Time

2–3 weeks

Level

Beginner

Success rate

High

Sterile shears or a sharp knife

A clear glass jar or 4-inch pot

Filtered water (or tap left to sit 24 hours) or light potting mix

A clear plastic bag (if rooting in soil)

Bright indirect light

Cut a 4 to 5 inch tip with no buds

Choose a healthy stem and cut just below a leaf node with sterile shears. Pick a stem with no flower buds or open flowers. Buds and flowers steal energy that should go into rooting. Pinch off any buds you see on your cutting.

Strip the bottom leaves

Pull off the lower 2 leaves from each cutting to expose the bottom inch of stem. Bare nodes are where new roots emerge. The remaining 2 to 3 leaves at the top continue feeding the cutting through photosynthesis.

Choose water or soil rooting

For water rooting, place the cutting in a glass jar of clean water with the bare nodes submerged and leaves above the water line. For soil rooting, push the bare stem 2 inches into damp houseplant mix and cover with a clear bag to hold humidity.

Water rooting is faster to monitor visually but produces softer roots. Soil rooting takes the same time but skips the transition step.

Place in bright indirect light

Set in a spot with bright filtered light at room temperature. Direct sun heats the cutting and causes leaf wilt before roots form. New Guinea Impatiens roots best at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Refresh water weekly or vent the bag

If rooting in water, change the water every 5 to 7 days to keep it clean. If rooting in soil, open the bag for an hour every 2 days to refresh air. Roots appear within 2 to 3 weeks.

Pot up or remove the bag

Once water roots are 2 inches long, pot up into a 4-inch container of houseplant mix and water thoroughly. For soil cuttings, remove the bag and resume normal care.

Flowers appear within 4 to 6 weeks of potting up, matching the parent plant exactly.