Lesson 3
Softwood cuttings
Softwood cuttings are the easiest place for a new propagator to win. You take a flexible, growing tip from a healthy plant in late spring or early summer, pop it in compost, and within a few weeks you have roots.
Best subjects: basil, mint, lemon balm, oregano, pelargoniums, fuchsias, salvias, lavender (semi-ripe), tomatoes (yes — side shoots root in water in days).
Softwood cuttings, step by step
- 1Take a non-flowering shoot 8–12 cm long, in the cool of morning.
- 2Snip cleanly just below a node (where leaves emerge).
- 3Strip the lower two-thirds of leaves; if remaining leaves are large, halve them.
- 4Optional: dip the cut end in rooting hormone (water works fine for soft stems).
- 5Push into damp gritty compost (or a jar of water for very soft stems) so half the cutting is buried.
- 6Cover with a clear bag on sticks to hold humidity. Keep out of direct sun.
- 7Check after 2 weeks — a gentle tug that meets resistance means rooted. Pot on once roots are 2–3 cm.
If leaves wilt and never recover, the cutting was too soft or too thirsty. Take cuttings earlier in the day, with more wood, and shade the propagator.