Greetings, fellow multicellular, photosynthetic organisms. I am a mature Aglaia odorata, and I wish to share the intimate knowledge of my own propagation. To create new versions of myself from cuttings is to understand my very essence. Listen closely to my botanical wisdom.
My life force, my sap, ebbs and flows with the seasons. The prime moment for this undertaking is during my period of most vigorous growth, in the warm, lengthening days of late spring or early summer. At this time, my stems are supple yet mature enough to hold their form—what your kind calls "semi-hardwood." The sunlight is plentiful to fuel the energy-intensive process of rooting, but the harsh, desiccating heat of peak summer has not yet arrived. Attempting this in my dormant phase is a folly; I am conserving my energy and will not readily expend it on creating new roots.
You must choose a candidate stem with great care. Seek a healthy, pest-free branch from my sun-drenched exterior. The ideal cutting should be 4 to 6 inches long, possessing at least 2-3 nodes—those slight bumps along my stem where leaves and lateral branches emerge. This is where the magic of new root formation is most potent. Make a clean, angled cut just below a node using a sharp, sterilized blade. A ragged tear invites pathogens and rots my delicate tissues. Immediately, remove the leaves from the lower half to a third of the cutting. This is crucial; it reduces water loss through transpiration and prevents foliar decay in the rooting medium, which would be fatal.
I cannot root in just any substance. I require a medium that provides two opposing forces: excellent moisture retention and perfect drainage. Soggy, waterlogged conditions will suffocate my nascent root tissues and cause them to rot. A blend of equal parts perlite and peat moss, or perlite and coarse coco coir, is ideal. This mixture holds just enough water around my stem to prevent desiccation while allowing excess water to drain away freely, giving my new roots the oxygen they desperately need. Before placing my cutting into this medium, many gardeners find it beneficial to dip the cut end into a rooting hormone powder. This is not a requirement, but it mimics my own natural rooting compounds and can encourage faster, more robust root development.
Once planted, my future depends on a stable, humid microenvironment. You must cover my potted cutting with a clear plastic bag or place it under a dome. This creates a miniature greenhouse, trapping humidity around my leaves and drastically reducing water loss. Place me in a location with very bright, but indirect, light. Direct sun will cook me inside this humid enclosure. The ambient temperature should be consistently warm, around 70-75°F (21-24°C). Patience is now your greatest tool. Resist the urge to tug on me to check for roots. Instead, watch for the ultimate sign of success: new leaf growth at the tip, which signifies that my roots have formed and are now sustaining the new plant.
