Grow Nasturtiums From Cuttings (An Easy Way To Get More Plants)

Even though nasturtiums are one of the easiest flowers to grow from seed, you may want to try growing them from a cutting instead. It’s a great way to duplicate your favorite plant or to salvage an accidentally-broken stem from the garden.

Nasturtiums will add a splash of color to sunny or part-shaded areas of your garden throughout their long flowering season, so don’t let any plants go to waste. 

Growing nasturtiums from cuttings during the milder spring and late summer months is easy. By carefully snipping just below a leaf and placing the cutting in water or directly into potting soil, it can grow a whole new nasturtium plant.

The cheerful flowers add a streak of sunshine to gardens and are loved as much by pollinators and pests as they are by people.

Why would you want to root nasturtium cuttings?

Growing plants from cuttings can significantly increase your yield without needing more seeds. If you have a nasturtium that you particularly love the color (or flavor) of, you can help it to reproduce more flowers for use elsewhere by taking cuttings.

Garden design

Growing new nasturtiums from cuttings is handy for adding symmetry to your garden. Your entire plant will be the same color as the one you took the cuttings from, helping you plan designs that are pleasing to the eye.

Broken plants

Should your nasturtium plants be damaged by animals or strong winds, there is still hope for them. Broken pieces of the mother plant can be collected and treated like cuttings to grow new plants, which otherwise might have seemed fit for the compost pile.

Saving seeds

It can be frustrating to plant your last few nasturtium seeds from a packet and be bowled over by the resulting plant, knowing you have no more seeds to sow. This is another time that cuttings from an established plant will let you help your plant to reproduce without the need to buy more seeds.

How to take a cutting from a nasturtium

Taking cuttings from your nasturtiums is really straightforward, but you will need to make sure you have the right equipment to ensure your plants are healthy.

You will need:

• A very clean pair of gardening scissors
• A dibber (if you don’t have one, your finger will work just as well)
• Water
• A clean plant pot (coco coir if possible)
• Moist potting soil

Propagating nasturtium cuttings in potting soil

While starting your cuttings in water is helpful to visualize the roots coming in, if you want to speed things along, you can propagate your cuttings directly into potting soil. 

1. Select the plant you want to take a cutting from.
2. Using very clean gardening scissors, snip off a section of plant 3-5 inches long from the main plant, just below a leaf.
3. Using your scissors, cut off any leaves from the bottom third of the cutting, leaving this bare.
4. Snip the cut bottom at an angle to allow a larger surface area to take in nutrients and water.
5. Fill your clean pot or coco coir with potting soil and water until moist throughout
6. Using a dibber or your finger, make a hole about three inches deep in your soil.
7. Carefully place your cutting in the hole and fill in with more potting soil while tamping down the soil.
8. Place your pot in a warm place, protected from the elements and shaded for part of the day.
9. Roots should appear after around three weeks.

How do you transplant nasturtium cuttings?

A few weeks after beginning to propagate your nasturtium cuttings, they should have formed roots strong enough to allow your new plant to be transplanted to its new home. 

Choosing a planting location

Nasturtiums grow best in a sunny spot but can cope well with a minimum of four hours of sunlight a day; this is worth taking into account when choosing your plant’s new home.

If you left the cutting outdoors to take root, it is ready to plant. If you kept the cutting indoors, then you’ll need to harden the new plant off by exposing it to outside temperatures and sunlight over the next few days. 

Transplanting your propagated seedlings

Once you have chosen your plant’s new home, dig a hole slightly bigger than the pot. If using a coir pot, pop the whole thing in the hole and backfill, leaving at least four inches of your plant above soil level.

If your plant is in a plastic or ceramic pot, tip it, very gently, into your other hand and place it in the hole, trying your best not to touch its new roots. Backfilled the hole using more potting soil and water in the plant.

Other ways to propagate nasturtiums

In addition to propagating your nasturtium cutting in soil, as detailed above, it is also possible to propagate them in water. This method can be enjoyable for young children who are budding gardeners as they can watch the roots appear before their eyes.

Propagating nasturtium cuttings in water

The beauty of propagating cuttings in water using a glass is that you can see when it is ready to transplant as you will be able to watch its roots grow. Also, by starting your nasturtium cuttings in water, you can be sure they look healthy before transplanting them.

The method is quite simple.

1. Select the plant you want to take a cutting from.
2. Using very clean gardening scissors, snip off a section of plant 3-5 inches long from the main plant, just below a leaf.
3. Using your scissors, cut off any leaves from the bottom third of the cutting, leaving this bare.
4. Snip the cut bottom at an angle to allow a bigger surface area to take in water.
5. Fill your glass with just enough fresh water to cover the bottom third of your cutting.
6. Place your cutting in the glass and place in a warm, shaded spot.
7. Change the water in your cutting glass every 3-5 days to provide oxygen to the plant. 
8. After a week or so, small roots should be appearing from your cutting.
9. Keep checking on your plant, and once its roots are two to four inches long, it is ready to be put into potting soil. 

Learn more

Never run out of nasturtium plants or seeds with cuttings. Here’s a quick overview

• Nasturtiums can be propagated from cuttings.
• Root the nasturtiums in water or potting soil.
• Growing new plants from cuttings is excellent for getting new plants that match your existing planting.

Here’s another article to keep you surrounded by flowers, even if you don’t have full sun in your yard: Can Nasturtiums Grow In Part Shade? (Here’s How To Succeed).

If you run into any problems with your nasturtiums, use this article to help you out: 4 Signs That Your Nasturtiums Need Some TLC (Find Out What’s Wrong).