How to propagate plants

Stop buying basil and grow your own instead.

All you need is a cutting from an existing basil plant so that you can cultivate a new one – all at home and without opening your wallet!

Also known as propagating, the method is an easy way to get new plants from plants you already have – not just basil.

Mark Paul, horticulturist, and founder of The Greenwall Company says: "There are so many different cuttings out there to propagate your plants, the options are truly limitless. So why not have some fun and experiment with different types of cuttings and see what you can create? Spring is a great time to revive and refresh your garden with optimal conditions."

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How to propagate plants

Leaf cuttings can be propagated quickly and easily and using leaves is one of the best ways  to ensure identical new plants. Try begonias, sansevierias or crassulas.  

Semi-mature cuttings (half hardened tips) that are three to five internodes long, for example,  camellias and bottlebrushes (callistemons).  

Hardwood cuttings are great for making plants during late autumn and as we approach  winter. These can be made from woody offsets such as murraya or grevilleas.  

What you’ll need:  

A sharp knife or pruning shears  
Recycled pots or other draining containers  
Potting mix, perlite, coco peat and sand  
Rooting hormone powder or gel  Mark has outlined a step-by-step guide below on how to grow plants from cuttings:

Method

Step 1: Remember to sterilise

 Use bleach to sterilise the containers you are using for potting.

Step 2: Cut off a section of the stem  

Select healthy growth that’s at least three internodes and make a clean, sharp cut.  

Step 3: Reduce the leaf area by 60 per cent

Remove leaves on the under layer of the offset to make it bare and insert into your potting mix. Then, cut every second leaf out or halve the larger leaves. Do not reduce the leaf area of succulent plants like hoyas or carpobrotus.  

Step 4: Pot Up Your Cutting  

Pot-up cuttings in a moist mix of half premium potting and half sand or perlite. Keep humid by submerging the bottom of the pot in a container of water. Put a shopping bag with a rubber band around the pot and some cooking skewers to hold the plastic bag up over the top of the pot and cuttings, forming a miniature greenhouse. Keep well lit but out of direct sunlight.  

Cuttings may take between six days to six months to grow until they’re ready for planting out. Remember to be patient as some garden plants will take a while to grow – but it will certainly be worth the wait! Others may shoot up and surprise you.  