Growing Softwood Cuttings: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

Use softwood cuttings to propagate new plants from favorite annuals and perennials. Includes recommended plants and detailed step-by-step instructions.

In late fall and winter, you can root older growth: How to Grow Plants from Hardwood Cuttings.

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Softwood Cutting Propagation

This walks you through everything you need to know to start growing softwood cuttings.

I’ll show you what they are, when to take them, list examples of plants you can try this on, and provide step-by-step instructions.

Once you see how it’s done, you can use the same skill for propagating countless other plants.

Contents

• Getting Started
• How to Take Softwood Cuttings
• Plants to Grow From Softwood Cuttings
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Resources

Getting Started

What is a softwood cutting?

A softwood cutting is piece of plant stem taken from a woody plant while it is still green and has not yet formed bark, typically during early or mid-summer.

Many woody plants go through these growth phases:

1. Herbaceous (young, green growth in spring)
   Fine, pliable new growth that will bend instead of breaking.
2. Softwood (starting to toughen up)
   May snap when bent.
3. Semi-ripe or semi-hardwood (woody bark starting to form)
4. Hardwood (late summer and fall)
   With its tough, protective coat, a healthy woody stem is unlikely to snap when bent.

Once mature, a woody or hardwood stem remains so for life, although that same stem may send out new green shoots.

There are pros and cons to propagating stem cuttings at each of these stages.

During the softwood phase the young stems are not as vulnerable to drying out as herbaceous stem cuttings and faster growing than semi—and hardwood cuttings.

Hardwood cuttings are slower growing but tougher with (in my experience) better success rates overall.

As with all propagation, be willing to experiment and start more than you need.

Keep reading for step-by-step instructions and recommended plants to try growing from softwood cuttings.

How to Take Softwood Cuttings

This is a generalized version of what I do for all types of cuttings from softwood to hardwood.

You’ll notice lots of variations between gardeners but ultimately if enough of the growing conditions are met, we each succeed.

Depending on the plant, apical (main) shoots or lateral (side) shoots work best.

The parts that can form roots are the nodes—the areas on stems where leaves and/or lateral shoots originate from.

In the diagrams below, you’ll notice the cuts are always below a node for this reason.

Supplies

• Potting mix, soil-less
• 6-8″ flower pot (clay or plastic) | plastic works best
• Rooting hormone powder (optional)
• Garden snippers
• Scalpel or sharp, clean knife
• Plastic food bag and damp paper towel
• Softwood cuttings (6 per pot)

Steps

1Prepare Pot for Planting

• Have your flower pot and organic soil-less potting mix ready.
• Water potting mix thoroughly and top up as needed.

2Take Cutting from Donor Plant

• Obtain your cutting in the morning, if possible, when stems are fully hydrated.
• Choose a new growth stem (from the current growing season) that does not have any buds or flowers.
• Use a sharp, clean knife and cut just above a leaf node.
• Be careful never to crush or squeeze the stems.
• Wrap cutting in damp paper towel and place in plastic bag or bin until next step.
• You can root up to 6 cuttings in one pot, so get a bunch of them.

3Remove Lower Leaves

• Remove lower leaves.

4Trim Stem

• Trim stem directly below leaf nodes (where you just removed the lower leaves).

5Apply Rooting Hormone if Needed

At this stage in a plant’s growth, rooting hormone is generally not needed unless the stem is getting fairly tough or woody.

This explains when and when not to use rooting hormone.

• Place small amount of rooting hormone powder on plate.
• Dip stem in rooting hormone powder.
• Gently tap off excess.

6Plant Stem

• Push stem into potting mix, approximately 2-inches deep (up to remaining leaf stems).
• The ideal position in the pot is against the inner wall.

7Plant More

• You can fit approximately 6 cuttings around the inside of a 6-inch pot.

8Care & Growth

In the summer, I keep my cuttings on a covered patio. You could also keep them indoors near a window but never in direct sun.

Softwood cuttings rely on photosynthesis for energy. This means it’s helpful to have some leafy growth up top to facilitate this.

Ideally, temperatures stay between 60 and 80° F (15 to 27° C) and you follow these tips:

• Keep soil moist, not soggy. You can use a plant mister on the foliage as desired.
• Keep pot in a warm, sheltered location (to avoid drying out).
• Provide high humidity but with good air flow. Some use a greenhouse misting system.
• Growth rate varies by species and vigor of mother plant.
• Freshly cut stems may wilt and look rather pathetic for the first week or so. Don’t panic: with even watering, they will perk up.
• In most cases, roots form after 4-6 weeks, which means the cuttings are ready for transplanting into individual pots.
• You may also notice new leaf growth (hooray!).
• After another month, plants should be ready for planting in the garden.

Once you see how simple it is, there are so many possibilities.

Plants to Grow From Softwood Cuttings

Spring

Mid-Spring to Early Summer | After Last Frost

Take cuttings from new growth that is starting to toughen.

Beware that any plants you propagate are not on your local invasive species list.

Here are some suggestions (there’s lots more than I’ve listed here).

*Some are invasive in parts of North America.

Summer

Summer Semi-Ripe Cuttings

Take cuttings on maturing stems (base is hard, tip is soft) in late summer.

*Some are invasive in parts of North America.

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources

• 20 Native Plants You Can Grow From Cuttings

Good luck with your plant propagation and be sure to sign up for the free Empress of Dirt newsletter for fresh tips every two weeks.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛