From our perspective, the timing of your intervention is critical for our successful propagation. The ideal period is during our active growth phase in late spring to mid-summer, when this year's new growth has begun to mature but is not yet fully hardened and woody. This stage is often called the "semi-hardwood" or "semi-ripe" stage. You can identify this by the wood's flexibility; it should snap when bent sharply. At this point, our stems possess a high concentration of auxins—natural rooting hormones—and have ample energy reserves stored in the leaves to fuel root development without being so tender that we succumb to rot.
Your selection and preparation of our cuttings directly impact our ability to generate new root systems. Please use a sharp, sterilized blade to minimize damage and prevent disease transmission. A cutting should be 4 to 6 inches long, taken from a healthy, non-flowering shoot. The most crucial action you can take for us is to make the final cut just below a leaf node (the bump on the stem where a leaf emerges). This node is a hub of meristematic cells, which are undifferentiated and capable of becoming root tissue. Gently remove the leaves from the lower one-third to one-half of the cutting. This reduces surface area for water loss (transpiration) and prevents buried foliage from decaying in the rooting medium.
We cannot root in dense, nutrient-rich soil at this vulnerable stage. It holds too much moisture, lacks aeration, and contains pathogens that can attack our wounded stem. Instead, we require a sterile, well-draining, and low-fertility medium that provides physical support and allows for oxygen exchange around our developing root initials. A mix of perlite and peat moss or a specialized potting mix is ideal. It holds just enough moisture to prevent desiccation without waterlogging our tissues. Before placing us in the medium, dipping our basal end into a rooting hormone powder can significantly enhance success. This synthetic auxin supplement boosts our natural rooting capacity, encouraging faster and more robust root formation.
Our greatest challenge now is maintaining hydration without roots to draw up water. To survive, we depend on you to create a consistently humid environment that drastically reduces water loss through our leaves. Enclosing the potted cuttings in a clear plastic bag or placing them under a humidity dome creates a miniature greenhouse. This enclosure must be kept in bright, indirect light; direct sunlight will cook us inside this humid chamber. Gentle bottom heat, around 70-75°F (21-24°C), can further stimulate root growth. You must periodically open the cover to allow fresh air exchange and prevent fungal growth, but the medium should always remain lightly moist, not soggy.
Root development typically takes 4 to 8 weeks. You can detect success by observing signs of new top growth, such as the emergence of fresh leaves. To confirm, give us a very gentle tug; resistance indicates that roots have formed and are anchoring us in the medium. Once rooted, the most dangerous phase begins: acclimatization to lower humidity. You must gradually open the plastic cover over 7-10 days, increasing the exposure time each day. This slow process allows our new root system to begin functioning and our leaves to adapt to normal atmospheric conditions without undergoing fatal shock.
