When to Take Plant Cuttings (Season By Season)

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You can grow new plants by propagating perennial shrubs and vines year-round from softwood, semi-ripe, and hardwood cuttings. Our calendar lists optimum timing for a variety of common plants.

If you are interested in sowing seeds, also see Seed Starting 101 which shares how I start many plants from seed indoors under an inexpensive homemade grow light setup.

Propagating Plant Cuttings From Spring to Fall

Examples of plants you can grow from cuttings in spring, summer, and fall.

Would you like to grow more plants from the ones you have?

One of the easiest propagation methods is to take cuttings and root them for new plants.

Not only is it faster than sowing from seed, but there are opportunities to take cuttings from spring to fall.

Growing from cuttings is suited for many of our favorite perennial plants, shrubs, and vines. Most annuals or “bedding plants” with a short life cycle are usually not candidates although there are a few exceptions.

Once you try rooting plants from cuttings, you may realize a few things like I did.

First, I wondered why I ever paid for young starter plants, since they are one snip away in the garden.

Next, I realized that plant propagation opens up a whole other dimension of gardening. Once you see how one cutting grows, you’ll want to try all sorts of plants.

To get an idea of how it works, this video tutorial on taking clematis cuttings shows one method:

The best time to propagate plants from cuttings varies by plant. See the plant lists (below) for recommendations by season.

When to Take Plant Cuttings
Frequently-Asked Questions
Resources

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When to Take Plant Cuttings

Season By Season

Spring is the time for softwood cuttings from many plants, perennials, shrubs, and vines. These young cuttings are eager to root but also at high-risk for drying out without proper care. See How to Take Softwood Cuttings for step-by-step instructions.

Summer is the time for semi-ripe cuttings, where the base of the shoots are hardening up (maturing) but the tips are still nimble. The softwood cutting method is used.

By autumn, the plant growth is mature. Fall and winter hardwood cuttings can be slow to root but more stable than tender young cuttings, allowing over-wintering in a cool greenhouse or under some protection outdoors—even in cold climate like I have here in Canada. See How to Take Hardwood Cuttings for step-by-step instructions.

The basic method is the same no matter what time of year you take the cuttings.

From there, softwood and semi-ripe cuttings rely on photosynthesis for energy. Hardwood cuttings do not require sunlight and instead get their energy from the woody stem.

About Plant Patents

Some plants are patented and asexual reproduction is not permitted without permission from the patent holder. Patents and trademarks are usually listed on plant tags.

Mid-Spring to Early Summer | After Last Frost

Take cuttings from new growth.

Diagram showing how to take softwood cuttings and plant them in potting mix.

Here’s some suggestions. Some plants can be rooted at various stages of growth and appear on more than one list.

Coleus Soenostemon
Clematis Clematis
Dogwood Cornus
Elderberry Sambucus
Forsythia Forsythia
Fuchsia Fuchsia
Gardenia Gardenia
Geranium Pelagonium
Hibiscus, Chinese Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Hydrangea Hydrangea
See tutorial here

Lilac Syringa
Mock orange Philadelphus
Mock strawberry Potentilla
Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus
Rose Rosa
Sage Salvia
Viburnum Viburnum
Weigela Weigela
Wisteria Wisteria *

This plant list is included in our ebook: Top Garden Tip Sheets

Sowing seeds, a seedling, and young plants growing indoors.

Related: Seed Starting for Beginners

Summer Semi-Ripe Cuttings

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

Here are some suggestions:

Boxwood Buxus
Butterfly bush Buddleia
Cherry laurel Lauraceae
Coleus Soenostemon
Escallonia Escallonia
Evergreen shrubs
Geranium Pelargonium
Dead-nettles Lamium*
Herbs: bay, hyssop, lavender, rosemary, rue, sage, thyme
Holly Ilex
Honeysuckle Lonicera*

Ivy
Lavender Lavandula
Mallows Lavatera
Mock orange Philadelphus
Passion flower Passifloraceae
Privet Ligustrum*
Firethorn Pyracantha
Solanum Solanum
Spirea Caryopteris
Star Jasmine Trachelospermum
Viburnum Viburnum

*Some varieties are invasive in parts of North America.

This plant list is included in our ebook: Top Garden Tip Sheets

Fall & Winter Hardwood Cuttings

Take cuttings from mature stems in autumn after leaf drop but before ground is frozen or late winter just before bud-burst.

Preparing hardwood plant cuttings for propagation by dipping the ends in rooting hormone.

Here are some suggestions:

Abelia Abelia
Anemone Anemone
Bittersweet Celastrus*
Blueberry Vaccinium
Broom Cytisus
Butterfly Bush Buddeja
Currants
Dogwood Cornus
Deutzia Deutzia
Elder Sambucus
Euonymus Euonymus*
Fig Ficus
Flowering currant Ribes
Forsythia Forsythia
Gooseberries Ribes
Grape Vitis
Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos
Honeysuckle Lonicera*
Hydrangea Hydrangea
Ivy (various)
Jasmine Jasminum

Laburnum Laburnum
Mock Orange Philadelphus
Mulberry Morus*
Ninebark Physocarpus
Plane Platanus
Poplars Populus
Privet Ligustrum*
Pussy willow Salix
Quince Chaenomeles
Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus
Rose Rosa
Russian olive Elaeagnus angustifolia* unless invasive
Sand cherry Prunus
Spiraea Spiraea
Snowberry bush Symphoricarpos
Trumpet creeper Campsis
Virburnum Virburnum
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus
Weigela Weigela
Willow Salix

*Beware of invasive species including Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), Winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus); Russian olive Elaeagnus angustifolia, American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens); *White Mulberry (Morus alba), and various Honeysuckle species.

This plant list is included in our ebook: Top Garden Tip Sheets

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best time to take cuttings?

The best time to take cuttings is any time the plant is actively growing from spring to fall. Some plants do best during certain growth phases. A good plant propagation book will provide specific tips for each species. You can also find free plant propagation tutorials here. For time of day, it is recommended to take cuttings in the morning when plants reach their peak hydration levels for the day.

How long do cuttings take to root?

The time it takes cuttings to grow roots depends on the type of plant, growth stage, and conditions.

In spring stems are green and flexible. These are softwood cuttings and can root fairly rapidly, taking a few weeks, although they are also the most vulnerable to drying out.

By fall, stems start to become woody. These are hardwood cuttings and are slower to root, taking months or a year.

Can you take cuttings from bedding plants?

You can grow cuttings from some annual bedding plants but not all. Annuals like basil, geraniums (Pelargoniums), and tomato plants can also be propagated from cuttings. The key to success is to learn which—if any—part of the plant can grow roots and at what growth stage it will be most viable.

How do I take plant cuttings?

Very generally, taking cuttings involves identifying a suitable plant shoot, cutting it off with a sharp, clean knife or pruner, at a specific location near a leaf node, and placing it in growing medium. Use of rooting hormone is sometimes recommended. For best results, choose a shoot that is not flowering or fruiting.

Bottle of rooting hormone powder. — Rooting hormone powder

Rooting Hormone | Amazon

Fiskars Snips | Amazon

See How to Grow Shrubs and Vines from Hardwood Cuttings for a step-by-step video if you would like an example to follow.

Specific instructions depend on the plant species and the time of year. Methods and opinions vary.

Fortunately, gardeners with different approaches often both get good results.

It is best to look up the plant you want to propagate and follow specific instructions for that species and growth stage (from spring to fall).

For example, try searching (in Google or Bing), ‘How to propagate (plant name) from cuttings’, and see your options.

Depending on whether it’s a softwood, ripe-wood, or hardwood cutting, there are a few different things to know.

Alternately, plants like begonias propagate nicely from leaf cuttings, so a specific tutorial is best.

Nature is a survivor. In the old days, gardeners propagated favorite shrubs by taking cuttings and sticking them in the ground. If conditions were right, they grew. Today we tend to fret about these things much more, perhaps putting too much attention on the wrong details.

Be willing to experiment and have fun with it.