Alright, so, a while back, I got this itch to try my hand at growing some new plants from cuttings. I’d read a bunch about it online, and it seemed like a cool way to get more plants without breaking the bank. Plus, who doesn’t love a good experiment, right?
First things first, I needed to figure out what kind of soil mix would be best. The internet, as always, was full of opinions. Some folks swore by just plain old potting soil, while others were all about fancy mixes with perlite and vermiculite and whatnot. I even saw a Japanese site talking about some kind of coated fertilizer, but I couldn’t really understand that.
I decided to keep it simple and start with a basic mix. After all, I didn’t want to get too complicated right out of the gate. I grabbed a bag of regular potting soil from the local garden store and mixed in some perlite to help with drainage. I figured this would give the cuttings a good balance of moisture and air, which I’d read was important.
Next up, I needed some cuttings. I snipped a few healthy-looking stems from some of my existing plants—a couple of geraniums, a fuchsia, and even a bit of my trusty old spider plant. I made sure to use clean scissors and cut just below a node, which is where the roots like to grow.
- Get some cuttings from existing plants
- Cut below a node
- Use clean scissors
Then came the fun part—planting! I dipped the cut ends of the stems in a bit of rooting hormone powder (another thing I picked up at the garden store) and gently tucked them into the soil mix. I gave them a good watering and covered the whole setup with a clear plastic bag to create a mini-greenhouse effect. Seemed like the humidity would be good for them.
Now, the waiting game began. I placed the cuttings in a bright spot, but out of direct sunlight, and crossed my fingers. Every few days, I’d check the soil to make sure it was still moist and peek under the plastic to see if any roots were forming. It felt like forever, but after a couple of weeks, I started to see some tiny white roots poking out from the bottom of the cuttings. Success!
My little experiment worked out!
From there, I gradually introduced the new plants to normal air by taking the plastic bag off for longer and longer periods. After a few more weeks, they were ready to be transplanted into their own pots. They’re still growing strong, and I’m pretty stoked about the whole process. I might try some different soil mixes in the future, but for now, I’m happy with my simple setup. It just goes to show that sometimes, the basic approach is all you need.
