When to Take Cuttings: Softwood in Spring, Semi-Ripe in Summer, Hardwood in Autumn
Take cuttings at the wrong time and they rot, even with perfect technique. Softwood, semi-ripe and hardwood windows explained, with plant-family timing chart.
The difference between a cutting that roots and one that rots often comes down to a single variable: when you took it. Same plant, same technique, same propagation mix — take it six weeks too early or six weeks too late and you’ll likely get a dead stick instead of a new plant.
Wood changes dramatically as the growing season progresses. A rose stem in May is chemically and structurally nothing like the same stem in November. Both can be used for cuttings, but they need completely different conditions, timelines, and — most importantly — different collection windows. This guide covers the four main cutting types, the calendar windows for each, and the biology that explains why timing is the deciding variable.
Why Wood Maturity Decides Everything
Every cutting has one task: produce roots before its stored energy runs out. How successfully it does that depends on the biochemical state of the wood at the moment you make the cut.
Young spring shoots are high in free auxin — the hormone that kicks off adventitious root formation. Research published in Frontiers in Plant Science by da Costa et al. (2013) describes the mechanism precisely: in the first 96 hours after severance, elevated auxin concentrations drive cell dedifferentiation, forming meristemoids — the precursor structures that become root primordia. Critically, auxin must then decline for roots to actually emerge. If it stays elevated through the formation phase, root development stalls. Young, flexible tissue executes this two-phase sequence reliably.
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Mature wood cannot. As stems lignify through summer and autumn, free auxin levels fall, and — critically — cells lose what researchers call developmental competence: the capacity to reorganise into root meristems even when auxin is present. One study found that mature pine stem cuttings failed to form root meristems despite taking up and metabolising auxin normally; the cells simply could no longer arrange themselves into meristems in response to the signal. The problem was not hormone uptake — it was the inability to act on it.
Carbohydrate reserves complicate the picture in the opposite direction. Softwood is auxin-rich but carbohydrate-poor, which makes it root fast but dry out quickly without humidity control. Hardwood is carbohydrate-dense from a full summer of photosynthesis but auxin-poor, so it calluses and roots slowly over an entire winter rather than rapidly in weeks. Matching your cutting type to the season is matching the wood’s chemistry to the rooting process it needs to complete.
Softwood Cuttings: April to June
Softwood cuttings are taken from the current season’s new growth while shoots are still actively elongating — flexible, bright green, and water-filled. The RHS describes them as having “the highest rooting potential of any stem cutting,” because high auxin and flexible cell structure make root formation fast and reliable.
Timing. April through June, with May and early June the peak window for most shrubs. The shoot should bend without snapping. If the tip feels firm or slightly crunchy when pinched, it’s already transitioning to semi-ripe. Take cuttings in the morning when plants are fully hydrated.
Best candidates. Hardy shrubs: Buddleja, Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Penstemon, Spirea. Tender perennials: Pelargonium, Verbena, Osteospermum. Herbs: mint, basil, lemon verbena. Trees: some magnolias, maples, and birch (Betula). University of Georgia Cooperative Extension data puts rooting times at 2–4 weeks for roses and spirea under propagator conditions, and 3–4 weeks for smooth hydrangea.
Technique. Cut 5–10cm tip cuttings just below a leaf node, where the highest concentration of natural rooting hormones accumulates. Remove all but the top 2–3 leaves. Dip the base in a low-concentration rooting powder — 500–1,250 ppm auxin is appropriate for softwood material — and insert into a 50:50 mix of compost and perlite. Bottom heat of 18–24°C accelerates rooting significantly. For a detailed step-by-step technique guide, our article on stem cuttings covers the method from cut to rooted plant.
If you miss this window. As shoots harden from late June onward, rooting potential gradually drops. You can still root many of the same plants as semi-ripe cuttings, but expect 6–8 weeks rather than 2–4, and switch to a higher-concentration rooting hormone. Tender perennials like Pelargonium that you want to overwinter need to be struck by August at the latest.
Semi-Ripe Cuttings: July to September
Semi-ripe cuttings occupy the middle ground: the current season’s growth has finished extending, the base of the shoot is firm and slightly woody, but the tip still bends rather than snaps. This is the preferred method for most evergreen shrubs and Mediterranean herbs — plants whose soft new growth is too prone to wilting for a softwood approach.
Timing. Mid-July through September, per the RHS and Iowa State University Extension. The base of the shoot should feel firm when you pinch it; the tip should still flex without cracking. In hot summers across USDA zones 7–9, shoot maturation arrives earlier — sometimes late June. Read the wood, not the calendar.
Best candidates. Evergreen shrubs: Camellia, Berberis, Choisya, Cistus, Hebe, Mahonia, Viburnum, box (Buxus), holly (Ilex), Euonymus. Mediterranean herbs: rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, bay. Climbers: ivy, passion flower, Trachelospermum. Hedging: privet, cherry laurel. Trees: Magnolia grandiflora, evergreen conifers. Camellia is one of the most rewarding semi-ripe subjects — our guide to camellia cuttings also covers air layering as a backup for particularly stubborn stems.
Technique. Take 10–15cm cuttings below a leaf node, leaving 3–4 leaves near the tip. For thick-stemmed plants like holly and camellia, wounding — scraping a 2.5cm sliver of bark from the cutting base before applying hormone — exposes the cambium and improves rooting. In my experience with rosemary and lavender, this step alone more than doubles strike rates; it’s the instruction most guides skip over. Use a mid-range hormone concentration: 1,000–3,000 ppm auxin. Iowa State University Extension puts rooting at 6–8 weeks for deciduous shrubs; holly varieties take 10–12 weeks.
Regional note. In USDA zones 7–9, target the early part of the July–August window. Cuttings taken after Labor Day in the Deep South are often too mature to root reliably as semi-ripe material.
If you miss this window. By October, most semi-ripe candidates have moved to true hardwood. Deciduous species can still be attempted as hardwood cuttings. But evergreens — rosemary, lavender, camellia — that don’t propagate reliably from hardwood material are effectively out of reach until the following July. Mark the calendar.
Hardwood Cuttings: November to February
Hardwood cuttings are simultaneously the most forgiving cutting type to manage and the most demanding of patience. The window is four months long, aftercare is minimal, and success rates for suitable species are high. The trade-off is time: roots form over the course of an entire winter, not in weeks.
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→ View My Garden CalendarTiming. Mid-autumn (November) through late winter (February), after leaf fall for deciduous species. Avoid cutting during a hard freeze. Cuttings are typically left in place until the following autumn — the rooting process spans close to a full year.
Why hardwood works despite low auxin. The dense carbohydrate reserves that a plant builds through a full season of photosynthesis sustain the cutting through callusing and rooting without any leaf photosynthesis. Cold temperatures slow metabolic demands, which stretches the cutting’s energy budget across the winter. This is the one cutting type that doesn’t require a humidity dome, misting system, or bottom heat — the biology of dormancy does the work.
Best candidates. Deciduous shrubs: Cornus, Forsythia, Philadelphus, Ribes, Rosa, Buddleja, Deutzia. Fruit plants: black, red, and white currants; gooseberries; figs; mulberries. Climbers: grapevine (Vitis), honeysuckle (Lonicera), Jasminum, Parthenocissus. Some trees: Salix (willow), Populus, Platanus. A few evergreens: holly and Cotoneaster respond reasonably well.
Technique. Select vigorous current-year shoots. Cut 15–30cm sections with a sloped top cut (sheds rain away from the bud) and a straight base cut. Apply hormone rooting compound. Insert two-thirds underground — into prepared outdoor trenches with a sand base, or into containers of gritty compost. Space cuttings 10–15cm apart. Cold frames or cloches benefit cuttings in harsh climates and protect against deer and rabbit damage.
If you miss this window. Cuttings taken after bud break in spring from the previous season’s wood may attempt to root, but the dense carbohydrate reserves have been redirected into new shoot growth. Success rates drop significantly. Wait for next autumn.
Leaf and Root Cuttings: The Season-Optional Types
Not every cutting comes from a stem. Two additional methods use entirely different plant structures — and each has its own timing logic.
Leaf cuttings work for plants that regenerate from leaf tissue: begonias (cut across the main veins on the underside, pin the leaf flat on compost), African violets (leaf and petiole inserted at a slight angle, base just touching the surface), and succulents (detached leaves left to callus for 48 hours before laying on gritty compost). Spring and early summer are optimal — plants are in high-growth mode and respond quickly — but with consistent warmth above 18°C and indirect light, leaf cuttings root year-round. Expect plantlets at 6–12 weeks; succulents can produce baby plants in 4–6 weeks.
Root cuttings run on the opposite calendar to stem cuttings. The best time is mid-to-late autumn or early winter, when the plant is fully dormant and carbohydrate reserves are concentrated in the root system rather than being redirected into new shoots. Plants that respond well include Oriental poppies (Papaver orientale), Verbascum, Acanthus, Phlox, and Primula denticulata — all with thick, pencil-weight roots suited to this technique. Take 5–10cm sections from vigorous roots, insert horizontally just below the soil surface, and overwinter in a cold frame. New shoots emerge in spring.
One important caveat: variegated plants cannot be propagated by root cuttings. The resulting plants revert to plain foliage, losing their distinctive colouring entirely.
Which Cutting Type for Which Plant?
| Plant Group | Best Cutting Type | Best Timing | Rooting Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tender perennials (Pelargonium, Verbena, Fuchsia) | Softwood | April–June | 2–4 weeks |
| Hardy deciduous shrubs (Hydrangea, Buddleja, Spirea) | Softwood | May–June | 2–4 weeks |
| Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme) | Semi-ripe | July–August | 6–8 weeks |
| Evergreen shrubs (Camellia, Hebe, Viburnum, Buxus) | Semi-ripe | July–September | 8–12 weeks |
| Hedging plants (holly, privet, cherry laurel) | Semi-ripe | July–September | 10–12 weeks |
| Fruit bushes (currants, gooseberries) | Hardwood | November–February | 6–12 months |
| Deciduous shrubs (Cornus, Forsythia, Rosa) | Hardwood | November–January | 6–12 months |
| Deciduous climbers (Vitis, Lonicera, Jasmine) | Hardwood | November–February | 6–12 months |
| Houseplants (begonia, African violet) | Leaf | Spring–summer (year-round with warmth) | 6–12 weeks |
| Succulents | Leaf | Spring–summer (year-round with warmth) | 4–6 weeks |
| Perennials with thick roots (Oriental poppy, Phlox, Acanthus) | Root | November–January | Spring emergence |
FAQ
Can I refrigerate softwood cuttings to buy more time?
Briefly — up to a few hours in a sealed plastic bag at around 4°C keeps cuttings turgid while you prepare your setup. Longer than that risks chilling damage to tender material. Softwood cuttings should be struck the same day they are taken.
Does rooting hormone concentration matter?
Significantly, and the concentration matters as much as whether you use it. Softwood needs low concentrations (500–1,250 ppm) because it already carries adequate endogenous auxin — overdosing inhibits rooting by keeping the hormone elevated through the formation phase. Semi-ripe and hardwood cuttings need higher concentrations (1,000–3,000 ppm) to compensate for reduced natural auxin in more mature wood. Most off-the-shelf powders are formulated for semi-ripe material, which is why they can work against you on fresh softwood.
Why did my cuttings root last year but fail this year?
Weather is usually the culprit. A cool spring delays shoot maturation, pushing the softwood window later than the calendar suggests. A hot, dry summer can advance semi-ripe timing into late June rather than mid-July. Read the wood rather than the date: firm base with a flexible tip is the real semi-ripe indicator, regardless of what month it is.
Can I take hardwood cuttings of evergreens?
A few respond reasonably well — holly and Cotoneaster are the most reliable. But for most evergreen shrubs, semi-ripe cuttings in July–September give far better results. Rosemary and lavender in particular rarely root reliably from fully hardwood material. If you miss the semi-ripe window for evergreens, it’s usually better to wait until the following summer than to attempt hardwood as a substitute.
Sources
- Cuttings: softwood — Royal Horticultural Society
- Cuttings: semi-ripe — Royal Horticultural Society
- Hardwood Cuttings — Royal Horticultural Society
- Root Cuttings — Royal Horticultural Society
- Propagation of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs from Semi-Hardwood Cuttings — Iowa State University Extension
- Starting Plants From Cuttings for the Home Gardener — University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
- When stress and development go hand in hand: main hormonal controls of adventitious rooting in cuttings — da Costa et al. (2013), Frontiers in Plant Science
- How to Propagate Plants from Cuttings — Mississippi State University Extension
