The invention discloses a method for cutting propagation of gardenias through plugging shallow water bathing. The method includes the steps of pruning cuttings, disinfecting the cuttings with carbendazim, treating the cuttings with alpha-naphthalene acetic acid, disinfecting a substrate with formaldehyde, immersing the cuttings and cutting, transplanting the cuttings to a shallow water pond, and spraying liquid urea, wherein the temperature of a bed surface is not higher than 32 DEG C, and the substrate is formed by rice field soil and mushroom cultivation waste in a mixed mode according to the mass ratio of 7:3. The method has the advantages that a soilless culture technique is combined with a hormone treatment method, gardenia plugging shallow water bathing rooting is carried out, the rooting speed is high, roots are not damaged in transplanting, measures of seed removal, watering and spraying in a garden field are eliminated, the method is simple and feasible, the problem that a traditional cutting rooting plant of a gardenia is difficult to survive is solved, by means of the method, large-scale and industrialized production of the gardenias can be achieved in a plugging shallow water bathing mode, ornamental value of the gardenias is improved, large quantities of seedlings can be provided for traditional gardenia production, and economic efficiency, ecological efficiency and social efficiency are obvious.