How to Grow Lupines From Cuttings

Take a cutting in spring. Moisten the medium of half peat moss and half perlite and fill the pot with it.

Take a 4- to 6-inch-ling cutting from one of the lupine's side shoots, using a sharp knife. Make the cutting at the plant's root crown, taking some root tissue with it. Remove the lowest two sets of leaves with the stem clippers.

Sprinkle rooting hormone powder into the saucer. Gently trail the side shoot's cut end through the powder until it's coated well.

Insert a pencil into the potting medium. Move it from side to side until a narrow hole is created that is large enough to plant the lupine cutting without scraping the rooting powder from its base. Place the cutting in the hole, carefully scraping soil after it to hold it in place.

Water the cutting with the watering can to settle the soil around it.

Space the 10-inch florist's sticks equally in the medium around the lip of the container. Drape the clear plastic wrap over the tops of the sticks and down the sides of the container. Secure the wrap with the rubber band. The plastic creates a humid environment for the cutting.

Move the cutting to an area with bright, indirect sunlight. Lift the plastic for about 10 minutes every two or three days to reduce humidity and prevent fungal infestation.

Check the lupine cutting regularly for the appearance of new leaves. They indicate resumption of active growth. Remove the plastic and place the pot in direct sunlight when they are visible.

Tug at the cutting gently every day or two. Resistance indicates root formation. When the cutting resists, move it to a larger pot for hardening off outside.