I am a college student, and I have been gardening for the past 3 years. I have four raised beds filled with vegies, flowers, and native plants of California.

My question is about cuttings. I have tried taking cuttings of ceanothus, baccharis, honeysuckle, rose, and a few succulents. I have followed guides, which told me to remove unnecessary leaves, wound the nodes, and soak the cuttings in root hormone. I have done all of this, and yet all of my cuttings, besides the resilient honeysuckle, have wilted and failed to root.

Every week or so I mix root hormone and water to encourage the cuttings to root, but only one or two thin roots come out of the nodes. More often than not the stem begins to decompose and the cutting wilts.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I really want to learn how to propagate through cuttings. Thanks!

Most succulents are extremely easy to root. Take a cutting by cutting just below a node. Or, if the succulent can easily be broken off at a node, do that. Next, leave the cutting in a semi-shaded spot (or inside) and exposed to air for about a day (at least a few hours, maybe even a few days for really large cuttings) until it seals itself off. The optimal time will vary a little bit depending on the species and size of the cutting. You do not want the cutting to wilt, but you do want to make sure the cut is dry. Do NOT wound the cutting. Wounding the cutting or planting with a fresh cut may lead to rot. Usually, rooting hormone is not used. Water sparingly, but don't let the soil completely dry out down at root level.