How to Take Begonia Cuttings

Prepare 4- to 6-inch clay pots in which to root begonia cuttings. Fill the pots with a mixture of 1 part peat moss and 1 part coarse builder's sand. Water the pots so the mixture is moist but not wet.

Take stem cuttings, also called tip cuttings, from the terminal ends of the new growth shoots of wax begonias (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum). Make the cut just below a set of leaves, ensuring that at least four sets of leaves remain on the cutting. Remove the bottom set of leaves before inserting the cutting into the rooting medium.

Make leaf cuttings of rex begonias (Begonia rex). Remove a leaf from the plant and remove the stem from the leaf. Use a razor blade to slash across the leaf, wounding the veins in several spots. Place the leaf right-side-up on the surface of the rooting medium, so the undersides of the slashes are in contact with the rooting medium. Place small pebbles on the edges of the leaf to keep it flat on the soil. New plants will grow from the wounds in the leaf veins.

Cut stems of tuberous begonias (Begonia x tuberhybrida) with a small piece of root attached. The cuttings should be taken in early spring, when the young stems have emerged from the dormant roots and are approximately 3 inches tall. Insert the root portion of the cutting into the growing mix.

Slip the entire clay pot containing the begonia cuttings into a large, clear plastic bag. This will increase the humidity around the cuttings and encourage roots to form.

Check tuberous or wax begonias for the formation of roots in about 4 to 6 weeks. If a cutting resists coming out of the soil when gently tugging on it, new roots have formed and it can be replanted in its final location. When the new rex begonia plants growing from the leaf veins are about 3 to 4 inches tall and the leaf is firmly rooted in the growing medium, cut the leaf apart into individual plants and replant each baby begonia in its final growing location.