Taking cuttings from your favorite houseplants is a great way to get more plants for free. However, it can be frustrating when your cuttings don’t take root as expected. You wait patiently for weeks, only to find the cutting is still alive but shows no signs of root growth.
Don’t give up hope! There are several tricks you can try to encourage root formation when your plant cutting is still alive but not rooting
Troubleshooting Tips for Non-Rooting Plant Cuttings
Here are some of the most common reasons cuttings fail to root and what you can do about it:
1. The Mother Plant Was Unhealthy
For the best chance of rooting, always take cuttings from a vigorous, healthy mother plant. If the parent plant is stressed, diseased, or pest-infested, its cuttings will likely struggle too. Give your plant some TLC before taking cuttings.
2. Using Unsterilized Tools
Dirty cutting tools can transfer diseases between plants. Always sterilize your shears in rubbing alcohol before each snip. You can also dip the cut end of the cutting in cinnamon powder, which has antibacterial properties.
3. Cutting at the Wrong Place
Pay close attention to where you make the cutting. It should be taken just below a node or joint where a leaf meets the stem. The node contains a growth point where new roots will emerge. Cuttings without a node will not root well.
4. Not Using a Rooting Hormone
Rooting hormones contain compounds that stimulate root growth in cuttings. Look for powdered or gel rooting hormones containing auxin, like indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), to enhance root development.
5. Root Rot from Excess Moisture
While cuttings need consistently moist soil poor drainage can lead to root rot. Use a well-draining potting mix and avoid overwatering. Let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings.
6. Too Much Direct Sunlight
Bright light is important for cuttings, but direct hot sun will dry them out too quickly. Place them in gentle filtered sunlight or grow lights. Move to partial sun after roots establish.
7. Insufficient Warmth
Cuttings prefer warm soil temperatures around 70-75°F to root well. Keep them away from cold drafts and use a heat mat if needed.
8. Not Enough Ventilation
Stagnant humid air encourages fungal diseases. Ensure cuttings receive good airflow without direct blasts of wind or fans.
9. Being Impatient
Rooting takes time! Many cuttings take 4-8 weeks before you see visible root growth. Be patient and keep caring for the cutting while nature takes its course.
Caring for Non-Rooted Cuttings
If your cutting is still green and firm after several weeks, it is still alive and rooting may occur with more time. Here are some tips for caring for non-rooted cuttings:
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Keep the potting medium evenly moist but not soaked. Stick your finger in the soil to gauge moisture levels.
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Mist the leaves daily with water to increase humidity around the cutting.
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Move the cutting to a warm spot of around 70°F – 80°F to encourage new root cells to grow.
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Avoid disturbing or tugging on the cutting, as any damage can set back root formation.
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If leaves yellow or wilt, trim them off and leave more energy for root growth.
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Consider applying more rooting hormone to the cut end to give rooting another boost.
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Be sure the pot has drainage holes and that excess water can flow out the bottom.
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Check that the cutting is not planted too deeply or leaves are buried. Only the stem should be in the soil.
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Use a weak liquid fertilizer to provide nutrients without overwhelming the tender cutting.
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Keep giving it time! Some finicky plants can take 3-4 months for roots to finally develop.
When to Give Up On a Non-Rooted Cutting
It’s possible your cutting just will not form roots no matter what you try. Here are signs it’s time to discard the cutting:
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Leaves and stem are very mushy, wilted, or rotted. This likely means root rot set in.
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Cutting is shriveling or drying up. Without roots and water uptake, it cannot sustain itself.
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No new growth appears after 3-4 months. If it was going to root, you’d see leaves or shoots emerging.
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Mold, fungi, or other disease is spreading from the stem to the leaves. Toss it out before it infects other plants.
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The cutting falls over at the slightest tug. A healthy unrooted cutting will still be firmly embedded in the soil.
While it’s disappointing to lose a cutting, don’t let it discourage you. Just try taking new cuttings and apply what you learned to improve your chances of success. With good care and optimal conditions, you’ll be rewarded with a brand new plant to add to your collection.
How to Make Hardwood Cuttings
Take hardwood cuttings in winter or early spring. Deciduous plants (those that lose their leaves every winter) have no leaves at this time. Thus, water loss is not a serious problems with these cuttings, unless the buds open. When you take hardwood cuttings, they are harder to root than softwood cuttings. It can take up to four months for roots to form. The technique does work well with some shrubs such as forsythia, privet, and willow. Needled evergreens can also be propagated using hardwood cuttings, but care must be taken to reduce water loss.
Preparing Deciduous Hardwood Cuttings
- Select a robust stem.
- For some plants, it may be 1-2 feet long, but cut off a piece of stem that formed over the summer.
- Cut the cutting in this way: start at the base of the stem and cut just below a node (Figure 4). Make a soft line 2 inches above this cut with a pencil. The rooting mix will have the part of the stem between the cut and the line (Figure 5). Make a second cut 2 to 6 inches above the first one, making sure this piece has at least two buds.
- Take off the buds on the bottom two inches of the stem so they don’t grow while the plant is rooting.
- Cut the cutting by taking off two 1-inch slices of bark from each side of the stem’s base. But don’t cut so deeply that the stem is split in half (Figure 6). Just enough to show the green layer under the bark.
- Rooting hormone should be put on the stem’s bottom inch and it should be put into wet rooting mix up to the pencil line. Firm the rooting mix around it.
- From each stem, you might be able to get two to five short pieces. If the stem is still long enough, do steps 3 through 6 again. Remember which end of the cutting is the bottom and which is the top. When you put a cutting in rooting mix, you should always start at the base and work your way up.
- Now there are two choices, based on the facilities and tools that are available. If your garage is cold and you have a heater to warm the rooting mix, put the pot on the heater in the cold garage. Because of the cold air, the buds won’t open and turn into leaves. The heater will keep the mix warm enough (65 to 75°F) so that roots can grow. It’s okay for the air to be below freezing as long as the heater can keep the rooting mix between 65°F and 75°F. If you want to learn how to build heated beds, check out HO-53: Hot Beds and Cold Frames (http://www. hort. purdue. edu/hort/ext/Pubs/HO/HO_053. pdf). If you don’t have a cold garage with a heating system, put the pot in a plastic bag like you would for a cutting of a herb and put it in a warm room. The buds will open in two or three weeks, but the plastic bag should keep the leaves moist and stop them from losing too much water. The pot should be in a bright area and not get too hot. The rooting mix should be damp but not soaked.
- Check for roots every two to three weeks.
- Acclimate rooted cuttings to warmer, less humid conditions as described for softwood cuttings (Step #8).
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FAQ
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