One of the best ways to multiply a large number of plant species is through cuttings. It is much faster than multiplication by seeds since, once the cutting is rooted, it continues to develop from the size of a seedling with weeks or months of growth, and it also ensures that we have an adult specimen that will be a genetic copy of the parent plant, with all its strengths and health.
However, knowing how to root a cutting is not always easy. Some plants have a great facility for it, while others require much more specific care for the cutting to be successful and grow. if you want to learn how to root cuttingskeep reading us in this EcologíaVerde article in which we teach you the best techniques.
Homemade rooting hormone for cuttings
One of the most used resources when we look for what helps to root the cuttings is the rooting hormone. These are products that stimulate the growth capacity of the roots of the plant, facilitating and accelerating the rooting of the cutting.
You can buy rooting hormone at most garden stores but, as always, here we recommend you go the greener route and make your own homemade rooting hormone with natural products. It is very easy, and the only thing you need is a little foresight to be able to do it before taking the cutting of the plant. When it comes to how to root fast, the plant hormones we look for are auxins. These are found in a large number of legumes and sprouted cereals, so it is very easy to prepare them with lentils, soybeans, chickpeas and a multitude of species.
Steps to make rooting hormone
- Prepare the vegetables to germinate. The most common is to use chickpeas, lentils or soy. Prepare one part of legumes for every four parts of water, and submerge them in a container that you must then cover, either with a lid or with a cloth.
- Keep the container away and covered from light, the latter is very important.
- After about three or four days, your beans should have mostly sprouted.
- This is the best time to crush them together with the water in which they have germinated, making sure after draining and filtering the mixture, that it will be our homemade rooting hormone full of auxins.
- Dilute the concentrate in nine parts of water for each part of hormone and you have your hormone ready.
How to use rooting hormone
You can use rooting hormone in two ways:
- The first consists of, once the cuttings are ready to be planted, submerging them for one hour in the mixture with auxins. Then, take them out of the container and plant them normally in their pots or in the ground, since soaked as they are, they will have absorbed the effect of the preparation.
- The second is to plant the cuttings as normal and use the diluted hormone to water the plants with it. The good thing about this method is that it lasts longer, but requires regular rooting hormone, as the mixture can only be kept in the fridge for about 15 days, after which it loses its beneficial effects.
Here we tell you more about How to make natural rooting.
dry the cuttings
Some plants need their cuttings to go through a process of drying and closing the wound before being able to plant again. It often occurs with fleshy plants, such as succulent or succulent.
When you cut a cutting of one of these species, leave it wrapped on absorbent paper and in a dry and dark corner during a period of time between 3 and 6 days, depending on the species. Some plants may wrinkle and lose a lot of volume during this drying, but this is a normal effect and, if the cutting process goes well, they will recover as soon as they take root and re-absorb the water they have lost. If this is not done, the open wound can be a route of entry of fungi and diseases for the plant, something very dangerous.
Root the cuttings in water
Another very simple and useful method with many species is to root the cuttings in water. Just dip the bottom of cut cutting in water clean at room temperature, or slightly warm, and wait for the roots to appear. It is recommended to change the water approximately every 48 hours to avoid the appearance of fungi or other problems.
Suitable environment for rooting cuttings
Giving the plant to be cut a suitable environment is as necessary as applying rooting hormone or letting the cutting close the wound. Once the cutting is made, it is vital that the plant has three basic pillars: heat, light and humidity.
Put the cuttings in a illuminated areawhere the temperature is not too low and with a suitable humidity, always without flooding with risks. It is common to cover the cuttings with plastic bottles or containers, which help maintain soil moisture and maintain temperature.
How long do cuttings take to root?
The time each plant needs to root Depends on species and environmental conditionsbut if all goes well, any cuttings will have rooted in less than 15 days, although some do it much faster. If after two weeks your cutting is still not holding up with its own roots, the process has most likely failed and you will have to start over.
Now we recommend you read these guides on how to make cuttings of different plants that are very common in homes:
- How to make hydrangea cuttings.
- How to make poinsettia cuttings.
- How to make cuttings of the Christmas cactus.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to root cuttingswe recommend that you enter our category .
