The mini cutting technique has been used to help circumvent problems arising from maturation effects in a range of trees, leading to plants with improved vigour and survival relative to conventional cutting approaches. When applied in Myrtaceous species, including tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) (Maiden & Betche) Cheel, a small tree grown for essential oil production and as an ornamental, it has been found to improve root and shoot growth rates, and plant survival, but there have been no reports on how the technique influences the root system architecture. In the present study standard cuttings (SCs) and mini cuttings (MCs) were prepared in nine clonal lines of tea tree, grown under the same conditions over a 5-month period, then researched for differences in rooting frequency, root system architecture traits, plantlet growth, and survival. Mini cuttings (3-4 cm) were derived from the tips of the same branches as SCs (8-10 cm) and physiologically less developed (leaves not fully expanded and less lignified stem). Mini cuttings outperformed SCs on almost all measured parameters, producing plantlets with superior growth and root architecture. The benefit of the MC technique was most pronounced in clonal lines that were known to have lower rooting rates by SCs.