How To Propagate Pittosporum By Cuttings

Pittosporum, a genus of flowering shrubs and trees, is a decorative landscape plant that gardeners use as hedges, screens and accent plantings. The shrub produces fragrant white flowers in the spring and dark green foliage year-round. Pittosporum is readily propagated with semihardwood cuttings, taken from the lower portion of the plant, from mid-July to early fall.

Step 1

Take a 4 to 6 inch cutting from the pittosporum. Choose a firm shoot from the current season's growth, with foliage that is fully formed. Keep the cutting moist and out of direct sun until it is time to plant it.

Step 2

Fill a nursery pot with equal parts of sand and peat moss, well combined. Run water over the mixture until it drains from the bottom of the pot. Use your finger to poke a planting hole in the soil and set the pot aside.

Step 3

Remove the leaves from the bottom half of the pittosporum cutting. Dip the cut end of the cutting into a dime-sized portion of rooting hormone and then stick the cutting into the prepared hole in the soil. Bury half the cutting beneath the planting medium. Mist the cutting with water from a spray bottle.

Step 4

Cut the top off a 2-liter plastic soda bottle, and place the pot inside. Tape the top back on the plastic bottle.

Step 5

Place the soda bottle in a bright but shady area, out of direct sun. Remove the twist-top from the soda bottle every three days and leave it open for the day to allow air to circulate around the pittosporum cutting.

Step 6

Give the cutting a gentle tug four weeks after planting it. If the tug meets with resistance, the cutting has begun to root. Allow it to continue to grow in the bottle until there is new foliage.