Root cuttings: species and method

Root cuttings are sections of root -- not stem or leaf -- taken during dormancy and used to produce new plants. Per NC State Extension, root cuttings work on a specific group of plants that have the capacity to generate adventitious shoots from root tissue. Not all plants can do this; the method is.

Root cuttings are sections of root — not stem or leaf — taken during dormancy and used to produce new plants. Per NC State Extension, root cuttings work on a specific group of plants that have the capacity to generate adventitious shoots from root tissue. Not all plants can do this; the method is useless on species that lack this capability (most conifers, most annuals). But for the species that work, it is extremely simple: dig in winter, cut roots, plant in rooting medium, wait for new shoots.

How root cuttings work

Per Penn State Extension, root tissue in appropriate species contains meristematic cells (capable of cell division) distributed through the root parenchyma. When a root section is isolated from the parent plant and placed in a warm, moist environment, these cells produce adventitious shoots at the proximal end (the end that was closest to the crown) and adventitious roots at the distal end.

This polarity — shoots from the top, roots from the bottom — explains why orientation matters for thick root cuttings: they must be planted right-side up.