- 1). Sterilize a sharp knife, pruners or small saw with rubbing alcohol. Make a slant or diagonal cut to the limb that you wish to use. Making the cut this way helps the donor plant avoid water collection on its surface and helps the cutting heal more readily. Choose a robust limb that has one or two growing points, and make the cutting between 12 and 18 inches long with some gray bark attached if possible. Make the cut in the spring or summer when root establishment is easiest.
- 2). Place the cutting in a dry, cool location and allow the wound to heal for at least three days if not a week. Keeping the cut part in sand helps the wound heal faster.
- 3). Dip the cut end of the cutting into a root hormone that contains a fungicide and plant it shallowly in a container with potting soil or sand. Plant it so it rests against its container for support or use a stake, such as a plastic fork, to hold it up.
- 4). Place the cutting in full or otherwise strong sun. Keep the soil/sand moist but do not over water to avoid rot. You may want to withhold watering for a couple of weeks for this reason. Keep the container on a surface that absorbs heat, such as concrete, as heat from the bottom of the container up helps root formation.
- 5). Observe your cutting six to eight weeks after planting for signs of new leaf growth, which indicates the cutting has taken root.
- 6). Transplant the cutting to a bigger pot or in the ground as desired once rooting has taken effect. Fertilize in the early spring using an organic fertilizer.
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