So what are these conditions as far as chrysanthemums are concerned? If we start with the unrooted cutting, this is detached from the stock plant when it is about 5cm (2in) long with enough of a food store to keep it going for about four weeks. But what it does not have is any way of replacing the water that it is continually losing through its leaves. What we have to do is to encourage it to form roots as quickly as possible and to keep it in a moist atmosphere so that it loses less water.