The fastest and most efficient way to get a new identical specimen of your plant is by multiplying it by cuttings. The cutting, which may well be a piece of branch or leaves, contains all the genetic information that interests you, such as that related to its color and/or shape, or to the production of flowers and/or fruits, provided that it is not a grafted plant.
But do you know how to cut a cutting? If it is not done well at all, it may not emit roots and rot after a few days. So let’s see how it is done so that everything goes smoothly.
Index
- 1 How are they cut?
- 1.1 Stem cuttings
- 1.2 Leaf cuttings
- 2 What to do to root?
How are they cut?
stem cuttings
The stem and branch cuttings are cut in such a way that the cut is clean , that is, we cannot tear it from the mother plant, but we must cut it with the appropriate pruning tool (saw if it is woody, scissors if it is green and thin) achieving that there is no notch or mark, neither in the cuttings themselves nor in the plants from which they come.
As for its length, it will depend on the species, but in general they should measure at least 20 centimeters. In the event that they are woody, it is better that they measure about 40cm.
leaf cuttings
Plants that can be multiplied by leaf cuttings are actually very few, the most common being Echeveria and Begonia . To be able to take cuttings, you simply have to cut the leaves that interest us with scissors and plant them in trays or pots , covering a little -seriously, very, very little- the base with vermiculite and spraying with water.
What to do to root?
If we want to ensure that they take root, it is highly recommended to impregnate the base with rooting hormones , either in powder or liquid form that we can find for sale in nurseries, garden stores and the like. In any case, if we prefer, we can use homemade rooting agents.
Thus, it is more than likely that we will obtain new plants in a matter of a few days or weeks.
Did you find it interesting?
