Propagation tools are cheap, small, and disproportionately responsible for whether a batch of cuttings roots or rots. Almost every propagation failure traces back to technique and hygiene rather than to the gel or the medium.
What you actually need
A scalpel or very sharp snips. A clean cut heals; a crushed stem rots. Blunt scissors are the most common cause of failed cuttings. Replaceable scalpel blades are the cheapest way to guarantee sharpness every time.
Sterilising solution or isopropyl alcohol. Wipe the blade between every single cutting, not between batches. One infected stem will otherwise pass through the whole tray.
A dibber to make the hole before you insert the cutting. Pushing a gel-coated stem into a firm plug scrapes the gel straight off.
Labels and a marker. Obvious until you have four unlabelled trays and cannot tell what is what.
A hygrometer in the propagator. You cannot manage humidity you are not measuring – see thermometers and hygrometers.
The method that works
Sterilise the blade. Every cutting.
Cut at 45 degrees just below a node, in one clean movement.
Dip immediately in rooting gel – decanted, never straight from the bottle.
Dibber a hole, insert, firm gently around the stem.
Into the propagator with bottom heat at 21-24°C and the vents shut for the first few days.
We are a hydroponics shop in Croydon and we take cuttings every week. Tell us how many you run at a time and we will spec the lot. Discreet UK and European delivery, and excellent customer reviews on Trustpilot.
