How to Do a Laurel Cutting

Taking Cuttings

• 1

  Look for a side shoot from one of the mature laurel's main stems. Disregard side shoots that are soft, green or pliant, as they are this year's growth. Choose a more rigid side shoot, around six inches long, with a tough, woody appearance, indicating it is two or more years old and suitable for propagation.

• 2

  Grasp your chosen side shoot between your finger and thumb. Pull on the shoot firmly, in the opposite direction to the tip of the main stem. The shoot should break away from the stem, taking a sliver of bark and stem tissue with it. A successful cutting needs this sliver of parent plant material around its base, a feature known as a "heel."

• 3

  Cut a one-inch vertical slit using the tip of a pruning knife, down either side of the shoot's base. Aim to slice through the woody bark to just expose the lighter-colored tissue beneath, but not to cut deeply into this material. This technique, called "wounding," encourages the side shoot to root once it is planted.

• 4

  Cut away any leaves on the side shoot that grow within two inches of its base. These leaves might come into contact with damp soil when the side shoot is planted and start to rot.

• 5

  Retain all the other leaves on the side shoot. According to Washington State University's Department of Horticulture, these leaves encourage root formation and you should aim to preserve as large a leaf area as you can.

Rooting Cuttings

• 6

  Make up a growing medium of one part each of sand, peat and pearlite. Put one or two pebbles in the bottom of a three-inch diameter flower pot to ensure good drainage.

• 7

  Put a pinch of auxin rooting compound in a clean saucer. Gently roll the cut end of the severed side shoot in the compound so that the whole of its base is coated in powder, in particular the wounded areas.

• 8

  Poke a hole in the center of the growing medium, using a pencil. Wiggle the pencil to enlarge the hole until it is big enough to take the side shoot without scraping off the rooting powder. Insert the side shoot in the hole until about half of it is under the surface.

• 9

  Firm down the growing medium around the shoot. Water the pot well, using a watering can with a sprinkler rose. Cover the pot with a large, clear plastic bag to prevent moisture loss and trap warm air around the shoot. Support the bag with pencils pushed into the growing medium, so the plastic does not come into contact with the shoot.

• 10

  Place the pot in a warm place out of direct sunlight and check that the growing medium stays moist. After two to three months, a shoot which resists when you gently tug on it has developed a healthy root system and you can remove the bag.

Potting On

• 11

  Put one or two small pebbles in the bottom of a four-inch diameter flower pot. Fill the pot with potting soil. Poke a hole in the center of the soil, using a pencil.

• 12

  Loosen the growing medium around your rooted cutting, using the point of a pencil. Lift the cutting free of the medium. Insert the cutting in the soil of the pot. Press down the soil around the cutting and water the pot well, using a watering can with a sprinkler rose.

• 13

  Place the pot outdoors on fine days to gradually "harden off" the cutting and accustom it to outdoor conditions. Do not leave the pot out at night or in cold weather, and avoid placing it in direct sunlight.

• 14

  Plant the cutting out in its permanent position after around two weeks of hardening off. Laurels prefer moist soil and thrive in full sun or partial shade.