7 Easy Plants to Propagate in October – Get More Plants for Your Home and Garden Without Spending a Dime

October has a lot of potential for propagating new plants. What makes it somewhat unique is that it is a transitional time of the season, when you can take both soft and hardwood cuttings. It means there are lots of opportunities for plants to propagate in October.

You can take softwood cuttings of tender plants that will overwinter indoors. These can be taken as an insurance policy in case you lose any plants or as a way to expand your collection. As well, taking hardwood cuttings of hardy shrubs gives you a chance to root new plants you can add to the garden next year to add structure, color, and texture to your borders.

It can be a busy month. There are trees, shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs that you can plant in October, but also save some time to take plant cuttings. What will be crucial are clean, sharp pruners (such as these Japanese pruning shears at Amazon), rooting hormone, good potting mix, and a little care and patience. Trust me, all these new plants are well worth the effort. Let’s take a look at a great selection of plants to propagate in October.

Pelargoniums

Pelargoniums, also known as tender geraniums, are hugely popular tender plants adored for vivid blooms in a range of colors and shades as well as varied and fragrant foliage. They look lovely in terracotta pots or in hanging baskets during summer, but pelargoniums are not hardy, so they need to be overwintered indoors.

Taking pelargonium cuttings is a simple task and a great way to get new plants identical to the parent one. If you’ve got your favorites, cuttings are an ideal way to start new plants to cover any losses over winter, or to start off replacements, as pelargoniums get woody as they age.

Take 3-4 inch cuttings from firm new growth and cut them below a leaf node. Remove the leaves from the lower half and leave the cutting somewhere bright for a few hours to dry out. Then dip the cut end in rooting hormone (such as this rooting powder on Walmart) and put it into pots filled with well-draining potting soil.

Place the container somewhere bright and warm, but out of direct sunlight, and keep the soil moist. Once the cuttings have developed good roots, you can put them into individual pots. This should take 4-6 weeks. You can test this by tugging gently on the plant; if you feel some resistance, it is time to pot it up.

Coleus

These bold, flamboyant plants certainly make an impact. The sheer range of bright foliage colors and different shapes ensures they stand out in beds or containers.

Coleus are tender plants, though, and only hardy in US zones 10-11. This means most gardeners grow coleus as annual plants, but you can overwinter coleus and keep them going as indoor plants through winter to provide a pop of color over the colder months.

Whether you are propagating coleus to replace this year’s plants or want more of a variety you get particular joy from, it is quick and easy to take softwood cuttings this month.

Take 4-6 inch cuttings, remove the lower leaves, and dip the bottom in rooting hormone. Now you have a choice: either put the cutting in soil or water. Both are reliable ways of getting coleus cuttings to root. Whether you opt for small pots filled with compost or a jar of water, place the container in a bright, indirect spot – such as a windowsill.

Once there are signs of healthy root development (which is more obvious in water, but you can test in soil by gently tugging), the cuttings can be put into individual pots filled with a well-draining potting mix, such as this organic potting mix on Burpee.

Fuchsia

Tender fuchsias bring a bounty of bright blooms to hanging baskets, containers, or flower beds throughout summer and early fall.

The sheer range of fuchsias available means there should be one for any garden, but don’t confuse tender and hardy fuchsias. The former won’t survive winter anywhere, but in US zones 10 and 11, you need to overwinter these fuchsias indoors to ensure they make it through to next year.

If you don’t have the space to care for fuchsias indoors all winter long, you can take cuttings to get a new generation of identical plants. Of course, cuttings are also an option if you just want more of a particular fuchsia you adore.

The right material for fuchsia cuttings this month will be healthy, soft growing tips 4-6 inches long. Remove all but the top two leaves, cut the base below a node, and dip it in rooting hormone. Three or four cuttings can be put around the edge of a small pot.

Cover the cuttings with a clear plastic bag to retain moisture and humidity, which helps with rooting. A heat mat can be beneficial in fall to provide a little extra warmth that will speed up rooting, and you can get a heat mat on Amazon.

Pothos

In the introduction, I said there was a wealth of choice for plants to propagate in October. One type of plant I missed was indoor plants. You can propagate many houseplants in October, and pothos is potentially the easiest and most reliable.

There are so many different pothos varieties to choose from with different foliage colors and textures. Any of them are suitable for cuttings in the fall to expand a houseplant collection, or to get new plants as gifts to friends, family, or neighbors.

To propagate pothos, cut 4-6 inch stems that ideally have 2 or 3 leaves. Use a pair of sharp pruning tools, such as these pruning snips on Walmart. Make a cut just below a node, which is evident as a small bump where the foliage meets the stem, and remove the bottom leaf from the cutting.

The pothos cutting can be dipped in rooting hormone and placed into a glass container filled with water. The bottom node and stem should be submerged in water, but the leaves should sit above the surface.

Keep the container somewhere with lots of bright, indirect light and remember to change the water every few days. Once the cutting develops roots 1-2 inches long, pot the young pothos into a container filled with soil.

Other easy houseplants to grow from cuttings in fall include spider plant, monstera, philodendron, and mother of millions.

Dogwood

Dogwoods offer gardeners a fantastic double win, with both beautiful spring flowers and bright winter stems. The attractive winter bark comes in fiery shades of red, yellow, or orange and is guaranteed to be a striking addition to any space.

The glorious architectural plants look great when planted in groups, so that sounds like a great excuse to take cuttings so you get more for free. Many of the best native dogwoods, including the red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea), can be propagated by hardwood cuttings in fall or spring.

Pick healthy pencil-thick stems that have developed this growing season. Cut the stems to 6-10 inches long, making a flat cut below a node at the bottom and an angled cut above a node at the top to allow water to run off the cutting.

Remove any leaves and dip the bottom into rooting hormone. Put the cutting into a deep pot filled with cuttings compost, then place this pot into an unheated greenhouse or cold frame for winter. You can get a portable wooden cold frame at Wayfair to protect plants and cuttings over the colder months.

Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged, and the cuttings will root over the coming months.

Viburnum

These diverse, fast-growing shrubs are popular for their clusters of flowers in spring or summer, the bright fall foliage, and ornamental fall berries. It is such a wide genus that there are evergreen and deciduous types of viburnum with different shades of flowers, leaves, and fruits.

When you grow viburnum, they are a low-maintenance flowering shrub for sun or light shade. The plants can be happy in many soil types, unless the soil sits very wet for long periods. If you fancy more shrubs for year-round interest, you can propagate new viburnums from hardwood cuttings this month.

Take 8-10 inch cuttings, remove the leaves, and apply rooting hormone to the base. Place the cutting in a pot filled with a well-draining mix and put it in a greenhouse or cold frame.

Be patient, as hardwood cuttings take longer than their softwood counterparts, and it may take a couple of months for them to develop roots.

Keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged, as overwatering risks the cutting rotting before it establishes a strong set of roots and is ready to pot on or plant out. A soil moisture meter (available at Amazon) can help you avoid overwatering your new cuttings.

Forsythia

Any gardener wanting to add more color to their garden for the leaner time of year needs more of this cheery spring-flowering shrub. The bright yellow blooms in March are a sign that spring has arrived.

Forsythia is one of the best hardwood cuttings to take in fall to increase your collection of colorful spring shrubs at no cost. Even if you don’t have one in your yard, ask a friend or neighbor for a cutting from theirs and you can enjoy its impactful spring display.

Take forsythia cuttings once the fall foliage has started dropping. These stems need to be around 6-8 inches long and cut below a node at the base. After being dipped in rooting hormone, the hardwood cutting can be placed in a pot and kept in a greenhouse or cold frame, or placed directly into a trench in a sheltered, well-drained corner of the garden.

Whichever option you go with, two-thirds of the cutting should be below the soil line, and the soil should be kept consistently moist over winter to encourage rooting.

Alternatively, you can root grow forsythia cuttings in water. Simply prepare the stems as outlined above and place them into a container filled with water. Place them somewhere with bright but indirect light, change the water regularly, and watch for white roots to appear from the cuttings.

What to Shop:

Another way to get free plants for your borders this month is by dividing plants. There are lots of perennials to divide in October, including bee balm, coneflower, hostas, daylilies, peonies, black-eyed Susan, yarrow, and more. As long as you can give new clumps four weeks from planting until the first ground frost, the time is right for dividing older perennials to reinvigorate them and get new clumps for no cost.

If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?