Propagating Plants: Cuttings, Sowing & Division

Propagating Plants Yourself – Free & Satisfying

If you propagate your own plants, you don't need to buy new ones, you can give some away to friends, and you understand plant growth much better. The three most important methods:

1. Cuttings

Cuttings are shoot tips or side shoots that root into a new plant.

Suitable plants: tomato side shoots (suckers), geraniums (pelargoniums), basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, berry bushes (currants, gooseberries)

Procedure:

1. Cut off an 8–12 cm shoot tip (just below a leaf node)
2. Remove the lower leaves – keep only 2–4 at the top
3. Place in moist propagating substrate or simply in a glass of water
4. Keep bright, but not in full sun
5. Keep moist – roots form after 2–4 weeks

Water propagation (a vase of water): works excellently for basil, mint, and tomato suckers, and you can watch the roots form directly.

2. Sowing

The cheapest method for vegetables, herbs, and many flowers.

Basic rules:

• Use seed-starting mix (low-nutrient, fine-grained)
• Treat seeds as light or dark germinators as needed
• Keep evenly moist – never let it dry out, never waterlog
• Prick out once the first true leaves appear

Tip: recycled yogurt cups or egg cartons make free, sustainable seedling pots.

3. Division & Offsets

Many perennials and berry bushes can be propagated by division:

• Dividing perennials (autumn or spring): dig up the plant, pry it apart with two garden forks, replant the sections
• Runners (strawberries, mint): creeping shoots form daughter plants that can be detached and transplanted
• Dividing bulbs (chives, onions): divide the bulb cluster and replant

Rooting Aids

• Willow water: dissolve willow branches in water – the natural auxin promotes rooting
• Cinnamon powder: on the cut surface – has an antibacterial effect
• Commercial rooting hormones (powder or gel): reliably speed up rooting