Plant Propagation by Cuttings

Aug 19

2 min read

Explore the work of people investigating, documenting and teaching about plants, ecosystems and environmental change.

Shanti Plants - The Earth Provides

Cuttings produce a new plant from a piece of an existing one. Depending on the species, roots and shoots may form from stem, leaf or root tissue. Success depends on healthy parent material, the type and age of the cutting, seasonal conditions and careful control of water loss, oxygen, temperature and hygiene.

What This Index Covers

This index covers softwood, semi-hardwood and hardwood stem cuttings, leaf and root cuttings, selection of parent plants, tool hygiene, preparation, growing media, humidity, light, rooting support and aftercare. It does not assume that every plant can or should be cloned, and it flags biosecurity, plant-breeder and conservation limits where relevant.

Browse Resources

Browse the resource areas currently organised under this index. Links can be added as reviewed articles and records are published.

Choosing parent material - Selecting healthy, correctly identified, non-stressed growth.

Stem cuttings - Comparing softwood, semi-hardwood, hardwood, tip and nodal methods.

Leaf and root cuttings - Recognising which species can regenerate from specialised tissues.

Preparation and media - Balancing moisture retention, drainage, oxygen and cleanliness.

Rooting environment - Managing humidity, light, temperature and water loss without encouraging rot.

Potting-on and hardening - Moving rooted cuttings gradually into ordinary growing conditions.

Read First

Before using these resources for identification, growing, harvesting, conservation, community work or other practical decisions, read:

Correct Identification & Parent-Plant Health

Clean Tools, Media & Propagation Hygiene

Rooting Hormones, Toxicity & Safe Handling

Coverage and Evidence

A successful cutting is not evidence that the parent identity, health or use claims are correct. Method, timing and rooting response vary widely between taxa and environments. Advice about rooting products must identify the active ingredient and label directions; more product is not necessarily more effective. Do not move unknown plant material, pests, pathogens or restricted species between properties or regions.

The Earth's Resource Map and Learn library are being built progressively. Indexed means that a topic or resource can be connected to its identity, source and broad context; it does not mean that every claim has been verified or localised. Evidence is assessed claim by claim. Where information is missing, uncertain, restricted or location-dependent, that limitation should remain visible.

Last Reviewed

19 August 2026

This date records review of this index-page copy and its resource structure. Individual articles, records, laws, project details and evidence may have different publication and review dates.