Lavender is one of the easiest woody herbs to multiply for free, and cuttings give you exact clones of a plant you already love — same color, same fragrance, same growth habit. That matters with lavender, because seed is slow, unreliable, and often doesn’t come true to the parent. From a single healthy bush you can root a dozen or more new plants in a few weeks, enough to fill a fragrant hedge, edge a path, or pot up as gifts. The whole process comes down to taking the right kind of shoot at the right time of year, stripping and trimming it correctly, and keeping it in a humid, fast-draining medium until roots form. This guide covers softwood and hardwood cuttings, the best timing for each, a clear step-by-step rooting method, and how to grow a rooted cutting into a bushy, long-lived plant.
Part of our Flowers & Perennials guide →
In this guide
Key Takeaways
- Take softwood cuttings in late spring to early summer for fastest rooting, or semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer/early fall.
- Choose non-flowering shoots 3–4 in. long; flowering stems root poorly because the plant’s energy goes to blooms.
- Strip the lower leaves, dip in rooting hormone (optional but it speeds things up), and insert into a gritty, free-draining mix.
- Keep cuttings warm, humid, and out of direct sun; most root in 2–4 weeks.
- Lavender hates wet feet — use a sharp-draining medium and water sparingly to avoid rot, the number-one killer of cuttings.
Softwood vs. Hardwood Cuttings
Lavender can be propagated from two kinds of stem, and knowing the difference sets your timing. Softwood cuttings are the soft, flexible, green new growth taken in late spring through early summer. They root the fastest — often in two to three weeks — because the young tissue is full of growth energy, but they’re also the most prone to wilting and rot, so they need careful humidity. Semi-hardwood or hardwood cuttings are firmer, more mature stems that have started to turn woody at the base, taken from late summer into autumn. They’re slower to root (three to six weeks or more) but far tougher and more forgiving of neglect. Beginners often have the best luck with softwood cuttings in early summer, when warmth and active growth are on your side. Either way, the technique is nearly identical.
Best Time to Take Lavender Cuttings
Timing is the difference between a tray of rooted plants and a tray of mush. For softwood cuttings, take them from late spring to early summer (roughly May into June in most US zones) when the plant is pushing fresh growth but before it sets a heavy crop of flowers. For semi-hardwood cuttings, wait until late summer or early fall (August into September) once that season’s stems have firmed up. In both cases, take cuttings in the cool of early morning when the stems are fully turgid with water, never in the heat of midday when they’re already a little wilted. Always work from a healthy, vigorous, pest-free parent plant — a stressed or diseased mother gives you weak cuttings.
What You’ll Need
- Clean, sharp pruners or a craft knife (wipe with alcohol to avoid spreading disease)
- A gritty, free-draining rooting medium: a 50/50 mix of perlite and seed compost, or coarse sand and potting mix
- Small pots, cell trays, or a seed tray
- Rooting hormone powder or gel (optional, but it improves success and speed)
- A clear plastic bag, propagator lid, or cut-down bottle to hold humidity
- A dibber, pencil, or chopstick to make planting holes
- A warm, bright spot out of direct sun
Step-by-Step: Taking and Rooting the Cuttings
Step 1: Select and cut the shoots
Look for healthy, non-flowering side shoots about 3 to 4 inches long. Flowering stems root poorly because the plant is investing its energy in blooms, not roots — if a stem has a bud, choose a different one or pinch the flower off. Cut just below a leaf node (the point where leaves emerge), since that’s where rooting hormones concentrate and roots form most readily. For semi-hardwood cuttings you can also take a “heel” cutting: gently pull a side shoot off the main stem so it comes away with a small sliver of bark at the base, which roots especially well.
Step 2: Strip and prepare
Strip the leaves from the lower half to two-thirds of each cutting, leaving just a few pairs at the top. Buried leaves rot and invite the fungal infections that kill cuttings. Pinch out the very soft growing tip too, which encourages the cutting to put energy into roots and later branch out bushier. If you’re using rooting hormone, dip the moistened base into the powder or gel and tap off the excess. Hormone isn’t essential for lavender, which roots fairly willingly, but it speeds things up and improves your strike rate.
Step 3: Insert into the medium
Fill pots or trays with your gritty, free-draining mix and moisten it. Use a dibber to make a hole — don’t just shove the cutting in, which scrapes off the hormone. Insert each cutting so the stripped lower portion is buried and the remaining leaves sit just above the surface. Firm the medium gently around the base so there are no air pockets. You can space several cuttings around the edge of a single pot. Water lightly to settle them in, then let the excess drain fully — lavender cuttings rot in soggy medium, so damp, not wet, is the rule.
Step 4: Create humidity and warmth
Cover the pot with a clear plastic bag, a propagator lid, or a cut-down clear bottle to trap humidity and stop the cuttings from drying out before they can take up water. Keep the cover from touching the leaves by propping it up with sticks. Set the tray somewhere warm and bright but out of direct sunlight, which would cook the cuttings inside their humid cover. A temperature around 65–70°F is ideal; a heat mat under the tray speeds rooting noticeably. Vent the cover for a few minutes every day or two to refresh the air and discourage mold, and remove any cuttings that go black or mushy immediately.
Step 5: Check for roots
Softwood cuttings usually root in two to four weeks; semi-hardwood take three to six weeks or more. You’ll know roots have formed when you see fresh new growth at the tips and feel gentle resistance if you give a cutting a very light tug. At that point, start hardening off by opening the cover for longer periods over several days, then remove it entirely so the young plants adjust to normal humidity.
Growing On a Rooted Cutting
Once a cutting is well rooted and has acclimated, pot it up individually into a small container of free-draining potting mix with extra grit. Grow it on in a sheltered, sunny spot, watering only when the surface dries — lavender is a Mediterranean plant that loathes constant moisture. Pinch the growing tips a couple of times through the first season to force branching, which gives you a dense, bushy plant rather than a leggy one. Cuttings taken in early summer can often be planted out in fall or the following spring; fall cuttings are best overwintered under cover and planted out after the last frost. Plant lavender in full sun and lean, alkaline, sharply drained soil for the longest-lived plants. Lavender is a star of any small-space or container herb garden, and it pairs well with other Mediterranean herbs — see our guides on propagating rosemary from cuttings for a near-identical technique, and browse more projects in our outdoor living guides.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Rot is the number-one killer of lavender cuttings, and it comes from overwatering and a water-retentive medium. Use a gritty, fast-draining mix, keep it just damp, and never let cuttings sit in soggy compost. Other pitfalls: using flowering stems (they root poorly), leaving leaves on the buried portion (they rot), and putting the humid tray in direct sun (it cooks). Take non-flowering shoots, strip the lower leaves, keep them warm and bright but shaded, and resist the urge to overwater — and most of your cuttings will root.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to take lavender cuttings?
Take softwood cuttings from late spring to early summer for the fastest rooting, or firmer semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer to early fall. Always cut in the cool of early morning when the stems are full of water, never in midday heat when they’re already slightly wilted.
How long does lavender take to root from a cutting?
Softwood cuttings usually root in two to four weeks, while semi-hardwood cuttings take three to six weeks or longer. You’ll know roots have formed when you see new tip growth and feel gentle resistance when you give a cutting a light tug.
Do I need rooting hormone for lavender?
No — lavender roots fairly willingly without it. But a dip in rooting hormone powder or gel speeds rooting and improves your success rate, so it’s worth using if you have it, especially for slower semi-hardwood cuttings.
Can I root lavender cuttings in water?
You can sometimes get roots in water, but it’s unreliable and the roots that form are weak and adapt poorly to soil. Lavender hates constant moisture, so a gritty, free-draining medium gives far stronger, more transplant-ready plants.
Why are my lavender cuttings rotting?
Almost always from too much moisture — a water-retentive medium and overwatering cause the stems to blacken and collapse. Use a sharp-draining perlite-and-grit mix, keep it just damp rather than wet, strip the lower leaves so none are buried, and vent the humidity cover regularly to prevent mold.