroughly.

For the best results, keep the cuttings in a warm bright place out of direct sun. A heated propagator at around 18 to 20°C works well. If you don’t have one, use a loose plastic cover and ventilate it regularly.

If you can’t plant them straight away, keep the cuttings in a plastic bag in the fridge for a short time until you’re ready.

3. Wait for Root Growth

Softwood cuttings usually take around 6 to 10 weeks to root. During that time, keep the compost moist but not waterlogged.

Once roots have formed, harden the plants off over about two weeks before potting them individually. Remove any rotten or dying material as soon as you spot it.

4. Pot On

In spring, move the rooted cuttings into 9 cm pots to grow on. Once they’ve formed a strong root ball, they’re ready for a bigger pot or a spot in the garden.

Hardwood Cuttings

What Are Hardwood Cuttings?

Hardwood cuttings are taken from deciduous plants after they’ve dropped their leaves and gone dormant in autumn or winter.

This method is slower, but it’s simple and reliable. Because the cutting has no leaves, it doesn’t need the same warm humid conditions as softwood cuttings. The trade off is time. You’ll usually wait until the following year for proper root and shoot growth.

How to Take Hardwood Cuttings

1. Take Cuttings at the Right Time

Take hardwood cuttings in autumn after leaf drop, once the plant is dormant. Avoid frosty weather.

2. Prepare the Growing Area

If you’re taking several cuttings, prepare a narrow trench outside in a sheltered spot. Add a layer of sand at the bottom for drainage, then backfill with soil mixed with compost.

If you only need a few cuttings, pots work just as well. Use a 50 50 mix of multipurpose compost and grit.

3. Select a Strong Stem

Choose a healthy woody shoot from the current year’s growth, about the thickness of a pencil. Cut it off close to the base.

4. Cut It into Lengths

Remove the soft tip, then cut the stem into sections about 15 to 30 cm long.

At the top of each cutting, make a sloping cut just above a bud. That helps shed water and makes it clear which end is up. At the bottom, make a straight cut just below a bud.

5. Plant the Cuttings

Dip the lower end of each cutting into rooting hormone powder. Insert them into the trench or pot with the lower end down, leaving about one third of the cutting above the soil.

If you’re using a trench, space the cuttings about 15 cm apart.

6. Leave Them to Root

Leave hardwood cuttings in place until the following autumn. Water during dry periods so the soil or compost does not dry out completely.

Once they’ve rooted properly, they can be lifted and replanted in their final position.

Best Plants to Grow from Cuttings

Once you know what you’re doing, there’s plenty you can propagate this way.

Softwood cuttings are good for tender plants like pelargoniums, petunias, verbena, argyranthemum, and osteospermum. They also work well for shrubs such as lavender, rosemary, forsythia, fuchsia, hydrangea, lavatera, and buddleja.

Hardwood cuttings are ideal for broadleaf shrubs, roses, climbers like honeysuckle and grapevine, and fruiting plants such as blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, and figs.

Final Word

Taking plant cuttings is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to grow more plants. You don’t need much to get started. Just good material, clean cuts, the right growing mix, and patience.

Do it properly once, and one plant can turn into many.

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