Many houseplants can be grown from stem cuttings, so this method of reproduction is the most common. Some plants take root simply in water, others are quite more demanding and require hormone treatment and greenhouse conditions.
Most plants are propagated by cuttings taken from the upper parts of the shoots, mainly in the spring and summer, some plants are easily cut at any time of the year. You can put shoots on rooting in ordinary water (preferably boiled), while it is better to use dark glass dishes, for example, a beer bottle, if the handle freely passes into the neck. Or a glass jar wrapped in paper, so the water in the container will not bloom. If the walls of the vessel are covered with blue-green algae, the stalk of the stalk is also often silted and does not give roots.
Cuttings can also be rooted in the ground, with some plants (gardenia) rooted only in the ground. The soil mixture for rooting the cuttings of many unpretentious indoor plants can be taken universal (for example, the universal soil "Terra-vita") or composed of equal parts of sand, peat and leaf humus. But some "difficult" plants, the same gardenia, are selected for rooting a special soil mixture, the same as for adult gardenia, only lighter. So, large bush gardenias are planted in a mixture of the 1 part of the turf, the 1 part of the coniferous, the 1 part of the leaf, the 1 part of the peat land and the 1 part of the sand. To root cuttings, they take all the same, in the same proportions, except for turf.
In addition, cuttings can be rooted in pure vermiculite or pure river sand. Different house flowers grow roots in vermiculite or perlite at different rates. For example, citrus fruits form roots much faster when rooted in peat.
If you choose a transparent pot for a rooted handle, then through the walls you can see the roots appearing. If there is no such pot, but you want transparency, you can use a cut off bottom from a plastic bottle or disposable plastic picnic cups. By the way, the volume of the rooting pot should be small. And the pot has to be sustainable. If you cut a cutting from a large plant, or a large branch, then he also needs a small pot. But it must be fixed (literally tied to the shelf) or weighed down by putting a stone on the bottom.
Preparation of cuttings
Cuttings are cut with a sharp, clean knife oblique cut, directly under the eye, without damaging the branches. Cuttings of plants containing a lot of water in the leaves (succulents) are dried before planting. In shrubs with bark (oleander, ficus), woody shoots are usually cut.
Grassy cuttings are either planted in the ground to a depth of 1-2 cm, lignified - somewhat deeper, or put to root in the water. For better rooting, cuttings need moist air, so utensils with cuttings are covered with a glass jar or plastic bag, but a gap is left. Cuttings of juicy, fleshy plants, as well as fuchsia and geranium, do not require shelter.
Cuttings of ficus, araucaria, euphorbia and other plants that secrete milky juice are lowered into warm water until the secretion of juice ceases, then the cut is sprinkled with crushed charcoal.
If the cut stalk has many leaves, then the stalk may die. The fact is that the leaves evaporate water and waste nutrients, and cuttings without roots can only partially replenish moisture loss. Some plants require a lot of energy to root, and the extra leaf surface only slows down the process. Then the leaves are partially or almost completely trimmed. Citrus cuttings, for example, leave a couple of leaves, while each is also cut half or two-thirds, see rooting of citrus cuttings.
Cuttings of plants that are difficult to root, or cut at unfavorable times of the year, for example, late in the fall, it is better to root using special preparations - growth stimulants (heteroauxin, see preparations and see phytohormones). The cut stalk is "dunked" into powder, then a recess is made in the prepared pot with a stick. The handle is lowered into the soil, lightly pressed and covered with a glass jar or bag. The photo shows the process of rooting the cuttings of zamiokulkas. Do not wait for a quick result - it takes more than one month to root some plants.
Cuttings care
Care for cuttings consists in spraying with warm water, if they are not covered with a bag or jar, rubbing sweaty glasses or a bag, shading from the sun. Ventilation is carried out at least twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. You can do without airing if you do not tie the bag, but put, for example, half a cork from a wine bottle under the edge of the can to form a gap.
If rotten cuttings are found, they should be immediately removed from the common vessel with cuttings. If the heel of the handle has rotted only a little, you can save the handle. To do this, it is cut to a healthy tissue and put back in clean water with the addition of activated charcoal.
Rooted cuttings can be planted directly in pots, but after transplantation, direct sun can be avoided for 1-2 days. Also, cuttings can be sprayed with growth stimulants, but without fanaticism and exaggeration of dosages (epin, zircon, amulet preparations).
Sometimes cuttings, even unpretentious and light plants, do not want to take root and stubbornly rot. In this case, as mentioned above, you need to shade the jar of water, add activated carbon to the water itself, and change the water periodically.
The question often arises: when to plant a rooted cutting in the ground. Then, when several strong roots are formed, the length depends on the size of the handle. But some plants, for example, hibiscuses, are planted in the ground without waiting for the roots, and when callus forms on the trunk - white influx in places where future roots form.
Sometimes it happens that the handle easily takes root in the water, forms several roots, but when transplanted into the ground it wilts, does not take root. This may be for several reasons, but the main one is that the roots of cuttings obtained in water are different from the roots of plants grown in the ground, they are completely covered with large root hairs, fluffy, when viewed without enlargement. And when landing in a drier environment (earth), partially or massively root hairs die off - dry up. Those parts of the root where root hairs die lose their ability to absorb water and nutrients, and the stalk dies. If the root hairs die off partially, then the stalk spends all its strength on building up the root mass, and grows very slowly.
In such cases, transplantation with an intermediate version of the substrate helps. More precisely, this is how: earth is poured into a pot prepared for planting a handle, moistened, compacted. Then a deep hole is made in the middle (you can take a vial from under the medicine and press it into the ground - you will get a clear depression). A cutting is lowered into it, and its roots are covered not with earth, but with vermiculite. Vermiculite is very loose and easy to breathe, and in addition, is able to accumulate a large amount of moisture to support the root hairs of the "aquatic" roots. Gradually, the roots will grow, penetrate the ground, and the handle takes root easier. In addition, you can try to use such a drug as "Rokorenit" - see phytohormones.