Making new plants from cuttings can be an enjoyable pastime if you don’t expect 100 percent success. Some plants root more easily than others.

Have you ever accidentally broken off a branch of a favorite plant and then shoved it into the ground, hoping that it might take root? By accident, I’ve had luck when this happened, mostly with common geraniums (pelargoniums). These and other succulent plants are probably the easiest plants to root from cuttings.

Both evergreen and deciduous shrubs may be grown from cuttings. Herbaceous and evergreen perennials are also easily rooted.

Stem cuttings can be taken from soft wood, semi-soft wood or hard wood. Take softwood cuttings — from geraniums, for example — when the plant is in full growth. Allow the cuttings to air for a day or two to form a callus on the cut end before planting. Both softwood and semi-soft wood cuttings may also be taken just after the growing season. Hardwood cuttings are usually taken in the fall and will take longer to root, showing new growth in the spring.

I have good luck rooting cuttings from flowering maples (abutilon), roses and mock orange (philadelphus). These may be semisoft or hardwood cuttings, depending where on you cut the stem you cut.

Before you start, gather your materials. Use a clean, sharp knife or scissor-type cutter. Decide which type of planting medium you’ll use. I have the best luck with perlite. Other gardeners use a mix of half builder’s sand and half peat moss, or half peat moss and half perlite or vermiculite.

If you use sand alone, put a piece of newspaper in the bottom of the container to delay water drainage a bit. I use round, deep, four-inch plastic containers, and I plant three cuttings in each container. You’ll want to have root hormone in liquid or powder form, chopsticks, a bucket and a misting bottle to mist newly emerging leaves. Some gardeners use an electric heated mat to encourage new root growth.

Thoroughly moisten the planting medium Use clean containers. Wash them in nine parts water and one part bleach and dry in the sunshine.

Cut off a branch just above a node. You should get about three cuttings per branch.

Make 4- to 5-inch cuttings. When cutting, make a slanted cut just above a node at the top, and make a squared-off cut just below a node at the bottom.

Remove the lower one-third of the leaves. If the leaves are really big, cut the remaining leaves in half. This will lessen the water loss from the leaves.

Using a chopstick, make a hole wider than the cutting. Dip the lower end of the cutting into root hormone and tap off the extra hormone. Gently lower the cutting into the hole, trying not to disturb the hormone. With your fingers, gently firm the planting medium around the cutting. It shouldn’t be wobbly. Be sure to plant your cuttings upright. I have planted ivy upside down more than once because the leaf growth is deceptive.

Place two other cuttings in the container in the same manner and place the container in indirect sunlight. I put mine on the east side of the house in the laundry room. It’s a bright, sunny room but not too hot to burn the new plants.

Have clear plastic bags and string on hand to make mini greenhouses that will cover the containers and keep the plants moist. Use chopsticks to keep the plastic from touching the plants. I mist the cuttings every day instead of using plastic bags. Try both ways to see what works for you.

Resist pulling on cuttings to see if they have taken root. I have disturbed and lost many plants this way. However, if a cutting turns black, it’s dead. Toss it.

Give the cuttings fresh air each day, and then replace the plastic bags. When leaves emerge, poke holes in the bags to allow more air circulation.

When you’re sure that plants have rooted, transplant them into other containers and begin fertilizing with diluted fish emulsion. Ease them into filtered outdoor light until you are sure they are strong enough to survive their designated place in your garden, or give them to friends.

I am always impressed with the little miracle of life that can be created from a stick.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners (www.mastergardeners.org) are available to answer gardening questions Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, at the UC Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, 253-4221, or toll-free at (877) 279-3065.

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