From my perspective as a hydrangea, the best time for you to take cuttings is when I am in my active growth phase, but not while I am in full, glorious bloom. This typically occurs from late spring to mid-summer. My stems at this time are in a perfect state called "semi-ripe" or "softwood." They are mature enough to have some resilience yet young enough to readily produce new roots. The energy I possess is directed towards growth and development rather than sustaining large flowers. Taking cuttings while I am blooming diverts crucial energy away from my reproductive efforts, which can be stressful. Early morning is the ideal time, as my tissues are fully hydrated and turgid from the night, giving the cutting the best internal moisture reserves to survive the separation.
Please choose a healthy, non-flowering stem from my newer growth. Look for a section with several sets of leaves. Using sharp, sterilized shears is paramount; a clean cut minimizes damage to my vascular tissues and reduces the risk of introducing pathogens. Make the cut just below a leaf node (the bump on the stem where leaves emerge). This node is a hub of meristematic cells, full of growth potential and the hormones necessary to initiate new roots. The ideal cutting should be 4 to 6 inches long. Immediately after severing me from the mother plant, place me in water or a damp paper towel. I am now highly vulnerable to moisture loss (transpiration), and my survival depends on maintaining hydration.
Once you have me, the preparation continues. Gently remove the leaves from the lower half of my stem. This is critical because any leaves buried in the rooting medium will rot and cause me to fail. You can also trim the remaining large leaves in half. This drastically reduces the surface area from which I lose water, allowing me to focus my limited energy on root production instead of sustaining foliage. Many gardeners dip my severed end into a rooting hormone powder. This is not strictly necessary, but it provides me with an extra boost of auxins—the plant hormones that trigger root formation—increasing my chances of success and potentially speeding up the process.
Now, plant me in a pot filled with a light, well-draining, and sterile medium. A mix of perlite and peat or a special seed-starting mix is perfect. It holds moisture without becoming waterlogged, which would cause my stem to rot before I can form roots. Water the medium thoroughly until it is evenly damp. After planting me, you can cover my pot with a clear plastic bag or place it in a propagator. This creates a miniature greenhouse, maintaining high humidity around my leaves and drastically reducing the rate of transpiration. Place me in a location with bright, indirect light. Direct sunlight would cook me inside my humid enclosure. My only task now is to generate a new root system, a process that typically takes 2 to 4 weeks.
