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Root Cuttings

Grow It! : Episode GRW-210 -- More Projects »
Q: What's an easy way to multiply plants?

A: One easy way to replicate perennial plants is to take root cuttings. Simply pull a piece of the root up and clip it off. (This won't hurt the parent plant since it's sufficiently large and well established). Cut the root into two- or three-inch pieces. Each piece will become a duplicate of the parent plant.

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This Oriental poppy (left) and the rugosa rose have both been grown from root cuttings.
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The root of this cardoon can be cut into pieces, each one of which can become a duplicate of the parent plant.
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Cut each piece two to three inches long.

Place the root cutting into a small container of potting soil. Make sure the thick part of the root is facing up and the thin part is facing down. This mirrors the roots of the parent plant, which taper as they grow deeper into the ground. Cover the root completely with soil to help alleviate shock.

Give the roots a good watering and wait; it will take some time for the new roots to establish themselves.

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Plant the big end of the root up, small end down.
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Be patient after your cutting has been potted. Even after a couple of months, there's no apparent activity above the soil, but look below: these small white roots indicate the cutting has been rooting. In a couple more months, new leaves will emerge and the plant will soon resemble its parent plant.

--Dan Lehrer, Landscape Designer, Berkeley, California

Guests
Dan Lehrer
Flatland Flower Farm
580 Tilton Rd.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Website: flatlandflowerfarm.com
Also in this Episode
Grow It! : Episode GRW-210
•Spotlight: Asian Garden
•Installing a Pond
•Root Cuttings
•Q&A: Fighting Pests
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