How to Grow a Periwinkle Plant by Stem Cutting

Periwinkle is a common name for several plants of the genus Vinca, specifically Vinca major and Vinca minor. Both are low-growing plants prized as ground covers for their glossy, evergreen leaves and dainty pale-purple flowers, which feature five square-edged petals. The vigorous growth and ease of rooting characteristic of periwinkles make them easy to propagate from stem cuttings year-round. However, the cuttings root best when started in late spring or early summer as the plants enter their active growth phase.

Things You'll Need

Plastic starter pot, 3 1/2 inch
Coarse sand
Perlite
Floral snips or pruning shears

0.1-percent IBA (indolebutyric acid) rooting talc
Tablespoon
Spray bottle

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare a rooting container before gathering a periwinkle stem cutting for propagation. Fill a 3 1/2-inch plastic starter pot with a mixture of 2 parts coarse sand and 1 part perlite.
- 2
  Snip a softwood cutting from the tip of a healthy, nonblooming periwinkle stem. Measure 5 inches from the tip of the stem. Sever the stem below a set of leaves using floral snips or pruning shears.
- 3
  Pull off and discard the lower two sets of leaves. Dip the leafless portion of the stem cutting into 0.1-percent IBA rooting talc.
- 4
  Insert the base -- the cut end -- of the periwinkle stem into the prepared rooting container. Press it into the sand and perlite mixture until the lowest set of leaves rests on the surface.
- 5
  Pour water into the container one tablespoon at a time until it begins to trickle out of the drainage holes in the bottom. Water the cutting again only when the surface of the sand feels dry when pressed.
- 6
  Place the potted periwinkle stem cutting on a warm, bright window ledge where it will receive light for at least eight hours each day. Limit direct sun exposure to three hours or less.
- 7
  Check for rooting in three weeks. Tug on the base of the stem cutting to feel if it is held to the sand and perlite mixture by roots.
- 8
  Keep the periwinkle stem cutting in its pot for at least two weeks after rooting before planting it in a sunny or partially shaded bed with draining soil.

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