Advantages of Propagating by Cuttings Vs Seed

Propagating by cuttings has a lot of advantages compared to re-seeding, and it’s especially valuable if you have a clear winner among your crops. When you have a plant that grows larger, has a greater yield, or flowers beautifully, crossing it with other plants can diminish some of its desirable traits.

Taking a cutting means that your perfect plant will stay perfect. Once your cutting takes root and begins to grow, your new plant will be genetically identical to the plant it was cut from—there’s no need to hope that your next cross or next batch of seeds lives up to the previous yield’s quality. Additionally, cuttings have a shorter growth cycle than seeds, which means that you reach the harvest phase quicker.

When selecting what part of the plant to take a cutting from, look for new, green growth. Do not take a cutting from a heavily flowered branch. While large flowers can indicate that a plant is a good candidate for propagating, branches with flowers do not root as well as new growth.

Still, even when you’ve selected a strong, young branch to propagate, rooting is not an exact science. A lot of stress is placed on the plant cutting as it tries to develop roots. This is the most critical period when propagating by cuttings. The faster the roots develop, the greater the chance that the clone will grow to match its parent.

Hormex has developed a rooting powder that speeds up strong root development in cuttings. After taking the cutting, dip the stem into the appropriate rooting powder strength. Not sure what strength you need? Consult our searchable database to determine the strength needed for over 250 plant varieties. After you’ve applied the powder and ensured that there is no excess powder sticking to the stem, quickly plant the cutting into your rooting media of choice. Hormex Rooting Powder functions with all types of growing mediums, from standard soil to peat moss.

When cloning plants, you only have a limited number of cuttings to propagate. So, give those cuttings the best chance of thriving by using Hormex Rooting Powder. Cut down your rooting times, improve survival rates, and keep your best performing crops blooming.