How to Take and Root Cannabis Cuttings (Step by Step)

Taking the cutting is the easy bit. The rooting stage is where clones live or die, and almost every failure comes down to the same thing: doing too much. The cutting can’t use food, can’t handle strong light, and can’t survive you lifting the lid every hour. Here’s how to root one without loving it to death.

The short version:

• Medium: a root riot cube, rockwool, or even a glass of plain water
• No feeding — a rootless cutting has nothing to feed with
• Cover with a propagation dome for humidity; the cutting drinks through its leaves
• Soft light only — a full veg light over a rootless cutting is too much
• Roots appear in 1–3 weeks; then pot on like any young plant

Want the full breakdown? Keep scrolling.

What medium should I root in?

Any of a few will do, and none need feeding. A root riot or rockwool cube is the tidy, reliable choice — it holds moisture and air around the stem. A cup of plain water on a windowsill works too: slower and a touch less reliable, but it costs nothing and lets you watch the roots come in, which is oddly reassuring the first time. Whatever you choose, the point is the same — give the bare stem somewhere humid to sit while it grows roots. Don’t add nutrients to any of them; a cutting with no roots has no way to use food, and a strong solution just stresses it.

How do I set up the rooting environment?

Two things matter: humidity and gentle light. Put the cutting under a propagation dome — a clear lid that traps moisture — because until roots appear the cutting drinks through its leaves and stem, not its non-existent roots. Keep the light soft; a full veg light over a rootless cutting is like asking someone with no legs to sprint. Keep it warm. Then crack the dome vents a little wider each day to harden it off gradually as roots establish. (DIG stock domes and cubes if you want it set up properly.) That’s it — warmth, humidity, soft light, patience, in that order.

How long does rooting take, and what kills cuttings?

Roots show in one to three weeks. You’ll know it worked when you see white root tips through the cube, or new growth pushing from the top — the cutting telling you it’s feeding itself now. Then pot it on and treat it as any young veg plant. As for what kills them: the Nurse fed his because feeding is caring, gave them full light because more light is more growth, and lifted the dome every hour because he was worried. Between nutrients they couldn’t use, light they couldn’t handle and the humidity he kept letting out, he cooked and starved them at once. If your cuttings wilt and die, that’s nearly always the cause — too much, too soon — with the odd dirty blade thrown in. Leave them warm, humid and alone, and most will take.

FAQ

How long do cannabis cuttings take to root? Usually one to three weeks. You’ll see white root tips through the cube or fresh top growth when it’s rooted and ready to pot on.

Do cuttings need nutrients while rooting? No. A cutting has no roots to feed with, so plain water or a very weak solution is all it can use. Feeding stresses it.

Why do my clones keep dying? Almost always over-care: too much light, feeding too early, or opening the dome constantly and losing humidity. A dirty blade causing rot is the other common cause.

Can I root a cutting in just water? Yes. A glass of plain water works — slower and slightly less reliable than cubes under a dome, but cheap and easy to monitor.