Did you ever buy a pack of seedlings at your local nursery
only to discover months later they were mislabeled? You find these wonderful peppers
growing in your garden, but you have no idea as to the variety. Saving
seeds won’t do much good since they’re most likely a hybrid, but did you know you
can clone peppers from cuttings?
Gardeners often think of peppers as annual plants which need
to be started from seeds each spring. In truth, peppers are perennials that
form woody bush-like plants in frost-free climates where they can survive the
winter. There is a way to regrow that wonderful mislabeled pepper for next
year. All you need is a pepper plant cutting. Propagation is easy!
How to Clone a Pepper Plant
Select a stem that is approximately 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 cm.) long. The stem should be from a healthy plant with no frost damage, discoloration, or stunted growth. A woody stem will have a better chance of absorbing adequate amounts of moisture to prevent the leaves from wilting during the rooting period. Choosing a stem with two or more small branches will make bushier clones. When rooting peppers from cuttings, it’s wise to take extra stems in case some don’t root.
Using a sharp knife or pruning shears, clip the stem at a 45-degree angle. Make the cut directly beneath one of the small nodes where the leaves emerge. The plant tissue in this area is more likely to generate roots. Remove any peppers, buds, or flowers. Rooting a pepper cutting requires the plant to put its energy into making roots, not toward reproduction.
Remove the leaves from the node that is directly above the
cut. If another node sits directly above the first node, remove the leaves from
that node as well. Dip the bottom of the stem into rooting
hormone.
Use a seedling starter soil, rockwool cubes, or rooting medium such as sand mixed with peat or vermiculite for rooting a pepper cutting. Gently push the pepper stem into the rooting material.
When rooting peppers from cuttings, it’s essential to keep
the soil or rooting medium consistently moist. Lightly mist or cover the pepper
cuttings with plastic to prevent excessive water loss through the leaves. Keep
the cuttings at an ambient temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F. (18 to 21 C.) or
on a heated plant mat. Provide indirect sunlight or artificial light.
It takes approximately two weeks for small roots to appear.
When the roots are about an inch or so (2.5 cm.) long, transplant the root
cuttings into a pot. Overwinter the pepper plants in the house or plant outside
if weather conditions permit.
While growing peppers from cuttings is more common with
ornamental type peppers, any type of pepper plant can be used. Rooting a pepper
cutting is a great way to save and regrow a favorite pepper variety or grow a
hybrid variety without saving seeds.
Did you ever buy a pack of seedlings at your local nursery
only to discover months later they were mislabeled? You find these wonderful peppers
growing in your garden, but you have no idea as to the variety. Saving
seeds won’t do much good since they’re most likely a hybrid, but did you know you
can clone peppers from cuttings?
Gardeners often think of peppers as annual plants which need
to be started from seeds each spring. In truth, peppers are perennials that
form woody bush-like plants in frost-free climates where they can survive the
winter. There is a way to regrow that wonderful mislabeled pepper for next
year. All you need is a pepper plant cutting. Propagation is easy!
How to Clone a Pepper Plant
Select a stem that is approximately 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 cm.) long. The stem should be from a healthy plant with no frost damage, discoloration, or stunted growth. A woody stem will have a better chance of absorbing adequate amounts of moisture to prevent the leaves from wilting during the rooting period. Choosing a stem with two or more small branches will make bushier clones. When rooting peppers from cuttings, it’s wise to take extra stems in case some don’t root.
Using a sharp knife or pruning shears, clip the stem at a 45-degree angle. Make the cut directly beneath one of the small nodes where the leaves emerge. The plant tissue in this area is more likely to generate roots. Remove any peppers, buds, or flowers. Rooting a pepper cutting requires the plant to put its energy into making roots, not toward reproduction.
Remove the leaves from the node that is directly above the
cut. If another node sits directly above the first node, remove the leaves from
that node as well. Dip the bottom of the stem into rooting
hormone.
Use a seedling starter soil, rockwool cubes, or rooting medium such as sand mixed with peat or vermiculite for rooting a pepper cutting. Gently push the pepper stem into the rooting material.
When rooting peppers from cuttings, it’s essential to keep
the soil or rooting medium consistently moist. Lightly mist or cover the pepper
cuttings with plastic to prevent excessive water loss through the leaves. Keep
the cuttings at an ambient temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F. (18 to 21 C.) or
on a heated plant mat. Provide indirect sunlight or artificial light.
It takes approximately two weeks for small roots to appear.
When the roots are about an inch or so (2.5 cm.) long, transplant the root
cuttings into a pot. Overwinter the pepper plants in the house or plant outside
if weather conditions permit.
While growing peppers from cuttings is more common with
ornamental type peppers, any type of pepper plant can be used. Rooting a pepper
cutting is a great way to save and regrow a favorite pepper variety or grow a
hybrid variety without saving seeds.